Saturday, November 30, 2013
I can't believe I missed this!
I think this is just a testament to how busy I have been this month. This is something I was looking forward to most of the year and, when the day actually came by, I forgot about it entirely.
This blog turned 5 earlier this month, on November 4th to be precise.
It is hard to believe I have been at this for 5 years, starting in 2008. I remember not knowing exactly what I would make of it, and probably didn't think I'd continue for as long. Sure, I wasn't a frequent poster in the beginning, but according to recent stats, if you consider all my posts and my starting date, I do have an average of a little more than one post per day, which I think is pretty good for me.
I am aware that a high percentage of my posts here are merely pictures, but it is no surprise to me as I do enjoy sharing pictures and there doesn't always need to be text to go with them. And quite a few people have told me that they enjoy the pictures, even on their own, so I see no reason to change things.
I don't know how many more years I'll keep at this religiously, but since it is, most of the time, part of my daily routine to try and post something, this might go on for some time still. Guess we will see!
And, for nostalgia sake, here is a link to my very first post (back when the blog actually went by another name - It's a Poi world -
Just Poifect: The beginning
This blog turned 5 earlier this month, on November 4th to be precise.
It is hard to believe I have been at this for 5 years, starting in 2008. I remember not knowing exactly what I would make of it, and probably didn't think I'd continue for as long. Sure, I wasn't a frequent poster in the beginning, but according to recent stats, if you consider all my posts and my starting date, I do have an average of a little more than one post per day, which I think is pretty good for me.
I am aware that a high percentage of my posts here are merely pictures, but it is no surprise to me as I do enjoy sharing pictures and there doesn't always need to be text to go with them. And quite a few people have told me that they enjoy the pictures, even on their own, so I see no reason to change things.
I don't know how many more years I'll keep at this religiously, but since it is, most of the time, part of my daily routine to try and post something, this might go on for some time still. Guess we will see!
And, for nostalgia sake, here is a link to my very first post (back when the blog actually went by another name - It's a Poi world -
Just Poifect: The beginning
365 Parrots - the book!
Last year, I took on a challenge, which was to take a picture a day for a whole year, and since I had 7 birds, I had one for every day of the week (I would mix it up, but that way everyone was featured once a week).
When I finished the project, I thought these would be nice in a book. But I needed to take some distance from it and only started tackling putting the book together two days ago.
I have to say the break from it did do me some good, and it is nice to revisit pictures from a project that ended nearly a year ago. Bringing everything together will likely take some time and, given that I like have one page on two with a full size picture, going to be costly since the number of pages will add up...
It is *almost* making me want to do this again next year. Almost, since it is still fresh enough that I remember some frustrations about the commitment involved and just not feeling it on some days and sometimes having an uncooperative bird on a specific day...but I am still entertaining the idea. I might consider doing it with a variant that I take all my pictures on one day (i.e. Saturday or Sunday) to help me and just post a different picture every day. Actually, if I did start the project up again, I would probably do it that way.
So, stay tune, maybe come January the daily bird picture will be back on the blog!
In the mean time, here is a link that will bring you to my pictures from last year -
365 Parrots on Just Poifect!
When I finished the project, I thought these would be nice in a book. But I needed to take some distance from it and only started tackling putting the book together two days ago.
I have to say the break from it did do me some good, and it is nice to revisit pictures from a project that ended nearly a year ago. Bringing everything together will likely take some time and, given that I like have one page on two with a full size picture, going to be costly since the number of pages will add up...
It is *almost* making me want to do this again next year. Almost, since it is still fresh enough that I remember some frustrations about the commitment involved and just not feeling it on some days and sometimes having an uncooperative bird on a specific day...but I am still entertaining the idea. I might consider doing it with a variant that I take all my pictures on one day (i.e. Saturday or Sunday) to help me and just post a different picture every day. Actually, if I did start the project up again, I would probably do it that way.
So, stay tune, maybe come January the daily bird picture will be back on the blog!
In the mean time, here is a link that will bring you to my pictures from last year -
365 Parrots on Just Poifect!
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Friday, November 22, 2013
It's not always smiles...
Initially, this post was going to be about a silly fact of Léa. She took a bath one evening and the carpet around her cage was feeling wet, the papers at the bottom of her cage were drenched so you would assume her to look about the same...
..but no.
Her head was just barely wet.
I wanted to take a few pictures and for a few minutes, she stood there, happily perching and posing. But then it became apparent that all I wanted were pictures (showing how little wet she was) and not to let her out (we had to leave for the parrot club meeting that evening and the Boy was checking the cages to ensure they were all closed and noticed wet Léa) and that was it - I got a rare glimpse of Léa not looking happy, the big goofy smile on her beak was gone.
She actually wasn't looking that bad as I pressed the shutter. This was the last picture I took before letting her be - wasn't going to push the issue!
..but no.
Her head was just barely wet.
I wanted to take a few pictures and for a few minutes, she stood there, happily perching and posing. But then it became apparent that all I wanted were pictures (showing how little wet she was) and not to let her out (we had to leave for the parrot club meeting that evening and the Boy was checking the cages to ensure they were all closed and noticed wet Léa) and that was it - I got a rare glimpse of Léa not looking happy, the big goofy smile on her beak was gone.
She actually wasn't looking that bad as I pressed the shutter. This was the last picture I took before letting her be - wasn't going to push the issue!
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Quick and easy skewer toys
In the past I've always shared skewer toys when I showed some of the toys I made myself. They were always an easy thing to do, but they just got easier.
A while ago, I received orders I've made at Things for Wings and Crystal's Bird Toys during Avian Avenue's Sidewalk Sale.
From Things for Wings, I got a large bag filled with odd shapes of wood that were already pre-drilled. Well, given the pieces can be on the thicker side, I've used them on Léa's skewer (it's larger than the others I have). I've also used large wooden beads and some Mother Pluckin' blocks she hadn't quite finished destroying from the previous time I filled the skewer up.
For the Littles, I used pre-made skewer toys from Crystal Bird Toys, as well as a few pine slats and beads that had been included the previous time I filled the skewer but not yet destroyed. However, most of what is on them is the skewer toys and I only needed a few to make the skewers look nice and full! I'm sure Joey, Shade and Pixel will love! (I also have some of these for Petey and Zuri, however their skewers were still quite full when I filled these up).
A while ago, I received orders I've made at Things for Wings and Crystal's Bird Toys during Avian Avenue's Sidewalk Sale.
From Things for Wings, I got a large bag filled with odd shapes of wood that were already pre-drilled. Well, given the pieces can be on the thicker side, I've used them on Léa's skewer (it's larger than the others I have). I've also used large wooden beads and some Mother Pluckin' blocks she hadn't quite finished destroying from the previous time I filled the skewer up.
For the Littles, I used pre-made skewer toys from Crystal Bird Toys, as well as a few pine slats and beads that had been included the previous time I filled the skewer but not yet destroyed. However, most of what is on them is the skewer toys and I only needed a few to make the skewers look nice and full! I'm sure Joey, Shade and Pixel will love! (I also have some of these for Petey and Zuri, however their skewers were still quite full when I filled these up).
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Friday, November 15, 2013
Trying for a different outlook?
Maybe it changes when looking at the world with your head upside down?
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Why stay anywhere else...
..when an option is to be on me?
Here is Piper who is just about to fly off the atom to come on my shoulder. This is why it's hard to take pictures of him, as he's generally ON me.
Here is Piper who is just about to fly off the atom to come on my shoulder. This is why it's hard to take pictures of him, as he's generally ON me.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Monday, November 11, 2013
Some less appealing aspects of living with a larger flock
Flock dynamics - things that might change with each addition.
Over the week-end, I got to deal with one of the least appealing aspects of living with a large flock - what bad things can happen when you have birds who don't like each other?
I've not hidden the fact that Pixel does not like Shade and, as a result of Pixel's behaviour, Shade doesn't entirely like Pixel either. In the past, they've had some altercations, although over the past few months I've been getting pretty good at avoiding them altogether. But yesterday I failed. I could sense that Pixel was on edge and, instead of putting her in her cage for "rowdy" behaviour that could lead to mayhem, I decided to keep her around me. Generally, if she's on my shoulder, she's pretty good. However, yesterday she used it as a launching pad to get to Shade who was on the atom and before I could get up and stop her, she had locked down on Shade. They fell to the ground, tangled together, and were in a locked position all but for a few seconds, but it was enough to do some damage. I managed to get Shade out of Pixel's grasp and she wasn't happy. I got the Boy to put Pixel in, as well as the other smaller birds, so I could check up on Shade without anyone buzzing around (or, in Piper's case, making LOTS of noise). She was able to fly around, rather nicely and with no complaint, so that reassured me that her wings were ok. When I managed to get her to come to see me I looked at her more closely; her feet (a seemingly choice place for bites) were ok, there was no patch of feathers missing. She had a scratch on her ceres, near one of her nares, a superficial cut, but then she opened her beak and I saw a little blood. It wasn't gushing, so I figured I'd put her in her cage so she could calm down (it being late on a Sunday evening, vet offices with any personnel able to properly deal with parrots were closed). I kept an eye on her and she was moving about her cage like nothing had happened, and there was no sign of blood anywhere. I also looked at Pixel more closely and she had no sign of any injury and acted like a bird who was perfectly fine.
When I got up this morning I immediately went to check on Shade. She was still quite alert, and no sign of blood. I had her out with Zuri and Piper and fed her a piece of pecan, which she ate (good sign). She also ate most of her breakfast, which, again, I took as a positive sign. Still, wanting to be convinced everything was ok, I did get her an appointment at the vet, where we learned that she had some inflammation inside her beak, on the side of the upper mandible. So she'll be on some anti-inflammatory medication for a few days (which, I have to say, out of all my birds, Shade is the easiest to deal with for such things). She also acted wonderfully while at the vet's office, so much that the Boy did ask me why none of the other birds can be that well behaved in a vet's office.
As well, a large flock means lots of bowls to clean. Why would I bring this up? If the Pixel-Shade altercation wasn't enough to deal on my mind, it turns out that the Boy noticed this morning that our hot water tank was leaking. And although we were supposed to have someone come somewhere between this morning and early afternoon, they never showed up. A few angry phone calls later, and we got another appointment set for tomorrow morning. However, the prospect of cleaning all those bowls with no easily accessible hot water is annoying (water will be boiled so that the task can be done). But really, couldn't this have happened at another time (and couldn't the people come to fix the problem when they were supposed to??)
Over the week-end, I got to deal with one of the least appealing aspects of living with a large flock - what bad things can happen when you have birds who don't like each other?
I've not hidden the fact that Pixel does not like Shade and, as a result of Pixel's behaviour, Shade doesn't entirely like Pixel either. In the past, they've had some altercations, although over the past few months I've been getting pretty good at avoiding them altogether. But yesterday I failed. I could sense that Pixel was on edge and, instead of putting her in her cage for "rowdy" behaviour that could lead to mayhem, I decided to keep her around me. Generally, if she's on my shoulder, she's pretty good. However, yesterday she used it as a launching pad to get to Shade who was on the atom and before I could get up and stop her, she had locked down on Shade. They fell to the ground, tangled together, and were in a locked position all but for a few seconds, but it was enough to do some damage. I managed to get Shade out of Pixel's grasp and she wasn't happy. I got the Boy to put Pixel in, as well as the other smaller birds, so I could check up on Shade without anyone buzzing around (or, in Piper's case, making LOTS of noise). She was able to fly around, rather nicely and with no complaint, so that reassured me that her wings were ok. When I managed to get her to come to see me I looked at her more closely; her feet (a seemingly choice place for bites) were ok, there was no patch of feathers missing. She had a scratch on her ceres, near one of her nares, a superficial cut, but then she opened her beak and I saw a little blood. It wasn't gushing, so I figured I'd put her in her cage so she could calm down (it being late on a Sunday evening, vet offices with any personnel able to properly deal with parrots were closed). I kept an eye on her and she was moving about her cage like nothing had happened, and there was no sign of blood anywhere. I also looked at Pixel more closely and she had no sign of any injury and acted like a bird who was perfectly fine.
When I got up this morning I immediately went to check on Shade. She was still quite alert, and no sign of blood. I had her out with Zuri and Piper and fed her a piece of pecan, which she ate (good sign). She also ate most of her breakfast, which, again, I took as a positive sign. Still, wanting to be convinced everything was ok, I did get her an appointment at the vet, where we learned that she had some inflammation inside her beak, on the side of the upper mandible. So she'll be on some anti-inflammatory medication for a few days (which, I have to say, out of all my birds, Shade is the easiest to deal with for such things). She also acted wonderfully while at the vet's office, so much that the Boy did ask me why none of the other birds can be that well behaved in a vet's office.
As well, a large flock means lots of bowls to clean. Why would I bring this up? If the Pixel-Shade altercation wasn't enough to deal on my mind, it turns out that the Boy noticed this morning that our hot water tank was leaking. And although we were supposed to have someone come somewhere between this morning and early afternoon, they never showed up. A few angry phone calls later, and we got another appointment set for tomorrow morning. However, the prospect of cleaning all those bowls with no easily accessible hot water is annoying (water will be boiled so that the task can be done). But really, couldn't this have happened at another time (and couldn't the people come to fix the problem when they were supposed to??)
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Flock of pin heads
Earlier this week I posted about how Léa was going through a heavy molt and had pin feathers all over her head that I needed to take care of. Well she's not the only one. It appears that Piper, Zuri and Pixel have also been feeling extremely itchy due to new pin feathers growing in and have demanded that their heads be scratched (by placing themselves right in front of me, within hand reach and bowing down their heads). Shade and Joey have also requested a few head scratches, although not nearly as many as the others and their heads have generally appeared not as pinny.
It's quite likely that Petey is also going through a molt, although he wouldn't ask me for a head scratch nor would I venture my fingers so close to his beak.
Silly Red-bellied parrot II
This was a total fluke - I didn't intend to capture her looking like this. In fact, I had no idea she ever did look like this, it was really a matter of pressing the shutter at the right time, and was totally surprised this is what got captured!
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Silly Senegal
She was only yawning, but combined with the slight sideways head tilt, I found it gave her a comical look!
In flight Piper
The focus is a little soft, but given how fast Piper moves, I'm always amazed I actually manage to capture him in flight.
Okey dokey
Seems to be a new thing Léa picked up. I was in the birdroom, taking pictures of Petey while she was still in her cage and I think I heard her say it two or three times...will keep out an ear to see if she says it again!
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Molting time
Léa is going through a bit molt by the look (and feel mostly) of the pin feathers over her body. For the past few days, she's been quite insistent on getting her head scratched, so that the pin feathers on it could be taken care of. She's even getting cuddly about it, resting her head on my chest as I go gently from one pin feather to the next.
She got her head scratched this morning for a good 10 minutes, and then removed herself and starting preening her wings, rump and tail. She must be an itchy thing, but at least she wasn't being cranky about it!
She got her head scratched this morning for a good 10 minutes, and then removed herself and starting preening her wings, rump and tail. She must be an itchy thing, but at least she wasn't being cranky about it!
Monday, November 4, 2013
My orange juice is not safe
Generally, the orange juice thief goes by the name of Shade.
However, she wasn't around this morning. It's Léa who decided she was going to take her share. Mind you, seeing how she kept sticking her tongue out sideways before taking a gulp, it was worth sharing the juice. It was hilarious and very cute!
However, she wasn't around this morning. It's Léa who decided she was going to take her share. Mind you, seeing how she kept sticking her tongue out sideways before taking a gulp, it was worth sharing the juice. It was hilarious and very cute!
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Sideways Cape
Completely unimaginative title I know!
However, I liked the picture and wanted to share it. I particularly like how clearly you can make out the different colours on her head, from the pure silvery neck, to the "rosy" cheeks (grey and coral intertwined in those feathers) and the coral forehead.
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