Come on, I know you're out there.  : )

What type of bird /birds do you have?  What books do you have on your shelf about birds? 

Okay, so let's say you don't have a pet bird.  Do you love watching outdoor birds?  Do you have a bird feeder hanging outside your window?  What books do you have about wild birds?

We have quite an aviary:  three cockatiels, one pair budgies, one pair lovebirds, and a roller canary. 

Tell us!

No one?

well I don't know if this counts really, but for the summer I've been pet sitting my mother's ringneck dove. He's really sweet and loves to sing in the morning or anytime he hears music. He goes completely bonkers for my two female cats and does bow-coos for them and has even tried to mate with one.

I also feed wild birds (the cats watch them more than I do) but you've inspired me to get a birdwatching book so I can find out who's coming to my feeder (besides the squirrels, of course!)

Hi, Beverly!

I have had canaries, finches, parakeets, and a Grey Cheek Parrot over a period of time and really loved them all.  Now it is pretty much observation for me...both on the Cone Sutro Forest cam that Melody has written about and here in Utah.  The robin family that lived and grew in our big elm was fun to watch this past spring, simply because the youngsters were curious and tended to follow me around the yard as I worked.  :)

When I brought my Grey Cheek, Gabe, home with me I was really excited.  He was just a young bird and seemed curious about everything. I played with him in the morning before work and let him out for a few hours after I got home from work and had finished with dinner. In no time he learned to drink a bit of honey-laced tea with me and say his name. Bright bird...I was impressed...as well as in love.

He lived in a large cage on my night stand, right next to my bed. The only other object he shared space with was my phone, the volume turned down to ease any problems with sudden disturbances for him. He tended to talk when I was on the phone and quickly learned "Hello", as well.

One night, at lights out, scroonching down in my covers to get comfortable, I heard an odd noise. It was Gabe...laughing!  When I realized what he was doing, I laughed. Would you believe we both lay there in the dark and laughed for a good five minutes?

GREAT bird!

Tell us more about your birds...    :)

Linda

Beverly,

I have a couple of the same books on my wish list...: (  I have 3 severes... 

Chris

I have a cockatiel.  He is lutino :)

No birds now. When we were growing up my parents let us have all kinds of pets.  My brother had pigeons.  I got a baby chick from school that turned out to be a rooster (Not the best for the city!)  A family friend traded us.

Later we had a couple of cockatiels.  One my brother found at the ball field across the street.  It was great!  He mimicked everything.  My Dad was a big time whistler.  People would visit and look all over the yard for my dad only to find it was the bird whistling just like him!  This bird was very tame.

We got another later.   Oh man, was he a noisy brat!  LOL  He loved to start up at first light (around 5 am.) Covering his cage didn't fool him either.  He liked to break out of the cage and fly at us. 

Ok, Beverly, one member of my animal kingdom here is Dexter, my Quaker Parrot... He was born in April 93. 

As for outside, we are definitely bird watchers, hummingbirds are the big favorite this time of year.

I have a pied cockatiel. His name is Kippu but we all call him Kippi. (pronounced Keepy) When he reeps he is a reepy Kippi. Unless it is late, when he is a sleepy reepy Kippi. . .lol

He eats Hot and Healthy cockatiel food. I must have been reading too many romances, because I went into the pet store and asked for some "Hot and Heavy..."

We have had other cockatiels in the past: Dominique, Vishnu, and Blizzard ("Blizzie" - pure white). Had to give away Dom and Vishnu because our daughter was allergic to the bird dander when she was little. Blizzie (who turned out to be a girl) tried to lay an egg and became egg bound. Kippu is about 10 years old. He is our daughter's bird. She will probably take him back when she finishes college.

I just got a cockateil the other day. My son and future DIL had him, but he wasn't getting enough attention. They gave him to me because they know I love animals. I've never had a bird before. I got some books on cockateils, but would sure love some tips from experience birders. Right now I can't get him to take a bath. Do they need one? How can I encourage him? Please tell me any tips so I can enjoy my new feather companion and keep him safe and healthy. Thanks.

I have a Quaker also, along with a Goffins Cockatoo, a Citron Cockatoo, an African Grey and a Blue Front Amazon. That's not to mention the 7 cats and a dog. It's pretty bad when your friends call and ask if they can bring the kids over to see the zoo.

I've worked with animals all my life, in shelters and animal hospitals, but never got to know any parrots until this past year, now that I work at a hospital that treats exotics.  I've absolutely fallen in love with them, I can't believe I've gone this long without knowing how wonderful they are!  The hospital has a macaw who lives there, and we get a lot of Amazons and African Greys come in for boarding.  I don't imagine I'll ever have one since I live alone and work long hours, so just don't feel I have the time to give them the proper attention, but I sure love getting to know them at the hospital.  Also, because of my shelter work, I have a thing about never getting an animal unless it's an abandoned one in need of a home.  I know there are a lot of abandoned birds, but they usually have problems which would mean they would need even more attention, which I'm not able to give.  I envy you folks!

 I had tiels since I first saw one in 1973. I had to have one the day I saw my first. He lived about 23 years and I had one ever since until I developed severe allergies to that dust on thier feathers. A lot fo tiels fo not like baths but they do like to dance under a plant mister bottle and some like showers in the sink. When the doc said no more tiels a couple years ago I held on anyway while I looked for a new bird. I fell in love with thw look of a black cap and the more I read...the more I knew that was the bird for me. He was hard to find and it  took me a year to find a breeder. I bought Sparrow as an egg last July and brought him home in September. He was handfed and the breeder sent me photos every couple weeks as he grew. I finally gave up the three tiels in October and my asthma improved immediately. Sparrow has no dust at all and smells "good". My tiels would get up every morning and spend 10 hourws a day on their gyms, cage top and their humans. They were mellow. Sparrow is dive bomber, a hyperactive toddler on speed and everything goes in his mouth...and i love every minute.  He is not a talker but some black caps do talk. I still miss that quiet companionship of my tiels but Sparrow makes me laugh every day and loves to give kisses. He is a daddy's boy when hubby is home but loves me too.

deborah

Well, my list of birds has changed a little since I first posted this topic.  We no longer have budgies or a canary (the budgies we gave to a friend, and she loves them!  The canary passed away, unfortunately, while we were on vacation....still don't really know what happened.)

At one time we also had zebra finches and society finches.  One year the zebras laid 14 eggs!  We gave some of the eggs to the societies, who raised them like their own. Can you imagine that poor little zebra mother trying to feed 14 babies?  lol.  Of course, not all the eggs hatched, which is pretty normal.  But if they had...!

Probabably our funniest bird is PJ.  He is a Peach Faced / Fischer's lovebird hybrid.  My husband has taught him how to roll over and play dead. He loves to play.  Sometimes I think he might be part dog!

Spike the cockatiel is our oldest bird, at 10 years old. He does seem to be slowing down a little due to age. But he's still active, and very loving. He's a world-champion whistler.

We also enjoy the wild birds.  From my window here by the computer, I can see a pair of mourning doves looking for a nest site. We also have house finches, towhees, red-winged blackbirds, English sparrows, bushtits, hummingbirds, and many others.  I also see raptors fairly often....turkey vultures, red-tailed hawks, and black-shouldered kites. If we're very lucky, we may see the occasional golden eagle.  Oh yes, and the *rare* bluebird!

I have a green cheek conure, he's 6 months old and the love of my life! He is going through his nippy stage right now and will bite anyone who comes around when he's with me. He is territorial I guess. Growing up we had a cockatiel and I have been thinking of getting one again. But Ziggy is so jealous I worry he would be aggressive for my attention. Anyone else have this issue?

Thanks!

YES! They all go thru this nippy stage...must be a greencheek trait but you can;t ignore it or it will get worse. When he nips too hard pick a phrase and say NO BITE! or whatever you chose. If he bites again you should probably go put him in his cage for a time out. the bird behaviorists say to do this without saying anything. Birds hate to be ignored and if he bites and gets the silent trearment and a trip to his cage it helps them stop. Sparrow did this a few times and we put him calmly and quietly away and IGNORED him for 10 minutes. then we went back and tried again. We also cut up teeny tiny pieces of dried papaya...his fav snack...barely a smidge for a taste and when he was on our shoulders and behaved for 2 or 3 minutes he got a taste every now and then. We gradually spaced out the training treats till he no longer nibbles us. A half inch square of dried papaya can be cut into about 15 little treats for training and this was the only time he got them. If the biting continues let me know and i can offer more advice but this usally takes care of it. I said an OUCH followed by NO BITE and after 2 warnings it was time out. i can tell you hollering at him, spraying with water and many other things people say to do make the problem worse. PM if you need help woth him

deborah

This is a website from a greencheek breeder who really knows her stuff. her name is Beth...check it out for great tips on living with and training young greencheeks

http://www.pamperedpeeps.com/

deborah

2 cockatiels and a green cheek conure.  Have 2 cockatiels book, a parrot training book, a book on lovebirds (used to have one).  Also, numerous wild bird guides & books and birds of prey books (I have a major & minor in wildlife).

One uncle has a moluccan cockatoo, another has a nanday conure, and my dad has a cockatiel, 2 parakeets, and a dozen or so zebra finches.

Our green cheek (Jibber) is just 1 year old, and says "Twitchy!" & "Hi, Twitchy" (one of our cats),  "Fish" or "Psst" (hard to tell, we'll say "psst" to our cats and one's nickname is Fish), "Hi, birdy" and "Right, birdy."  In fact he's saying a lot of "hi, birdy"s right now... :)

Big bird lover here, I have a blue and gold macaw, congo african grey and a budgie. They are the sweetest things, although the grey can be nippy sometimes, especially with me ( he prefers my husband).  I am considering a Goffin Cockatoo, does anyone here have one, I'd love to hear about it.

And I love to feed and watch the wild birds, too.

I have 15 birds, 5 dogs and 1 cat.  My birds are 5 tiels, 5 parrotlets, 1 parakeet, 1 blue and gold macaw, 1 mini macaw, and 1 blue front amazon.

My dogs are 4 poms and a lab/pit bull mix.  Our cat was found where my husband works and was brought home so it would get run over by tractortrailers.

Wow!  15 birds?  We only have 5, but with the noise they make, it sometimes feels like we live in an aviary! 

I would love to see pictures of everyone's birds, if anyone wants to post them on Flikr, etc.  Anyone want to share?

My boyfriend and I breed birds.

Here is a link to what we currently have

We have 4 cockatiels and one tree frog.  Our birds are 6 to 15 years old.  We have two males and two females who are kept in separate cages so that we don't have 15 cockatiels!!!  LOL!!

My Finches are the Beep brothers,my cat is declawed and they live fine together,also have a fat goldfish : )