Talon

WOW~ Thanks for the reminder of how toxic fumes can kill so easily. How sad....

Dear Members, I am sad to say that one of our members here have passed away. Some of you may remember that last year, Talonsis and I went to a clinic given by the Bird Whisperer, Ken Globus. I was quite taken by his methods of calming birds that had problems being handled. He was gentle, and had the birds calm and able to be handled in a short time. After his clinic, I spoke with him and invited him to join our forum, to which he did. He enjoyed our forum here, and lurked more than posting for obvious reasons. We did correspond via email, so I know how much he liked our forum and all the members here. I have enclosed the link where I started this thread, and also the link announcing his untimely death. He did frequent here on occasion, and he will be deeply missed in the bird world. My prayers are with his family, and all his birds left here to wait until they meet again at the Rainbow Bridge. http://www.greyforums.net/forums/training/43441-ken-globusthe-bird-whisperer.html#44036 Ken Globus: March 7, 1946 - Sept. 10, 2008 The Bird Whisperer Dear Friends: This will come as a surprise to many people who didn't know he was ill, but Ken Globus passed away on September 10th. Ken, who hadn't been a smoker for about 25 years, was diagnosed with lung cancer that had spread to his esophagus. What's truly shocking is that, between his original diagnosis and his death, only 10 weeks had elapsed. Most of you are receiving this email because you're on his mailing list. So most of you know him as The Bird Whisperer. Here are some things you may not know about how Ken got started working with aggressive and phobic birds. Our parents used to own a tropical fish store in Inglewood, California. One day, our mother cleared out some space in the store and asked Ken what he thought would be a good idea to put there. Ken thought about it, then suggested that they might start carrying a few birds. Since our parents knew nothing about birds, they put Ken in charge, and he got to work reading books and researching bird behavior before he bought his first bird for the store. Keep in mind that, in those days, almost all birds sold in stores were wild caught, not bred in captivity - so they were usually pretty terrified and unruly. What Ken discovered - to his great surprise - was that very little of the advice in the bird books was appropriate for dealing with aggressive birds. So, through trial and error, he learned how to work with them. One of the many qualities that made Ken so successful with birds was his patience - he could simply persist until a bird decided that being aggressive wasn't working to drive Ken away. Another quality that served him so well was his flexibility - if one thing didn't work to calm a bird, he'd try something else until he made progress. (Parenthetically, it's a quality that also made him a great father.) When my parents reached an age when they were no longer able to run a demanding business, Ken went out on his own, doing private training sessions for bird owners. It was at one of those sessions where an immensely grateful client said, "Ken, you really are a bird whisperer." Ken called me and mentioned the incident, and I suggested he use the name The Bird Whisperer because I thought it would quickly convey what he was capable of doing. But he was reluctant to use the name because he thought some people might think it was a bit pretentious. As a marketer, I reasoned that, at the very least, it was very easy for people to remember, where Ken Globus was not. He finally agreed. Over the years, a lot has been written and said about Ken's techniques. You are certainly free to dismiss what I'm about to say as the biased rantings of a grieving brother, but I was simply blown away by what Ken was able to do with birds. I traveled with him both to private sessions and public workshops, and I watched him calm birds that couldn't even be touched by their owners. I saw people sobbing at the the sight of Ken stroking a bird's neck, a bird who wouldn't allow even its owner to come near it for over a decade. And I saw this happen many times. His bird-training sessions really picked up when he set up his web site. For the first time, people outside of the Los Angeles area where he lived could get a sense of what his techniques were all about. He began to be interviewed by news organizations, magazines and newspapers, all of them interested in how he was able to tame birds so quickly. He was hired by zoos, bird stores, and rescue organizations to deal with birds they'd given up on. And somewhere along the line, Ken got a phone call from a woman who identified herself as Kate Capshaw. Thinking it was a joke perpetrated by one of his friends, Ken hung up on her. She called back and informed him that she and her husband, Steven Spielberg, would like Ken to come to their house for a private session. He gulped, and agreed. And as Ken showed Kate how to handle the bird, Steven walked all around him with a video camera, recording the entire hour-long session. Talk about pressure! Through his many interviews and public appearances, Ken got to be pretty adept at dealing with one kind of pressure or another. The type that gave him the biggest problem came from his detractors who often wrote vicious and totally untrue things about him, and he would sometimes forward to me the more outrageous items. Usually we would giggle like schoolgirls, but I found some of these things to be appallingly mean-spirited, and I would want him to post an angry rebuttal. But, for the most part, he wouldn't. He simply felt that these people were uninformed. I always thought that was a most charitable way of looking at it, especially considering that many of the most shamelessly idiotic things were perpetrated by some of the more authoritative people in the bird world, people who felt more comfortable sniping at him from a distance rather than bothering to actually attend one of his events. But I digress. What Ken was able to do with birds wasn't magic. Ken was just an incredibly sensitive and intuitive person who, in a very short span of time, could figure out the best way to get a bird over its fears. At this I'm fairly certain there were few like him. I can also tell you that as a brother, there were none like him. He was kind, funny, incredibly bright, supportive, generous, and courageous - qualities he displayed up to his dying breath. Last week there was an occasion I'll never forget. It was only a few days after his passing, and my wife wanted to put together a "remembrance", where a few friends could gather to talk about what Ken meant to them. Even though this was thrown together at the last minute, over 60 of his friends showed up, and I'm certain that, given enough time, a few hundred might have been there. Ken was loved and appreciated by so many people. There were folks there from various stages of his life, all relating stories about Ken that helped to paint a complete picture of him. And what a picture it was! He was a great guy. A talented man who could do so many things well. And he was my best friend for 57 years. - Dennis Globus ________________________________________ Ken's Web Site Please note that I will leave his web site - TheBirdWhisperer.com - up for as long as possible. If you need more information, contact me at DennisGlobus@comcast.net For more information you can contact me at DennisGlobus@comcast.net<br><br>Post edited by: Talon, at: 2008/09/23 02:51

Mark is pretty close. This forum which is based in Isreal, was started 7 years ago by a Grey owner who wanted to share his love for greys. He continues to remain anonymous to the members by his choice. A few of us admin do know who he is, but we respect his right to his privacy. He has a good friend named FairY who he asked to help him monitor this site by becoming an admin. She agreed and kept things going pretty much by herself, until a year and a half ago when Ceasarsdad and I became members here. We dragged Judygram, our best friend from another grey forum that we all were members of, and some very good friends, Mark (dbhelix, Heatherstella) and many others that were our friends there. At that time, there were only 3 rooms here. Ceasarsdad and I became admin, then we started to add more rooms. We are now up to 15. We added all the moderators, who by the way, do an excellent job!! We continue to grow this forum every day. When we joined, there were only 1000 members, today, this is the biggest Grey Forum on the internet devoted to African Greys, with 3775 memebers! We are so lucky to have the best of the best for members here, it's YOU members that make this site what it is today! SO, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE!

How adorable!

I am so sorry for your loss. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Yes, this happens around 1 year of age in TAGS. Don't worry, it's perfectly normal. The color will stay that way for the rest of their lives. The chips, will probably flake off and heal. That too happens occasionally.

I hope you don't mind Judy......:pinch:

Scented candles, air fresheners are not safe to use around birds.

I thought a little HOW TO thread would be nice for those of US that are having trouble with making smiley faces in the IM box. B) Some of us feel left out....:evil: :laugh: So here is my list, feel free to add if you like. Smile : ) Sad Face : ( Laughing : P Mad Face : x Question : ? Wow : -o Said with a smile : -D Winking ; -) Blush : $ OMG! 8 -O NOTE: Take the spaces out, No spaces in the symbols.<br><br>Post edited by: Talon, at: 2008/09/18 22:21

Here is a reprint of an article I previously wrote explaining KARMA. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all remembered to acknowledge our family here by giving them karma daily? Karma Karma is a wonderful way to let other members know that you liked their post. It is shown in the members profile, and appears under your avatar when you post a reply. Karma is the same as giving a compliment. Under the avatar, you will see a thumb up, or a thumb down. If you like the post, you click on the thumb up, and their karma will increase by one, if you click on the thumb down, then it will decrease by one. You are allowed to give one karma every six hours. I certainly would like to see everyone take advantage of this and use your karma daily. We want all members here to feel good about their posts. Thanks to all members, Talon

Thank you for this reply. Karma for you for having the nerve to post here where others have kept their distance. :P I am glad that you are happy here. What members probably don't know, is this is a NON-PAYING job we have. All of us moderators and admins do our jobs here because we LOVE our greys and want to help. Donating our time freely for the love of our birds. B)

Due to some recent misunderstandings that I have seen lately. I would like to clarify a few things. This is an African Grey Forum. We come here to learn, to share, to offer advice, to help, to ask questions, to show off our birds, to have a little fun, to play games, share news, enter contests, etc. We make friends, we may develop long lasting friendships. We are A FAMILY. We care about each other, we cry over the losses that are experienced here, we worry about the lost birds, we worry about another members troubles, we check the latest posts daily to see what's new, we are sad if one of our members or their birds are sick. We keep checking in the hopes that all is well when something is wrong, we worry about what is going on elsewhere in your world, we hope and pray for each other here. This is why we are here. And in this family, where we use this technology to communicate with, we find it difficult to see the emotion behind the words, the expression, the tone of voice, the REAL intent that those written words mean. All we are left to with, is our interpretation of those written words that we read. Many members here are busy at work, and want to help so badly, they may post quickly making it impossible to analyze in so many different ways what their reply may or may not sound like. They shouldn't have to, we are all adults here, and need to remember that EVERYONE means well, and are only trying to help. But what I want everyone here to remember, especially those that are reading replies and posts, is that these posts are written by many different members from all over the world, from different backgrounds, different walks of life. You should not always take what they say personally, if you don't agree with their statements, that's fine, debate it if you like, but know that if you start a debate, you will read many opinions, you may like them or you may not. I have seen members start to feel that they are being personally attacked in these debates. I don't usually find that to be the case, but if I do, it is dealt with very quickly. I have the ability to lock threads, and delete them, I use that power only as a last resort if I am unable to calm things down both on the public forum and in the private message system after fair warning. In closing, please remember that ALL are welcome here. EVERYONE has so much to offer, just because your name may say "newbie" under it, you are still just as valuable as the members that have been here when I was a newbie. Back then, we had 3 rooms and no moderators, thanks to Ceasarsdad and myself, we now we have 15 rooms and 3 admin and 9 moderators. (plus I am in the search for a couple more.) WELCOME FAMILY AND REMEMBER THAT HERE, WE TREAT EACH OTHER WITH DIGNITY AND RESPECT. I would hope that if anyone ever has a problem, you will pm me or any moderator for help. That's what we are here for. THANK YOU FOR JOINING THIS FORUM AND BECOMING A MEMBER OF OUR FAMILY! B) Penny/aka Talon<br><br>Post edited by: Talon, at: 2008/09/18 04:43

My 2 birds have all types of juice from a glass and they love it! :woohoo:

Toni, thank you for the update. My God! You have been through so much, and what a lot of hard work you have had to do to get where you are in just 6 months. Keep up the good work, and I will pray that you make a speedy recovery so I can do that Cartwheel with you! :laugh:

I too live in Massachusetts. I purchased a grey from a breeder in Florida who had sent me pictures, updates and had her shipped to me at 8 1/2 weeks old fully weaned. I had no problems with anything. She was a very sweet and well socialized bird. There are only a few breeders here in this state, and they never seem to have any greys available. They are reserved so early on. Best of luck to you. I wouldn't be afraid to purchase your grey from this breeder. They look very reputable.

Welcome to our Lost & Found Room! I hope you never find the need to use this room, but if the unspeakable has happened and your bird has escaped, we are want you to be able to access some quick advice to help in the safe return of your bird. We will be compiling information here that may help you in rescuing your bird should you ever find yourself in a situation where you need it. We have had a few members here who have had their bird escape and spent days trying to coax them down out of trees, ect. I would also like this room to be used in following any rescues in progress. We are here to offer support as well, and any experiences you have will be helpful to others to follow. We LOVE all our birds here whether they belong to us or not. We have that bond that makes us feel like extended family and care for each other and our birds. The support you will receive here, will be a comfort in any situation that you find yourself in. Penny /aka Talon

I would like to welcome everyone to our Health Room! :cheer: I will begin the process of moving topics into this room in the next day or so that are appropriate. We have many. Please feel free to get started here with any Health issues or questions or advice you may have, topics pertaining to our birds, any birds. Some examples such as: feather plucking, eye questions, skin problems, eye concerns, changes in behavior, illness, things like that. **Please note: ANY FOOD QUESTIONS, PLEASE POST IN THE BIRD FOOD ROOM. Don't worry if your not sure which room to post in, use your good judgment, I can move your thread to the appropriate room if need be. <br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/10/29 22:15

I have one and use it a lot. Talon prefers this to go to the vet with, or to transport her into the car much better than the standard carrier.

OMG! I am so sorry for you and Caesar. I am in tears for you and what happened. You are in my prayers.

Thanks! Love that signature line!! :woohoo:

WOW Judy!! Excellent investigative work!! A sigh of relief from this household, we LOVE this popcorn!! :woohoo: :woohoo: Karma for you girl!!! {Love-000200BF}

Thank you Ryann. Sometimes reading just words and not being able to actually hear a voice or see a face to go with those words, makes things misconstued, and misinterpreted. It is always better to take a step back, a deep breath, and take time to settle down before responding. But, hey, we are always learning in life, and bettering ourselves. Just chalk it up to a lesson learned. No hard feelings, I respect you for having the courage to apologize, it's not always an easy thing to do. So, I expect everyone to start over, and I will be the first to say, WELCOME TO OUR FORUM, and I look forward to hearing more from you and making friends.

That's the danger of the internet....

HELLO..... Remember this thread? It's an important one. Let's get those fingers typing in the guest books of our members here. I know everyone is so busy, but even if you only do one a week, it is a nice gesture that means so much to us all. :cheer:

RyannsGrey: No one asked you to remain quiet, I only asked you to treat the members who are trying to help you by letting you know every aspect of hand raising and feeding baby greys with the respect that all of us human deserve. When you ask for help on any forum, you will receive many replies, some you like, some you don't. You take the advice you like and find helpful, and hopefully learn from it. You take the advice you don't like or disagree with, with a grain of salt, and ignore it. Life is too short to be arguing and making a big deal out of things with people from all over the world that you most likely will never meet in person. There is much information here in various threads that I think you will find very helpful to you. Just do a search in the search bar, and I think you will be happy with the information that you find. B)<br><br>Post edited by: Talon, at: 2008/09/10 21:32