I began keeping parrots in earnest in about 1985. Before that, I had several long term pet birds, but did not really build aviaries and establish a full-on fl ock. I was working at Feathered Friends of Santa Fe from 1987 onwards and spending four months a year planting and building the small farm on the Big Island Hawaii. That is where I planned and began to construct my large planted enclosures.
If you consider that my expert mentors always taught me to monitor and feed my psittacines two times per day, while washing water dishes out every morning, I calculate that I have fed my parrots, other aviculturists’ parrots, the Santa Fe Shoppe parrots, and miscellaneous nearby acquaintance’s pet parrots certainly at least 22,720 times for an average of 272,640 individual cages. This does not include years in the early eighties when I only had two to six pets, nor does it include going back to each cage to replace the cleaned water bowls.
Then of course, there are those two-plus decades of years when I was seriously maintaining breeding cages that had to be fed fresh food up to five times a day after baby hatch. And countless thousands of hours hand feeding baby formula to neonate chicks up to and beyond fledging and weaning time.
Am I 'burned out'?
So what is the point, one might ask? The point is, am I tired of devoting the major portion of my adult life to taking care of psittacines? Am I ‘burned out’ as the term in aviculture is commonly used? Do I resent all the years not being able to get away for long weekends, let alone normal vacation holiday times? Is it exasperating to have to get up and mix foods, then trot out to the aviaries to feed and water when I am under the weather or downright sick, when my bum knee needs rest or my lower back is out? Well, it often seems inconvenient, to be sure, but then so is having to weed and prune around the macadamia orchard trees or change the oil on the car when I would really prefer doing something else!
Denne historien er fra June 2017-utgaven av Parrots magazine.
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Denne historien er fra June 2017-utgaven av Parrots magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Parrot language issue
Puerto Rico’s endangered parrots are facing a new threat to their survival – their strange squawks. In a phenomenon never seen before, Puerto Rican parrots bred in captivity, with a view to being released into the wild, were communicating with a different dialect to the wild populations.
Regent parrots thriving in SA wetland
Passion drips from Tim Field’s every word when he speaks about eastern Regent Parrots. The wetland manager at Banrock Station in South Australia is, it’s fair to say, smitten with these striking birds. “September and October is Regent Parrot survey time,” Tim says, “So we’re up well before dawn to make sure we’re at the wetland’s to track the fly-in, fly-out breeding population.”
Landmark event for Philippine Cockatoo
Exciting news has recently arrived of a landmark event in the Philippine Cockatoo Conservation Program (PCCP), the long-term endeavour to bring about the recovery of this ‘Critically Endangered’ species endemic to the Philippines. For the first time ever, a Philippine Cockatoo rescued from the wild, and subsequently released back to its original site, has been recorded to breed and produce a healthy hatchling. Such rescue and release to augment the wild population is just one of a raft of conservation measures conducted by the PCCP and supported by the Loro Parque Fundación over many years.
Increasing Knowledge of the Most Endangered Parrots
Fifty years ago our knowledge of the status of parrots in the wild was limited. Few parrot species were known to be in danger of extinction and these were mainly Amazona parrots which were confined to small islands. At that time very few species had been studied in the wild.
Coronavirus threat to PNG's animal rescue centre
Port Moresby is the capital of Papua New Guinea and is home to its unique animal rescue centre that is now facing the threat of the Covid-19 pandemic, and could be shut down. Papua New Guinea is the most populous nation in Melanesia and faces a potentially devastating wave of Covid-19 infections.
Cucurbitaceae enrichment for our parrots
The group of cucurbitaceae is the one that includes cucumbers and pumpkins. Climbing or creeping plants that usually cover large areas to produce fruits that usually accumulate a lot of water. In nature, these plants defend themselves with a very bitter substance called cucurbitacin.
Rare macaw refuge destroyed
A rare bird sanctuary in Brazil, which is home to 15 per cent of the world’s population of Hyacinth and Lear’s Macaws, has been destroyed by fires, and there are now fears for the survival of these blue macaws. “It is very sad to see decades of my family’s work, years taking care and preserving nature, for this to happen,” said Ana Maria Barreto, owner of the São Francisco do Perigara, a cattle ranch and bird sanctuary of more than 61,000 acres in Mato Grosso state.
The value of animals
Children at a nursery and day care facility were delighted to receive a visit from some very special guests. Learning Land in Workington has a range of animals drop by, as part of an educational encounter paid for by the Co-op. The store has been working with animal specialists, Pet Encounter Cumbria, based in Workington, to deliver therapeutic and educational visits to children and the elderly.
Complete Psittacine Subtle Secrets for Feeding Psittacines – and Getting them to Eat
I have been daily feeding psittacines for 40 years now and there have been times in the past when I felt that was all I did each day – pets, breeders, babies, the birds at the shoppe in Santa Fe. The good news is this has taught me a whole lot about how to do it. And across all species groups, there are some really good guidelines for what to feed, when to feed, and how to make sure your parrots are actually consuming what you are giving them.
Calabash for parrots
Different types of calabash has grown this year very well within our organic crops and a big advantage for our parrots that are relishing every moment during this season.
