Ooh this thread is delightful! Can't wait to read more.

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That crazy chick with a bird farm in the wilderness


Follow our adventure:


http://www.parrotforums.com/incredib...our-flock.html

I'm so happy I saw this thread today! Jen, your writing is incredible. I can't wait to read more, please keep the posts coming!

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Thank you Bug and Terry, very much, for your encouragement.

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They are not really pets. They are small People with wings and Opinions. They pay no rent, expect you to come when they call, & like to destroy stuff.

I believe the last time Sunny had broken blood feathers => vet visit => pull- broken feathers + clip all; was more than a year ago. (Well I could be wrong, it may have been a Little more Recent.) Anyway, at time of last clip her wings were finally nice & even. And her feathers have grown back evenly since then. No more crooked flights leading to crash landings.

However she was still missing 2 (or possibly 3) important flight feathers each side. At this point, at least one (per side) of those have grown back. I'm expecting the others sometime soon. Actually, based on the feathers dropped over the past few months, I thought she would've had all her flight feathers by now. But, the gap is still there on each side.

Despite that gap, she is flying now. And, NOT crashing. She canNot always land as she wants to, but this is clearly a technique issue. (Perhaps the missing feathers affect control?) On my shoulder, having decided to return to her own cage, and me having ignored her yells and flapping, she will eventually fly herself back.

At this time, she successfully lands in or on the cage... well, much of the time. Sometimes, she just can't quite make it, and lands on the floor.

When that happens, Mr. Jefferson Budgie, who thinks Everyone Should Fly, comes to encourage her:


(This may not look like much, especially when Jefferson moves away from her. But, normally, my birdies never spend time on the floor. That whole time, he was only there For Her.)


Eventually I stopped recording put down phone & offered Sunny my hand for a lift. The moment we stood up, Jefferson flew two Tight circles around her (passing between Sunny and My Face!), before landing atop cage to supervise. And of course, once I delivered her to own cage, he followed her in, to make sure she was okay.


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Sunny has this little noise she makes, "mmrrP!," which seems to be her "Satisfied with Accomplishment" sound. Lately I've been hearing it often, especially when she flies somewhere she intends, and lands satisfactorily.

I try to encourage her, by giving praise. Including praise for effort. (Mostly praise. If she flies somewhere I did Not want her to go, I give a questioning-response instead.)

Last week I was on phone with Mom, when Sunny decided it was cage-time. Well, she landed on cage floor which was clearly not Quite her intention. I went to her, lifted her to the perch she had aimed for, and Praised her for Effort. AFTER I told her what Good Flying she had done, and what Good Attempt, how she Almost made the landing, THEN she made her little "mmrrP!"s of satisfaction.

(Mom heard the interaction over the phone--though I don't think she heard the "mmrrP!"s--and thought it quite amusing.)

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They are not really pets. They are small People with wings and Opinions. They pay no rent, expect you to come when they call, & like to destroy stuff.

Precious support budgie Mr. JEFFERSON, its good to have a friend when things go sideways. Soo cute

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"When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear. "Thomas Sowell

Tonight after my work shift ended, I kinda wanted to eat, but didn't have a lot of appetite. I put myself a couple pickles on a little plate, and sat in the living room to watch a little of a ghibli movie.

The birds have been asleep for several hours at this point. The budgie-cage is mostly uncovered in the front, as usual.

Jefferson-budgie, as he often does, came down to a perch to investigate. I had the light dim, and was nibbling on pickles. Not making much noise. Not enough light or noise to awaken Sunny-conure.

So Jefferson kinda looked at me before heading down to his food dish. Now, it's not unusual for the budgies to get up & have some food, when I turn on the lights & eat dinner after my shift. But, Calliope-budgie did not get up. I was being quiet.

And this time I was watching Jefferson, maybe a little moreso than I have been recently.

I don't think he was even hungry either. Maybe he never is when he eats at night?

I think, i am really very convinced, he just wanted to make sure I would not have to eat all alone. He was not hungry. He was still sleepy.

In fact, as soon as I was done with my pickles, he took himself back up to a higher perch, under the sleeping-cover.

But he had gotten himself up, just to nibble while I did. Just to make sure that His person, HIS non-flying flock-member, would not have to eat all alone.

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They are not really pets. They are small People with wings and Opinions. They pay no rent, expect you to come when they call, & like to destroy stuff.

I think that is very true. Keeping you company, and watching out for you. And so sweet. I probably need a cute Jefferson picture

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"When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear. "Thomas Sowell

Jefferson watching over the room.

Attached Thumbnails

 

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They are not really pets. They are small People with wings and Opinions. They pay no rent, expect you to come when they call, & like to destroy stuff.

... Jefferson watching over the room...

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They are not really pets. They are small People with wings and Opinions. They pay no rent, expect you to come when they call, & like to destroy stuff.

I see pictures of other people's conures who will lean back and rest in their hands.

Sunny will not do that. Perhaps because when I got her, I had read about Not Touching anywhere below their neckline, so I thought I could not allow her to lean on me. Or, perhaps because she just feels more secure clinging to a rope perch, always.

Whatever the reason, she Wants to lean back and rest in my hand, just like the conure she is. ONLY. She refuses to ever do so unless she is also securely attached to a perch.

This is what it looks like at its best:

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They are not really pets. They are small People with wings and Opinions. They pay no rent, expect you to come when they call, & like to destroy stuff.