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 Laura (lzver) as January/February's Mayor of the Avenue. She is a wonderful neighbor and asset to our community
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)?
I have 3 birds.Lucy is a 7 ½ year old female Red-Bellied Parrot. Jessie is a 6 ½ year old male (not DNA sexed) Senegal Parrot. And Kylie is a 3 ½ year old female Meyers Parrot.
2. What got you interested in birds?
Interestingly enough it was my husband’s suggestion to get a parrot. He had fond memories of his Aunt and Uncle’s Amazon parrot when he was growing up (and in fact the Amazon is still alive and is around 45 years old now). We did a little bit of research and we fell in love with Lucy. After thinking about it for a few days we went back and got her. Less than 2 months later, I fell in love with Jessie and he joined as well. I was hooked and knew from now on I will always have birds in my life.
3. What have your birds brought to your life?
They bring so much life into our house! There is nothing more stress relieving than coming home after work and being greeted by the birds. A day never feels complete without a ‘Hey buddy’ from Jessie. They make me laugh every single day as well with their antics.
4. What have you learned from sharing your life with your birds?
I have learned so much about proper pet care, which has transferred over into the care of our dog as well. I love being able to offer the birds a healthy diet of fresh foods everyday. There is so much more that goes into caring for birds than I ever imagined when we first got Lucy and Jessie in 2006. And thanks to the Avenue, I continue to learn new things every day!
5. What's one birdie memory that will stay with you forever?
The day I first met Jessie. While I will never get another parrot from a pet store, I saw Jessie in a pet store and after handling him for over an hour in the store I knew I had to bring him home with me. To this day, Jessie is my little cuddle monkey and I can literally do anything with him. I definitely have the closest bond with him.
6. Where is your birds main living area?
Our dining room has been turned into the bird room. We have an open concept living room / dining room so it works well. The birds are always part of whatever is going on in house.
7. Did you change things in your home to accommodate your birds and if so what kinds of things did you change?
We no longer have our dining room. They have a play stand that my husband built and toys and nets hanging from the ceiling in the dining room.
8. Are you involved in any kind of bird related group or activities?
At one time I was amember of a local parrot club, but there was too much drama and in-fighting and I stopped going. I miss being able to meet with other parrot owners on a monthly basis, but they don’t meet in my area anymore.
9. What is the one luxury item you would love to have for your bird(s)?
I would love to have a large java wood tree for the living room so the birds would have somewhere to hang out.
10. Is there any bird that you dream of owning and if so why?
I have dreamed of owning a Timneh African Grey for a number of years now. I think Grey’s are beautiful birds and their intellectual intelligence fascinates me. I particularly love the darker colors of the Timneh. It will remain a dream for quite some time. Three birds is the maximum for me.
11. Describe a typical day with you at home with your birds.
I can only allow Jessie and Kylie out of their cage at the same time because Lucy can be aggressive at times, so during the week the evening starts with them having an hour of out of cage time while my husband takes our dog for a walk. They are pretty laid back and play with foot toys on their cage, so I get a bit of time on the computer. Then Lucy gets an hour of out of cage time while Jake is kept in the basement with my husband. Lucy is much busier and I have to keep a closer eye on her so I interact a little bit more with her. And at least 3 – 4 days a week, Jessie gets cuddle time with me on the couch while I’m watching TV. On the weekends, the schedule isn’t as structured. They on average get 2 – 3 hours of out of cage time each day on the weekend.
12. What have you learned about owning birds that you would like to share?
I realize now that when we got Lucy and Jessie, we were pretty clueless about owning parrots. I have learned so much over the last couple of years and I like to think I provide Lucy, Jessie and Kylie with a good home. I think what I have learned the most are health benefits of many natural ingredients that can also be applied to my family’s health. As well, I have eliminated all Teflon products from our home,which benefits everyone in the house as well!
13. If you knew then what you know now about birds, what would you do differently?
When we first got parrots, I was unaware of the risks of keeping birds in the kitchen. So I would do that over … They would have never spent the first 2 years of their lives with us in the kitchen. I would have also bought bigger and better cages if I had it to do over again and fed them far healthier diets from day one.
14. What other hobbies do you have?
We have an almost 1year old German Shepherd which takes a lot of my time as well. I spend 3 – 4 hours a week preparing a wholesome home cooked diet for him which has greatly improved his health. I also spend several hours a week training with him as well. When I’m not spending time with the zoo, I enjoy browsing the internet, reading and listening to music.
15. Anything else you would like to share?
I am honored to be selected as the Avenue’s Mayor for January/February! I have learned so much from being a member of this forum and I’m in good company! Thanks Avian Avenue!
I am so delighted to announce Laura (lzver) as January/February's Mayor of the Avenue. She is a wonderful neighbor and asset to our community
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)?
I have 3 birds.Lucy is a 7 ½ year old female Red-Bellied Parrot. Jessie is a 6 ½ year old male (not DNA sexed) Senegal Parrot. And Kylie is a 3 ½ year old female Meyers Parrot.
2. What got you interested in birds?
Interestingly enough it was my husband’s suggestion to get a parrot. He had fond memories of his Aunt and Uncle’s Amazon parrot when he was growing up (and in fact the Amazon is still alive and is around 45 years old now). We did a little bit of research and we fell in love with Lucy. After thinking about it for a few days we went back and got her. Less than 2 months later, I fell in love with Jessie and he joined as well. I was hooked and knew from now on I will always have birds in my life.
3. What have your birds brought to your life?
They bring so much life into our house! There is nothing more stress relieving than coming home after work and being greeted by the birds. A day never feels complete without a ‘Hey buddy’ from Jessie. They make me laugh every single day as well with their antics.
4. What have you learned from sharing your life with your birds?
I have learned so much about proper pet care, which has transferred over into the care of our dog as well. I love being able to offer the birds a healthy diet of fresh foods everyday. There is so much more that goes into caring for birds than I ever imagined when we first got Lucy and Jessie in 2006. And thanks to the Avenue, I continue to learn new things every day!
5. What's one birdie memory that will stay with you forever?
The day I first met Jessie. While I will never get another parrot from a pet store, I saw Jessie in a pet store and after handling him for over an hour in the store I knew I had to bring him home with me. To this day, Jessie is my little cuddle monkey and I can literally do anything with him. I definitely have the closest bond with him.
6. Where is your birds main living area?
Our dining room has been turned into the bird room. We have an open concept living room / dining room so it works well. The birds are always part of whatever is going on in house.
7. Did you change things in your home to accommodate your birds and if so what kinds of things did you change?
We no longer have our dining room. They have a play stand that my husband built and toys and nets hanging from the ceiling in the dining room.
8. Are you involved in any kind of bird related group or activities?
At one time I was amember of a local parrot club, but there was too much drama and in-fighting and I stopped going. I miss being able to meet with other parrot owners on a monthly basis, but they don’t meet in my area anymore.
9. What is the one luxury item you would love to have for your bird(s)?
I would love to have a large java wood tree for the living room so the birds would have somewhere to hang out.
10. Is there any bird that you dream of owning and if so why?
I have dreamed of owning a Timneh African Grey for a number of years now. I think Grey’s are beautiful birds and their intellectual intelligence fascinates me. I particularly love the darker colors of the Timneh. It will remain a dream for quite some time. Three birds is the maximum for me.
11. Describe a typical day with you at home with your birds.
I can only allow Jessie and Kylie out of their cage at the same time because Lucy can be aggressive at times, so during the week the evening starts with them having an hour of out of cage time while my husband takes our dog for a walk. They are pretty laid back and play with foot toys on their cage, so I get a bit of time on the computer. Then Lucy gets an hour of out of cage time while Jake is kept in the basement with my husband. Lucy is much busier and I have to keep a closer eye on her so I interact a little bit more with her. And at least 3 – 4 days a week, Jessie gets cuddle time with me on the couch while I’m watching TV. On the weekends, the schedule isn’t as structured. They on average get 2 – 3 hours of out of cage time each day on the weekend.
12. What have you learned about owning birds that you would like to share?
I realize now that when we got Lucy and Jessie, we were pretty clueless about owning parrots. I have learned so much over the last couple of years and I like to think I provide Lucy, Jessie and Kylie with a good home. I think what I have learned the most are health benefits of many natural ingredients that can also be applied to my family’s health. As well, I have eliminated all Teflon products from our home,which benefits everyone in the house as well!
13. If you knew then what you know now about birds, what would you do differently?
When we first got parrots, I was unaware of the risks of keeping birds in the kitchen. So I would do that over … They would have never spent the first 2 years of their lives with us in the kitchen. I would have also bought bigger and better cages if I had it to do over again and fed them far healthier diets from day one.
14. What other hobbies do you have?
We have an almost 1year old German Shepherd which takes a lot of my time as well. I spend 3 – 4 hours a week preparing a wholesome home cooked diet for him which has greatly improved his health. I also spend several hours a week training with him as well. When I’m not spending time with the zoo, I enjoy browsing the internet, reading and listening to music.
15. Anything else you would like to share?
I am honored to be selected as the Avenue’s Mayor for January/February! I have learned so much from being a member of this forum and I’m in good company! Thanks Avian Avenue!
I really enjoyed reading your interview and hearing all about the birdies.. 
