No mating behavior! Please!

I thought that I would post one picture of a bird that is exhibiting no apparent mating behavior. One out of 12.

An island of sanity in an otherwise crazy world.

Good grief!

Mina should move.

When hurricane Sandy was making its approach to the East Coast I started listening to broadcasts from public radio in New York. I wanted to know firsthand what was going on. I still listen to them today while I am working on various jobs around the sanctuary.

I regularly make comments to a show called The Take Away. Often they play my recorded messages over the air. All the directors of the sanctuary hope that Mina will someday move to California.

I sent a text to the show today:

The question on the take away today to answer by text was "do you have a loved one or friend who you would like to make a New Year's resolution for. "

My reply:

I have a good friend who lives in New Jersey. She constantly has colds, the flu or sinus problems. She should make the resolution to move to a more temperate climate such as Southern California where if she encounters "New Jersey like" weather she can leave the campsite, drive an hour and a half down the mountain, and head to a warm sunny beach. When she gets tired of sitting by the waves she can drive 20 minutes home.

No person with her fragile constitution should live in a swamp.

Don Scott

2012 Reflections by Mina +Regina Jankowski It's that time of year again, time to take one final look back before moving forward and leaving 2012 behind me forever. This year is not one I'll regret leaving. I lost a cockatiel, Major, to liver failure. It has been about two months but I just took the toys out of his cage. I lost my almost 15 year old cat, Mulder, to cancer. I found out today that the cockatoo I've been working with every week for over six months has found a new home. Okay, that's great news. But it's still a shocking loss at the moment. What I have learned is despite the loss of so many loves, I still have more to give. The heart of a rescuer goes on. I miss them and am adjusting but it will never stop my desire to save "one more". Saving lives is addictive. Some people avoid it to avoid the pain. My pain is a reminder of a powerful love that transends time and space, a pain I wouldn't trade in if it meant I lost one minute of joy those amazing creatures brought to my life. When you look toward 2013, filled with hope, (you did survive several apocalypses after all) don't just make plans to diet or exercise. Plan to change your life by changing anothers. Saving a life by adopting, fostering, donating, or volunteering, will change your life for the better. You have my word. Happy 2013 from my flock to yours!

The healing process

As Peaches heals strange things are happening. Today she started crying like a one-year-old baby; that's not terribly unusual but she generally has particular reasons to do that. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what the heck she was crying about. After trying several things I offered her her dinner.

It's a first. She has never cried for dinner before. And she ate like she hadn't eaten in a week.

Peaches is hanging out in the office with me as I work. She is looking good after her surgery but she has sneezed a few times. They were dry. I'm keeping a weather eye on her respiratory system!

She's been a real trooper through two surgeries now. The first simply cleaned up and sealed the wounded follicle. Tuesday's cleaned out the infection, removed two follicles, and left her will a huge healing scar.

She had a good time over the weekend at the Renaissance Faire in Escondido. She let everyone who was captivated by her hold her and gave them affection.

Let's hope that she can stay away from the surgery table for awhile!

Peaches is recovering.

Peaches is recovering from her hour-long surgery. She had a mass located in her tail section that was infected that was affecting the follicles above. The mass was large and the surgery site is lengthy. So far the healing is going well.

We've been trying out some new ants on the scene for bit parts in a remake of Monty Python's Meaning of Life. Specifically, they will have roles in The Meaning of Life PART IV: Death.

The little critters have been a problem this year but they only managed to bother one bird for less than 1/2 hour. Still, that's too much for me!

Having fun

When you have a damaged neck how do you play and bounce around? This is Peaches solution.

Fountainhead

Originally purchased to help Peaches drink water, it is now one of her greatest sources of joy.

I have friends that chew wood

A Hundred dollars of wood goes about two months. It has to be cut, drilled, and assembled with chain.

In Memorial

Galen

Beloved by an Angel

Galen was born on July 5, 1968 in San Diego.  He lived here most of his life but spent the past few years in Arizona.  He always loved animals but never thought of having a bird until one day in 2007.  He went into a bird store to look around and visit the birds.

A worker asked him if he wanted to take one out, and he said, "That one looks like she wants out really bad."  This yellow-collar macaw had been squawking, banging on her cage, and making eye contact with Galen. The worker said, "Ok, but she doesn't like anybody, and she bites."  She sat on his shoulder and it really seemed like they had an instant bond.  That was the beginning of their love story.

Galen didn't have the money to purchase her right then and didn't want to make a rash decision, so he visited her frequently, eventually put her on layaway, purchased a home for himself and Wolfie, and took her home several months later.  They were two peas in a pod. Even when Galen was too sick to care for himself, he tenderly and attentively cared for all of her physical and emotional needs.  Anyway, I have never seen anything like that in my life.

She seemed to know his thoughts and he hers.  He learned how to care for her in every way, not only by listening to others, reading, and going to seminars, but by listening to HER.  The last thing asked me to do was visit her from time to time.  And he went into detail about the kind of toy she likes.

Wolfie is in a good home and has bonded with her new caregiver.  She spends her days looking out the window, chewing on her favorite toys, and eating her favorite foods, much like she did with Galen.  In her new home, there is a photo of Galen and Wolfie taped to her window, and I am told she often sits quietly just looking at the photo.

Parrots mate for life

Carolyn

www.chloesanctuary.org

Community dining is working out much better than I anticipated. There is only one holdout. Strangely, the bird that seems to be most upset by the situation is Babalu, notably the most "aggressive" cockatoo. When you see Babalu turn and fly from the community dining "table" and target your shoulder you know one thing: all his bravado has nothing to do with aggression.

Bab's so-called aggression is simply to protect the one who saved him from a sad life where he waited for 11 years to find someone who could love him; that's who he flies to for comfort.

So, for the moment, Bab only eats a nibble or two with the other birds and then finishes his meal in his cage. We know that he is a lover not a fighter and in time he will join in. We just need to give the big guy time.

If you have ever seen the movie The Shawshank Redemption then you have an idea of one of the problems we face. I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that Cecil has a rock hammer hidden somewhere.

We don't have enough big cages and Cecil's cage has 1/4" wire instead of 3/8". He is constantly busting the welds on the wire and I am forced to repair the cage with metal plumber's tape and bolts. If there was ever a bird who stated more clearly "I want a larger cage!" I can't imagine it.

He's full of life, bold, and fearless. He also can be as sweet as honey. He's our jail breaker, too.

And Don lived to see the results!

Okay. Some experiments in socialization could possibly result in loss of life or limb. This was one of those kinds of experiments. The idea was to create an environment where the birds would eat socially.

When your time is limited you need to think creatively. I assumed I had enough bandages for my own hands and, even though I'm getting up in years, I thought that I could move fast enough to save anyone from any threat of aggression.

I took the cart that we use to prepare food and drilled holes into the arms to it attaching perches. I bought two, 2 ft long troughs and made a platform to raise them. Then the fun began. With 11 birds here at the sanctuary I have managed to get nine to eat at the troughs. And that in only a short period time, three days. They eat in rotation, either three or four at a time.

I have a video that I will be putting up in this blog from the first day of this new dining experience. The first day was hell on wheels and I have yet to edit it!

Left front, Peaches (salmon-crested cockatoo).
Left back, Simone (umbrella cockatoo)
Middle, Murri (Congo African grey)
Right, Coco (umbrella cockatoo)

It's an experience I wish all of you could enjoy!

www.chloesanctuary.org

Which end is up?

Peaches, our Salmon Crested Cockatoo, has 6 fused vertebrae in her neck from a past injury. She can't raise her head to drink water or to strut her stuff (technically called "displaying").

She's a creative girl, though. We provided a fountain and she gets enough water by drinking from it but she also does a beautiful display there.

That's not her favorite place to display. That is the two cages on her kitchen table where she hangs from the side, thereby being vertical as she should be, and has at it. She loves to hang out on the table while I am busy with cleanup or making meals. She sits at the top and looks outside to the trees.

She lives with her handicap better than many humans do and she rarely cries about it. She keeps me on a short leash and that's fine, she's a dear one. Anyone who meets her and doesn't connect with her needs a heart transplant!

Babalu has been a little under the weather the last two days. He's in the office with me this afternoon and sharing in my webmaster duties, office chores and more. For a bird that was rehomed 8 times in the first 11 years of his life he's doing better than expected.

Two birds in the flock send him into karate cockatoo mode: Simone and Cozma. He doesn't like either bird within 6 feet of me so I've been working out plans to keep these 3 apart but still give them the time they need out. In time, I will get them back together again. By the way, "Doesn't like" translates into a full out frontal attack.

Bab is a good  boy and a good companion. He's hyper; he's pushy; he's demanding; he's a cockatoo genius, too. Bab is a complex being that needs patience and understanding and when he gets it he is truly a pleasure to be with. So I'm enjoying him today. His upset at being put back early into his cage this morning he expressed by yanking my glasses off. That was it. He has been a model citizen since.

How fortunate I am to be in his small circle of trusted friends.

Coco has been especially clinging today. She's one of our educational birds who enjoys being tossed in the air and she screams loudly as you do so. Coco makes a sound akin to Sonar. She has a little whining cry that she makes whenever she wants even the slightest amount of attention. I'm used to it. Sometimes it feels strange when she stops doing it and I find myself looking around to see what she is up to.

Each bird has their own distinctive calls. Along with those they each also share calls with their ragtag flock at the sanctuary. Visitors often ask me how I stand the noise. They think that I am being silly when I say "what noise?" For me, it is a symphony of wants or needs, comfort or discomfort, happiness or sadness. You can't help but feel needed and wanted, a part of the flock.

Entomology / I'm becoming an expert on ants

Little brown ants...I am learning their lifecycle. When you have 11 birds and 22 cages ants are more than pests, they are the Dark Lord Sauron's envoys. Thanks to Fowler Pest Control and domyownpestcontrol.com the little beggars are taking a hike...I hope!

I've managed to keep a wry sort of humor about it. Yesterday I told Regina that after I kill all the ants in Fallbrook I am going to kill all of them in America, then Europe, then China. When every country is rid of them I plan to kill every ant on the Galapagos Islands! [big evil laugh]

Roman Bird and The Happy Life

Being an Executive Director of a bird rescue is a daunting task. Sometimes there is so much to do that I just juggle everything and a few things fall to the ground. I keep my eye on the goal: happy birds and happy homes. One of the great pleasures that I have is the opportunity to blog. This is my fun time when I can chat about the little things that make being the person in charge of 11 birds at the Sanctuary (and the many birds in our care in foster homes) with pleasure and no worries.

This guy is Roman. He came to us with functional autism and deep psychosis because he been moved from one location to another,  put in a different cage and not given the same kind of care that he was used to. He might appear to be aggressive in the picture above but he's not. He is simply checking out the phone taking his picture. When he first came here he wouldn't even come out of his cage. I had to disassemble the cage that he was staying in to move him into the larger cage we bought for him.

Roman is such a pleasure. When he came here all he would do was shake and runaway. Now he says I love you, jumps up on my arm, and sits with me snuggling. He plays with lots of toys and sometimes prefers being petted to treats.

Most cockatoos come running directly to me; they trust me for some reason I don't fully understand. He wasn't like that. When he cries for me to come to him or refuses a treat just so he can be held it sends warm shivers down my spine. There is nothing in the world like seeing a bird come back to enjoying life.

With 11 birds vying for my attention I somehow manage to give them what they need. Sometimes they keep me running like a waitress on a busy friday night. That's okay. There's nothing I'd rather do.

I'm looking forward to the Renaissance Faire in Escondido soon. Chloe loves it more than anything and we both have good friends there. But that's another story...