They need help
Tax receipt available upon request for donations
Project Perry's Small Bird Aviary Updates
The Small Bird Aviary is Ready!
June 13, 2015. The aviary is moving right along!
Matt checking out the work he just finished on the backwall of the aviary.
Project Perry's Small Bird Aviary Fundraiser
Summary
Project Perry Inc. (also known as the Central Virginia Parrot Sanctuary) is one of just a handful of accredited parrot-specific Sanctuaries in the United States. With approximately 15,000 sq.ft. of aviary space for its 160 residents, we have grown appropriately and responsibly in our nearly 10 years of work. Our unique aviary environments not only meet the physiological needs for our residents including the enrichment of flight and flock but they also allow visitors to our Sanctuary to explore aviary construction methods for their own birds, thus bettering the lives of birds beyond our own.
What we need
Shortly after moving into the 15 acre property in 2006, we began to explore construction options for building larger, cage-free and year-round aviaries to house and care for our future avian residents in need of Sanctuary. After much consideration and research, we built a 500 sq.ft. outdoor/indoor (heated) aviary and after a year of use, we determined this was the way to go and began fundraising for and building additional, larger and better designed aviaries.
Now that several years have passed and we have refined our construction process and materials, it's time to revisit our smaller residents - because small birds matter too! The original aviary has aged and is at maximum occupancy. Here's our plan - in the space where the current aviary stands, we plan to build a bigger and better aviary. The new aviary will be 1,250 sq.ft. and will allow us to help many more of the little ones! Note that the initial fundraising campaign (phase I) for $5,000 is for the removal of the old structure, site preparation and concrete/block foundation installation of the new structure. Additional phases of fundraising will follow as the aviary construction advances. In total, aviary construction will cost $40,000.
How you can help
Donations via paypal, personal checks, money orders are all ways to help to fund the aviary. Due to the current Small Bird Aviary being at capacity, we have had to turn away requests for new residents. If you would like to reserve a future spot for your Cockatiel or Parakeet, then a one time donation towards the construction of the aviary would be $750.00 for a Cockatiel and $250.00 for a Parakeet. Anyone who contributes $100.00 or more would be invited to the grand opening of the aviary, with the date to be determined.
Phase I of the aviary construction has a goal set at $5,000.00. The set timeframe for raising that amount it currently set for the end of January 2015. If we are able to raise that amount before then, we will move onto raising money for Phase II.
Please use the donate button to follow. If sending a personal check or money order please be sure to state that the donation is for the Small Bird Aviary Fundraiser. Check back here often for updated information on the amount raised. Thank you all so much for your amazing support over the years and we look forward to working with you all to make this new aviary possible.
-Matt Smith
Now
The current entry to the aviaries. You can see the massive difference in size. There is plenty of area for flight in the current aviary, however the new aviary will bring an incredible new world with so much room for these little birds to spread their wings to fly, forage, explore, and enjoy life to the fullest.
Future Plan
Upon entering the aviaries you can see the difference in space that the birds will enjoy.
The heated area of the aviaries are where the birds will spend cold nights and cold days. The polycarbonate walls that enclose the indoor portions of the aviary allow for 98% of the sun's rays to enter. On cold days, the birds remain inside with the warmth of the enclosure while having room to fly and recieve the benefits that come from the sun.
In these photos you can see the age of the current heater in the current Small Bird Aviary. This heater is fine for the current size, but the newer aviaries have models that are more energy efficient and heat a larger area. Of course this kind of technology comes at a hefty price, but it is necessary in order to build a safe enclosed area for these small birds to live comfortably and to remain safe through those bitter cold nights and even some of the bitterly cold winter days. (more information available in the photos below)
More photos
Click a photo for details
Standing in the heated section doorway looking out at the free flight outdoor area of the 500 sq ft current Small Bird Aviary.
standing in the climate control section doorway of the 1,250 sq ft aviary, you can see how large the outdoor flight area is.
This is the current heater in the Small Bird Aviary. It was installed in 2007 and puts out 35,000 BTUs.
This is the new heater type that will be placed in the new Small Bird Aviary upon completion. This heater is more energy efficient with a fan that blows the heated air out evenly into the aviary. This heater puts out 55,000 BTUs. It is a $1,300 heater or $1,800 installed.
This is left over from other aviary construction. This will hopefully be enough to construct the foundation of the new aviary that the heavy duty steel frame will be attached to. This saves around $500.
This left over stone can be used for numerous things. Possibly a water feature like the one in the Conure aviary after the aviary construction is complete.