Dog versus Parrot

Caution: Never allow dogs or cats alone and unsupervised with birds of any sort, out of their cage, flighted or clipped. Just. Don’t.

The best part of my weekdays are are in the afternoons. I get a chance to sit in my comfy chair, put my feet up, and read. Often Maynard, my Amazon parrot, will sit on the back of my chair and chew on a toy. At the same time, Tilda, my terrier mix, will sit on the ottoman and sleep.

Eggs for Easter

Traditions started as a new thing once upon a time and have been handed down until no body knows any longer why we put the eggs in the dye colors and then try to hide them. Sometimes these traditions go so far back that not even History remembers why. Then you have the people who come in and want to change the traditions from how they first started to something that aligns with their own beliefs.

My Perfect Parrot

Happy Spring! How time flies, especially when one is kept busy feeding, cleaning, changing out waters, and in general forgetting to watch a clock or calendar. Seriously, I count myself lucky to be able to get the blogs posted on time.

Wolves of the Sky

Note: As I have said before, a downside to having a large flock of birds is that you lose a few now and then. My sweet lovebird Tekla managed to get an electric shock, and died within hours, before we truly knew what had happened to her. Please be careful if you let your birds play on anything that carries a current.

One of the many joys of living in San Diego County is the availability of The San Diego Zoo and Safari (Wild Animal) Park. I can spend hours in either place, watching the birds and shooting bad phone photos. I’m really good at that.

When Irish Birds are Singing

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day, a feast day started in America by Irish immigrants who missed all the drinking and carousing back on the Emerald Isle. Being descended from those immigrants myself, I dream about taking a trip across the Pond someday and seeing the places of legend and beauty in the Old Country.

One Hundred Finches Versus One Hundred Macaws

I get some strange looks when I tell people I have 70 birds. Years ago, when I had one hundred birds, I got even stranger looks. But as I rescued cockatiels and budgies and conures, the flock just grew until cage space became limited. Then we acquired the aviary, and our daughter moved out. Birds migrated to the outside cages and the back bedroom became the bird room.

How Did They Get Here?

The late Sir Terry Pratchett wrote a bit about how certain animals got from one continent to another. For instance, he proposes that on the Disc World, camels got to Four Ex by hanging on to logs and floating there. That is one of those jokes that smart people who study animal evolution, mutation, and migration love.

Ethel the Pirate’s Pink Parakeet*

*Appologies to Shakespeare in Love for the title

Rosey Bourke Parakeets are amazing birds. If you ever have a tame pet Bourke, you will so enjoy his or her soft noises in the morning and the evening. They are among the best little birds to come out of Australia.

Birds in Art

Birds are beautiful. That’s not a universal truth, but one that resonates deeply with me. As much as they have been used in art, many creative people must agree.