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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
- 50,175
- 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 ~Drini~ is May'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 one 4-year-old green cheek conure "J" and one 2-year-old gold-capped conure "B". I will hopefully be bringing home a hybrid macaw soon as my (hopefully) last addition.
2. What got you interested in birds?
This is one of those questions that I don't really have a clear answer for. I was 8 years old when my fascination with birds randomly and abruptly manifested itself. I loved "studying" wild birds. Something about them just tickled (and still tickles) my brain just right. My dream was to become an ornithologist, but getting companion birds at 10 years old scratched that itch just enough for me that I started exploring other career options later.
I genuinely think I would have taken a very different career path and pursued a PhD in ornithology had it not been for getting companion birds.
3. What have your birds brought to your life?
Unconditional love, joy, and peace. I can feel my chest fill with warmth every time I interact with them.
4. What have you learned from sharing your life with your birds?
Having companion birds over the past 14 years from childhood to young adulthood has shaped my entire being. My birds gave me an education that is not taught in school. I genuinely believe that it is through learning about and caring for my birds that I learned about empathy, altruism, the importance of non-verbal communication, consent, and respect for other beings whether human or not. What I learned from my birds completely shaped my morals/values and how I interact with other people and animals.
5. What's one birdie memory that will stay with you forever?
The way my father reacted to my reaction of the death of my budgie (named Drini) when I was 10 will stay with me forever. After weeks of trying to medicate him to health, Drini passed, and I remember crying for hours and refusing to let go of his body (which I slept with that night). My parents weren't particularly fond of my birds, but when Drini died and I started sobbing, my dad started crying too. He didn't really care much for Drini, and I actually had to fight him to take Drini to the vet, but he obviously was overwhelmed with the sight of his daughter crying. I had never seen him cry. For him to feel my pain so deeply that he too cried made a huge impression on me.
6. Where is your birds main living area?
My two conures have an aviary in my bedroom adjacent to the living room where they stay when nobody is home. Otherwise they are out and about (mostly in the living room).
7. Did you change things in your home to accommodate your birds and if so what kinds of things did you change?
I have given over 80% of my bedroom to my birds. There is a dedicated "bird area" in the living room as well. It has been many years since we implemented this so it doesn't even feel like a change/accommodation anymore, but my entire household has adapted to not using any candles/air fresheners/etc. We use white vinegar only for cleaning.
8. Are you involved in any kind of bird related group or activities?
Unfortunately not, I do not have any other bird people in my life currently!
9. What is the one luxury item you would love to have for your bird(s)?
I feel that the only thing my birds are lacking at this point is an actual very large outdoor aviary (like dozens of meters long). I hope to build a small aviary outside for them later this year but we do not have the land for my dream enclosure!
10. Is there any bird that you dream of owning and if so why?
I no longer dream of having any particular species. I just want a companion (which I already have!).
11. Describe a typical day with you at home with your birds.
The day usually starts with B whispering "stop" at me when he sees that I am waking up. As soon as I get out of bed, I let them out of their enclosure and they accompany me as I run through my activities of the day. If the weather is nice, I'll put them in their outdoor cage and we'll go hang out in the backyard. We eat our meals together and take our showers together. B has been learning some tricks so sometimes we'll take 10-15 minutes to run through what he knows. A lot of my time with them is just co-existing though, I do my things and they do their things nearby (or watch me do my things and sometimes try to get involved). They like to spend time with my dad as well and will sometimes follow him around for his activities.
12. What have you learned about owning birds that you would like to share?
I think my relationship with my birds improved a lot when I stopped thinking of them as "pets" and more as "companions". As companions, they have full autonomy in their own right. I generally do not try to force them to do anything, nor do I believe that they owe me anything. They do not owe me obedience. I try to not be "rude" with them as I try to not be "rude" with people. I have found that regardless how many years pass, my relationship with a bird continuously grows deeper and deeper. It is constantly changing and improving as we learn more about each other.
13. If you knew then what you know now about birds, what would you do differently?
As a kid I lacked the resources/knowledge/respect/diligence/patience that I do now. I regret the care that my childhood birds received. I would have taken care of them very differently now. I wish I could show them that I have become much better.
14. What other hobbies do you have?
I am a painter. I also do embroidery and archery. Lately I have been doing a lot of woodworking.
15. Anything else you would like to share?
AA has continuously been my go-to place for knowledge and advice over the past 10 years. So much of what I have learned about birds has come from here. Even when I am not active, I am still stalking and taking in whatever I can.
I am happy to announce that ~Drini~ is May'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 one 4-year-old green cheek conure "J" and one 2-year-old gold-capped conure "B". I will hopefully be bringing home a hybrid macaw soon as my (hopefully) last addition.
2. What got you interested in birds?
This is one of those questions that I don't really have a clear answer for. I was 8 years old when my fascination with birds randomly and abruptly manifested itself. I loved "studying" wild birds. Something about them just tickled (and still tickles) my brain just right. My dream was to become an ornithologist, but getting companion birds at 10 years old scratched that itch just enough for me that I started exploring other career options later.
I genuinely think I would have taken a very different career path and pursued a PhD in ornithology had it not been for getting companion birds.3. What have your birds brought to your life?
Unconditional love, joy, and peace. I can feel my chest fill with warmth every time I interact with them.
4. What have you learned from sharing your life with your birds?
Having companion birds over the past 14 years from childhood to young adulthood has shaped my entire being. My birds gave me an education that is not taught in school. I genuinely believe that it is through learning about and caring for my birds that I learned about empathy, altruism, the importance of non-verbal communication, consent, and respect for other beings whether human or not. What I learned from my birds completely shaped my morals/values and how I interact with other people and animals.
5. What's one birdie memory that will stay with you forever?
The way my father reacted to my reaction of the death of my budgie (named Drini) when I was 10 will stay with me forever. After weeks of trying to medicate him to health, Drini passed, and I remember crying for hours and refusing to let go of his body (which I slept with that night). My parents weren't particularly fond of my birds, but when Drini died and I started sobbing, my dad started crying too. He didn't really care much for Drini, and I actually had to fight him to take Drini to the vet, but he obviously was overwhelmed with the sight of his daughter crying. I had never seen him cry. For him to feel my pain so deeply that he too cried made a huge impression on me.
6. Where is your birds main living area?
My two conures have an aviary in my bedroom adjacent to the living room where they stay when nobody is home. Otherwise they are out and about (mostly in the living room).
7. Did you change things in your home to accommodate your birds and if so what kinds of things did you change?
I have given over 80% of my bedroom to my birds. There is a dedicated "bird area" in the living room as well. It has been many years since we implemented this so it doesn't even feel like a change/accommodation anymore, but my entire household has adapted to not using any candles/air fresheners/etc. We use white vinegar only for cleaning.
8. Are you involved in any kind of bird related group or activities?
Unfortunately not, I do not have any other bird people in my life currently!
9. What is the one luxury item you would love to have for your bird(s)?
I feel that the only thing my birds are lacking at this point is an actual very large outdoor aviary (like dozens of meters long). I hope to build a small aviary outside for them later this year but we do not have the land for my dream enclosure!
10. Is there any bird that you dream of owning and if so why?
I no longer dream of having any particular species. I just want a companion (which I already have!).
11. Describe a typical day with you at home with your birds.
The day usually starts with B whispering "stop" at me when he sees that I am waking up. As soon as I get out of bed, I let them out of their enclosure and they accompany me as I run through my activities of the day. If the weather is nice, I'll put them in their outdoor cage and we'll go hang out in the backyard. We eat our meals together and take our showers together. B has been learning some tricks so sometimes we'll take 10-15 minutes to run through what he knows. A lot of my time with them is just co-existing though, I do my things and they do their things nearby (or watch me do my things and sometimes try to get involved). They like to spend time with my dad as well and will sometimes follow him around for his activities.
12. What have you learned about owning birds that you would like to share?
I think my relationship with my birds improved a lot when I stopped thinking of them as "pets" and more as "companions". As companions, they have full autonomy in their own right. I generally do not try to force them to do anything, nor do I believe that they owe me anything. They do not owe me obedience. I try to not be "rude" with them as I try to not be "rude" with people. I have found that regardless how many years pass, my relationship with a bird continuously grows deeper and deeper. It is constantly changing and improving as we learn more about each other.
13. If you knew then what you know now about birds, what would you do differently?
As a kid I lacked the resources/knowledge/respect/diligence/patience that I do now. I regret the care that my childhood birds received. I would have taken care of them very differently now. I wish I could show them that I have become much better.
14. What other hobbies do you have?
I am a painter. I also do embroidery and archery. Lately I have been doing a lot of woodworking.
15. Anything else you would like to share?
AA has continuously been my go-to place for knowledge and advice over the past 10 years. So much of what I have learned about birds has come from here. Even when I am not active, I am still stalking and taking in whatever I can.
Where’s the pictures pretty please
Congratulations!
