Our Story

Our story begins in the summer of 1994, when a friend involved in wildlife rehabilitation offered me a baby pigeon to care for.

His name was Rocky, and I had no idea how much that little bird would change the course of my life.

Until then, I knew very little about pigeons. I would eventually learn that the pigeons we see living in our cities and towns are feral descendants of domesticated rock doves — birds that lived alongside people for thousands of years and were once trusted to carry our messages across incredible distances.

But Rocky didn't need history to win me over. He was smart, friendly, curious, and full of personality. We formed a bond that I never expected to have with a pigeon.

My parents weren't quite as enthusiastic about having a pigeon in the family, and eventually Little Rocky was returned to the feral flock he had come from. For years afterward, I felt a knot in my stomach whenever I thought about him. I wondered where he went, whether he was safe, and what became of him.

As I grew older and learned more about pigeons, I came to understand how difficult life can be for them outdoors. I made myself a promise: the next pigeon who crossed my path would have a safe home for life.

The Pigeon in the Driveway

Thirty years later, in the fall of 2024, that pigeon finally arrived.

I looked outside one day and saw a confused pigeon standing in my driveway with bands on her legs. I rushed outside, gently tossed a net over her, and brought her in.

My daughter named her Twizzler.

Twizzler wasn't particularly interested in human affection, and it quickly became clear that what she really needed was another pigeon.

I began calling bird rescues and animal shelters, hoping to find her a companion. Instead, I discovered something that surprised me: finding help for a pigeon was remarkably difficult. Rescue after rescue told me they weren't able to take them in or adopt them out.

After weeks of searching, I came across an online post about an all-white pigeon wandering around someone's lawn. I brought her home, named her Daisy, and introduced her to Twizzler.

They quickly became best friends and that was when an idea began to take shape: What if I became the person people could call when a pigeon needed somewhere to go?

From Two Pigeons to a Refuge

The need turned out to be much greater than I expected.

As people learned that I was willing to help pigeons, the messages and phone calls began coming in. Lost pigeons. Injured pigeons. Domestic pigeons that needed new homes. Birds that simply had nowhere else to go.

In the spring of 2025, I built my first aviary.

What began with Twizzler and Daisy was becoming something much bigger, then life changed again.

In the summer of 2025, my wife became very ill and spent countless nights in the hospital. I needed to be there for her and our daughter, and maintaining a traditional job was no longer possible.

It was during that incredibly difficult period that I decided to take something I cared deeply about and fully commit to it.

Rockbird Refuge was going to become more than something I did in my spare time.

I began the process of establishing Rockbird Refuge as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and invested my own savings into building a larger aviary and creating a place where birds in need could be safe.

Before long, our little refuge began growing beyond pigeons. Birds including house sparrows, conures, cockatiels, budgies, and other small companion and domestic birds found their way to us.

A Home, Not Just a Stop Along the Way

From the beginning, my vision for Rockbird Refuge has been a little different.

I didn't want to create a place where every bird was simply waiting for someone else to take them.

I wanted to create a refuge.

For many of the birds who come here, Rockbird will be their permanent home — a place where they can form friendships, receive proper care, feel safe, and simply be birds.

Some birds may be adopted when the right home is truly what's best for them. But our purpose isn't to move birds through as quickly as possible. Our purpose is to give them what they need, for however long they need it — even when that means a lifetime.

Nearly three decades passed between Rocky and the pigeon who appeared in my driveway.

But in many ways, Rockbird Refuge began with him.