Canary Wing Parakeet

This is Manu. He is a Canary Wing Parakeet. I haven't had the experience of playing with one of these guys before and found my recent playtime with Manu amazing. He reminds me of a Kakariki because he climbs and hangs and scampers around so quickly and artfully that it was difficult to capture a photo! Canary Wings are also called Yellow Chevron Parakeets and are in the Brotogeris family. (South American)

Here you can see how acrobatic Manu is. He is almost in constant motion. He would climb up my leg and to my shoulder and grab hold of my eye glasses and dangle there. What a clever and entertaining little guy.

Apparently, there are flocks of these in some parts of the USA. Escapees have survived quite well in San Francisco and in many parts of Florida among other places. They nest together in Date Palms. A bit on the noisy side but the antics make that worth it!

You're Afraid of Ants?

Here is another case where Josey Wales, my Umbrella Cockatoo, sounded the alarm while the birds were enjoying their outdoor cages. A deer in the hedge? A Comcast guy up the pole? No...after much detective work on my part...Josey was alarmed because my recent watering activated an ant nest. The ants went into action to move all of their eggs up the post next to Josey's cage. Can you see them in this photo? I have to admit, there were a lot of ants. However, Josey was acting like an elephant afraid of a mouse. Such a drama king!

More Parrot Talk

Bubbles is a little Hahn's Macaw. He is very talkative and when his mom and dad came to pick him up he was happily exclaiming, "Hi baby!" This was apparently a new phrase for Bubbles. After Bubbles and his associates left, I started to analyze just where that phrase came from. We definitely speak "parrot" in this house, but do I say what they say or visa versa? I've been known to ask my friends, "that good?" "want some?" and they look at me funny.

Well, this is Chauncey, my Slender Billed Cockatoo. He, too is very talkative. I deduced that he also says "Hi Baby!" quite often. Then, just after Bubbles went home, Daisy Grey came to spend the night. Ah Ha! "Hi Baby!" was her key phrase. Buster, my grey, probably picked it up as well as did Chauncey. So you see, I don't teach these guys their vocabulary, they teach each other! Now, we're all saying "Yummy Yummy!" thanks to Bubbles!

Update About Shelby Grey

Just had an email from the past. I had the privlege of finding a good home for a good little grey bird named Shelby quite a while ago. He is thriving in his new home. His new caregivers are enjoying his antics and constant comments on life. They had some summer guests staying with them and Shelby seemed enthralled by the woman's voice and laugh. Now, they hear it even though she is gone. In this photo, Shelby is staying far away from the new scary branch installed in his cage. By the time you read this, he'll be climbing all over it. When adding something new, always keep something familiar nearby.

Merlin Grey Parrot Slow to Know

This is Merlin. He is the Congo African Grey that I am boarding that is a bit shy and unwilling to be handled.

He doesn't fool me! I am taking my time to develop some rapport with him. Leaving his cage door open allowed him to come out on his terms. Then I offered his stick perch for him to step on. "No Way" he resisted. But he did fly down to the floor where the instinct was to accept a ride back to his cage.


Then I gave everyone a good
misting! In the top photo he has his eyes closed. But he was loving it!
The lower photo shows one very happy bird. He got completely wet and started to play with his toys. Happy Happy Bird. However, two or maybe three of these birds continue to "meow" and call the "Kitty Kat"...I don't have a kitty! Moki, my pomeranian, will have to do! She looks like a kitty I suppose...

CLOSE OBSERVATION DETECTS PROBLEM

Today I brought Wishes up to my office to play on the hanging ropes. She seemed very light to me. I placed her on my bed and spent some time preening her neck and head. Sure enough....she flinched with her head down and her wings flickering. This behavior is well known to those who hand feed baby parrots. She was begging for food. I prepared a warm gruel formula made up with Harrison's Mash and a jar of baby food and filled a large syringe. I filled her up and, from the look of it, she seemed quite relieved.

When I placed her back in her cage, I installed a shallow "In and Out Crock" next to her with her pellets in it. She started eating the pellets right away!

I had been putting her in the large exotic enclosure each day to play in the expansive toy-filled space. This was too stimulating and she played more than she ate. She also found herself further away from the food dishes! She is only seven months old and at risk for suddenly regressing with regard to eating. Especially with a boarding situation!

She's back on track and eating well now. Sometimes you just have to prime the pump to get it going again!

My Newest Guests

All of these birds live in one big happy family. The littlest one, Bubbles, is seen hiding behind his many toys. Can you spot him? He is a Hahn's Macaw. Bubbles talks ALOT! He always has something happy to say. "Eat your Breakfast" "Are you hungry?" "Yummy Yummy!" "What's the kitty go?" "Meow" Bubbles is like a hyperactive precocious child. I takes a certain energy level to keep up with this kind of bird.

This little Panama Amazon is a different sort of character. His name is Jabbers and he is beginning to talk and cough and take interest in the happenings around here. He seems a little shy but when I got on my knees to scrub the floor, I looked over and there he was! "Whatcha doing?"



Last but not least. We have Merlin a Congo Grey. He is nervous, flighty, and biting. I'm taking it slowly to win him over. I think greys have some problem with the "other kinds of parrots". I know that when my macaws or cockatoos sound off...Buster, my grey must shout "QUIET!" "Pipe Down!" Ever wonder what your parrot thinks of something?
This is their only girl. Her name is Wishes. She is a young Red Fronted Macaw. What a delight! She is sweet and friendly and eager to learn. Red Fronted Macaws are smaller than Blue and Golds and Scarlets, but larger than Severes, Yellow Collared, and Hahns. I find their personalities incredibly endearing. Wishes is mostly green but if you look closely you can see the orange bronze color that will increase with each molt until she is a bronze beauty.

Munch Would Rather Eat

I always feel like it is such a big treat to allow the small guys out to wander about and socialize with each other. However, some birds, like Munchie, just take advantage of the access to the snack bowl! There is sweet little Katie sitting pretty in the background on her cage but Munch is intent on chowing down. This time Lacy came out to perch below Munch on the tree. BJ just holds the fort and watches the activity closely. You may spot him back in his cage.

More Whistling Going On

Here is Matilda again. I have been experiencing some fun interactions with this grey guy. He is a talented whistler and I am NOT! I've been enjoying his repertoire of many melodic tunes. I try to whistle some responses but, like I said, I'm not much of a whistler. Well, Matil seems to know this and he is now starting a tune and then pausing. He will wait for me to respond with the next note or two. Then he finishes the "song". Slowly, I am getting better. This bird is actually teaching me! He seems to get a real kick out of this exchange. I have him for the rest of this week. I should be better by then and Buster will probably take over the lessons. He, too, has enjoyed Matil's whistling skills and is beginning to emulate them.

MATILDA GREY WHISTLER

This is Matilda, also known as Little or Matil. Matilda spent many years as a girl grey, however, a dna test changed that...she is a he. After all those years of thinking of "her" as a girl, her parents decided to continue the relationship that way.
She (he) is not at all used to being in a cage. At her (his) home, she (he) is given complete freedom to wander the floors and furniture at will. At my home, however, she (he) is quite happy in the large enclosure in my living room.

I awakened this morning to the beautiful whistling of a parade of Disney hits. "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" and "Zippety Doo Dah Zippety Eh, My Oh My What A Beautiful Day". Since it's impossible to cover that cage, Matil woke up with the sun. Her (his) whistling is magnificent. I enjoy the happy and lilting tunes all day long. She (he) doesn't do a lot of talking but the cheerful tunes are a delight.