Mating season competition

One picture is worth...

The Roman Has Invaded

Roman came to us as a frightened and reclusive bird. He's now Roamin' around and and active part of the flock!

A wise cockatoo

A sulfur crested cockatoo was hunting around in a courtyard for food. While she could not find any seeds there were a number of tasty looking pellets. She bent down to eat one, stopped, and had to reconsider. Why?

She realized she was in a pellet court.

Dare we hope?

Perhaps Peaches will fly. She's been practicing several times a day.

He likes Marilyn Manson and Elvis Pressley

Trying to take a picture of a bird who likes Marilyn Manson and Elvis Pressley is one tough job. Babalu has more snap and crackle than a downed high tension wire. He turns chunks of 2 x 4 into toothpicks in minutes.

All that said, I trust him more than almost any other bird I know. I know exactly where he stands.

Most people are afraid of him. And in some ways I have to chuckle. Afraid of a bird slightly more than 1 pound in weight? I've never seen him do much more than nip but he sure does manipulate people well.

Happiness is a full stomach

When I was taking anthropology in college I studied a group of people called the Ik. The Kenyan Government had stripped them of their culture and tried to turn them into agriculturalists, an attempt that did more than fail. By the age of six most girls had turn to prostitution and starvation had become mode of life.

What I learned about those people is something that is important to the lives of parrots as well, especially those who are newly brought into sanctuaries. Colin Turnbull, who studied these people firsthand, learned that the word for happiness was exactly the same word word as the word for full stomach. After watching what happened to Sugar when she came here I now understand that: it is terrible to be hungry; it is terrible to be separated from your former life; how much more terrible it is to be hungry and separated from your former life.

The first goal that should be achieved when rehabilitating a new member of the flock should be a full stomach.

Breakfast today

On the left almond mash with noodles. On the right fruit salad and birdie biscuits with bird safe gravy.