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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'm pleased to announce Matt (andor) as June's "Mayor of the Avenue"
Please join me in welcoming him
I enjoyed reading your interview and getting to know you a little better Matt
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1. What kind of birds do you have, age, species and names.
We have three birds (and three's enough!
).
1) Sookie, green Quaker of indeterminate sex but arbitrarily decided to be female by us. She'll be two in September.
2) Oscar, dusky-headed conure, also of an indeterminable sex. He just (on May 24th!) turned 5 (not 6, lol).
3) Jude, our DNA male Congo African Grey. His hatch date is 11/24/10, so he's still a baby.
[FONT="]2. What got you interested in birds?
When I was a kid, we had a pair of bonded lovebirds (Rhett & Scarlett) that were left in a cage as something to look at, no enrichment or real toys provided. This was the late 1980's and we didn't know any better. The cat killed one of them and my parents got another lovebird to "replace" it. The new ones didn't get along and screamed constantly. My parents found new homes for them.
Craig (my partner and the other parront to the birdies) had a budgie and cockatiel as a kid. It was really his idea to get birds, I wanted a dog, but he thought a dog would be harder on our house (HA!) than a bird and he has such fond memories of his birds during his childhood. "A" bird turned into two, and then three. =D
[FONT="]3. What have your birds brought to your life?
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Shirt with holes! Also, laughter and humility. Prior to getting birds, every day was sort of routine for us. Now each day is an adventure.
4. What have you learned from sharing your life with your birds?
Not to take yourself too seriously, because your birds certainly won't. =D
[FONT="]5. What's one birdie memory that will stay with you forever?
Well, the saddest one was Sebastian dropping a dead Rhett onto my lap when I was 9. The happiest one was likely seeing Jude slide through the chute at the airport.
[/FONT] [FONT="]6. Where is your birds main living area?
I very recently posted on this, actually: The NEW bird room . It is one of the bedrooms on the second floor of our house. The three cages, storage, and various playthings are setup in there. At least one of the birds will typically be on one of us if we're outside the bird room and they're up, though.
Prior to Jude it was a smaller bedroom (which is now my office, we swapped office for bird room). Prior to Oscar it was our family room.
[/FONT] [FONT="]7. Did you change things in your home to accommodate your birds and if so what kinds of things did you change?
Well, we no longer have a dedicated guest room for one. Furniture moved around, holes drilled into ceilings, and places that once had carpet are now bare. Almost every room that we allow the birds into has some sort of play stand or something now. Very recently, we won a fabulous (and gargantuan!) java tree from Kathie at My Safe Bird Store in a raffle and finding a place for that was a challenge but the birds love it!
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8. Are you involved in any kind of bird related group or activities?[/FONT]
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Other than Avian Avenue?
There's not really anything close-by and I must admit to being somewhat phobic of driving long distances. I really would LIKE to volunteer at a bird shelter, but the closest one around is around a 40 minute drive.
9. What is the one luxury item you would love to have for your bird(s)?
A huge outdoor aviary or free-flight area complete with natural tropical plants and the like. Oh, this would have to somehow be connected to some sort of sea-side resort in Florida.... for the birds of course.
[/FONT] [FONT="]10. Is there any bird that you dream of owning and if so why?
I must admit that I have a certain attraction to the black cockatoos, but the bird I've been enraptured with ever since I was a kid has been an African Grey. I'm owned by one of those now!
[/FONT] [FONT="]11.Describe a typical day with you at home with your birds.
Well, I wish days could be more typical for the sake of the fiddos! There's a difference between work days and non-work days. That said, we try our hardest to get the birdies up and out of their cages every morning to come downstairs into the kitchen and eat breakfast with us. Sookie & Oscar on one stand, Jude on another. In the morning. We'll heat up some cooked food (whatever's in the fridge, lately its been some various types of Higgins stuff), chop up a fruit or veggie of some type (typically an apple), and toast some whole wheat bread or given them a chunk of birdie bread. This keeps them happy enough for us to eat and chit chat with each other. Later in the morning we let them play in the bird room on their own while in the shower or doing other human-related getting ready stuff or take either Jude or the inseparable Sookie/Oscar combination in the shower with one of us. Check the cages, spot clean as needed, do food/water/foot toy bowls then put them away for the day. I'm sad every morning that I have to lock them up for those 8 hours =\
When we come home, they're out and about until lights out which is around 9PM
Weekends, its about the same with less stuck-in-cage time.
[/FONT] [FONT="]12. What have you learned about owning birds that you would like to share?
#1 is that their behavior cannot always be accurately predicted. Oscar especially will sometimes get overexcited while cuddling and suddenly bite. You have to learn not to take it personally, it is just the nature of what is essentially a wild animal.
#2 is that they poop. A lot, and everywhere.
[/FONT] [FONT="]13. If you knew then what you know now about birds, what would you do differently?
Truly, we likely would not have bought Sookie from the circumstances she came from. Don't get me wrong, I love her to pieces, but we bought her out of a bad situation in a bad pet store. I would never ever buy another bird from a pet store, I'm sure that there are some very reputable ones out there but I've never come across one.
[/FONT] [FONT="]14. What other hobbies do you have?
Other than the birds (which takes up most of my 'free' time and is the activity I enjoy the most!), I like to read, go to the gym, and garden.
[/FONT] [FONT="]15. Anything else you would like to share?
I just wanted to thank you for the honor of selecting me for Mayor, it came as quite a shock, especially since I'm still a newbie. I hope I can contribute to this community as all you others have. =D[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
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'm pleased to announce Matt (andor) as June's "Mayor of the Avenue"
Please join me in welcoming him
I enjoyed reading your interview and getting to know you a little better Matt
[FONT="]
1. What kind of birds do you have, age, species and names.
We have three birds (and three's enough!
1) Sookie, green Quaker of indeterminate sex but arbitrarily decided to be female by us. She'll be two in September.
2) Oscar, dusky-headed conure, also of an indeterminable sex. He just (on May 24th!) turned 5 (not 6, lol).
3) Jude, our DNA male Congo African Grey. His hatch date is 11/24/10, so he's still a baby.
[FONT="]2. What got you interested in birds?
When I was a kid, we had a pair of bonded lovebirds (Rhett & Scarlett) that were left in a cage as something to look at, no enrichment or real toys provided. This was the late 1980's and we didn't know any better. The cat killed one of them and my parents got another lovebird to "replace" it. The new ones didn't get along and screamed constantly. My parents found new homes for them.
Craig (my partner and the other parront to the birdies) had a budgie and cockatiel as a kid. It was really his idea to get birds, I wanted a dog, but he thought a dog would be harder on our house (HA!) than a bird and he has such fond memories of his birds during his childhood. "A" bird turned into two, and then three. =D
[FONT="]3. What have your birds brought to your life?
[FONT="]
Shirt with holes! Also, laughter and humility. Prior to getting birds, every day was sort of routine for us. Now each day is an adventure.
4. What have you learned from sharing your life with your birds?
Not to take yourself too seriously, because your birds certainly won't. =D
[FONT="]5. What's one birdie memory that will stay with you forever?
Well, the saddest one was Sebastian dropping a dead Rhett onto my lap when I was 9. The happiest one was likely seeing Jude slide through the chute at the airport.
[/FONT] [FONT="]6. Where is your birds main living area?
I very recently posted on this, actually: The NEW bird room . It is one of the bedrooms on the second floor of our house. The three cages, storage, and various playthings are setup in there. At least one of the birds will typically be on one of us if we're outside the bird room and they're up, though.
Prior to Jude it was a smaller bedroom (which is now my office, we swapped office for bird room). Prior to Oscar it was our family room.
[/FONT] [FONT="]7. Did you change things in your home to accommodate your birds and if so what kinds of things did you change?
Well, we no longer have a dedicated guest room for one. Furniture moved around, holes drilled into ceilings, and places that once had carpet are now bare. Almost every room that we allow the birds into has some sort of play stand or something now. Very recently, we won a fabulous (and gargantuan!) java tree from Kathie at My Safe Bird Store in a raffle and finding a place for that was a challenge but the birds love it!
[/FONT] [FONT="]
8. Are you involved in any kind of bird related group or activities?[/FONT]
[FONT="]
Other than Avian Avenue?
There's not really anything close-by and I must admit to being somewhat phobic of driving long distances. I really would LIKE to volunteer at a bird shelter, but the closest one around is around a 40 minute drive.
9. What is the one luxury item you would love to have for your bird(s)?
A huge outdoor aviary or free-flight area complete with natural tropical plants and the like. Oh, this would have to somehow be connected to some sort of sea-side resort in Florida.... for the birds of course.
[/FONT] [FONT="]10. Is there any bird that you dream of owning and if so why?
I must admit that I have a certain attraction to the black cockatoos, but the bird I've been enraptured with ever since I was a kid has been an African Grey. I'm owned by one of those now!
[/FONT] [FONT="]11.Describe a typical day with you at home with your birds.
Well, I wish days could be more typical for the sake of the fiddos! There's a difference between work days and non-work days. That said, we try our hardest to get the birdies up and out of their cages every morning to come downstairs into the kitchen and eat breakfast with us. Sookie & Oscar on one stand, Jude on another. In the morning. We'll heat up some cooked food (whatever's in the fridge, lately its been some various types of Higgins stuff), chop up a fruit or veggie of some type (typically an apple), and toast some whole wheat bread or given them a chunk of birdie bread. This keeps them happy enough for us to eat and chit chat with each other. Later in the morning we let them play in the bird room on their own while in the shower or doing other human-related getting ready stuff or take either Jude or the inseparable Sookie/Oscar combination in the shower with one of us. Check the cages, spot clean as needed, do food/water/foot toy bowls then put them away for the day. I'm sad every morning that I have to lock them up for those 8 hours =\
When we come home, they're out and about until lights out which is around 9PM
Weekends, its about the same with less stuck-in-cage time.
[/FONT] [FONT="]12. What have you learned about owning birds that you would like to share?
#1 is that their behavior cannot always be accurately predicted. Oscar especially will sometimes get overexcited while cuddling and suddenly bite. You have to learn not to take it personally, it is just the nature of what is essentially a wild animal.
#2 is that they poop. A lot, and everywhere.
[/FONT] [FONT="]13. If you knew then what you know now about birds, what would you do differently?
Truly, we likely would not have bought Sookie from the circumstances she came from. Don't get me wrong, I love her to pieces, but we bought her out of a bad situation in a bad pet store. I would never ever buy another bird from a pet store, I'm sure that there are some very reputable ones out there but I've never come across one.
[/FONT] [FONT="]14. What other hobbies do you have?
Other than the birds (which takes up most of my 'free' time and is the activity I enjoy the most!), I like to read, go to the gym, and garden.
[/FONT] [FONT="]15. Anything else you would like to share?
I just wanted to thank you for the honor of selecting me for Mayor, it came as quite a shock, especially since I'm still a newbie. I hope I can contribute to this community as all you others have. =D[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]