By Brian Gilliland

HARBESON — There are things one might expect when driving the roads of Sussex County.

Construction is likely. Traffic might be a definite, depending on where you are.

But it’s not common to see an exotic-bird farm, complete with a nursery and boarding facilities.

And yet, it is because M&D Bird Farm has been in its spot at 26754 Lewes Georgetown Highway for almost 30 years, supplying everything one might need to start, continue or augment a bird-parenting adventure.

Going in cold, however, might cause an inexperienced person to make a larger commitment than they bargained for.

“The smaller birds are more like dogs; they can live 10 or 15 years. The medium-sized bird can live for 30 years, and the larger ones, like a macaw or other types of parrots, can live 60-70 years,” said Lin Martin, M&D’s owner and manager.

For those only familiar enough to judge birds by what can be seen through a window, a small bird is about the size of a sparrow, wren or canary. Medium, by Mr. Martin’s standards, would be robin- to pigeon-sized, and the larger birds are chicken-sized on up.

The prices are set similarly, he added, with small birds retailing between $50-$500, medium birds from $600-$1,200 and the larger varieties starting around $3,000.

The macaws and parrots are right at the front of the store, paying as much or as little attention to the customers, other birds and Mr. Martin as their highly individualized moods allow.

But really, it’s because they’re more polite than their smaller brethren in the back, he said, as a few of the parrots took notice, and a red macaw said hi.

Mr. Martin went on to say that the birds, especially the larger ones, are curious and sociable but especially like to observe new people visit. The odd bird will come in with a more extensive vocabulary or might be more willing to use it, he added, but greetings are going to be what you get on a first meeting.

At the back and side of the shop, the parakeets and company notice Mr. Martin talking to a new person near the parrots and decide to lodge complaints.

As the smaller birds reported exactly what they thought, the owner laughed and said, “I have hearing aids, so it doesn’t bother me much anymore.”

Again, a “hello” from the red macaw.

Moving from the smaller birds’ line of sight, thinking it might lessen the cacophony (not so much), visitors encountered the medium-sized birds, all gathered on a large perch standing more than 5 feet high and accessible to 30 avians without overcrowding.

“Most of these guys here are new, and socializing. I turned over most of my old stock in the past three or four weeks,” Mr. Martin said.

M&D has been using many of the same suppliers for its three decades, he explained. Several times a year, depending on the number of birds he is collecting, Mr. Martin will drive or fly to Florida and head right back up to Harbeson.

When he buys feathered friends, he noted, they are too young to sell immediately, so he moves them to the nursery in the back.

“Behind the parakeets,” he said, followed by another greeting from the talkative macaw.

Mr. Martin moved steadily toward the nursery, eyes forward, past two dozen or so shrieking parakeets and other species, all vying for attention.

There are aisles of toys, seeds, medicines — all the supplies an enthusiast would need.

In the back is a smaller, well-lit room with cages along one wall and a sink and prep area opposite. The nursery, he explained, is where all the birds he brings in spend five or six weeks, until they are about 12 weeks and completely weaned from hand feeding.

Sometimes, there is an egg, though M&D generally gets birds a little older.

Mr. Martin said he is set up for birds to hatch, though, and points to a darkened box in the corner with a cockatiel’s head poking out.

The cockatiel said nothing.

Across the hall is a boarding area, a similarly sized room. It was completely empty except for about 10 cages that had almost no common features:

None were the same size, shape or color. The birds inside were just as varied.

“Some of these (boarders) we see all the time, and they’re kind of like family to us. We live near a vacation spot, but people here like to travel, too.

We offer full-service boarding and can customize our services to your needs,” he said.

If your needs include grooming, M&D can do that, too.

“We do their nails, wings and beak trimmings. In the store, we keep the wings short, so they can’t get out, but some owners like them to have more mobility,” he said.

And, with that, it was time to get back onto the roads of Sussex County, with its traffic and construction and, sometimes, its exotic-bird farms. It was time to say goodbye to the parrots, macaws, conures, budgies and parakeets.

“Hello,” from the macaw once more.

Close enough.

Staff writer Brian Gilliland can be reached at 410-603-3737 or bg@iniusa.org.