Rescue the Cockatoos

I will never have a cockatoo unless a very old parrot needs a home and I am old myself to the point of hardly ever leaving my home. Because while these white birds have over the top personalities, they also are very flock-oriented and need almost constant interaction with whomever is in their flock. All Pet Birds have an excellent warning about Cockatoos. http://www.all-pet-birds.com/cockatoo.html

Another Look At Clipping Wings

You may not like to hear it, but even a bird with clipped wings can fly away. I just had our half-moon conure Beeby’s wings clipped, and he can’t get very far up or over, but he can make decent flying jumps. If I were to take him outside, especially in the strong evening winds that come up in the summer, he could potentially catch a breeze and be off. I would hope his bonding to Esme might cause him to stick around, but as he was originally a found bird in someone’s backyard, he has experience.

A Jake-size Hole in My Heart

I am devastated. The only way I can see to get past the sorrow is to write it out, so please forgive me. Last Thursday, at shortly after 10:00 AM Pacific, I carried three clean and refilled waterers out for the aviaries. I had to chase away cats that wanted to come in. I shut the screen door behind me, and then a movement on an empty cage on the patio caught my eye.

Imaginary Mail Bag for July

Now and then I create letters from my readers who would likely send me questions if they knew they could reach me at my.windroisaviaries at gmail dot com. If only there was a way to post that information somewhere. In the meantime, here are a couple of topics that come up repeatedly.

Summer Potpourri

Little Fin – I think a lovebird might be the only parrot that can suffer a disfiguring injury and still be cute. Maybe cuter. I look at Jake, trying to see what Fin might have looked like, but I love Fin’s always open mouth and funny walk. He’s odd and cute and such a little brat. He likes his new cage and he likes to spend time on his playground. But if I leave, even for a potty break, chances are good he will jump to the floor and try to follow me. He’s fast, and he’s quiet. No idea why he isn’t the usual noisy lovebird. He totally charmed my friend Carol at a recent party we held. He sat happily on her shoulder. When he got antsy, I said he likes to sit in pockets. Carol’s son David had a pocket. And Fin went right off to sleep. Carol will wear a shirt with pockets to our next party. I would gladly give Fin to her if she could have him, but their house has a nice cast of critters already.

We’ve got MOVIE SIGN!

Tessa Dare is a wonderful author of Romance Novels. In my spare time between feeding, watering, and cleaning birds, and setting up nest boxes, I also write romance novels. Mine are light reads, I think. Nothing that would cause anyone to stop and ponder life. But Ms. Dare did mention in a talk I heard that when she doesn’t have time to write a blog post, she just links to her favorite cute cat videos.

Canary Row

My canaries in the breeding cage have settled down and only try to kill one another about once a week. They have accepted that there’s no nest in there at this time. I probably should take the burlap down, but it’s so adorable to watch Rico remove a strand, and then check the perches over and over for a perfect place to start building.

Pretty Parrot Princess

There’s not a lot of information on African gray parrots in the wild. Apparently there, the birds are seen as a quick way to get money or a resource to be protected. So I don’t have a clear idea of how they make up their nests. They are cavity nesters, but unlike budgies they don’t remove all the debris at the bottom of the nest. Do they add to it? Lovebirds are also African parrots, and the peach face lovie has been observed cutting materials into strips and tucking the strips into their feathers for transport back to the nest.

SHOES Must Be Worn at All Times

I love having people over to visit, to show off my flock and aviary, and hear their bird stories. It’s so much fun. But I have to caution people to keep their shoes on. Here are some of the reasons why.