Love and Extreem Dislike

Digger, our blue Quaker parrot, has been very very lonely since her friend passed away. I have been working very hard at getting her hand tame so that she can spend more time with us and get some very needed head scritches. (She is all pinfeathers and they must itch horribly.) While she has made improvements, she is still so terrified that she starts panting after just a few moments.

In fact, the only place that she will willingly just sit on my finger is in the bathroom. I have been using a small comb to slowly work some of the pinfeathers off her head. I think she is so miserable that she is honestly just putting up with me because it itches so badly. That and there is this pretty blue bird in the mirror that she thinks is very very cute.

So about 2 weeks ago, in a bout of desperation, I put Zora into Diggers cage with her. Now Digger absolutely loves Zora and wants to snuggle with her. Zora does not have these affectionate feelings about Digger, or anyone else for that matter.

So for the last two weeks I have been watching Digger come out of her shell. She tries to get Zora to play, makes all these sweet chattering noises at her, and lets Zora have her favorite perch.

Zora on the other hand is trying to escape the cage in any given moment, and been doing a lot of beak-butting (like head-butting but with beaks) with Digger. :(

It's getting better, slowly. Digger isn't taking so much guff anymore and actually pushing Zora back from the food bowl when she is hungry. So there's hope yet. Either this works out and they become best 'o' buds, or in the least Digger will gain some confidence which she really does need, even if it means I get a bite now and again.

Only time will tell.

Friday Picture Post

Now that things are winding down, and John's fingers have pretty much healed, he's been getting some love from a sweet little birdie with a much smaller beak. ;)

"It's Kissy face time!"

"Birdie wuv."
Seriously, from the moment John gets near her cage, 'til long after he puts her back, all she does is make kissy noises. (She only makes kissy noises for me when she's nervous.)

 A brief moment of "OMG Momma is too close!" sent Zora flying around the kitchen. As soon as I stepped back she landed on Johns hand. (Zora only likes me if I have sunflower seeds or when John is at work.)

More kissing time. She loves to preen his beard, though she gets a tad over zealous sometimes and nips his lips and nose.

"We have talked about this touching thing, Mister."

"Hey! Off the feathers! I just got them the way I want them."

BTW have any of you noticed...no pin feathers all over her head and neck! XD I found a small finch branch perch that hangs from the roof of her cage and she uses it to preen. (She was doing that before John took her out, hence the funny "hair style" she's sporting here.) Thank goodness, no more holding her down and force preening.  I am sure she is just as relived as we are over that. ;)

Zora Gets Pinned

Zora does not like being touched. Fingers are for stepping on, not for scritching or any other crazy idea we might have. So when her head and neck if full of pin feathers and she just looks like a little hobo bird we have to pin her down and give her some well meaning scritches, and boy does she let you know that she is not happy.

*please ignore the overly fuzzy husband, we had a window of oppertunity here and we/he grabbed it.*






There really has to be an easier way to do this. Something just a tad less traumatic for both bird and human.




She is soooo not happy here.

Play time with Zora

In the confusion at my sisters house, she accidentally left on vacation with my camera bag, which of course had my camera in it. I have in turn borrowed hers. It's a nice camera, a full auto focus Fuji, and it takes nice pictures...when it works. :(

So Monday night I was playing with the camera, admiring the nice colors and trying not to over expose the pictures I was taking with too much light. While I was doing this Zora started getting antsy, she loves the camera and is a little ham so I decided to try and get some nice photos.

First of course we get "fluffly" Zora.

"Look at all my pretty plumage."

Then she relaxes and starts to whistle and chitter happily while I take pictures.

"All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up."

As I was snapping photos, Zora was getting quality play time with John. I am not sure if I moved suddenly or John did but at one point Zora took flight which began a new series of shots of her in flight. Which isn't easy when the camera has some weird delay. This is the only shot I really got of her flying.

My goal in life is to get a picture of one of the birds flying towards me. I think it would look pretty darn cool.

Too Cute to Save

Zora was in a mood last night and got really cute with John. So of course I took video!



So cute the kissy faces. :P

Video Friday Staring Zora

I feel like giving little Zora some love today. I had her out and about earlier this week and she kept making her kissy noise at me. Of course this was all the while she was trying to bite me. I think maybe she is taking a page from Kenya with the whole "lure them close then get 'em" technique.

So anyway, always looking an the bright side I got out the camera and got some footage of her blowing kisses. Enjoy!



Close up of Zora blowing kisses, then trying to bite me, then blowing kisses again. Watch her eyes flash towards the end. She was really wanting to "get me."



Zora's first experiance with the bird in the mirror. Rawr! Thats one sexy bird. ;D

A Happy Zora, is a Noisy Zora.

For the past 3 days Zora has been whistling up a storm. Keeping all the other birds chatty and noisy as she does so.

Zora's winter home is in convergence of the Kitchen, Dining room, and Living room. This means she gets a lot of attention, which she loves. Unless we are in our bedroom or the bathroom she can always see us from her cage, and this makes her insanely happy. She is in continuous serenade mode. Trying to woo us and bring us closer to play with her.

I worry about her being out too much though. She is full flight and has a very unhealthy interest in the large birds. I have already had to grab her off of Kenya's cage twice, so I am scared she is going to get seriously hurt. I don't really know what to do because I rather not have to clip her wings. I think she should be able to fly around, I just worry about where she chooses to land.

Weekends never last long enough. :( There is never enough time to do everything you want to let alone everything you need to.

We wanted to move the last three birds inside this weekend, we only had time to clear a spot for the smallest of the three. Our Peach Front Conure, Zora. Who is at this moment watching my fingers type with viscous interest.

"Oh fingers, Yum!"

Zora is yet another bird who prefers John to me. So I can only have her out is he isn't home, otherwise she will bite me. John of course can hold her anytime because she loves to cuddle him. But we're working on it, Zora and I will become friends if it kills me or leaves me bloody. ;) (Considering she just nipped my pinky, I don't think I am too far off on the bloody.)

She is an odd bird. She will let me pick her up if I put a washcloth over my hand. But if my hand is bare she goes for me. John of course does not have this issue so I don't know what her deal is. I think she just doesn't like my fingers. They must offend her in some way. By the way she is staring at them now I think I may be on to something.

"Lookie me, I'm typin!"

"Back off lady, this is my keyboard now."