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Jake Jeckel "Birdles McBirdily" Sparrow

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Jake Jeckel "Birdles McBirdily" Sparrow

Postby AaronWacker » Wed May 03, 2017 10:02 pm

My giant puppy dog of a bird Jake is my pride and joy and a faithful best friend. He is just a sweetheart of a bird. Jake is a 30 year old yellow-naped amazon and it may be rare for them to be this large. His funky name comes from his pirate lifestyle, complete with his favorite mug with pirate flags from St Martin. He likes the 'Ayye' and 'Irdl!' sounds and repeats them sometimes and flutters his wings when he lands or when you get him wet.

:amazon:
Jake is finicky in what he eats but when he finds something he likes he does indulge. He is a charmer, and if anyone around raises their voice he jumps right in like an expert driver merging into fast traffic. Jake loves showers, and is okay for some reason when I flip him upside down without fear but taps with his beak when he has had enough. He was born in the wild in Brazil, then brought to America.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-naped_amazon

Jake is as gentle as they come, just overflowing with a soft sincere personality seeking to be noticed and played with. He has bit people before but rarely ever will bite me. You get a soft grasp as a warning usually when you really annoy him. A great communicator, he is quite capable of expressing what he likes and doesn't with body language.

He speaks mostly when he is excited, when he flies and lands, when he is being talked to by children and women, and when he is around running water. When I rinse him off he is the most talkative. When he hears sounds he determines if its from someone he knows, then will often call out to them by name. He says my wives name repeatedly when she is gone or walks away. He will always call to me when I get home and then I pick him up and he is happy. I have two alternate perches for him so I can bring him out. He likes to be amongst the family.

Jake is a music aficionado. He will vote up or down songs he likes and ones he doesn't. If I'm playing piano with him on my shoulder and he likes the song he moves his head forwards and looks me close in the eye then gently grooms me. If he isn't digging the music, he will give a soft peck.

I had a Quaker parrot for 6 years who was very tame, being trained every day and had learned over a hundred words from me. He was a bit mean and didn't like any strangers. He learned to bite people beside me and then laugh aloud after he got them. He was very predictable outside and had even toured the lake with me without leaving shoulder. I lost him outside one summer when he decided to go native. I hadn't trimmed his wings and tail enough and I underestimated his curiosity and longing to be with other birds. I tried to bring him back, and he would come visit top of a tree over our home and perch up there and speak and chirp. That lasted two months and he teased me and I was never able to bring him back down. He'd call too from across our lake and I could hear him. In fall he migrated south and I didn't see him again. I understand the breed has done that on nearly every continent so I don't feel bad about it anymore. When I met and adopted Jake, he healed my broken heart.

Jake is curious calm and loves strangers but I am always careful with him since if he gets excited and his eyes start pinning, and if he is talking aloud a lot with someone, he gets over excited and he has been known to do a Mike Tyson and nip the ear after speaking loudly on someone's shoulder. It is a bit of a flirting instinct it seems to me. I have a pretty good feeling for when is close to that point and I can get him to calm down to where he is really docile so it hasn't happened more than once.

Jake is pretty destructive with his beak and has fully customized his large custom cage carving out a portal for himself, very similar to holes in trees you see pictures of where amazons are native. He has been known to snap through centimeter sticks and has been a good slayer of day old wooden toys.

Jake is social with other animals and knows his animal sounds. He can bark, meow, neigh, and he has learned to respond the chickadees, cardinals, red wing blackbirds, wood ducks and Canadian geese with their own favorite calls. He also can do a variety of clicking noises and his body language, how he bows and moves his wings express how he is feeling. He licks his chops a lot with the tongue these birds are known uniquely for genetically in the animal kingdom, and he gives kisses when he is calm and happy.

He can do some surprising tricks like lifting a large can partly filled with water (16-24 ounce cans) with one foot then taking a sip. His future in marketing may be bright. He has a remote control understanding and likes the remote that turns lights on or off. The TV remote his has less respect for and decided one day to just remove all the numbered buttons. I've also come home before mid day and found that he leaves the cage, plays on the bookshelf a bit then returns home.

I've read a lot about his diet and what is really good and potentially bad for him. He is interested in seeing or sampling whatever I am having and will shake his head when its not what he wants. I'm interested in comparing notes with experts on what they can (and love to) eat. His ears are also really sensitive and he will shake his head if it goes quickly from quiet to words. I'm very interested in what that means or if anyone else sees their yellow nape do the same.

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Jake and I
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Jake
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--Aaron
AaronWacker
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 4
Location: Mound, MN
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Yellow Nape Amazon Parrot
Flight: Yes

Re: Jake Jeckel "Birdles McBirdily" Sparrow

Postby liz » Thu May 04, 2017 5:28 am

The caption for those pictures should be "what's you lookin at".

Welcome. I will enjoy your stories of her and look forward to more info.

You are one of the few who, like the members in this forum, has a green feathered kid.
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liz
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 7234
Location: Hernando FL
Number of Birds Owned: 12
Types of Birds Owned: DYH Amazon Rambo
BF Amazon Myrtle
Cockatiels: Shadow Tammy Flutter Phoenix Jackie
Andy Impy Louise Twila Leroy
Flight: Yes

Re: Jake Jeckel "Birdles McBirdily" Sparrow

Postby Pajarita » Thu May 04, 2017 9:08 am

Welcome to the forum, Jake and Aaron! Wonderful story! I have two YNA and one YCA as well as a BFA and it is true that they LOVE music (my YCA loves to sing TRA LA LA but she is always completely off-key :lol: ) But, I am afraid that you are wrong about quakers, they don't migrate -as a matter of fact, they have quite small territories and never go very far from their communal nest when foraging. How long have you had Jake and how do you know that Jake is a 30 year old male? Was he DNAd and does he have a dated USDA import band? Three of mine are also wild-caught but they have no dates on their bands.
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Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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Location: NW Pa
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Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Jake Jeckel "Birdles McBirdily" Sparrow

Postby Georginia » Thu May 04, 2017 5:04 pm

Hello, welcome to The Parrot Forum! Jake looks like such a sweetie! I've always loved Amazon Parrots (met a few in person, but have never owned any). I'm so sorry to hear about your Quaker parrot, he also sounded like such a special bird, as well!

To introduce myself, my name is Georginia (not my real name, just a username). I've been a bird owner for maybe a little over 4 or so years (I also have 2 dogs and 1 cat, actually, technically 2 cats. We were adopted by a stray cat who visits us often, but I won't be talking about them, as this is a parrot forum). I've been a parrot-parent to 4 Budgies (Budgerigars) or also known as Parakeets, which are very small and underestimated birds. Over the years, I have fallen in love with this particular species, and I would not trade my two current boys (Skittles and Nico) for any other parrot! My two past Budgies died rather quickly for being known to live anywhere from 5 to 10 years (some even older). My very first Budgie, Bella, was such a sweetheart; she loved human interaction, and often just liked to sit on your lap with you. My mom formed a bond with her as well. It is really a shame she did not live any longer, she was a great bird. My second Budgie, Alex, well I honestly don't know how to describe him. He died so quickly (just days after getting him) from a sickness that I didn't even get to know him. I wish I could say more about him, I think he would've been a good little bird. Right now I have Skittles and Nico, who live together in the same cage. As bonded birds, they don't exactly have the same bond with me as Bella did (though, Skittles does enjoy SOME shoulder time and will accept head scratches from me), but I love them all the same. Skittles is my active little fella, constantly hopping from perch to perch and I've got to say, he LOVES to climb. He'll eat his food upside down (hanging from the cage bars) a lot of times, and boy does he love his cuttlebones! Anyways, enough about me and my birds. :)

We are all glad to have you here! If my bird's could talk, I'm sure they would welcome you, as well! I'm glad you're taking your own time to join a parrot forum such as this one so you can help improve your parrot's life. Not every person would do that for their pet!
I currently have two male Budgies, whom I love very much! I hope to soon expand my bird family and adopt more loving feathered friends into my home!
Georginia
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Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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Re: Jake Jeckel "Birdles McBirdily" Sparrow

Postby AaronWacker » Tue May 09, 2017 10:10 pm

Hi liz. Thanks, yes he is as green as they come and loves the color, cooing or chewing almost anything else green. His few under wing feathers which have a glimpse of deep purple, blue and pink. I've taught him to expect whistling when he stretches his wings and shows his other color feathers. This weekend he was whistling so I opened the window overlooking our commons and he whistled as people walked by. I have a few north face green fleece sweatshirts and can tell he really gravitates to the color.

Pajarita - yes its fun to get them to get into the groove. Mine occasionally drops two octaves and sounds like a bass instrument. That must be how I spoound to him as a male voice, and its funny since he talks in a much lower key once in awhile. I fear you are right about quakers. Its maybe a story I tell myself to be okay with the fact that I never got Odie back home. Minnesota winters are cold and I always hoped he was ok after choosing to go fly rather than come back.

I've had Jake two years now as of next Sept. He has the thick split ring band on his right leg with the stamp on it. It looks very primitive. If they were giving him a permanent cuff, it could have been a better cuff! I'm certain he is 30. My wife worked many years for a raptor center and she helped me through the adoption process for Jake and after loosing the bird I trained for 7 years I looked for a long time before adopting him. My wife is maybe one of the few people in the world with a heavy bird glove with some impressive stories including bringing an eagle in from Alaska for the raptor center. When we adopted Jake, the former owner (a woman) had passed away after a struggle with Cancer. You can tell too that she devoted so much time to him from his docile calm nature. He was really quiet at first but was soft and affectionate, and very calm. My wife had said to me, if he never talks, would you still be happy with him? After holding him awhile and he trusted enough to do a soft beak touch I knew he'd be a best friend, he has been my buddy ever since.

Georginia - It is wonderful to hear about your budgies. I've had two earlier and they are very affectionate and smart. I love how they squak repeatedly. My quaker spoke avid budgie having spent alot of time with them and I think it was his first language of choice. Budgies have so much personality. I admire how fearless they can be and love how they tout their position continuously resurveying their situation. Makes your heart leap.

--Aaron
AaronWacker
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Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 4
Location: Mound, MN
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Yellow Nape Amazon Parrot
Flight: Yes

Re: Jake Jeckel "Birdles McBirdily" Sparrow

Postby AaronWacker » Tue May 09, 2017 10:26 pm

Pajarita - Import bands back then for Parrots were not dated so to speak (that I know of). They were index numbers (mine three numbers instead of three letters plus numbers). Would you happen to know where I can find the cross reference for that long ago? I'm now curious and would be interested in his lineage and when he was brought in.
AaronWacker
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 4
Location: Mound, MN
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Yellow Nape Amazon Parrot
Flight: Yes

Re: Jake Jeckel "Birdles McBirdily" Sparrow

Postby Pajarita » Wed May 10, 2017 10:58 am

You are correct. As far as I know, the import bands were not dated - that's why I was asking how you knew his age with any certainty. I have a good idea (but no certainty) of how old are two of my wild-caught because of previous owners but, in reality, I don't even know if the previous owners got them as babies or they were already grown.

If yours has a band with only numbers, then he either did not go through any of the USDA quarantine centers but an older private one (big importers used to have their own centers to 'process' them) OR, more likely, he is not an import but a domestically bred bird that was banded too late (this was very common many years ago when people first started to breed them) but, in either case, you would not be able to identify where he came from. If he had a USDA band, you might have had a chance to find out IF (and that is a big 'if') they still had the records for that particular center.

The USDA quarantine bands have three letters and three numbers. The first letter indicates the state where the center was, the second letter is the actual center (some states had many centers, like California and Florida, for example, but it can also indicate the importer because the larger ones had their own quarantine centers), the third letter is part of the bird's ID along with the three numbers that follow it. So, for example, a band that reads: HHB 036 would mean that this was the 36 bird of that species in the B group (this was just sequential, they started with A then went on to B, etc and, when they ran out -at Z 999- they just started all over again) that came through a center (private or government) in Honolulu, Hawaii.
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Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
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Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Jake Jeckel "Birdles McBirdily" Sparrow

Postby liz » Fri May 12, 2017 7:05 am

Aaron, the bottom of a cage fell out while I had my cockatiels outside. Bubba got out and went into a tree near by. I could not get him. He was outside for 3 days calling his mate. There was a flock of birds in my yard that he was hanging out with. They even showed him where to sleep in my 20 ft tall red tip bushes. At the end of the 3 days the flock left and Bubba went with them.

Put on your "rose colored glasses" and believe that your Quaker joined a flock and flew free.
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liz
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Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 7234
Location: Hernando FL
Number of Birds Owned: 12
Types of Birds Owned: DYH Amazon Rambo
BF Amazon Myrtle
Cockatiels: Shadow Tammy Flutter Phoenix Jackie
Andy Impy Louise Twila Leroy
Flight: Yes

Re: Jake Jeckel "Birdles McBirdily" Sparrow

Postby stevesjk » Fri May 12, 2017 1:53 pm

Heartbreaking isnt it? 7 years ago i lost my ronnie (8 year old handraised cockatiel) he followed my father out the door. Still wake up in the middle of the night with palputations thinking of how scared he would have been. Cant get over it no matter how many times i was told 'its just a bird'. Us birdkeepers are always just a single momentary lapse of concentration away from heartbreak.
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Re: Jake Jeckel "Birdles McBirdily" Sparrow

Postby Pajarita » Sat May 13, 2017 10:04 am

Yes, losing a bird is a TERRIBLE experience. I've gone through it a couple of times but I found them. Two of them the same day and one the next morning at dawn. The trick is to stay out there and look and look and look until you see it and, when you do, never take your eyes off it while somebody else gets you a ladder and a treat because they don't come down to you, you have to go up to them.
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Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes


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