GROOMING AT HIGH SPEED

This is my own Josey Wales. He is a big boy and when he hangs out in my office/bedroom, he loves to stretch and groom his feathers. I tried to capture this on my camera but his actions were so fast that he ended up being a blur. Then, I used my camera to make a short video of his activity but I cannot post it on this blog. Something about must be a gif or a jpeg.

Josey is a magnificent cockatoo. He is loud, outgoing, and yet the biggest "chicken" of the group. He is my alarmist. Anything unusual is cause to set off an alarm. No one can send out an alarm like an Umbrella cockatoo. (Well, maybe Moluccan's are louder...so I can thank my lucky stars that he is ONLY an Umbrella.) The trouble is, that once the alarm call is sounded, the two macaws join in to make sure the entire neighborhood is aware of the threat. This "threat" may be a person walking a dog up the street, or a seed moth flying too close to the cage. When outside, Josey will alert to perceived threats and is usually more accurate. When he is upset, I can usually check and find a hawk flying around, a deer in the hedge, or a hostile Comcast guy working on a pole nearby. The sentry bird is a vital asset to any flock. Aren't I lucky to have one!