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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
- 51,324
- 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 Karearea is September'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)?
Although I don't currently own any, I've worked with many birds over the last few years. My favorites have been Mr. Oink the Galah, Pepper the Meyer's Parrot, Buddy the Harlequin Macaw (Blue and Gold Macaw x Green-winged Macaw), and ~70 budgies at an outdoor aviary. I also have experience with chickens, peafowl, white cockatoos, large macaws, and various Amazons.
2. What got you interested in birds?
When I was around 7 years old, my grandfather gave me a book about each of the birds native to my state. It was one of my favorite books and I loved showing its pictures to my friends. My love for birds only continued to grow after that, and they're now inseparable from my life.
3. What have your birds brought to your life?
As strange as it is to say, birds have brought purpose to my life. When I was a teenager, I had a lot of trouble finding myself - what I liked, what I didn't like, and where I wanted to go in the future. Falling in love with birds has helped me find a community I can throw all of my effort into. Now, I've just about graduated college and finally know what I want to do!
4. What have you learned from sharing your life with your birds?
A lot of people underestimate how smart and social budgies, chickens, and peafowl are, especially if they don't appear friendly. They can all recognize faces, learn about your mannerisms and attitude, and try to communicate what they're thinking in their own bird ways. They are all doing their best to survive in this world, so try not to blame them for biting or being afraid. Afterall, they can't speak English!
Euro is/was one of my favorite budgies at the aviary. He was parent-raised and had a confident personality, but that didn't stop him from wanting to play with me every morning. All of the time we spent together was on his terms, which made our interactions even more wholesome.
5. What's one birdie memory that will stay with you forever?
It's hard to choose just one! That said, one of my favorite memories was when I volunteered at a parrot store with Mr. Oink the Galah. Oinks was the first bird I really had a connection with. He was a 12-year old Galah who had a fairly good life, but didn't have many friends (either bird or human) at the store. It took time for him to trust me, but it got to the point where I could understand what he was thinking just by looking at him, and it seemed like the feeling was mutual. This wasn't a connection I had ever experienced before, as my family didn't have pets and I lived in the city.
Unfortunately, as much as I would've loved to adopt him, I was about to leave for college and wouldn't have been able to give him the attention he needed. He needed a real family, and so another person began visiting him in preparation to take him home. I happened to be on the other side of the room during one of these visits. At some point, I heard a "thump", but didn't look up from what I was doing. After about a minute, I notice Oinks at my feet! He had jumped down from the arm of a tall chair away from his new owner to try and get to me.
Mr. Oink can't fly. At the time, he was clipped and overweight. Whenever he tried, he fell like a rock, and he knew this. Even still, Oinks wanted to be with me so badly that he was willing to risk getting hurt. That moment filled me with so much softness. What did I do to deserve the love of this fluffy pink bird?
Every day I regret not getting him, although there was nothing I could've done to change my living situation. Today, Oinks is living his best life with his new owner, who taught him to fly and eat healthy foods. He doesn't need me anymore and that's okay. Sometimes your job is only to be a step in another's journey.
6. Where is your birds main living area?
N/A
7. Did you change things in your home to accommodate your birds and if so what kinds of things did you change?
N/A
8. Are you involved in any kind of bird related group or activities?
My biggest accomplishment related to birds is my website, One Odd Bird. I fill it with all the research I've done on parrot hybrids, color mutations, subspecies, and other oddities across the Internet. My goal is to help owners with identification, keep their birds healthy, and preserve pure species in captivity. I am also a part of my university's birding club, and am in the process of writing an article for the Avicultural Society of America!
A baby Miliquin Macaw, a second generation hybrid between a Harlequin and a Military Macaw.
9. What is the one luxury item you would love to have for your bird(s)?
N/A
10. Is there any bird that you dream of owning and if so why?
I am completely obsessed with lesser-known Australian species like Superb Parrots and Princess Parrots. They have the potential to be great pets, but their biology is also super interesting. Why do only male princess parrots have spatula-shaped feathers on their wings? Nobody knows for sure! There's so much to learn about these birds and I would love to keep them in the future.
Cody the Superb Parrot, the very first parrot I've ever held.
11. Describe a typical day with you at home with your birds.
N/A
12. What have you learned about owning birds that you would like to share?
N/A
13. If you knew then what you know now about birds, what would you do differently?
If I'd known everything I do now when I was with Mr. Oink, I think I would have made more toys for him. His cage didn't have a lot for him to do while I was away, and he absolutely loved a foraging wheel I once bought him. It would have also been neat to teach him some simple tricks, as he was incredibly food motivated and would've done anything for a pistachio.
14. What other hobbies do you have?
Writing, drawing, and reading science fiction are things I enjoy doing. Right now, I'm working on a personal art + writing project to choose new US state birds that better fit each region. It will take a lot of time to finish, but I think I'll be proud when it's done!
15. Anything else you would like to share?
If you ever have questions about "odd" parrots or just want to share one with me, send me a message! I love helping others learn things about their birds.
I am happy to announce that Karearea is September'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)?
Although I don't currently own any, I've worked with many birds over the last few years. My favorites have been Mr. Oink the Galah, Pepper the Meyer's Parrot, Buddy the Harlequin Macaw (Blue and Gold Macaw x Green-winged Macaw), and ~70 budgies at an outdoor aviary. I also have experience with chickens, peafowl, white cockatoos, large macaws, and various Amazons.
2. What got you interested in birds?
When I was around 7 years old, my grandfather gave me a book about each of the birds native to my state. It was one of my favorite books and I loved showing its pictures to my friends. My love for birds only continued to grow after that, and they're now inseparable from my life.
3. What have your birds brought to your life?
As strange as it is to say, birds have brought purpose to my life. When I was a teenager, I had a lot of trouble finding myself - what I liked, what I didn't like, and where I wanted to go in the future. Falling in love with birds has helped me find a community I can throw all of my effort into. Now, I've just about graduated college and finally know what I want to do!
4. What have you learned from sharing your life with your birds?
A lot of people underestimate how smart and social budgies, chickens, and peafowl are, especially if they don't appear friendly. They can all recognize faces, learn about your mannerisms and attitude, and try to communicate what they're thinking in their own bird ways. They are all doing their best to survive in this world, so try not to blame them for biting or being afraid. Afterall, they can't speak English!
Euro is/was one of my favorite budgies at the aviary. He was parent-raised and had a confident personality, but that didn't stop him from wanting to play with me every morning. All of the time we spent together was on his terms, which made our interactions even more wholesome.
5. What's one birdie memory that will stay with you forever?
It's hard to choose just one! That said, one of my favorite memories was when I volunteered at a parrot store with Mr. Oink the Galah. Oinks was the first bird I really had a connection with. He was a 12-year old Galah who had a fairly good life, but didn't have many friends (either bird or human) at the store. It took time for him to trust me, but it got to the point where I could understand what he was thinking just by looking at him, and it seemed like the feeling was mutual. This wasn't a connection I had ever experienced before, as my family didn't have pets and I lived in the city.
Unfortunately, as much as I would've loved to adopt him, I was about to leave for college and wouldn't have been able to give him the attention he needed. He needed a real family, and so another person began visiting him in preparation to take him home. I happened to be on the other side of the room during one of these visits. At some point, I heard a "thump", but didn't look up from what I was doing. After about a minute, I notice Oinks at my feet! He had jumped down from the arm of a tall chair away from his new owner to try and get to me.
Mr. Oink can't fly. At the time, he was clipped and overweight. Whenever he tried, he fell like a rock, and he knew this. Even still, Oinks wanted to be with me so badly that he was willing to risk getting hurt. That moment filled me with so much softness. What did I do to deserve the love of this fluffy pink bird?
Every day I regret not getting him, although there was nothing I could've done to change my living situation. Today, Oinks is living his best life with his new owner, who taught him to fly and eat healthy foods. He doesn't need me anymore and that's okay. Sometimes your job is only to be a step in another's journey.
6. Where is your birds main living area?
N/A
7. Did you change things in your home to accommodate your birds and if so what kinds of things did you change?
N/A
8. Are you involved in any kind of bird related group or activities?
My biggest accomplishment related to birds is my website, One Odd Bird. I fill it with all the research I've done on parrot hybrids, color mutations, subspecies, and other oddities across the Internet. My goal is to help owners with identification, keep their birds healthy, and preserve pure species in captivity. I am also a part of my university's birding club, and am in the process of writing an article for the Avicultural Society of America!
A baby Miliquin Macaw, a second generation hybrid between a Harlequin and a Military Macaw.
9. What is the one luxury item you would love to have for your bird(s)?
N/A
10. Is there any bird that you dream of owning and if so why?
I am completely obsessed with lesser-known Australian species like Superb Parrots and Princess Parrots. They have the potential to be great pets, but their biology is also super interesting. Why do only male princess parrots have spatula-shaped feathers on their wings? Nobody knows for sure! There's so much to learn about these birds and I would love to keep them in the future.
Cody the Superb Parrot, the very first parrot I've ever held.
11. Describe a typical day with you at home with your birds.
N/A
12. What have you learned about owning birds that you would like to share?
N/A
13. If you knew then what you know now about birds, what would you do differently?
If I'd known everything I do now when I was with Mr. Oink, I think I would have made more toys for him. His cage didn't have a lot for him to do while I was away, and he absolutely loved a foraging wheel I once bought him. It would have also been neat to teach him some simple tricks, as he was incredibly food motivated and would've done anything for a pistachio.
14. What other hobbies do you have?
Writing, drawing, and reading science fiction are things I enjoy doing. Right now, I'm working on a personal art + writing project to choose new US state birds that better fit each region. It will take a lot of time to finish, but I think I'll be proud when it's done!
15. Anything else you would like to share?
If you ever have questions about "odd" parrots or just want to share one with me, send me a message! I love helping others learn things about their birds.
This was a great read! Thank you for sharing it with us. Well deserved banner. 
Great interview!
