Gert Dekker loves parakeets. He has about a hundred of them. He recently made an appeal on Facebook, asking if there were more bird lovers living in the District. “It’s just nice to share each other’s hobby.”
At the back of his garden in De Wijk, Gert has set up a large shed as an aviary. About a hundred parakeets are chirping loudly there. “Yes, there is quite a bit of singing,” says Gert, laughing. “That’s a good sign. That means they’re healthy.”
When Gert was only ten years old, his love for birds began. “I also had a tame crow and all that. That’s where it started, I think.” The parakeets give him peace. “It’s really relaxing.”
In addition to budgerigars, he also has so-called splendids and black-fice budgerigars. “They all have something special.” He has already won great prizes with some of them.
Gert is a member of numerous bird associations. The Fauna Bird Association in Hoogeveen, the Dutch Association for Bird Lovers, the Parakeet Society in Almelo, the Dutch Grasshopper Club and the Gelderse Budgerigars Club in Brummen. He enjoys talking about his hobby with other enthusiasts.
“I recently lived here in the District and during my walks I noticed that I heard no bird sounds at all. No parakeets, no homing pigeons. I thought: I think there are few bird lovers here.”
That’s why he made an appeal on Facebook. No other bird lovers responded to that, but a few people did who would like to come and see him. “I also think that’s really nice, that I can share some of my love for birds.”
See how much Gert loves his parakeets here:
