Inara

Muse, I now have tears in my coffee! What a lovely evening you had. Megan being such a little love bug, and then Mr. Peck showing you some major love. You have indeed fallen hard for your courtly gentleman. Am so happy for all !!

What a heart wrenching situation that has brought you here. There are just never any words that can truly help ease the pain and feelings of loss. We can all offer, though, our heartfelt empathy and sympathy as well as a place for you to pour your heart out to others who truly understand. Now is certainly not the time for you to make any decisions with regard to another bird. It is simply time for you to allow your grief to flow, and your heart to begin its journey toward eventual acceptance that your beloved companion is truly gone. It is natural that you are searching your memories, routines, etc. for any clue that Rio's death was somehow preventable. It's apparent that you gave Rio an abundance of love and excellent care and are a very conscientious steward of your beautiful companion; try to focus on that. Rio was very blessed to have had you. My heart breaks for you.

Even nekked she is so beautiful. I just love her little face, and know that she will continue to flourish as she comes to know that her surroundings are filled with love and interesting things to see and do.

I'm definitely going to start keeping a record in my Inara journal and see how often she talks about a storm before it happens. This spring we'll talk about "rain" when it begins and then it will be interesting to see if next winter she carries over the difference between identifying "rain" and "snow." I did find a couple of online references to the connection between a middle ear receptor and bird behavior in conjunction with weather. Will do more research. EDIT: "Most birds have a special middle-ear receptor called the Vitali organ, which can sense small changes in barometric pressure. So if the activity at feeders suddenly becomes much more intense a storm may be approaching. Birds flying low or sitting on power lines also indicate that air pressure is falling." -- Pakistan Weather Portal Found this article on bats and the Vitali organ which is also in the middle ear of birds

Peck is just so stinkin' handsome!! He looks so dignified. What a wonderful job your vet did on his talons and beak. He has got to feel so relieved and you as well. It's obvious that you have fallen in love with your guy

hahaha! Peck is such a gentleman -- a well placed beak thump instead of a bite. Perhaps he was living up to his name (Greygory) Peck and was suggesting that you Kill A Mockingbird :D Cheesy puns, I know, but SterlingSL started it!

Riiik! Great to see you, was just thinking of you and Cosmo the other day. Inara was not much of a wood chewer when she first came to live with us, and after about 5 months, her beak tip was razor sharp. When I took her into the vet to get her talons trimmed, my avian vet did a light buff on the tip to just clean it up a bit. Now, Inara has become much more interested in chipping away at the various wooden toys offered her so we'll see how it goes over the next few months. My old CAG used to love to nibble on a cuttle bone, and was not much for chewing on toys. His beak never needed any work. In fact, I've been thinking of instituting one for Inara to chew on if she proves interested. It's my understanding that they really don't gain a lot of calcium from the cuttle bone but having seen how much Lestat enjoyed nibbling on his, it's something I am currently considering to see if it helps Inara keep her beak point a little more blunted. I'll keep you posted.

This has happened enough times now, that I know it is not a fluke. Yesterday, Inara asked to go back to her cage earlier than usual and then just wanted to hang out there. The morning was partly cloudy but no appearance of imminent storms. In the early afternoon, she had her little head inside of what I call her "megaphone" -- the plastic chamber area on the outside of her water/food dishes. She loves to chat with her head inside of there as it amplifies her voice. She was just making various sounds, then started saying, "Snow. Too cold out. Snowing." Having experienced this with her before, I asked, "Is it going to snow? It looks like it might rain." Just thinking that she was sensing the barometric change and that it might rain. She knows what snow/snowing means because when the first couple of snows of the winter hit, she and I talked about it at length as we watched it from the windows. Sure enough, about 1.5 hours later here came the snow! It kept up for the rest of the day and on into the night. Inara has done this several times in the past. She will start talking about snow and snowing and cold, and within 2 hours we get hit. It's definitely not random, nor a coincidence. And, we haven't been talking "snow" in front of her at those times. She appears to be able to not just feel what's coming, but she's communicating it. It will be interesting to see if she will start generalizing that to "rain." She also makes a whooshing sound for "wind." I have noticed in the past, that Inara will eat more and then want to just perch quietly in her cage on stormy days, which would be consistent with behavior out in the wild. My assumption is that she indeed feels the storm coming quite awhile before it arrives. Do your birds' behaviors change before a storm, and how do they communicate that to you?

Hi Rana, I found this link describing the process. Messing with blood feathers, I'd rather have my vet do it, because I'm chicken. Interesting, because my old vet used to use that same foot prick method of obtaining blood. I haven't had to have HRH Inara's blood work done yet, as she came to me clear and was already sexed, so I don't know what method my current vet will do this summer to draw blood when Inara turns three. My current vet says that she likes to run a blood test about every three years (barring the case of an emergency). Your Pookie is so beautiful!

So love the photos!! She is such a little cutie!!

^^ Best.Forum.Ever. :>

What fantastic news! What a relief to read this morning that Mr. Peck (and you) sailed through the vet visit. He is apparently a very intrepid guy. Stressors aren't always a bad thing, and Peck obviously has a feel for your intentions toward him. It is really great to know that while he's a bit bowlegged that there was no mention of bumble foot and that your vet was able to work on his beak as well. He's got to feel like a new guy this morning! Looking forward to many more photos, and to years of stories about his new adventures. He will be the perfect ambassador for your sanctuary. :>

Thank you, danmcq, LoveParrots, Muse, and Karen. Inara really is a sweetie. I do believe that we were meant to find one another. Muse, I loved what you said about, ". . . it is entirely possible to love an animal but yet be ignorant of their needs." Inara's humans cited economic reasons and the "we can't give her the attention she needs," reason. I strongly suspect, however, that as she grew from a cuddly little hatchling into an independent 2-ish year old (according to them biting and "throwing tantrums") that like many others they just couldn't/wouldn't cope with increasing demands and frustrations. To their credit, she was very well loved and they took a great deal of time in finding an experienced home to sell her to. She got a great start in life (in comparison to my birds of the past), and for that I am very thankful. Karen, I love reading about your sweet Timber. I think so much of whether or not there is a lot of bilateral speaking just has to do with personality. Inara doesn't chat with Joe when she is perched upon him, and she won't talk at all with friends of ours who come over and go up to her cage even though she knows them. She goes into "airplane mode." haha

Certainly, Peck at some point will feel relieved to have his nails trimmed, and a good once over. Good lord those nails!!! My heart just goes out to him. I'm wondering if it will take a few sessions to get them down to where they need to be. Bless his little heart. I do believe that birds and all animals have telepathic abilities stemming from their ancient brains. Along those lines, I intentionally slow my breathing, close my eyes, and visualize while holding Inara my love for her wrapping around her like a soft warm swirl of colors. I do this daily. There are times when I will be thinking of something, and she pipes up with a word for it. For example yesterday, I was very stiff and while walking past her cage, I was thinking to myself how painful it was to walk (bad back) and at that very moment she sang "Walllk" (from Walk Like An Egyptian). She made me laugh, then she laughed! Holy cow -- she *just* did it now while I was typing this! The parts of their brains that control empathy are far more developed than in the human brain -- not surprising they have such sensitive abilities. (Didn't mean to hijack your thread here ) Back to Peck -- I do think that he will intuitively know that what you are doing is to help him. He seems pretty resilient so far, and I'm holding good thoughts for you that he will recover nicely from this. So glad that Megan is welcoming him. He is in such good hands, wings, and beaks

Can't believe that it's only been about 7 months since HRH came to live with us. To us, it feels as if she has always been here. She continues to flourish and is so deeply bonded to us and we to her. She talks up a storm, she flies now with intent and control, and never ceases to charm us with her sense of humor and her imperious antics. HRH Inara decided to go on a walkabout this morning; 283 grams of intrepid soul that she is. Apparently I had dawdled too long for her liking over my first cup of coffee so she decided to take matters into her own talons and head to the kitchen to "go cook the cookies." She now will say, "Let's go to the kitchen. You go cook." Last night, while I was boiling a pot of water, I had put her back home into her cage which got her little beak out of joint. Natch, I explained to her that boiling water is great danger for birds, (just ask those chickens) but she was having none of it. After a few irritated squawks, she switched tactics and called out from her cage, "Love you, kiss kiss. Want out, help you cook!" Sheesh -- pretty hard to resist, but no dice. Fortunately she does not hold a grudge. Since in the wild, most of her focus would be on 1) finding food, 2) hanging with her flock, and 3) avoiding predators, it is interesting to see those behaviors translated into our more domestic realm. Recently, she flew off of her perch and began walking. I asked, "Where are you going?" She replied, "Kitchen. Get the cookies." (all dry food to her has been deemed 'cookies'). Whenever I put her back home in her cage I give her a teeeeeeeeeeeeeeensy, barely bigger than the head of pin piece of cheese for which she would sell her soul. That is the only time and place that she gets this particular treat. Now, the moment I say, "OK, it's time to go home," she does a little happy dance on my arm, says, "Cheese! Let's go go go!!!" Upon arrival at her cage, she gives me a quick kiss and hops happily onto her boing. Joe laughs and says she's the only bird he's ever seen so thrilled to go back to a cage, and then says not surprising since we have a dog who comes running with her tail wagging all excited when I say it's time to clip her nails (She sells her soul for marshmallows). Everyone has their price. . . Inara also now really enjoys her daily misting and showers and is good at letting me know when she has had enough. She used to walk up to my shoulder from my forearm when she was done, now she has taken to flying off my arm onto a shelf and saying, "That's good." Inara's communication skills continue to grow. The other day Joe headed off to work (Inara enjoys telling him, "Get to work.") to a fanfare of "Bye-bye"s from HRH. He had driven off and realized that he had forgotten something. When he came back through the door, it rattled HRH's sense of schedule and she yelled at him, "Get to work! Go out the door, you!!" Joe's response? "I guess she sure told me!" Inara has come to know rhythms to our days, and she prefers to keep everyone on task. She knows the difference between "you" and "I" and uses them correctly. She does become a bit confused as to why the outdoor birds do not respond to her overtures of, "peek-a-boo," "hey there," and "hello." After their silence offends her, she will hit them with her Death Ray, a sound saved usually for The Squirrel. I've begun tucking some of her dried foods into the little wooden shoes on one of her toys. She absolutely loves foraging about inside of them, and will order me to "Get the cookies," between 2 and 3 in the afternoon, after which she will say, "Coffee." Nice of her to let me have my own afternoon treat, wish I could tell her -- "You go make cappuccino, you!" She did get a bit cranky for a couple of weeks while going through a full molt, can't blame her. She is great at communicating her wants, needs, and frustrations through body language. She had given me a couple of hard beak thumps during her cranky period (no bites) and it dawned on me that those happened when I was putting her back into her cage. She was on my hand both times, where usually she is on my shoulder. When upon my shoulder, she simply scoots backward or turns her back when she does not want to go into her cage. Upon my hand, she did not have that option so did the only thing she knew out of frustration and that was to give me a beak thump. The instant I went back to her on my shoulder upon approaching her cage, that behavior completely disappeared. I also resumed giving her a choice tidbit when she goes home, so that it is always a pleasant experience for her. I send off periodic photos and updates to her original humans. They are happy to know that she is so happy, but I know it is also poignant for them to see her flourishing. Sometimes, though, I do have to admit to having selfish feelings of, "Well, you shouldn't have given her up. If you would have stuck it out with her, you too could be enjoying such a wonderful companion." Then, I sigh, and remind myself that if they hadn't gotten rid of her, we wouldn't have her, so all's well that ends well.

Love the photo of Smokey and Jax! Both are adorable, and both look completely relaxed with one another. It will be a delight to see continued updates and to watch them grow together

Beautiful! HRH has so loved her toys from our order with you, and you're certainly tempting me to put in another order sooner than I've intended One wee suggestion, is to run your fingers inside of the bells and check for sharp spots. I've noticed that in a lot of (commercial) toys with bells, there are some rough/sharp snags up where the clapper is attached on the inside. You've probably already discovered this, but just thought I'd mention it. Love the foraging baskets! Currently, Inara's favorite foraging toy is the one with the little wooden shoes that we ordered from you. I put all sorts of bits of dry foods inside of the shoes, and she just loves hunting them out and manipulating the wooden disks and shoes to get to them. I will try to snap a photo of her with her head poked inside of one of the shoes. She is one very satisfied customer

What a great story. Am so glad that Wunsy wasn't snatched from his parront and that all turned out well. Yikes! Lolz on the divorce story Greywings!

YAY for Miss GiGi !! A glimpse into that "ragin' Cajun." What a fantastic alarm system she is. Intuitively, I do believe that she was intentionally flying to you in the later situation. I'm wondering where she would have chosen to land had you not raised your arm, but maybe stayed perfectly still. Perhaps she would have landed on your head or near you on the chair. Inara, in her own still early intentional flying prefers to land on the arm of the chair that I'm sitting in with my laptop, and once misjudged her speed and landed upon my laptop making us both laugh after she let out a "wheww!" I can't help but join you in your excitement since HRH's flight is still fairly new at our home also. The unmistakable sound of fluttering (that was not precipitated by some startling noise) is just thrilling, isn't it? It also, as you are already aware, gives our companions so much more control over their own lives. The other day, while showering Inara, she decided she had had enough and flitted from my arm onto a shelf, said "OK," then politely stepped up to go home. In the past, she would have simply started scooting up my arm toward my shoulder when she had had enough. Miss GilGirl is so very fortunate to have companions who seek to understand her ways and who read her so well. Often after the death of another Beloved like your Juno, it is hard not to compare or to feel wistful when thinking back to how much easier things were with them. Many people are unable to move past that point and eventually give up on their newer more difficult companion, or harbor little roads to resentment within their hearts. Your open heart(s) and deep love for Miss GiGi just come shining through every single post, even on difficult days. You have a natural ability to understand and to implement that fine balance between challenging her to move forward to overcome her trepidation and backing off a bit to allow her to maintain a good level of comfort and stability. By doing this, you've kept her from stagnating or completely retreating, while assisting her in regaining her confidence. No small task, and one that takes a lot of finesse and unflagging dedication, love, and patience. You're such a fine example of what rescue/rehoming is all about.

So glad to know that everything worked out well, and that no one was hurt. A very timely reminder since spring and summer are rapidly approaching many parts of the world. We, too, have too many raptors in our immediate area for me to be able to consider harness flying Inara, as much as I would love to. We have, though, already been able to go outside together a couple of times the past week or two and bask in the sunshine, with her in her travel cage. When the weather warms completely up, we'll move her old living cage out onto the front deck so that she can have plenty of (supervised) play room outdoors.

What wonderful news that you actually got to see her with your own eyes do such intentional flying!! It will be so exciting to hear all about how Miss GG continues to hone her skills and distances as her flight muscles and brain to wing signals continue to strengthen. Indeed, her confidence will continue to soar literally and figuratively. What a treat!! (ps, no !!!s were harmed in this post -- can you tell how excited I am for you both??!!)

Isaac is looking so much better! Thank you, for opening up your heart enough to confess to those fleeting feelings of resentment and frustration. That kind of honesty and transparency is so valuable as most of us can relate, whether we've had those from plucking situations, bites, or simply with birds who went from snugglers to aloof or those who despite our best efforts are slooooow to respond to our overtures. The test of a deep relationship is not who we are when things are going great, it's who we are when our loved one is no longer (in our eyes) perfect. Bravo for you, for sorting out those fleeting feelings that bubbled momentarily to the surface; for recognizing them, and for putting them away. But most of all, thank you for sharing those with the rest of us. You rock.

Apparently, it is. Inara's former people said that her first words were around four months.

Inara doesn't appear to make up words -- yet. She does experiment with various sounds and we've been working together on phonics. My thought process is that if I teach her the basic phonetic sounds of English, that eventually that will help her string words together more easily rather than learning one word or phrase at a time from just listening. Although, I must say right now when she strings, " Ohhh, Oooo, Ahhh," together it could certainly raise some eyebrows without explanation I think it's wonderful that Brutus is making up words. You might find at some point that the sounds that appear to be words right now will reform into actual English words. Long ago I read somewhere that when learning bird songs, complex whistles, and other sounds, that birds will practice the components individually and often out of sequence and then put them together correctly later once each component has been achieved. Interesting, but as most of us know our guys and gals often appear to just spout off entire phrases out of the blue, whole and complete. So who knows? In any event -- your tale this morning reminded me of an old joke about fokkers and Messerschmitts, and I got a giggle!

How exciting for him and for you! Sterling sounds like he's going to be a chatterbox