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February 2016 Mayor of the Avenue... Bartleby

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expressmailtome

Ripping up the road
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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 happy to announce that Bartleby is February's Mayor of the Month.
I enjoyed reading your interview, and am sure that everyone else will as well!


1. What kind of birds do you have (age, species and names)?

I have an almost 2 year old Blue-throated Macaw named Ripley and a distinguished gentleman Blue-fronted Amazon named Sterling. I’m not sure of Sterling’s age, but he is definitely an adult.

2. What got you interested in birds?

I was 15 years old and wandered into a local bird store run by the director of an avian rescue. They had a whole room of parrots of various shapes and sizes out on stands. I later learned they were all rescue birds available for adoption. There were big white ones and small green ones and medium grey ones and even some really huge ones with crazy bright colors. A lot of them were doing crazy scary (and loud) things and had HUGE beaks on their faces, but there was this smaller sized quiet green one that seemed more my style. I approached and talked with him a bit, I put out my arm and he stepped right up. I had no idea what the heck to do with this feathered creature now that he was on me, but we just stood there for a while looking at each other. Eventually the shop owner came over and explained that this was a male Eclectus who had been adopted out years ago only to be found in an unlit basement a few months back. He had also never stepped up for anyone since he had come back to the rescue. I was hooked!


3. What have your birds brought to your life?

Chaos, noise, destruction, a little madness and mayhem, messes (OMG the messes!)....and love, patience, snuggly cuddles, some lifelong friendships of the two-legged variety. And joy. You can’t help but feel utterly joyful when you share your life with an animal that embraces their life and their wild nature to the fullest extent….and is willing to share all this with you.

4. What have you learned from sharing your life with your birds?

This is a tough one; there's so much. I’ve learned so much about avians in general. Although I liked parrots for a very long time, I think I liked the romanticized notions of a pet parrot. With them in my life I’ve learned to love and embrace what it means to have a wild animal with all its natural instincts as a companion. Parrots aren’t like other pets, they aren’t even like other exotics…they are uniquely intelligent lifelong friends and companions.

5. What's one birdie memory that will stay with you forever?


When I went to pick Rip up she was with her sister. They were young and while interested in me they were a bit unsure of what exactly I was up to. They clung to each other and didn’t want to physically interact. At that point in time really either of them could have come home with me. I offered up some treats and one of the little ones fluffed up their head feathers into the most adorable baby macaw poofy headdress, mustered their courage and came forward to get the treat. I knew that was my girl!

6. Where is your birds main living area?

I have a bird room where they both reside.

7. Did you change things in your home to accommodate your birds and if so what kinds of things did you change?


I gave up my guest bedroom, because really guests can sleep on the couch! I birdie proofed the areas they visit and of course all the smellables and cleaners are now banished from the premises.

8. Are you involved in any kind of bird related group or activities?

This would require socializing….right? Like with real people?

9. What is the one luxury item you would love to have for your bird(s)?

The practical: I need to get an aviary built off the back of their bird room that they can access through the window during appropriate weather.

The impractical: I may or may not have designed a house that features an indoor/outdoor aviary as roughly half the total square footage.


10. Is there any bird that you dream of owning and if so why?

I would like to own a bird that could be a suitable “friend” for Sterling. He desperately would like to be friends with another bird as people aren’t his style, but Ripley ain’t his speed. Whatever species package that “friend” comes in is fine by me.

11. Describe a typical day with you at home with your birds.

I wake up, roll out of bed, stagger down the hallway and the stairs as three 55 lb dogs race up and down and all around me and threaten to topple my unsteady gate.I do this to the soundtrack of the song of Ripley’s people as she lets me, and everyone else, know that she is alive….and this is good. I prep breakfast, all the while assuring the impatient Rip that yes, she will be fed, it will be lovingly prepared and that there will be mac nuts…..those are very important. (I wrap the bloody nub of a digit that I have severed during breakfast prep….no time to waste, the princess is hungry.) I bring my little tray of delicacies into the bird room and start doling out dishes, proud of the feast I have produced. Only to be met with indifference from Sir Sterling and to be deflated by the utter disdain on Ripley’s face as she surveys the pig slop I have dared to serve her highness. I fill up foraging toys, do a quick clean/sweep and put up any new toys for the day. Weather permitting, Rip gets some time in the deck aviary while I putter around outside. She often screams at me to let me know what I am doing wrong.

I return in the afternoon and spend a few hours in the bird room. I clean up, because that is a never ending task. Rip “helps” me clean by biting the broom and dustpan, ripping up the paper towels, throwing the F10 squirt bottle on the floor and pooping right in the spot I have just wiped. She also often helpfully dangles in my face with one foot tightly gripping my hair. *Sigh* For the umpteenth time I consider shaving my head. It’s okay. I have enough of it….I can hide the bald patch from the chunk you’ve just ripped out. I turn on a movie for her or we do some target and trick training. She preens me because I am apparently ill-kept…especially my hair, after she’s dangled from it. She quietly whispers in my ear about her day and bites the same ear for effect during the dramatic parts of the story. Sterling spies on me the entire time, but quickly looks away and feigns interest in a spot on his perch if he sees me looking in his direction.

Dinner is a piece of homemade birdie bread sometimes topped with coconut and/or red palm oil. The birds and I dine together, I tidy up some more…..after all Ripley needs clean places to poop. I sing Ripley her silly song (No, I will not sing it for you….don’t even ask!) and then I say night, night and let the birds do their evening routines of winding down and preening and stretching.


12. What have you learned about owning birds that you would like to share?

Really the simple things make them happy. They don’t care about fancy or expensive things. They want good, nutritious food, stuff to do (chewing plain old FREE branches is a favorite) and ME. They want my time and attention and to be present during our interaction. I am not around my birds for 8+ hours a day, but when I am around them I am “there”. I’m not on my phone or reading a book, I’m engaged with them and their environment.

13. If you knew then what you know now about birds, what would you do differently?

I would not have wasted 1000s of dollars on cages and just skipped directly to a free-range bird room setup…..or at least a super large aviary.

14. What other hobbies do you have?

I’m outdoorsy; I hike, backpack and camp. I’m active with my dogs. I belong to a few conservation circles and go out with them. I also have about 7 million little side projects that I’m always tinkering with. I read and dabble in some writing; that I delusionally believe might eventually become a book, but is more likely to be used as prosecution’s Exhibit A in my civil commitment hearing. Probably should burn those journels……

15. Anything else you would like to share?


I've typed enough I think! :victory:

 

expressmailtome

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I truly enjoyed reading your interview.

Matt
 

Clueless

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Would love to read the story (or help find loopholes to gain your freedom from the commitment order).

Congrats and thanks for sharing your wisdom with us.
 

aooratrix

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Too funny! :congrats5:
 
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