Love Birds, But Not Too Much

These two little birds are male and female. Baby Bird, on the left, is quite sweet and very tame. Tulip, on the right, is more flighty and gets bossy with her companion. Therefore, they are caged separately but next to each other. This gives Baby Bird some peace. Being allowed out daily to socialize and be together under some supervision is an important part of their day. They are a sweet couple. Typically the female lovebirds are a bit more difficult, if you know what I mean...

Determined Amazon

Kakeo, my guest blue front amazon, is very frisky and energetic. He gets all worked up and ready to take on the world. When he plays in the large Exotic Enclosure, he has snap and lock stainless steel bowls. These are firmly mounted and difficult for even me to take out. However, Kakeo sees himself in the shiny bowl and works determinately until he gets the bowl to fall to the floor. Then he excitedly goes down to do battle with that other beautiful bird which is his reflection. Just like the wild birds outside that peck at their reflection in a window or car mirror...Kakeo is not going to share his territory at all. Perhaps when dealing with a male parrot, stainless steel bowls is not the way to go.

BB and Knuckles

Big Bird, on the left, and Knuckles, on the right, are staying with me while their home is reconstructed after a fire. Big Bird is an active and young female. Knuckles, on the other hand, is an older male that has mobility issues. They are both accustomed to being out on a stand much of the time. Some people think that being out on a stand offers more freedom and is kinder than a cage. However, it is my philosophy that a cage actually offers more opportunities for activity and play. A parrot can climb around and transit along the cage bars which is good exercise. A cage also offers a feeling of safety and comfort. Every bird needs his or her personal space. Knuckles was not moving around his cage. He was "glued" to the perch by his food bowls and closest to Big Bird. Yesterday, I wondered what would happen if I switched the position of the cages. I reversed their location and, within a minute, Knuckles moved to the opposite end of his cage! He now moves from one side to the other to visit Big Bird and then go eat. His two favorite things. I am optimistic that this will get him more active and might even get him interested in chewing on his toys!

Better than the Hilton

Here is Lincoln. He was quick to climb down and investigate today's menu. It is always so rewarding to watch a parrot relish the morning breakfast. Some birds won't touch it and others, like Lincoln, enjoy each tasty chunk. It is important to consistently offer a variety of good produce, not just their favorites. Variety is the spice of life. Guest parrots often try to eat new things because they watch their neighbor eating and don't want to miss a thing.

Full House

For some reason, my house is full this weekend. It's not even a holiday yet! I have a lot of wonderful guest parrots here to care for (and play with).

Tiny Butters (below) is only three inches long. He is a lutino parrotlet and has a wonderful personality.

On the larger scale is Kakeo. He is a very mature Blue Front Amazon and is currently in his "rutting season" which is an interesting way to describe his "seasonal aggression". Lots of personality for both and lots of attitude from both!

Luckily for me, Butters is a tiny little thing and I can cajole him into cooperating. Also luckily for me, Kakeo is stick trained and I can easily move him from here to there without incident. This may be a full time job (+ some!) but it sure is fun! I enjoy meeting all of these characters and learning from them.

Parrot Events Coming Up

There's a seminar this weekend that would be a lot of fun and very informative! It's called Parrots as Companions and it's put on by a non profit organization called Chrp. Saturday 8am to 6pm and Sunday 8am to 5:30 at the Pleasant Hill Community Center 320 Civic Drive in Pleasant Hill. For more info go to http://www.chrp-parrot.org/

Another event to attend is the meeting this month of the Contra Costa Avian Society. The date is this Friday night (tomorrow) 7:30pm in Concord. The speaker will be Julie Murad of the Gabriel Foundation in Colorado. (A well known rescue organization.) Go to their website for more info. http://www.contracostaaviansociety.org/

Enjoy!

Knuckles and Big Bird

I apologize for the infrequent postings lately but I have had my sister and her husband visiting for a rare treat. They come up from Santa Fe when my attached rental studio is between tenants. I'm afraid the blog postings have suffered, however, my birds and guests are getting lots of attention and life goes on, no matter how chaotic!

Here, you see, I have two new long term boarders! Knuckles and Big Bird are in residence here while their home recovers from a fire. It's nice to offer a safe and fun place to reside while "mom" deals with all the hassles of insurance and rebuilding. These two greenwing macaws immediately investigated their new digs and started munching on the wood blocks and toys as soon as they arrived.

It's tough on us humans to not have our birds with us, but at least we can rest easy if we know they are safe and well cared for.

Endearing Qualities of a Grey

Josh created a window just to say, "peek a boo" "I love you." In other words, is anybody out there?

Joshua Responds To Claudia

Claudia, Munchie's mom, stopped by Joshua's cage to say hello. Josh immediately took a fancy towards her! She has a way with parrots, to be sure. Joshua was coming to her and giving her kisses when asked. He displayed a friendliness that warmed our hearts. Perhaps Claudia will have some luck getting Josh used to hands. We shall see.