Review: 'Birds of Pandemonium,' by Michelle Raffin

Michele Raffin never set out to become, as she calls herself, a "Bird Lady."

"Mucking out parrot poop is not a predictable second career for me, a former Silicon Valley executive with a master's in management science," she writes in the introduction to "The Birds of Pandemonium." It was a chance encounter with an injured white dove that transformed her quiet suburban life into that of an exotic bird rescuer, conservationist and founder of Pandemonium Aviaries, the aptly named nonprofit bird sanctuary that is dedicated to saving birds from extinction.

Raffin's writing is companionable and humble. She is open and honest about her early years in the rescue business as she stumbled her way through a steep learning curve, and gives herself perhaps too little credit when it comes to her dedication to saving hundreds of birds that had been abandoned or neglected by their previous owners. Some of the birds had been given up with foresight and care, others left at the veterinarian's when the bills became too high. Because of the long life span of some of these birds — most parrots outlive their owners — many were traumatized by the loss of their owners and took months, or sometimes years, to acclimate to their new families.

She also writes about her first exposure to "the bird bazaar, the type of arcane, sub-rosa marketplace that develops around cat fanciers, exotic-reptile breeders, and those besotted 'orchid thieves' of book and film." The bird breeders are mostly male and, as Raffin describes them, "extremely secretive."

She is initially looked upon with suspicion and then, grudgingly, as a possible source as she learns the ins and outs of this close society with the help of Louis and Carol, a couple with more than 40 years of experience in the bird breeding world.

The meat of Raffin's book lies in her portrayals of the birds themselves: Oscar and Gail, the little finches that could; Uncle Dutch, a "red-rumped" Australian parrot; Amigo the irascible parrot that fell madly in love with Raffin's son; Tico, the bird that Raffin wanted to call her own, and the heartbreaking story of Lancelot and Gwen.

Raffin creates the perfect balance of humor and gravity by raising some serious conservation concerns and then tempering them with heartfelt anecdotes. Above all, it is Raffin's obvious passion for her unexpected calling that makes this book such an utter delight.

Meganne Fabrega is a freelance writer and a member of the National Book Critics Circle.