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Ripping up the road
Administrator
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
- Joined
- 4/15/10
- Messages
- 50,092
- Real Name
- Matthew
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 flyzipper is June'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)?
Marvin is a female Green Cheek Conure who just turned 6 (joined me October 16, 2016).
Jericho is a male Severe Macaw who is around 15 years old (joined us May 9, 2018).
Oscar is a male Military Macaw and he's approximately 12 years old (joined us October 20, 2020).
2. What got you interested in birds?
I've had some exposure to birds in the past (a little yellow budgie named Sunny when I was very young, ducks on our farm pond through my teen years, and my sister's B&G macaw in early adulthood), but my interest really picked up in 2016 when a friend of mine told me about a bird store that was near my town. I took a drive and met Marvin. She hung out on my shoulder for most of the visit, and I was smitten. I put her on "hold" so I could spend the weekend researching conures and their care. Realizing the store was closed on Monday, I went back on Sunday after I decided life with a bird sounded like an excellent thing.
3. What have your birds brought to your life?
Lots of things, but I'll go with focus. On one hand, strong relationships require us to focus on nurturing them, and paying close attention to the signals our birds are constantly giving us. It also applies to me being a nerd at heart, which means I like the focus of deep-diving on topics I'm interested in (so a focus on learning about birds and their care, in this case). On that note, as Aristotle said, “The more you know, the more you know you don't know.”.
4. What have you learned from sharing your life with your birds?
I think I've become more attuned to looking at things from different perspectives (for example, when observing what triggers Jericho to be aggressive toward my other two, or while attempting to slowly convince my guys that a flight harness is actually a good and enabling thing, not something to be feared).
5. What's one birdie memory that will stay with you forever?
Marvin hopping up on my shoulder and cozying into my neck during that initial visit is firmly embedded.
6. Where is your birds main living area?
I have a large open living area which includes their play stands, food & water, and my desk, so this is the area we spend the most time together (it's where I'm typing this now, with Oscar and Marvin on their play stands, while Jericho is upstairs). Our upstairs area is mostly used for reading (me), preening and flying (them). We also have a dedicated sleeping room for Marvin and Jericho, but Oscar has decided he's too cool to use it
7. Did you change things in your home to accommodate your birds and if so what kinds of things did you change?
The biggest change I made was the home itself. We used to live in a loft, and it was pretty good for birds (open space, corner unit, solid brick to cut down on noise), but not ideal. I bought a bigger stand-alone building so they'd have more room and I wouldn't have to worry about what my neighbours.
8. Are you involved in any kind of bird related group or activities?
The community I'm most involved in is with the excellent Avian Avenue folks. I also follow Audubon, The Macaw Recovery Network, and various local wildlife rescues that deal with wild birds. There are also various Facebook groups which I use to stay abreast of things in Canada (breeders, rescues, rehomes). I also have an on-again off-again membership with Avian Behaviour International (I find it worthwhile, but don't always have the time to fully benefit from it).
9. What is the one luxury item you would love to have for your bird(s)?
There are two projects I have in mind to allow my birds access to the outdoors. First is to fabricate an inner steel mesh door on my front double-width entry. The thought is to allow the exterior doors to be open, while the birds can be safely inside with some access to sun and fresh air (if that's not clear, just picture a conure and macaw-friendly screen door). Second is an actual exterior aviary that would allow even more outside time. The next luxury for me is a commercial backpack vacuum cleaner
10. Is there any bird that you dream of owning and if so why?
My three are all green birds, and they keep getting bigger, so that would suggest a Buffon's Macaw is next for us, but that's not the case. My dream bird at this point would be one that needs a better situation, and that would fit into our flock dynamic. So, a situation that would improve the quality of life for the new bird and my current flock (an example might be a compatible partner for one of my existing birds).
11. Describe a typical day with you at home with your birds.
We wake, and Jericho wants to be upstairs on his own, so I have breakfast with Oscar and Marvin, then we all go upstairs to join Jericho for a fly and preen fest. I tend to read while they're doing their morning routine, and then it's time for lunch and we all return downstairs to eat together. The core of the day is a mix of one-on-one time with each, independent time where they're left to their own devices, and mixed activity where we're all together. I generally prepare evening dinner with some aspect of it that's edible for all, and that's followed by a daily cleanup. We're all in the same area for the rest of the evening while they beak-grind and wind-down, while I play video games or watch a movie (usually with Marvin nestled in my hoodie).
12. What have you learned about owning birds that you would like to share?
I find best results when it's treated as a marathon that's run at their pace, rather than a sprint that's run at mine. I've also become increasingly aware that building independence is an investment that pays dividends over time.
13. If you knew then what you know now about birds, what would you do differently?
I could say that I would have stuck to a single species because that would certainly be easier (in some ways), but I honestly wouldn't trade my path for a different one.
14. What other hobbies do you have?
I putter in my yard, play video games (Destiny 2 primarily), read, ponder renovations, deep-dive on various topics that catch my interest, find interesting recipes on the internet and prepare them, exercise, and play beach & indoor volleyball (before Covid disrupted that... will probably return when leagues resume here in the fall).
15. Anything else you would like to share?
I'm very happy to have found this wonderful community.
I am happy to announce that flyzipper is June'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)?
Marvin is a female Green Cheek Conure who just turned 6 (joined me October 16, 2016).
Jericho is a male Severe Macaw who is around 15 years old (joined us May 9, 2018).
Oscar is a male Military Macaw and he's approximately 12 years old (joined us October 20, 2020).
2. What got you interested in birds?
I've had some exposure to birds in the past (a little yellow budgie named Sunny when I was very young, ducks on our farm pond through my teen years, and my sister's B&G macaw in early adulthood), but my interest really picked up in 2016 when a friend of mine told me about a bird store that was near my town. I took a drive and met Marvin. She hung out on my shoulder for most of the visit, and I was smitten. I put her on "hold" so I could spend the weekend researching conures and their care. Realizing the store was closed on Monday, I went back on Sunday after I decided life with a bird sounded like an excellent thing.
3. What have your birds brought to your life?
Lots of things, but I'll go with focus. On one hand, strong relationships require us to focus on nurturing them, and paying close attention to the signals our birds are constantly giving us. It also applies to me being a nerd at heart, which means I like the focus of deep-diving on topics I'm interested in (so a focus on learning about birds and their care, in this case). On that note, as Aristotle said, “The more you know, the more you know you don't know.”.
4. What have you learned from sharing your life with your birds?
I think I've become more attuned to looking at things from different perspectives (for example, when observing what triggers Jericho to be aggressive toward my other two, or while attempting to slowly convince my guys that a flight harness is actually a good and enabling thing, not something to be feared).
5. What's one birdie memory that will stay with you forever?
Marvin hopping up on my shoulder and cozying into my neck during that initial visit is firmly embedded.
6. Where is your birds main living area?
I have a large open living area which includes their play stands, food & water, and my desk, so this is the area we spend the most time together (it's where I'm typing this now, with Oscar and Marvin on their play stands, while Jericho is upstairs). Our upstairs area is mostly used for reading (me), preening and flying (them). We also have a dedicated sleeping room for Marvin and Jericho, but Oscar has decided he's too cool to use it
7. Did you change things in your home to accommodate your birds and if so what kinds of things did you change?
The biggest change I made was the home itself. We used to live in a loft, and it was pretty good for birds (open space, corner unit, solid brick to cut down on noise), but not ideal. I bought a bigger stand-alone building so they'd have more room and I wouldn't have to worry about what my neighbours.
8. Are you involved in any kind of bird related group or activities?
The community I'm most involved in is with the excellent Avian Avenue folks. I also follow Audubon, The Macaw Recovery Network, and various local wildlife rescues that deal with wild birds. There are also various Facebook groups which I use to stay abreast of things in Canada (breeders, rescues, rehomes). I also have an on-again off-again membership with Avian Behaviour International (I find it worthwhile, but don't always have the time to fully benefit from it).
9. What is the one luxury item you would love to have for your bird(s)?
There are two projects I have in mind to allow my birds access to the outdoors. First is to fabricate an inner steel mesh door on my front double-width entry. The thought is to allow the exterior doors to be open, while the birds can be safely inside with some access to sun and fresh air (if that's not clear, just picture a conure and macaw-friendly screen door). Second is an actual exterior aviary that would allow even more outside time. The next luxury for me is a commercial backpack vacuum cleaner
10. Is there any bird that you dream of owning and if so why?
My three are all green birds, and they keep getting bigger, so that would suggest a Buffon's Macaw is next for us, but that's not the case. My dream bird at this point would be one that needs a better situation, and that would fit into our flock dynamic. So, a situation that would improve the quality of life for the new bird and my current flock (an example might be a compatible partner for one of my existing birds).
11. Describe a typical day with you at home with your birds.
We wake, and Jericho wants to be upstairs on his own, so I have breakfast with Oscar and Marvin, then we all go upstairs to join Jericho for a fly and preen fest. I tend to read while they're doing their morning routine, and then it's time for lunch and we all return downstairs to eat together. The core of the day is a mix of one-on-one time with each, independent time where they're left to their own devices, and mixed activity where we're all together. I generally prepare evening dinner with some aspect of it that's edible for all, and that's followed by a daily cleanup. We're all in the same area for the rest of the evening while they beak-grind and wind-down, while I play video games or watch a movie (usually with Marvin nestled in my hoodie).
12. What have you learned about owning birds that you would like to share?
I find best results when it's treated as a marathon that's run at their pace, rather than a sprint that's run at mine. I've also become increasingly aware that building independence is an investment that pays dividends over time.
13. If you knew then what you know now about birds, what would you do differently?
I could say that I would have stuck to a single species because that would certainly be easier (in some ways), but I honestly wouldn't trade my path for a different one.
14. What other hobbies do you have?
I putter in my yard, play video games (Destiny 2 primarily), read, ponder renovations, deep-dive on various topics that catch my interest, find interesting recipes on the internet and prepare them, exercise, and play beach & indoor volleyball (before Covid disrupted that... will probably return when leagues resume here in the fall).
15. Anything else you would like to share?
I'm very happy to have found this wonderful community.
Congratulations! 
Hear, hear!!
