Calling the abandonment of two cockatiels left in a plastic bag in a Scarborough parking lot "terribly cruel," Pat Phillips has taken them into her home to nurse them back to health.

The Scarborough woman has a passion for parrots and is known in the community for her extensive bird knowledge and big heart. So when the birds were found in the parking lot of the plaza on Bennett Road at Lawrence Avenue on Saturday, the woman at the pet food store knew who to call.

Phillips said an elderly couple pulled into a parking spot on Saturday to do some shopping when the woman noticed the bag, she went to retrieve it and when she picked it up there was movement. There is a pet food store in the plaza so the couple took the birds there hoping it could help.

With 15 birds and two cats, Phillips is a frequent customer at the store so they knew to call her. She couldn't say no to two birds in need so the couple dropped the birds off at her home.

"When you have two cockatiels that are found in a plastic bag in a parking lot how do you say no?" Phillips said. "Where are they going to go?"

She didn't know what to expect.

"When I saw what condition they were in I got very angry," Phillips said.

The little grey female, named Gracie, has a leg band indicating she is 12 years old while the age of the yellow male, named Max, is unknown. Both Max and Gracie are missing the flight feathers on their left wings and the primary feathers are missing from the tips of Gracie's wings.

"The vet said the female will lose at least part of her wing," Phillips said, adding she also doesn't have any tail feathers.

"The male is in better shape," she said.

Gracie is on antibiotics to help with the swelling on the tips of her wings. Both are fearful and quiet.

"They've withdrawn to the back of he cage and that's where they stay," Phillips said. "They're starting to relax some when there is no one in the room."

Phillips and her husband Lorne bought their first bird after they retired about 15 years ago. Parrots quickly became her passion.

"They're beautiful. They're intelligent. They make wonder companions, but they should not be part of the pet trade," she said.

Most people can't handle the mess and the noise of parrots, but Phillips has a way with them.

A member of the Budgerigar and Foreign Bird Society, Phillips is often called upon to answer bird questions in the neighbourhood.

"I didn't set out to have 15 birds. Most of these birds found their way to me in similar circumstances," she said.

She plans to nurse Gracie and Max back to health and them hopefully find them a loving home.