The Downside of Outside

[Acappella]

I take Dorian outside with me, in a cockatiel cage, whenever I can weather permitting. At first it terrified him, but with lots of reassurance and with mom sticking close by, he's even started to get comfortable enough to play with toys and interact a little bit, mostly barking at neighbourhood dogs walking by. However, there has been one really annoying consequence of outside time. He's learned the alarm calls of all the local birds and has decided they're ideal sounds to make, at Grey volume, when he is displeased about something. When I'm out if sight, on the phone, visiting with a neighbour, here comes the whole flock of bossy feathers. I'm working the sound extinguishing program, but the habit gets re-inforced each time we go out. Has this happened to anyone else whose fids get outside time?

[katana600]

We have yet to progress to this, but it is an aspiration. We are getting a deck built where I can take Gil out for daily sunshine. It will be in her travel cage and only with direct protection because we have hawks. Your Mr. Bossy Feathers comment has me smiling.

[Dave007]

When mine are in their outdoor summer aviary, they pick up on different bird sounds and eventually dog barking from about 3/4 blocks way. Sometimes they will imitate me when I scream at the feral cats in the back yard-----GET THE FU**c k OUTTA HERE!! They sometimes come and hang out under the birdfeeders waiting to grab one. The birds can't see them but they can see them. As far as alarm calls, I don't know what you mean. Normally what they imitate outside stays outside and the same goes for the inside. The other thing they imitate outside is me yelling at the dog ---HEY SHUT UP PRIMO!! STOP THE BARKING!!

 

 

YYou mean bird alarms OR police, ambulance, fire alarms??

Edited July 12, 2014 by Dave007

[Luvparrots]

How about my Sterling Gris who wolf whistles at the young wife next door as she mows the lawn.

[Ray P]

The sounds they are capable of making is unlimited, so enjoy.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

The sounds of a grey! It is like walking in the grass and " smelling it for the first time!" I can't hear in my right ear... ( maybe a good thing!). I need surgery to correct my hearing loss( it IS treatable!) I have put it off.... but I can tell you, I LOVE Sophie barking like a dog, imitating human sounds ( I can't post them), imitating the fire truck or ambulance. Whatever sounds she repeats, I treasure the imitation.I never hush her. I DO hush her on a Saturday, for just a little longer to sleep! LOL! ( pick your battles!) LOL Nancy

[Acappella]

Thanks guys. What I mean by alarm call Dave is the loudest sounds local wild birds make. A Bluejay bossing other birds out of the yard, a robin defending a nest, two starlings fighting over a piece of food. In other words, not the pleasant chirping of birds first waking at dawn.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

I'm still not sure what you are talking about? Are you talking about " reality"? What life is trully like? Birds bickering,birds working together? Or your bird hearing what life is like in the natural setting? It is a genuine question. Nancy

[Acappella]

I'm just talking about the sounds of nature, which sound pleasant outdoors, being brought indoors and at AG volumes, at which point they are more ear splitting than ear pleasing.

Edited July 13, 2014 by Acappella

[Muse]

Oh that blue jay screech is a killer. Mar had that down to an art and definitely at Grey volume. Megan does a great-tailed grackle ascending whistle with the click-click-click, a dove (though we had to learn mourning here and white wing in Texas), crows (there were a lot of them where we used to live and they would come right up on the back porch, just outside our sunroom where the birds were) and now... CHICKENS AND ROOSTERS. Someone not far from us on the other side of the road has chickens and roosters and she now can sound just like them. We make a game out of it. "How's a (insert name of bird here) go? (insert proper call here). That's a (name of bird imitated)." She will often get them all right but sometimes she's in a mood to be silly and will mix them all up. I believe she does it just to get a reaction. We also play songbird sounds in the house. This reinforces the PLEASANT sounds. Peck does the best red-tailed hawk I have ever heard, and has decided it is the proper way to summon mama. Loudly. Adorable, except early in the morning.

[Inara]

I'm just talking about the sounds of nature, which sound pleasant outdoors, being brought indoors and at AG volumes, at which point they are more ear splitting than ear pleasing.

 

Yepski. HRH does the scrub jays, the blue jays, the magpies, and the ravens --- all at pterodactyl levels, but only when I'm walking out the back door and have left her inside. She also imitates the mourning doves and asian doves (non-native but now becoming native here) but she does those very quietly.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Sophie when outside, repeats many bird sounds, but adds a bark or two! We have a squirrel that has decided to live in our garage... she repeats his sounds as well Nancy

[JeffNOK]

I usually take Gracie to a big busy park near the river where people jog, bike. walk dogs and have picnics. She hasn't picked up any sounds from nature except dog barks. When she hears a bark she barks back. I think because the park is so busy, the bird sounds are distilled and muffled in all the activity. She does notice the birds and comments "There's birdies," but she doesn't mimic them...yet.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Oh.... Gracie will! LOL Gracie will mimic the entire experience, so if you missed any of it, she will let you know! It is a " precious experience", and once you see it thru the eyes of your birds...you will understand what they are talking about. Sophie has taught me everything! I thought I would be the one teaching her. She has taught me everything! Nancy

[Muse]

Yepski. HRH does the scrub jays, the blue jays, the magpies, and the ravens --- all at pterodactyl levels, but only when I'm walking out the back door and have left her inside. She also imitates the mourning doves and asian doves (non-native but now becoming native here) but she does those very quietly.

 

Odd... Megan does the dove sounds very quietly, too. Even though when they are sitting in the trees outside the playroom the doves themselves are not quiet at all.

[birdhouse]

Yep, the blue jay thing is murder. But for me, it's whenever the cardinals get the teils going ...at the crack of dawn ...at the top of their lungs ...every day for about 2 months in the spring. Not good. Once we survive that, it's just random conversations thru the open windows & I can usually deal w/that.

 

For some reason, the rest of the things they tend to pick up aren't anywhere near as annoying. W/the possible exception of the never ending bottle rocket sounds around now & Labor Day. I'm so done w/that long before everyone else is.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Sophie, pretty much, imitates everything! Working on getting her a harness.... to go outside. She already imitates so many birds, squirrels, anything nature has to offer. Right now, she has a " favorite chair", next to sliding door, so she can see us. Nancy

[JakeGrey]

We live in the woods and have had an outdoor aviary for approx. 1 month now. Jake (2 yr old CAG) has learned MANY of the outdoor bird sounds. When he is outside (just during the day when we are home), you will hear him singing away to the other wild birds in each of their unique languages. In the house, though, he rarely makes bird sounds unless we all leave the room. What's really cute is that most mornings I stand in front of the patio door with him and say, "Listen ... shhhh ... do you hear the birds?" This same scenario has been going on for approx. 5 weeks now. This morning I said, "Listen ... " and as loud as he could, he made the robin's call right into my ear, then turned and looked at me and said, "birds!". Oh, did I laugh! Greys are really something. Not sure if he was trying to show me that we understood each other or just saying, yeah lady, I know already, there are birds outside. Either way, it was a hoot!

[chezron]

Wow! Brutus has only picked up the petite whistle of the Pacific Slope Flycatcher! Oh now I remember, he also picked up a police siren sound and uses it appropriately like when I leave, and he thinks that is an "emergency" or "alarming" to him. He also doesn't do it very loud. It's funny. I thank heavens he doesn't do the raucous cries of the crows. Bluejays I can handle. The nice thing is they rarely make one sound and repeat it, so an irritating one is soon over. Actually, I like all of his sounds, I just think he is so clever. Pancho and Jimpster are the loud annoying ones in my house.