Sierra Mountain Times

Dick Williams, also known as The Birdman by the Avalon Care Center residents, is always willing to share a smile as well as his many gifts.

Although the Christmas season has come and gone, there are some who carry on the spirit of giving year round. These are people who have discovered that there is joy found in giving to others, and whether it’s giving an object, giving time, giving an ear, giving a smile, a hand shake or a greeting, great or small, these gifts are greatly appreciated by those receiving. Sonora resident Dick Williams gives all of the above, all of the time…especially at the Avalon Care Center in Sonora. For the past six years he has faithfully visited the center, shinning his warm personality into the rooms and up and down the hallways of the center while bearing daily gifts for the residents. He is also known for feeding the caged birds in the solarium as well as the birds who visit the feeders scattered around the grounds. In fact, his love for taking care of the birds has earned him the nickname at the center as “The Birdman,” which I quickly discovered when I took a recent trip to the center.

Arriving at Avalon around noon I asked the receptionist if she knew if Dick Williams was in today and I was surprised when I received a blank stare. Having been told that Mr. Williams was a very frequent visitor, I asked again, adding a little more detail. “Oh, you mean The Birdman,” she said with a smile, and directed me down the hall to the solarium where I found the man I had heard so much about. Towering over four bird cages in the corner of the room, Mr. Williams was busy filling the feeders with seed and talking to his feathered friends until he noticed me in the room. 

One of the many Avalon residents who enjoy watching, talking and listening to the birds 

“Well, hello there,” he said in an exuberant friendly voice while his strong hand reached out to shake mine. His large six-foot frame was full of life and energy and I was surprised when I learned that he was 81-years-old. He offered me a seat in the room and for the next several hours I had the privilege to talk with this unique character known as The Birdman. As we talked the sun filtered in through the windows and mixed with the warmth that radiated from Mr. Williams boisterous personality. His age certainly hasn’t slowed him down and he seemed to bring out the youth in all who interacted with him. Always smiling and quick to laugh, he had an infectious personality and he couldn’t help but say hello to everyone who walked through the room. Home to about 120 residents and dozens of employees it would not surprise me if Mr. Williams knew them all. His lively voice could be heard down the halls and those who knew him well were sure to seek him out – not only for his loveable persona but also for his treats he was known to carry. To the residents of Avalon he has become sort of like a year round Santa Claus, yet instead of bags of toys, his gifts consist of birdseed (for the birds) and bags of popcorn, crackerjacks and candy for the residents. For those unable to leave their rooms, Mr. Williams is sure to seek them out and deliver a bag of goodies to them. It was soon clear that the birds weren’t the main reason for his coming…it was the people. The birds were just a side project to what really mattered – a relationship with the residents. Taking care of the birds was just one of his gifts so that others could enjoy them. He just took care of the birds so others could enjoy them. His wife, who had been in the center for several years, was especially fond of these feathered friends.

“I started coming in here in 2004 when my wife had to be moved here. She used to come in to see the birds a lot, and in a way these are really her pets. She used to come and talk to them,” Mr. Williams said with a smile. “I would come to the center every day and visit my wife and feed the birds. She was in here close to five years and passed away in here…we were together 51 years.”

And while for some, the center would be a place they would never want to visit again, this isn’t so for Mr. Williams.

Clif Baker (The Candyman) (left) and Dick Williams (The Birdman) make a great team. They became good friends while their wives were being cared for at Avalon. 

“After she passed away I cut my visits to the center down to every other day; the birds still get along just fine,” he laughed. “Every other day I change their water and give them fresh milk and fresh lettuce. They’ve got to have their lettuce! It wouldn’t get done otherwise. It’s come to be a habit so I take care of them and I know the residents enjoy it. Plus I’m basically retired and this gives me something to do.” 

Mr. Williams, a retired truck driver, moved to Tuolumne County over twenty years ago.

“I drove and loaded for a glass company for thirty years,” he explained. “About twenty two years ago, when I first came up here, Glenn Kolpack built my house out in Lambert Lakes and we’ve been buddies ever since. I would work for Glenn now and then and drive for him…but I had to give up that license. I’m getting too old for it. The Kolpack’s look out for me and Glenn’s wife, Bonnie, is my big helper. I don’t know where I’d be without her. There is nothing they won’t do for me and I won’t do for them. I adopted their whole family and held their kids when they were born.”

Bonnie is proud to be friends with Mr. Williams and can’t say enough about what he does for the residents at Avalon and for every person he knows.

“They just adore him down there,” she said. “They are like a bunch of little kids coming up to them and he knows everything about them.”

While the Avalon employees take care of and know the residents’ physical needs, The Birdman focuses on the residents’ need for a smile (and of course some candy), and every other morning he does his best to deliver. In the morning his first task is feeding the birds and squirrels at his house as well as the neighbor’s dogs. He then prepares for his Avalon friends.

The Birdman cleans out one of the four birdcages in the Avalon Center’s solarium

“I get up in the morning and put popcorn in the microwave and bring about ten bags. I also go down to Cost U Less and pick up chocolates and cracker jacks…they like suckers too. Whatever they want, I get. I have to watch it though because of diabetes…you can’t give it to everyone. But I’ve got buddies in rooms who are expecting their candy and popcorn. Some of them require me…I have customers in here,” he chuckled. “I figure what the heck, they get lonely and it doesn’t cost that much to make someone happy.”

Plus, it keeps him busy.

“I’ve got to have something to do and you’re better off moving around and staying youthful,” he said. “I don’t need any more jobs.”

However, by the looks of it, The Birdman’s visits to Avalon could be considered a part time job…and he is rarely late. Usually he can be found at Avalon between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

“They let me more or less do my thing…because nobody else would do it,” he said. ”Marcus, the administrator, is a really nice guy. Everyone here is really nice and they treat me well. This is about as good as you’re going to get up here…you won’t find a better place. I don’t ask the company for anything and furnish all my own stuff. I figure I can do that much for them because they are doing their best in here for everybody they can. They try…that’s all you can do.” 

The house dog Trevor is sure to seek the Birdman out for some treats. “He meets me in here everyday,” said Mr. Williams. “He loves to take a sunbath. He belongs to the activity lady and knows everybody in here. He’s a miniature pincher/Chihuahua and boy is he sharp. He knows who to stay away from and who to come up to.”

Mr. Williams tries his best as well, and takes every opportunity to bring a smile to the residents. 

“Sometimes I’m here talking until five o’clock at night,” he said. “I go and make the rounds to different rooms because I know a lot of people and take care of their birds.”

And when he’s not feeding the birds, he’ll be found talking with his buddies…which is everyone.

“I know everyone in here,” he smiled. “I used to know a lot more, but it’s hard because you lose them. You lose them all the time.”

“He cries every time someone passes away and then cries again when he tells us about it,” said Bonnie. “Every time it breaks his heart.”

But whether they have passed on or living, the stories of the residents he has met over the years are quite fascinating.

“I knew one lady who was 104 years old!” he said. “I used to go see her and one day this big tall lady walked in the room and I found out she was a sister. She was 100 and she drove to the center! ’When I asked what she was doing that day she said, ‘Pulling weeds in my yard.’ They were strong ladies…old farm girls from Jamestown. I also have a friend in here who used to be a boss at Hetch Hetchy. There is a lot of history in here you know. One guy was a city councilor and mayor and another guy was the judge. I’ve met so many people and I have a lot of fun meeting people. There are some really nice people in here that have nice families, but it’s sad when you see families quit on them. Some of them don’t even see their families anymore and I’m the only one they talk to. There are about three of them in here like that and I’ll come in and bring them popcorn.”

As of late, Mr. Williams is not the only one spreading cheer and goodies at the center, and his good friend, Clif Baker, has joined the ranks.

The Birdman takes satisfaction out of interacting with the residents and watching them interact with the birds he cares for.

“Clif comes in here almost every day now,” explained Mr. Williams. “He is one of my partners in here. We met in here because his wife passed away in here as well. He’s retired and I told him to come on down and he’d enjoy yourself. I talked him into it and he’s having fun.”

It wasn’t long before Clif ambled into the room with his bags of candy.

“I’m the candy man!” Clif said with a smile. “My wife was in here and she passed a year ago last April. I live in Sonora Hills so it’s just down the street and I’ve been coming here a couple of years.”

Rolling into the room next was one of the duo’s favorite residents, Esther Handy. 

“How are you doing honey…what’s up?’” asked Mr. Williams. 

‘I’m still here,’” Esther said with a smile.

“She’s my friend,” said Mr. Williams. “I’ve known her for a long time. She was here since the beginning. She knows to come in here because this is the party room. You’d be surprised of the people who come in just for the popcorn and candy. As soon as they are done eating they all come in here and ask for candy. It’s cute. Usually we are packed in here, but everyone is at lunch.”

“They all come in here looking for the snacks he gives them,” interjected Esther, 97. “I’ve been in care centers for nine years and I like to come in here around noon and sit in the sun and get warm. Plus, I enjoy looking at the birds. The Birdman is pretty good to us. He keeps us entertained.”

“I like to call him the bird man of Alcatraz,” chimed-in Clif.

“Yeah, everyone seems to call me The Birdman,” chuckled Mr. Williams. “They just know me that way. I take care of these birds and other people’s birds in their rooms. It makes them happy. I used to have a lot more birds than this. I had parakeets out in the hallway but they are all gone now.”

The Birdman tending to his many feathered friends.

Dick can’t help but tell this comical tale of why the cages had to be moved.

“The ambulance guys couldn’t get through the halls so the center made me move them in here,” he explained. “You should’ve seen it. It was quite a sight…the residences protested in their wheel chairs and they actually lined up in the hallway in protest. It was the cutest thing. They were mad at me because I moved the birds…but this is a great place for them. The residents come in and talk to them and hug the cages…its something for them to do.”

It keeps Dick entertained as well.

“These are all my buddies,” he said pointing to the dozen or so finches and parakeets chirping behind the bars.

The Birdman introduced me to each bird as he would a friend and explained each of their stories. 

“I’ve had these one’s going on six years and raised them from nothing,” he said proudly of three finches in the farthest cage. “They are my babies. They are three brothers and were actually born in a garbage can. A woman had thrown the eggs away but later heard chirping and brought them to the center in a cardboard box. They were just gray when I got them – no color at all. It takes about a year before they really get their color…and they sure turned out pretty.”

Next was a pair of parakeets.

“I used to have a blue parakeet named Bobby in this cage and he would sit on my hand and shake hands and give me kisses and everything, but he passed away at 8-years-old. But these two, Mary and Helen, came out of the Alzheimer’s ward…I rescued them,” he laughed as he introduced the colorful birds in the adjacent cage. “They didn’t really enjoy them down there. The yellow one is old…I’ve taken care of her for at least five years. The green one got out in Alzheimer’s one day and I couldn’t catch it. They can’t fly that well after they’ve been in the cage for a long time and they can only go up so high, but I chased it the whole length of the hall and finally got it with a towel.”

That isn’t the first time that has happened.

“I change their diapers about once a week, and most of the birds are smart and know exactly what I am going to do. If I clean out the bottom, they get up on the top of the cage…but these guys won’t,” he said pointing the next cage full of four finches. “These guys are new. I had the cage all cleaned up and someone put four finches in it – two males and two females. These ones are messy…but I didn’t put them in here, somebody else did,” he laughed. “But I take care of them. They were wild…they were completely nuts when I got them and one of these guys got out on me so we closed the doors and finally got him with a towel. Now when I am cleaning them I have to rig up cardboard to keep them from flying out. At first you couldn’t get near that cage and seed was all over…but I’ve had them for about a month and now they are starting to settle down.” 

Next was a lone parakeet.

“This little girl lost her mate. A lady down in therapy brought her in. She was going to bring two in and had them on the back porch and the cat or something got one of them. These are all hand-me-downs,” Mr. Williams said with a smile. ”Everyone brings a bird in that falls out of a tree or something. But they are great to have and the people love them. Plus, they do talk to you…after they get to know you they’ll come right over to the edge and talk to you.”

So if you ever need someone to talk to or listen to, feel free to stop by the Avalon Care Center. If The Birdman isn’t there to say hello, the birds will always listen. And remember, it doesn’t take much to bring a smile to a face. It just starts with a seed. May we all be reminded of what a little birdseed can do…