Fid my Blue and Gold Macaw. He can open the fridge door, climb down the door shelves and steal any bottles that have screw top lids. He’s not worried about drinking the contents but all lids are HIS.

You know you’re in really serious trouble when you walk into your bird room and all of the birds stop what they’re doing and look at you in that way they do when they want to see if your head is going to explode? There is ...

Senegal parrot loves music.

One of the things I often get asked by friends and family is, ‘Doesn’t your bird hate your musical instrument?’ It is, after all, very loud. And it takes my attention away from them.

As a musician, I find that my parrots have come through necessity to relate to my music. I had to find a way to turn my own practise time (which is of vital importance to me) into a fun time for them, too. Otherwise ...

Read the rest or post a comment »

Rosebreasted cockatoo

I have kept parrots since the 80s. Back then, unless you were lucky enough to have a chance meeting with another bird lover, you were on your own. The only information available was at the library or in generic, manual style books on sale at pet stores, many of which were written by breeders. Any questions raised about captive parrot behavior would cause snickering – “They are birds, so they will fly and stuff.” Thank you for your words of wisdom.

Sometime in the late 90s, I was made aware ...

Yellow collared macaw

I am sure you have heard it said before that there is a huge difference between dogs and parrots. Yes, the feathers and the wings should be the first hint. You have probably also noticed that squeaky toys and dog beds are cheaper than even the tiniest budgie toy and cage. But what about behavior, are the two really so different?

Let me tell you a story… Years back I worked for a major upscale retailer – I was an assistant manager. When the store’s general manager went home ...

Cockatiel.

It is very difficult to write, but as some of you may have read in a previous post, our cockatiel passed away on New Year’s Eve. She dive-bombed a closing door. There was no party, no hubbub, nor anything out of the ordinary. Mishka the cockatiel simply made a bad decision.

It has been a terrible shock to everyone – to me 3,600 miles away and not sure how to process this, and to my partner, who has been left with the aftershock of losing ...

Read the rest or post a comment »

That not so fun moment when you have just received an emergency text message from fire authorities saying you’re in “immediate danger” in your present location due to an out of control bushfire. I was the blue dot (with the ring around it). The larger red circles relate to different levels of danger from a nearby bushfire. Would you know what to do if this happened to you?

We talk a lot about being disaster ready at BirdTricks because even getting people ...