PHOTO: Yes, there’s such a thing as a parrot fish, but this is the mascot of a local indoor water park appearing at the Woburn, MA Halloween parade.- Photo by George Sommers
PICKING UP THE TAB: Well, Jennifer Cunha’s amazing ‘toos are at it again. “Last Sunday I had this huge, HUGE inspired moment,” says Cunha. “Expressive communication is so near and dear to my heart – my girls being able to TELL me things, even when we’re not learning together. And I saw exactly how I could do it, with a tablet and a menu and options and sub-options. And I grabbed Ellie who is my patient, genius guinea pig cockatoo. We’ve been tinkering with it all week. At this point she’s able to touch the main menu options (like FOOD), go to sub-options (like TREAT), and do limited sub-options from there (like (SUNFLOWER), and she does it as intuitively as any adult might, like it’s second nature.” We’ll really be impressed if Jennifer’s birds start up their own Facebook pages. But that’s not all. The current “IAABC Journal” (International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants) features Cunha’s detailed instructions on how to teach parrots card games like “Go Fish” and “War” and more. Click on https://fall2018.iaabcjournal.org/2018/10/25/teach-your-bird-to-play-family-games/?fbclid=IwAR2qnrSH26EX8pvc2IN2Pcfa04y6_gM2jYG7W35GMZdKaPw_LozmYu1VdpA
PARROTRIVIA: Mr. Roper buys Mrs. Roper a mate for her pet parakeet as an anniversary gift. The day before he presents her with the bird, he entrusts it to the care of the “Three’s Company” roommates; courting potential disaster.
SWIFT ACTION TO PROTECT ENDANGERED PARROTS: Swift parrots are nomads that move to a new location to breed each year depending on where their preferred food, nectar from flowering trees, is most abundant. Consequently, the parrots move around which limits the ability of conservationists to protect the species. The Difficult Bird Research Group from The Australian National University (ANU) have found that by assessing flower bud development in food trees, it is possible to predict where swift parrots will settle to breed up to a year ahead of time. “This is a game-changer for swift parrots because, until now, managing swift parrots has been very difficult, especially in terms of protecting their habitat from deforestation,” lead author of the study Dr Dejan Stojanovic said. The study found providing nest boxes allowed more parrots to breed at preferred sites, despite a shortage of natural nests. Over the last 20 years, one quarter of remaining swift parrot habitat has been logged in the Southern Forests of Tasmania, which are an important breeding area. – More information about their work can be found at www.difficultbirds.com. The research has just been published in The Journal of Wildlife Management.
PAVED PARKING LOT NO PARROT-DISE: She’s living comfortably at the Canton, MA Animal Shelter now, but an Amazon parrot was found in a parking lot.
PSITTACINE CINEMA: Last week’s elections showed the country is sharply divided, and even African greys are split between the red and the blue, as shown in today’s double feature. African grey parrot endorses Donald Trump for president. – YouTube On the other hand, there’s Check out the video of the parrot abusing Donald Trump here.
HAWK HORROR STORY: I had a hawk like that looking over a sun conure that was in a cage. I was sitting on my steps watching it on a telephone pole. When it sailed down to sit in a trellis just next to the cage. Right next to me. I was very quiet and he was concentrating on the sun conure so much he did not see me. I said “hello”. His head snapped around looked at me and flew off in a panic. – From a Facebook comment.
DIDJA KNOW: The oldest recorded cockatiel lived to be 29 years old
FOILED AGAIN: There is a new non-stick foil being marketed that is not safe for cooking with birds in the house. This comes in all store brands too, so please note the label when you make your purchase. While the makers of Reynolds Wrap brand state their brand is teflon free, there are silicones used that are still considered unsafe as coatings on cookware, where birds are concerned. There is plenty of discussion on parrot groups and boards in support of this finding. It is the general consensus that all non- stick coatings are not safe for birds.
MORE POLLYTICS: Neil Parrott was a candidate for the House of Delegates in a Maryland district.
HOT DATES: 11/8-10: 70th National Bird Show This event includes the circle of bird delegates to breeders and fanciers to showcase all types of birds in the show. 9-6. Pheasant Run Resort 4051 E Main Street, St Charles, IL — 11/17,18: EXOTIC PET SHOW 9-4; Jaycee Community Bldg. 2180 Airport Rd. SW, Huntsville, AL
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