Hatebeak is a rather unusual band. Musically they’re just a simple and chugging low-budget death metal band. Some nice riffs here and there, but nothing fancy or mind-blowing. Kinda has a grindcore feel (the length of the song for one thing). Some double bass drum action is used a bit here. Now the part about this band that is truly unique is the lead vocalist. Their vocalist is an African Grey Parrot by the name of Waldo. And man for a bird, the little guy can sure squawk his way through a death metal song. And man, the guy sure is opinionated. He growls about how birds are better than everyone else. Typical avian supremacy stuff but with a little bit of an African Grey edge. Obviously this band is a huge parody and novelty. Though birds are superior to everyone, I should know! hehe. Some people will find this band to be amusing and a good listen, while others will laugh for a moment and then switch to something else. You gotta give em points for originality and I must say that I enjoy them a bit hehe. Check out these birds of a feather!
A love of literacy is taking flight at Mulberry School in Los Gatos, where students are becoming birdbrained — but in a good way.
Third-grade teacher Judy Quigley said her students’ learning experiences have actually been enhanced quite dramatically by reading to Starbuck, a 7-year-old Timneh African Grey parrot.
“They have an opportunity to read in a different venue,” Quigley said.
During the exercise, students take a seat next to Starbuck, who generally rests atop a classroom chair or bird perch. The children read a variety of different illustrated stories aloud to the bird, holding the book open to him.
“I like how he looks at the pictures in the book,” said student Bodhi Hall.
Beck Miller said he likes watching Starbuck’s pupils dilate as he focuses on the books.
“He’s a good listener,” Beck said.
One of the children’s popular reading choices is Diary of a Worm because of its subtle jokes about the worm’s-eye view of the world.
Even though there are books and pictures sure to interest Starbuck, Quigley said it is also the children’s responsibility to capture his full attention. This often requires them to alter their reading voices slightly, allowing for a more whimsical or sing-songy tone.
“I read slower when I read to him,” said Anna Averfa-Goodman.
The opportunity also helps develop the children’s social skills. Many students may develop anxiety while reading aloud to their peers or parents, but for some, reading to Starbuck is different.
“There’s not as much pressure on me,” Bodhi said. If Bodhi pronounces a word incorrectly while reading to Starbuck, he has the chance to try again for himself rather than be corrected and feel embarrassed.
“It’s a great way to package learning for them, so it’s fun,” said Lamont Jones, Mulberry’s director of admissions.
Quigley said integrating nature into the students’ curriculum came about naturally since they had a general interest in bird-watching.
From there, different bird projects were developed into various lesson plans. Eventually, a parent came forward and volunteered to bring in Starbuck for reading sessions.
Since that happened last year, it’s proof positive that Quigley’s class has gone to the birds.
When you visit with Paula Ashfield it doesn’t take long to realize that she’s a virtual encyclopedia of information about exotic birds. Her passion for them and determination to see that every bird lives a long and happy life led to the creation of a sanctuary called Under My Wing Avian Refuge.
The organization which is located in New Jersey opened its doors in 2005 with 37 rescued exotic birds. That soon multiplied to 64 birds and before the first year ended, Under My Wing was home to more than 100 Parrots, Cockatoos, Love Birds and other feathered companions.
Ashfield and her small group of volunteers work seven days a week rehabilitating the birds at the sanctuary and working with the local SPCA investigating cruelty cases.
Ashfield says, “There is a hidden crisis of cruelty to exotic birds. People don’t understand their needs and once they are overwhelmed by the situation it’s easy to tuck a bird away in a basement or closet and forget about them.”
One abuse investigation led Ashfield to just such a situation. A family that could not handle the behaviors of their two African grey parrots locked them away in a dark closet for more than a year. The birds, who Ashfield calls Light and Dark, remained in an unlit closet 24 hours a day, receiving limited amounts of food from their owners.
When the SPCA called Ashfield in for her evaluation, she found the two birds huddled together. They were underweight, undernourished and had pulled out all of their feathers due to the stress. Ashfield took custody of Light and Dark. Now one year later, the two parrots are back to their normal weight and have started growing new feathers, but because of their abuse Ashfield doesn’t think they will be able to live with another family.
Ashfield offers many tips for people who are considering the adoption of an exotic bird. This education process is a big part of her focus at Under My Wing.
* Exotic birds are expensive to own, with costs running $4,000 – $7,000 a year.
* A typical wellness exam runs approximately $600.
* Exotic birds are not pets. They are very social creatures and crave to be a companion to their humans.
* Guardians of exotic birds should be prepared for their wild behaviors, such as biting and screaming.
* Birds in good health can live 30 – 40 years and some species live up to 70 years.
* Exotic birds need lots and lots of space. For example, Macaw’s should live in a minimum of a 6’x6’ area so they can spread out their wings.
Under My Wing Avian Refuge rescues birds from many different situations, but lately more of the birds are orphaned because of home foreclosures. True to her compassionate nature, Ashfield has begun offering temporary shelter to these birds. She hopes to reunite the families when they are back on their feet again.
Because of this, costs have risen at the sanctuary and Under My Wing is desperately seeking donations to pay for food, medical care and housing for these additional “foster” birds.
Ashfield puts it this way, “To the many bird owners who do not intend to let go of a dear companion bird and wish to give him/her the best they can, relinquishing their bird to our sanctuary comforts them in knowing their bird is safe and they can remain a part of their life.”
Please visit the Under My Wing Avian Refuge website to see a complete list of items needed for the sanctuary.
Naomi Rodriguez’s home was burglarized and the thieves didn’t only steal her electronics, they stole her eight puppies and her bilingual African Grey parrot.
Hoping someone would return her pets, she spray painted “In God We Trust — Return My Pets” along with her phone number and a 25-hundred dollar reward on the front door to her home.
“I just want (my pets) back,” Rodriguez said.
“My bird’s name is Pepe and he is my buddy,” Rodriguez said. “He is bilingual. He talks in Spanish and English. And one of the last things I taught him was how to say I love you.”
“That message is going to stay up there until he comes back and I can display a welcome back Pepe message,” Rodriguez said.
I can’t embed the video in this post because it’s not a youtube video but I thought I’d post a link up to it so you can see it.
I’ve never seen anything like it, these two parrots are actually playing voice activated computer games (with a little help from the owner) how clever is that I ask you?
Photo by David
Location: Coral World, St. Thomas, USVI
Sipping Nectar: Lorikeets
I spent Christmas at Coral World on the island of St. Thomas (in the US Virgin Islands) last year and wanted to share the experience here. The big draw for me to go there was that I heard they had birds. I didn’t know what kind they had, but I was looking forward to meeting them. I normally travel with my flock and to have two weeks to myself was almost… unbearable. I really missed my “fids” (feathered kids) back home.
Well, they had an entire aviary dedicated to USVI-born lorikeets. The aviary was great with tons of misters going and lots of trees and waterfalls. The lorikeets were happy as ever as I could tell, flying about and dive bombing the people who came in their territory (such as myself). They were vocal and spunky and I could hear them from anywhere in the park.
I’ve been pretty used to parrots like cockatoos and macaws and have never really had any experience with lorikeets. So, I decided to find out more about them. At the park you could purchase little cups of nectar to feed them and they would eagerly fly to you and lap up the nectar from the cup (of course, I had to buy two).
Photo by David
Location: Coral World, St. Thomas, USVI
Shown: A Flock of Lorikeets
The main thing that interested me was their diet. I asked the lady there but she didn’t seem to know much. She said they fed them lots of fruit and nectar (their nectar was watered down fruit juice but in the wild it would come from flowers like blossoms) along with a pelleted diet. I was curious about the diet difference for them as well, but all she could tell me was, “They smell like fruit loops!”
When I got home was when I did a majority of the research. I was surprised about how alike lorikeets are with toucans. Their droppings for one! With all the fruit in their diet and tons of nectar, their droppings are very much like that of a toucan. I also found out they do best on a very low iron diet, just like a toucan does. I didn’t get any video of the lorikeets drinking the nectar from my cup but if I did, it would look something like this:
As I was feeding these gorgeous birds, a red flash caught my eye and I looked up. The ladie’s eyes watched mine and she said, “We have one hybrid here. He is mostly red.” Now I was really looking for him, curious as to what a hybrid lorikeet would look like. He was very cool looking but seemed to always be solo. I wondered if the others were outcasting him a little. The lady working in the aviary told me he came from their breeder and that it didn’t happen in their park. He sure was a sight to look at, nonetheless where he came from. Nor did he seem to care what the other lorikeets thought of him. He knew he was one good looking bird!
Photo by David
Location: Coral World, St. Thomas, USIV
Pictured: Hybrid Lorikeet
Posted in Hybrids Tagged: bird, coral world, flock of birds, flock of lorikeets, flock of parrots, hybrid, hybrid birds, hybrid lories, hybrid lorikeet parrots, hybrid lorikeets, hybrid parrots, Hybrids, jamieleigh, lorie, lorikeet, lorikeets, parrot, st thomas, theme park, united states, us virgin islands, usvi on Jamie’s Parrot Help
Here’s a few sidesplitting jokes to amuse you … when I say side splitting, they’re not really sidesplitting as such but hey they are relatively amusing, add your best jokes to the comments section underneath
Which bird is always out of breath ?
A puffin !
What’s got six legs and can fly long distances ?
Three swallows !
Why did the owl, owl ?
Because the woodpecker would peck ‘er !
What do you call a crate of ducks ?
A box of quackers !
What language do birds speak ?
Pigeon English !
How do you get a parrot to talk properly ?
Send him to polytechnic !
What do you get if you cross a duck with a firework ?
A firequaker !
What is a parrot’s favorite game ?
Hide and Speak !
Anyone who has more than one parrot has learned pretty fast that parrots learn fastest from other parrots. Even when learning to talk, they learn best from listening to other parrots speak. I’ve learned both of these things from having a flock of birds compared to just one. Obviously, I had to start with just one at one point in time and progress to more to learn about these things.
The nice thing about having more than one parrot is that they learn from other birds much faster than they would from a person. For example, with weaning… it’s great to have other birds around to help out the younger ones.
Photo by Jamieleigh
Location: Spokane, WA
Oatmeal Eaters: Galah “Bondi” & Blue Throated Macaw “Jinx”
My 4 year old rose breasted cockatoo, Bondi, was sweet enough to teach my baby blue throated macaw, Jinx, that oatmeal is a tasty food to eat. I didn’t have to do a thing but make a little extra for breakfast for the two of them.
I put a bowl down and let Bondi start eating first while Jinx sat on the same counter exploring around. The house was unfamiliar to them both as I was staying at a friend’s house in Spokane, Washington. As Bondi began to eat, Jinx saw her and decided to try it for himself. The oatmeal wasn’t hot but it was still warm, resembling a little bit like baby food which I believe helps baby birds in trying new things (if it has a little resemblence to baby food in either temperature or texture).
If you want to learn more about the principle of birds learning faster from each other, just research into what is called “observational learning” to understand more.
Posted in Behavior Tagged: barb’s house, birds, blue throated macaw, bondi, eating, jinx, learning to talk, oatmeal, parrots, parrots learn fastest from other parrots, parrots learn from other parrots, rose breasted cockatoo, spokane, washington, weaning on Jamie’s Parrot Help
Once your parrot understands the concept of working for its food via foraging toys, you can start putting more than just treats in them. You can slowly start putting your parrot’s regular diet (even some toys are designed for fresh foods) in them and so your bird is eventually working for the whole thing.
Here are some foods I alternate between adding for my birds – besides “treats” (seeds and nuts) to intially get them interested:
* Granola
* Fresh berries
* Dried fruit
* Oatmeal
* Popcorn
* Figs
* Flowers
* Carrots
* Peas
* Wheatgrass
* Harrison’s Power Treats
* Roudybush’s Rice Treats
* And anything healthy you can fit inside one, really! But it’s gotta be tasty and/or interesting, too!
This is all assuming you’re using organic ingredients without any added salt, sugar, oils, etc. You want to keep foods as natural as possible with your parrots, always. It’s just the safest route to go by.
Jamie’s Parrot Help
