Judith Lombardi Celebrates Ruth Melichar

The Bird Lady, Judith Lombardi 

Statement by Judith

When my oldest daughter was in Girl Scouts the troop visited Ruth Melichar. I was able to join her as she was introduced to the wonder of a delightful woman who took her passion for birds into her home. Many years ago Mrs. Melichar had been given a baby bird to save. Mrs. Melichar was successful and her efforts on that one bird's behalf blossomed into a deep commitment to saving and rehabilitating birds of all sizes. When we visited Mrs Melichar's house,  it was full of cages containing owls, sparrows,  finches,  doves,  pigeons. She would go from cage to cage,  patiently feeding all the hungry baby birds. It seemed as though as soon as she had finished with the last little bird it was time to begin again. We would return to Mrs. Melichar's magical bird house repeatedly to help her care for her feathered friends. My daughter,  a lover of all animals but especially birds,  was enchanted. Mrs. Melichar was quite elderly when we met and I was fortunate to get a photo of her one day while we visited. It was an honor to be able to create a portrait of a special woman who contributed to Boise's history but also to the saving of many of Boise's birds.