Shade
Crazy for Pois!
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Our "Mayor of the Avenue" award is presented to a member who exhibits the qualities that distinguish them to be an upstanding credit to the Avenue, a loving, informed, conscientious and caring bird parront and an all around good neighbor.
I am so delighted to announce Jennifer as April's Mayor of the Avenue.
I loved your interview and enjoyed getting to know you a little better!
1. What kind of birds do you have (age, species and names)?
Quack, female Timneh African Grey, 13 years old;
Darwin, male Timneh African Grey, 15 almost 16 years old;
Itsy, presumed female Meyer's parrot, 7 almost 8 years old;
Tiki, female Blue-headed pionus, estimated to be 12 years old.
2. What got you interested in birds?
I'm not really sure. I've always liked them even though I was nervous of them when I was young (after my brother telling me they would peck my eyes out!) An acquaintance had a Congo African Grey and I was intrigued. I had to ask what kind it was as I didn't know much at all about parrots. She told stories about how smart he was and things he came up with. It wasn't too long after that I got Pogo.
3. What have your birds brought to your life?
Companionship, laughter, pride, joy, a bit of frustration sometimes and a LOT of messes!
4. What have you learned from sharing your life with your birds?
Patience, to put up with some mess, how smart they are. See my 10,000+ posts for the rest!
5. What's one birdie memory that will stay with you forever?
Lots of them but unfortunately, the biggest is a negative one. Losing my little buddy, Pogo, an 8 year old Timneh who I had from 4 months. Worst experience of my life.
6. Where is your birds main living area?
They have a bird room/bedroom where their cages are. That's where they are when I'm out, at night and mid-day rest/cleaning time on weekends. Their play stands are beside the kitchen by the patio door. They each have their own stand (or 2 or 3). Darwin seems to have taken over counter, sinks, dish drainer. Tiki has the floor. Itsy has top of the fridge and shares the airway with Darwin mostly.
7. Did you change things in your home to accommodate your birds and if so what kinds of things did you change?
Yes, I redid the bird room for them. Quack & Darwin were originally in the smaller bedroom. There wasn't room for 4 cages in there and I wanted to upgrade Quack & Darwin's cages. I'm in a semi-detached house and the walls are not well insulated from the neighbours. I wanted to soundproof a bit before putting them in the new room which was against the neighbour's wall. The soundproofing was both for the neighbours and for the birds, as the room on the other side of the wall is the neighbours' tv room and can get loud at times. So I built another wall on top of the common wall with a couple of inches of air space in between. I also ripped up the carpet and did vinyl tile flooring. And painted.
I also rearranged the main floor to accommodate more play stands. I sold the dining room table, moved the living room to the dining room, the kitchen table to the living room and let the birds have the kitchen eating area where the floor is vinyl and easy to clean. Their stuff does overflow a bit into the now dining area.
8. Are you involved in any kind of bird related group or activities?
Other than AA, I'm in our local parrot club and a few bird groups on Facebook.
9. What is the one luxury item you would love to have for your bird(s)?
A screened in porch or sun room! I will plan for that in the next house!
10. Is there any bird that you dream of owning and if so why?
There are several birds that I'm drawn to - Eclectus, Quakers, and love the little conures. And lovebirds are just so cute! But I'm not sure I'm up for the noise of any of those. I have my hands full with 4 so am not looking to add to the flock.
11. Describe a typical day with you at home with your birds.
Well, on non-work days, the birds get out at 9 am. I clean any dirty paper (usually just Tiki's in the cage) and they come downstairs to their play area until about noon. I take turns giving them attention. Darwin flies to my shoulder often and Itsy does too, not quite as often. Tiki will be wandering on the floor (she can't fly), chewing up stuff in the bottom shelf of the bookcase that is now known as her "apartment", or in her box that blocks the baseboard she chews or the wooden orange box blocking the space between the fridge and the cupboards. Sometimes she just waddles over to come see me and get picked up. Quack and Darwin will fly over to the couch if I happen to sit down.
Around noon or 1 pm, they go back to their cages with their fresh veggies, fruit, sprouts and an almond.
Around 4:30 or 5 they come out again. I change any dirty paper before bringing them downstairs again. They may get some supper of what I'm having depending if it's bird-worthy. They have pellets and water bowls on their play stands too. Out until 7:30 or so. Tiki and Itsy are tired by then and want to go up. Quack & Darwin may stay out another half hour. They get a little time to have a snack before bed, a little seed or a Nutriberry. And Quack wants to play "crazy bird" swinging from the top of her cage upside down. I have to ask her "who is a crazy bird?" before she does it. I change their water & fill their pellet dishes for the next day. Lights out by 8. I usually give them a few minutes to "find a perch" with the door open and light on in the hallway before I tell them goodnight and close the door. Darwin will be calling "going to bed?" before and after lights out if the door isn't closed. If I wait more than a few minutes to close the door, I get deep groans from Quack & Darwin.
Workday evenings are the same but they only get out for a little while workday mornings before I have to go. They have to get up around 6:30 am. Quack & Darwin come downstairs with me while I get my lunch ready, get their veggie bowls ready & feed the cat.
12. What have you learned about owning birds that you would like to share?
The cleaning is never ending!
And you have to be VERY dedicated to caring for them. They are a joy to have and so entertaining! They are my family and I love them to pieces! 
They can be annoying at times but that's usually when I'm not in the best mood or am busy. It's not a lifestyle most people would want and I think a lot of people are not ready for what they are like. You can research and read but you don't really know until you live with them. I would give up bird ownership if I could turn back time and prevent them being imported and prevent all the abused, neglected, rescued and re-homed birds out there.
13. If you knew then what you know now about birds, what would you do differently?
Well, I certainly would have prevented Pogo from getting out that day. Other than that I don't have any regrets. Oh, I guess I would have given Quack a bit more time to settle in and maybe have gotten bit less! And upgraded her big flight cage to a parrot cage sooner. The small doors were a problem.
14. What other hobbies do you have?
Cleaning, buying bird toys & supplies, saving up for vet fees! Seriously, I read a lot, play computer games, spend time on AA and FB, quilt with my mom, cook & bake, garden a bit.
15. Anything else you would like to share?
I would like to urge people to adopt whenever possible. Baby birds are cute but grow up into the same birds you find at rescues or on CL, Kijiji, etc. They all need homes and I just see so many rescues with so many birds and pet stores keep selling babies.
Thank you for choosing me to be Mayor of the Avenue!
I am so delighted to announce Jennifer as April's Mayor of the Avenue.
I loved your interview and enjoyed getting to know you a little better!
1. What kind of birds do you have (age, species and names)?
Quack, female Timneh African Grey, 13 years old;
Darwin, male Timneh African Grey, 15 almost 16 years old;
Itsy, presumed female Meyer's parrot, 7 almost 8 years old;
Tiki, female Blue-headed pionus, estimated to be 12 years old.
2. What got you interested in birds?
I'm not really sure. I've always liked them even though I was nervous of them when I was young (after my brother telling me they would peck my eyes out!) An acquaintance had a Congo African Grey and I was intrigued. I had to ask what kind it was as I didn't know much at all about parrots. She told stories about how smart he was and things he came up with. It wasn't too long after that I got Pogo.
3. What have your birds brought to your life?
Companionship, laughter, pride, joy, a bit of frustration sometimes and a LOT of messes!
4. What have you learned from sharing your life with your birds?
Patience, to put up with some mess, how smart they are. See my 10,000+ posts for the rest!
5. What's one birdie memory that will stay with you forever?
Lots of them but unfortunately, the biggest is a negative one. Losing my little buddy, Pogo, an 8 year old Timneh who I had from 4 months. Worst experience of my life.
6. Where is your birds main living area?
They have a bird room/bedroom where their cages are. That's where they are when I'm out, at night and mid-day rest/cleaning time on weekends. Their play stands are beside the kitchen by the patio door. They each have their own stand (or 2 or 3). Darwin seems to have taken over counter, sinks, dish drainer. Tiki has the floor. Itsy has top of the fridge and shares the airway with Darwin mostly.
7. Did you change things in your home to accommodate your birds and if so what kinds of things did you change?
Yes, I redid the bird room for them. Quack & Darwin were originally in the smaller bedroom. There wasn't room for 4 cages in there and I wanted to upgrade Quack & Darwin's cages. I'm in a semi-detached house and the walls are not well insulated from the neighbours. I wanted to soundproof a bit before putting them in the new room which was against the neighbour's wall. The soundproofing was both for the neighbours and for the birds, as the room on the other side of the wall is the neighbours' tv room and can get loud at times. So I built another wall on top of the common wall with a couple of inches of air space in between. I also ripped up the carpet and did vinyl tile flooring. And painted.
I also rearranged the main floor to accommodate more play stands. I sold the dining room table, moved the living room to the dining room, the kitchen table to the living room and let the birds have the kitchen eating area where the floor is vinyl and easy to clean. Their stuff does overflow a bit into the now dining area.
8. Are you involved in any kind of bird related group or activities?
Other than AA, I'm in our local parrot club and a few bird groups on Facebook.
9. What is the one luxury item you would love to have for your bird(s)?
A screened in porch or sun room! I will plan for that in the next house!
10. Is there any bird that you dream of owning and if so why?
There are several birds that I'm drawn to - Eclectus, Quakers, and love the little conures. And lovebirds are just so cute!
But I'm not sure I'm up for the noise of any of those. I have my hands full with 4 so am not looking to add to the flock. 11. Describe a typical day with you at home with your birds.
Well, on non-work days, the birds get out at 9 am. I clean any dirty paper (usually just Tiki's in the cage) and they come downstairs to their play area until about noon. I take turns giving them attention. Darwin flies to my shoulder often and Itsy does too, not quite as often. Tiki will be wandering on the floor (she can't fly), chewing up stuff in the bottom shelf of the bookcase that is now known as her "apartment", or in her box that blocks the baseboard she chews or the wooden orange box blocking the space between the fridge and the cupboards. Sometimes she just waddles over to come see me and get picked up. Quack and Darwin will fly over to the couch if I happen to sit down.
Around noon or 1 pm, they go back to their cages with their fresh veggies, fruit, sprouts and an almond.
Around 4:30 or 5 they come out again. I change any dirty paper before bringing them downstairs again. They may get some supper of what I'm having depending if it's bird-worthy. They have pellets and water bowls on their play stands too. Out until 7:30 or so. Tiki and Itsy are tired by then and want to go up. Quack & Darwin may stay out another half hour. They get a little time to have a snack before bed, a little seed or a Nutriberry. And Quack wants to play "crazy bird" swinging from the top of her cage upside down. I have to ask her "who is a crazy bird?" before she does it.
I change their water & fill their pellet dishes for the next day. Lights out by 8. I usually give them a few minutes to "find a perch" with the door open and light on in the hallway before I tell them goodnight and close the door. Darwin will be calling "going to bed?" before and after lights out if the door isn't closed. If I wait more than a few minutes to close the door, I get deep groans from Quack & Darwin. Workday evenings are the same but they only get out for a little while workday mornings before I have to go. They have to get up around 6:30 am. Quack & Darwin come downstairs with me while I get my lunch ready, get their veggie bowls ready & feed the cat.
12. What have you learned about owning birds that you would like to share?
The cleaning is never ending!
And you have to be VERY dedicated to caring for them. They are a joy to have and so entertaining! They are my family and I love them to pieces! They can be annoying at times but that's usually when I'm not in the best mood or am busy. It's not a lifestyle most people would want and I think a lot of people are not ready for what they are like. You can research and read but you don't really know until you live with them. I would give up bird ownership if I could turn back time and prevent them being imported and prevent all the abused, neglected, rescued and re-homed birds out there. 13. If you knew then what you know now about birds, what would you do differently?
Well, I certainly would have prevented Pogo from getting out that day.
Other than that I don't have any regrets. Oh, I guess I would have given Quack a bit more time to settle in and maybe have gotten bit less! And upgraded her big flight cage to a parrot cage sooner. The small doors were a problem.14. What other hobbies do you have?
Cleaning, buying bird toys & supplies, saving up for vet fees!
Seriously, I read a lot, play computer games, spend time on AA and FB, quilt with my mom, cook & bake, garden a bit.15. Anything else you would like to share?
I would like to urge people to adopt whenever possible. Baby birds are cute but grow up into the same birds you find at rescues or on CL, Kijiji, etc. They all need homes and I just see so many rescues with so many birds and pet stores keep selling babies.
Thank you for choosing me to be Mayor of the Avenue!
Congrats!!!
