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