A World Without Clean Water

Most of us are aware of all the unsightly plastic garbage being thrown or washed into the oceans. Milk jugs, bags, straws, these are just a few of the discards we humans send off to the deep blue. These items end up in the stomachs of many sea creatures, many birds, and all fish. We are taking baby steps to correct and reverse these things, but it may be too late. We’ve lost the attention of our politicians and seem to be on the path to destruction.

How Can I Ignore Him When He’s So Loud?

Those who know parrots and know how to work with them always advise against rewarding a bird with attention for bad behavior. I wonder if these people actually live in the same house with their parrot subjects. Parrots are smarter than many other animals we share our lives with. We often can’t help rewarding them in some way.

Quail Tales

Button quail, also known as Chinese painted quail, have the cutest chicks imaginable. Born precocial like chickens, these kids know nothing. They are prone to losing body heat, splayed legs, drowning, and starving. Mom might show them where to find the food and water, and they might be lucky enough to keep warm overnight under her. But Dad is often determined to remove these little pests from his territory.

Learning to Be Birds

I find myself wanting to be free of caring for so many birds these days. The loss of my sweet dog Tilda has hit me very hard, partly because I expected her to be with us much longer. I have been talking about “downsizing” for years. Finally, the time has come to take some drastic measures.