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12 THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2007 By Frances Niblock An archaeological expert is cataloguing the remnants of an Acton pioneer family that were unearthed where a numbered company wants to build a self-storage facility on Highway 25, across from the vinyl siding plant. As a condition of sale and the development process, the owner is preparing an archeological assessment of the broken crockery, hand- made square-topped nails, the back of a pocket watch and root cellar that were uncovered last October on the five-acre property, which was the Lasby family home- stead in the 1820s. ReMax real estate agent Susan Carlevaris, who is acting for the owner and potential purchaser, whom she would not identify, said when a walk of the site uncovered artifacts of pos- sible heritage significance, a full, four-stage study was mandatory. Everything found on the site was excavated, catalogued and sent to the Ministry of Culture, Car- levaris said on Thursday, adding the consultant hired by the owner is now prepar- ing a summary report. A final report to the Minis- try that would hopefully lead to clearance for development, hopefully within a month Carlevaris said, adding the archeological study cost the owner between $30,000 and $40,000. She said she hopes the artifacts can be displayed somewhere and dont end up gathering dust in a ware- house, but, that could happen to the Lasby artifacts, ac- cording to Heritage Halton Hills chairman Mark Rowe who said while the artifacts which he had not seen or heard of would be very interesting. They are also common, and Halton Mu- seum is over-stocked with artifacts of that era. Its like finding arrow- heads its always very interesting and an insight to the past, but they are a dime-a-dozen, Rowe said on Friday, somewhat sur- prised that neither Heritage Halton Hills or the Esquesing Historical Society was made aware of the archeological study on the site. It would be nice to know that this kind of thing was being done whether they were going to consult us or not but, wed like to get a copy of these archeological reports for the archives of the Historical Society for people doing research in the future so this work isnt wasted, Rowe said. He said the wealth of settler artifacts uncovered in the ar- cheological dig done several years ago when the Ministry of Transportation widened Highway 7 in the Silvercreek area were catalogued and buried over again. Thats certainly not the best solution, but its better than putting the artifacts in a warehouse or something, Rowe said. Acton pioneer familys artifacts being catalogued B&E profiled Halton Regional Police are investigating a break-in at a newspaper office in Acton. Sometime over the July 16th week end, suspect(s) forced open the door to New Tanner Publishing Ltd, 373 Queen St. Desk drawers and filing cabinets were ransacked. A small cash register, containing an undisclosed amount of cash, was stolen as well as several blank CDs. Total damage is estimated at $300. If you have any information that leads to an arrest in this or any other matter, you may be eligible for a cash reward. You will never have to give your name or testify in court. Crime Stoppers of Halton does not subscribe to call display. Please call 1-800-222-TIPS (1-800-222-8477) or check us out on the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com Salibas menagerie of pets awesome Bird Lady of Acton By Angela Tyler A few years ago, trav- eling south of Acton on Highway 25, you may have done a double-take at a farm just below the old Speyside school. You might have thought you were halluci- nating. But you really did see an array of animals, in- cluding lamas and ostriches, at the home of Patti and Dan Saliba. Patti and Dan may look like your typical next-door neighbours. But those who know them long ago came to the conclusion that, as Patti says, anything strangethey expect that from us. More than 20 years ago, Patti, who always had a soft spot in her heart for animals and parents who only al- lowed her a cat when she was young, met Dan, who at the time was breeding swans Trumpeters, Black Neck and Australian. From there on, the story feels a bit like Noahs Ark, with the animals coming two by two. The swans were just the start of the menagerie. On an outing to Toronto one day, Dan spotted a pair of blue and bold macaw parrots. The Salibas were hooked. They took their life savings of $5000 and purchased the birds. With Dans knowledge of breeding swans, they began breeding parrots. It didnt stop with the blue and gold macaws. Soon there were more, including greened-winged and hya- cinth varieties. Patti isnt just a mother to her own sons, Jake, 20 and Daniel, 18. Every spring, she also becomes the sur- rogate mother to every parrot born on their farm. After the eggs are laid - the gestation stage is 28 days - Dan retrieves them from the breeding birds enormous wire cages. You have to be quick and distract the breed- ers with a big stick Patti explains, noting the birds are instinctively protecting their off-spring. Mom Patti places the newborns in an incubator in the Salibas home and every hour feeds the fragile newborns to domesticate them. The feeding ritual goes on for three months and is very time-consuming. When asked about holiday time, Patti chuckles and thinks for a moment. We had a holiday about 10 years ago. The Saliba home is a busy place. Along with her husband and sons, the ex- tended family also includes cats, three dogs (including an 11-week-old puppy) and Arthur, an Alexandrian par- rot. Her other bird, Max, a Moluccan Cockatoo, lives just outside their backyard in his cage, as he was get- ting a little loud for the household. The Salibas know a lot about parrots and have a lot of them. Last year, Patti played mom to 40 birds. The caw of the birds can be heard on and off. Some of the birds talk as one expects a parrot to do. but Patti says they dont all talk. It depends on how they are raised. When the cawing is heard, that is really all you can hear. It is very loud. Patti insists that although it might not sound it, par- rots are happy when they are cawing. But because they are happy and maybe pretty to look at, the breed- er parrots are not exactly sociable. They are isolated in cages with one male and one female. Their massive wing spans are truly amaz- ing and, as they use their hooked beaks to shimmy up the sides of the cages, one can also understand how the birds could also be quite dangerous. Patti said they have been lucky to have had no serious injuries. Macaws on list Among the varieties of birds they breed, the hya- cinth macaws are on the endangered species list. The gorgeous purple-blue adult pair in one of the cages on the property can bring in a hefty $25,000. Of course, like anything, you need the right buyer. The Salibas have many customers, mostly com- mercial accounts including Super Pet. Recently, they sent parrots, flamingos and swans to a zoo in Korea. Soon, a customer will be coming from Holland, pos- sibly for a hyacinth. Although they dont have the lamas or ostriches any- more, Patti and Dan have many stories to tell of the amazing variety of crea- tures they have bred over the years including fla- mingos, pygmy goats and Muntjac deer, believed to be the worlds oldest. If that wasnt enough, Patti also used to hand-feed newborn camels. In their basement, the Salibas have two ostrich eggs they are incubating for someone who knew they used to breed ostriches. Patti in- sists they wont be keeping them and are just doing the grunt work. Horses favourites When asked about her favourite animal over the years, Patti insists its been her horses. If the hourly feeding of newborn parrots werent enough to keep her busy, the Salibas also have horses and 100 chickens (the serve yourself- eggs for sale fridge is across the driveway from one of the parrot cages). And, if for some reason, Patti and her husband have a few extra minutes once parrot-breeding season is over, she heads to her com- mercial greenhouse. Once the snow flies, thats where shell be, getting to work on her geranium clippings, so flowers will be ready for springtime customers. PRETTY BIRD: Patti Saliba in her home with her pet parrot Arthur which is a smaller version of the giant macaws that she breeds. - Angela Tyler photo PURPLE HAZE: These hyacinth parrots are just some of the glorious birds the Salibas raise. - Angela Tyler photo EYE SPY: This parrot of the Salibas stands on guard while its mate tends to their nest. - Angela Tyler photo