I grew up with cockatiels (my parents') and a green cheeck conure (mine). I started missing the joy of birdkeeping in 2010, so I joined the local bird club in hopes of being connected with a new feathered friend. I was soon referred to a lady who had rescued a then-15-year-old Sunday (Sun-Jenday hybrid) conure named 'Benetton'. He's the noise ringleader around here and, although being the oldest, is still affectionately referred to as "my baby birdie!". Here he is enjoying an awkward afternoon bath (he since has a round-the-clock birdbath in his cage):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXMqOiepLi4
Next came Stringfellow Hawke. He sat at the local Petco for a full year. My husband went to visit String on a weekly basis, and when String went on "manager's special" at a 50% discount two days before his first birthday, we knew the poor thing's future probably wasn't the rosiest at that rate, so we brought him home. He and Benetton became fast friends. The budgies were procured in the same way- Huey and Howie are 2/3 of our "Aussie sub-flock".
Then I get a call from the bird club. A 13-year-old blue crown conure needed a home. Rico was and is an absolute dream: no neglect or abuse at any point in her past. So now she's our resident diva, queen of the flock, and our little chatterbox with a vocabulary of 35 words. Here she is having a grand time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoecSnirzuM
Same story with the cockatiel. A phonecall, a plea for adoption. Colnel Tigh is a hot mess of two gimpy wings and a missing eye, presumably lost in an epic fight with a much larger bird. We have no idea how old he is, but his feet are a bit gnarled from arthritis, so he's probably up there in age. We were told he has an affinity for budgies, so after a 2-month quarantine we got him and the budgies a special cage so they could comfortably co-habitate.
The last, and I do mean LAST because we seriously are at our limit for the permanent flock, was an accidental acquisition. Skippy the Jardine's/red-fronted parrot was a volunteer birdsitting project-turned-new flock member. His original owner and I did everything we could to reunite them after she relocated 2,000+ miles away, but after several months of trying to transport him, we agreed it would be best for him if he were adopted. I offer to commit to being his forever home since we were already very fond of him, so he's our resident clown and sound effects specialist. Here he is being mischievous:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFn4boQ5aMI
Glad I found this website, and I hope to get to know y'all in time.
