Greytness

Unfortunately 2 of my fids have taken up occasionally saying the first 2 letters of the F-bomb. Thank goodness they don't say all 4 letters, but they do pronounce those 2 letters exactly like my sons would.

Great read, and on point, too!

Thank you! He's really such a sweetie pie. Just had to get him past the terrible twos first! He'll be 5 in July.

Here's a pic of my little cuddle bug! He loves his scritches!

Welcome to the forum! Smokey is adorable! You're going to have so much fun learning about each other. I have 11 birds, but my CAG, Maalik, is very, very special! Enjoy him, and keep those pictures coming! 🙂

It's been an absolute nightmare all around. Very stressful to say the least. I'm constantly thinking about them now whenever my birds create a chorus of songs, something I don't really wish to do. My poor Dexter is getting the short end of the stick. He loves being out in the aviary, and will initially sound off with excitement. After 15 minutes I must bring him inside, unless I'm able to help him settle down.

They're pretty unreasonable, and we've had our share of battles over what I would say has been minimal loud outbursts. All Dexter had to do was belt out a macaw call a couple times in a row, and there she was, hanging her head over our fence line, asking me to bring him inside. It got to the point where I was beginning to have concerns that she'd file a formal noise complaint. Now I only bring him outside when I'm absolutely certain she's not home, but that's not easy to ascertain. In order to protect him, I actually made an appointment with my son's former therapist requesting a letter that designated Dexter as his ES pet, and she did! So...if anyone were to complain, he now has letter that designates his presence in our home as being medically prescribed. I haven't actually showed them the letter, but did let them know that he's an ES bird, medically prescribed for our son, and that his emotional well being comes first and foremost. Haven't received any more e-mails from them, or heads popping up over the fence line ever since. She's a teacher, so I know that she'll soon be home every day, which will make things more complicated. She doesn't have any issues with my other birds being out there; just Dexter. And Dexter loves, loves, loves being out there.

Oh well. Thought I'd give it a try.

Ok! How far back am I?

OMG, Steve, can I borrow you???

Very nice! Alfie and your kitties are going to be in heaven!

What an absolute royal pain!

Sprains are the worst! Feel better soon!

OMG, thank God your fids are okay! I'm so sorry to hear Sterling Gris plucked after this frightening experience. I, too, believe he'll come around in time. Greys take such a long time to get over things that caused them to become stressed.

You're very fortunate. This neighbor has harbored ill feelings regarding my birds for a very long time. The aviary pushed her over the edge with negative energies aimed towards us. It's similar to a stopped up garbage disposer. Once it finally gets going, all the garbage blows out the top.

I'd love to see a picture of your aviary! Sounds like a perfect set up!

Here's a pic of the aviary that I took while I was decorating it with birdie toys. The far property line is where the neighbor lives. Directly above where the back of the chair is, lies the 'chute' where I put the birds through from the house. It now has a door.

It's so very frustrating indeed. We both are planning on living in our homes for a very long time, so I need to adjust in order to keep the peace. Here's a picture of my troublemaker, Dexter. Isn't he cute?

Well, yes, our neighbors are being a complete turd. She says that she suffers from misophonia, which is a condition where certain sounds trigger immediate feelings of intense rage and anger. I am not able to leave my macaws outside for longer than 5 minutes if they start squawking; otherwise she'll report us. So...I now have her work schedule, and keep the macaws outside on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays for as long as I darn well please. Her anger has rained on my happiness big time. Frankly I wish that she' get ear buds and listen to some music. The neighbors on our other side love the aviary. The people in back are siding with the complaining neighbor, per what she's told me.

Pretty girl! I agree with what Jayd said. Greys shouldn't be isolated away from their flock. They love to watch, observe, and eventually learn from you! So, if you can keep her primarily wherever you are, that will be ideal. Take things very slow with her. They definitely take awhile to warm up to their new humans.

Maalik's stuck on a phrase my son always says to him: 'Hi Chicken!" After which he burps.

I did take a look into the noise ordinance laws, which have been loosely written. I spoke with a lady who was very helpful. She said that if a noise complaint has been lodged, they will send someone near the property to assess the level of noise. If things are quiet, they then close the case. If more than 2 neighbors lodge a complaint, then the noise merits being considered a nuisance. There could be a fine. I only have the birds out in the aviary in small groups while I'm here. If Dexter or Shaylor, my 2 macaws get themselves going, then I bring them inside. The other birds really aren't problematic decibel-wise.

Today, for the first time, I had one of our macaws out in the new aviary. He wasn't any more noisy than he's been before, but for whatever reason my neighbor poked her head over our fence to speak with my son, saying that there's a noise ordinance and to take the bird inside. She's never ever complained about our birds before, so this took my completely by surprise. I've spent 2 years planning, saving, and finally building the aviary of my dreams. We don't live in a HOA, either. Her dogs bark incessantly while they're out, and the neighbors on the other side have very noisy dogs. My bird's call was infrequent, albeit loud, yet that put her over the edge. Am wondering what my rights are. I tried looking up our local city noise ordinance, which was vaguely written with respect to animals. Feeling very sad and quite stressed that I won't be able to utilize our aviary as I'd dreamed.

Unfortunately my camera won't let me upload anything. Think I might have to replace the cord or something. All I can say with regards to the cost is that I paid top dollar for the materials. Everything's stainless steel with zinc free marine paint.

Thanks! Note the Suntuff panels going up there? Thanks to you!