Monday, November 27, 2006

Hi Guys and Gals!

Hope all of you are well.

Well, what a great day it was. I started my new job at Chief's Bird Cabin. What a busy place it is! Today, I basically learned what kind of clean up they do in the morning before the store opens. And, what a bunch of work it is!
They have so many birds there! I could not believe it! In my opinion, there are too many birds! It seemed as though the birds that were hand fed, all were a bit nippy. To me, it seemed as though there should have been more time spent with the birds they already had, not with handfeeding new babies. But, what do I know?! I am not lying when I say there must have been at least 40-50 birds in the "nursery". WOW! If it were me, I would definitely just work with keeping the birds already there, more friendly. What good is it to have so many "hand fed" birds if you can hardly handle them?! Does that make sense?
Anyway, I understand it is a business and things must be done... but, I do not have to agree with the way things are done. Maybe I should mention something to them... I don't know. I truly appreciate the people! Everyone is so nice! I think they mean well for sure. I don't know.... we shall see.

Neal and I have moved some of the "breeders" into the back room where it is more private. I don't know if it will work, but time will tell all. The Lories seem to really be into eachother! They have been in and out of the nest box so much! I hope they have babies! I am so excited about it!
Since we moved the Eclecti, they have stopped their courting behavior. I guess I expected that, but it is disappointing. I am sure it will take some more time, but that is what we have.
The Caiques are still fighting during the day. Not really fighting, just not into eachother very much. But, at night, they sleep all cuddled up. I just don't get it. LOL! That is another situation that will take some time.
The Canaries are sitting on more eggs! Can you believe that? They are so good!

As for the new birds we bought a while back, they are still in quarantine. What gorgeous birds they are! One pair of Parrotlets, one pair of Gloster Canaries and one American Singer Canary. I think there is something wrong with the AS, but I am not sure. I will keep an eye out. The others all seem great! I will try to get some photos on here of them soon.

Bobby, the Blue Crown Conure, is doing much better! I am not sure if I have mentioned him, but he is the bird we rescued from these people from the last bird show. I knew something was wrong with him, but had to go through all kinds of stuff to get him. I finally did, but took him to the vet and he was sick. He also has a tumor that we have to have removed. But, not until he gains some weight. He was very skinny. So, next time we get a check up, we will decide if he is able to with stand the surgery. Poor little guy! I love him so much and hope all will be well.

Thanks, again, to all who have been supporting our site and us! We appreciate you!

Oh, by the way, a friend of mine has just recently adopted an African Grey. It is kind of a long story, but what is happening is that the bird is choosing her husband instead of her to bond with. Does anyone have any suggestions to remedy this?
I have suggested a few things, but always love to hear from others who have had this happen to them. She is sad this is happening and I just want to help as best I can. She is a great person and deserves to be happy!

Ok, I will write more later.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

What a great presentation we had yesterday at the school! The kids seemed really into it and Neal and I had a ball. We gave out feathers to those who answered the questions properly and at the end, had a wonderful time showing the kids the handfed Lovebirds and the Amazon, Pepper. The teacher gave us some wonderful feedback and said she wants to recommend us to another school! Is that cool or what?

I am so proud of Neal! He did great in preparing the slide show and he did well with his section. All the kids loved the dinosaur info and at the end, they asked us if they could have more feathers.... LOL! We had brought quite a few, so that was no big deal. Neal and I are hoping we made a difference with the kids. As in, they will remember us for a while. But, I don't know. At least we had a chance to do this and to make a difference in their lives.

A couple of the kids already had a few birds. But, they were not friendly birds and they could not be held. They were so intimidated by the Amazon. It was so funny..... she would growl at them and they would move away. Then, one of the boys finally got her up on his arm and did very well. The girls were a little more timid, but eventually gave in.

All in all, it was a great time! I hope we get to do it again!

I have made a decision.... I am going to work at Chief's Bird Cabin. They have so many birds there and it is just that much more I can learn about birds. Plus, they have a bunch of babies that need to be handfed and I LOVE THAT! I am starting in a week or so, after the holidays. I am excited about it and think it is the right idea to call The Bird Store and let them know my plans. I do not want someone else telling them and then there will be bad blood. Not like they would care or anything, but you just never know. I would rather them hear it from me.

I am also thinking of getting a job at an Avian vet. Maybe as a vet tech or something. I would love to learn the harder stuff when it comes to birds. Then, I will have a better chance at helping my own birds and getting some awesome information. WOW! We shall see what the future holds.

Anyway, just a quick update.

Write more later,

Phoenix and Neal

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Well, Good Day Everyone!

Nice to see all of you here.

What a crazy couple of weeks it has been. I hope this posting finds all of you doing well and enjoying the nice, cool weather we have been having. What a refreshing change.

Well, we did the show and WOW, what a great day it was!
Our friend, Precious, watched the booth for us while we did the presentation. I was such a nervous wreck! But, I think it went well. Many people told Mr. Tillman they wanted us back. So, we are scheduled to do 9 shows next year!!!! WOWSA! If you missed the show, I hope you will have a chance to see it next time around. We decided to make a few changes here and there, but it will mostly be the same, except better! If you did see it, please let us know how we did and what you would like to see next time.

We also did better this time around money wise. We actually made a bit. Yahoooooo! A few of my old friends, like Lee, Joe and Nancy showed up to say Hi. What a treat that was! The puppets seem to be doing well and we are ordering something new for the coming show on the 12th of November in Lakeland. It is suppose to be a good show, so we shall see. It is only held once per year, so I am assuming there will be a good turn out. The director seems to be very nice and I hope he asks us back. Also, the cool thing is that it is held in an old airplane hanger... how cool is that?! I am excited!

We also got asked to do a presentation for a 6th grade class at a local school. I am so totally excited about it! So is Neal! He has been going nuts trying to get all kinds of info that is exciting for kids. I am sure it will go well. We are also planning a little game and prizes if they get the answers right. The prizes are going to be bird feathers... how cute?! I hope they like it as much as I do!

Anyway, all the birds are well. We just adopted a Conure from someone who I don't think truly cared about him. If so, they would have known he is sick. We took him to the vet and have been treating him ever since. He is so sweet and an old guy, but he used to be a breeder which is surprising to me considering he is so nice. What a joy he is and I hope we can get him well so he can live a nice, last couple of years with us.

We have more Canary babies in the nest. The two have come out from before and one is a male. He is so pretty and I think my friend, Michelle, wants him. The mom has 5 babies in there now that she is feeding. Holy cow! But, she is a great mom and I am so proud of her!

The Lories seem to be going in and out of the nest box too. I want to move them into the back room so they have more privacy. Maybe this weekend?

Ok, I guess that is it for now. Please contact Neal or myself with any questions or concerns you may have.

Have a super day and keep in touch!