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Linnies and their water.
- Thread starter Begone2
- Start date
Although I had grown to love linnies, kaks are something special too. Mark & da boys, that is a lovely looking bird. Today it was another warm and sunny day, (rare in this part of Scotland) so I decided to try releasing the linnies into the balcony aviary. I took the decision to allow my mini-macaw to play by himself in his room, as he can be somewhat of a disruptive influence. They needed to find their way around by themselves. I brought their cage out, and opened the door, putting a branch in, so they could easily walk out. Unfortunately, the two lutinos panicked at the branch intruding into their cage space, and flew out. They flew about wildly for a few seconds, but landed on the spar of a chair to take stock of the situation. They calmed down quickly enough, and began taking comfort in their new environment by preening each other.
When they were separated, they made frantic contact calls, until they were reunited. I shall call them Pamela and Jennifer, after twins in my primary school class. What was interesting was the reaction of the green bird. I am not totally convinced that he is a male, so I have called him Mistress Niven, after a dubious character in a Scottish soap opera from the 1960s. Mistress Niven seemed quite pleased to see the back of them. She showed no concern that they had flown the cage, making no contact calls, and showing no stress. In fact she made a tour of her cage in a rather proprietory manner, as if to say "its all mine now!"
The lutinos soon got down to what linnies do best, and started foraging around the floor of the aviary for seeds that had been discarded by the kaks. They spent most of the afternoon either on the floor, or finding low perches and "canoodling" (reinforcing their bond). It wasn't long before Mistress Niven decided to explore, and gingerly climbed down the branch provided for that purpose. By this time, one of the kaks had shown an interest in the branch and was perched on it, preening himself. I was amazed to see Mistress Niven approach the kak in a cautious, but friendy manner. The kak is a rescue, having been severely hen-pecked by his partner. He is currently a single guy, at the bottom of the kak hierarchy in our small flock of three. I wondered if they would team up as buddies, as has been known and reported before. No Sir. The kak made it quite clear that he was non-negotiable, in a firm but non aggressive way.
Our green friend took off to the highest perch in the aviary, and after a while, began to chatter contentedly. Several times, she returned to her cage, finding the entrance without any problems. During one of her visits, the cage was "invaded" by two of the kaks, who are always curious and ready to explore. Whether you are a macaw, a kakariki or a lineolated, the same principle holds true that the seed in a stranger's food dish always tastes better than your own. Mistress Niven showed absolutely no concern at these visitors, and took it all in her stride.
My main concern had been that one of the kakariki males (who chases the mini macaw around) and considers himself boss of the aviary, might object to the three new visitors to his territory. I was relieved to see that neither species seemed to bother with the other. I believe the stage is set for them all to co-exist peacefully. Without the macaw being there, absolute harmony was the order of the day. I have another section of balcony, currently separated by a barrier and door, which is still open to the elements. I am ordering a special kind of acrylic sheet that allows ultra violet light to penetrate, which will partially enclose this section, along with some wire mesh which will complete the job. This is where I will sit with my macaw during the summer, observing the residents of the other section in peace (so much that can be had when playing with a macaw, even a small one.) That is the plan anyway. I attach some photos of the linnies' first outing and will continue to post progress. I believe it was a success.
Compared with a macaw, both linnies and kakarikis are gentle and peaceful birds. It is fascinating to observe their interaction and the dynamic between their individual personalities. I feel I have a family now.
When they were separated, they made frantic contact calls, until they were reunited. I shall call them Pamela and Jennifer, after twins in my primary school class. What was interesting was the reaction of the green bird. I am not totally convinced that he is a male, so I have called him Mistress Niven, after a dubious character in a Scottish soap opera from the 1960s. Mistress Niven seemed quite pleased to see the back of them. She showed no concern that they had flown the cage, making no contact calls, and showing no stress. In fact she made a tour of her cage in a rather proprietory manner, as if to say "its all mine now!"
The lutinos soon got down to what linnies do best, and started foraging around the floor of the aviary for seeds that had been discarded by the kaks. They spent most of the afternoon either on the floor, or finding low perches and "canoodling" (reinforcing their bond). It wasn't long before Mistress Niven decided to explore, and gingerly climbed down the branch provided for that purpose. By this time, one of the kaks had shown an interest in the branch and was perched on it, preening himself. I was amazed to see Mistress Niven approach the kak in a cautious, but friendy manner. The kak is a rescue, having been severely hen-pecked by his partner. He is currently a single guy, at the bottom of the kak hierarchy in our small flock of three. I wondered if they would team up as buddies, as has been known and reported before. No Sir. The kak made it quite clear that he was non-negotiable, in a firm but non aggressive way.
Our green friend took off to the highest perch in the aviary, and after a while, began to chatter contentedly. Several times, she returned to her cage, finding the entrance without any problems. During one of her visits, the cage was "invaded" by two of the kaks, who are always curious and ready to explore. Whether you are a macaw, a kakariki or a lineolated, the same principle holds true that the seed in a stranger's food dish always tastes better than your own. Mistress Niven showed absolutely no concern at these visitors, and took it all in her stride.
My main concern had been that one of the kakariki males (who chases the mini macaw around) and considers himself boss of the aviary, might object to the three new visitors to his territory. I was relieved to see that neither species seemed to bother with the other. I believe the stage is set for them all to co-exist peacefully. Without the macaw being there, absolute harmony was the order of the day. I have another section of balcony, currently separated by a barrier and door, which is still open to the elements. I am ordering a special kind of acrylic sheet that allows ultra violet light to penetrate, which will partially enclose this section, along with some wire mesh which will complete the job. This is where I will sit with my macaw during the summer, observing the residents of the other section in peace (so much that can be had when playing with a macaw, even a small one.) That is the plan anyway. I attach some photos of the linnies' first outing and will continue to post progress. I believe it was a success.
Compared with a macaw, both linnies and kakarikis are gentle and peaceful birds. It is fascinating to observe their interaction and the dynamic between their individual personalities. I feel I have a family now.
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