My Office at 35,000 feet.

While I try to keep up with the forums and blogs about what the heartbeat of the avian world is up to, (meaning the average parrot owner just like me) I have a tough time keeping up with them all due to my schedule. I’m either flying for work, or flying to get somewhere to do a presentation or do research or some such reason for the journey.

And there is the ever-present floor that needs a mopping. But I do get to meet really cool people:

Concetta! (Concetta DellaRocco- Ferragamo)

But I think it’s terrific the forums are busy because that means you are all yakking up a storm, exchanging information and helping each other out.

Paula Rossow, Irena Schulz and moi at the Midwest Bird Expo

Occasionally I run across a post about the Chop Concept. And I found one particularly interesting. When the Chop Video link was put up, someone saw all of the stuff I used to make Chop and stated the following:

“wow that is like 80+ bucks in ingredients.”

The original poster responded this way:

“When I picked up the ingredients for my batch of chop, I spent about $30 and didn’t use everything….I made the batch back around the 1st of October and I still have at least half left. I feed 8 parrots and 9 parakeets with it. I don’t feed it everyday, but several times a week.”

It was posted on the 30th of December which means she got through half of her Chop in three months.

The Real Quaker Oats

Now it sounds like making Chop or Teenie Weenie Beanies is expensive. It is- the day you make it. But once you bag it up and freeze it, you won’t be making it for quite a while, so you have to look at it as “cost-per-serving” or cost per day.  I never really figured it out to the penny, but I knew I was feeding three African Greys two meals a day for less than a buck.  And because I have never fed bulk seed on any real basis at all, I have no idea what it would cost to feed my birds the seed. But I can almost guarantee it’s less than 3 plus bucks a pound you probably have to pay for seed.

Have any of you figured it out? Does any one really know how much it costs you to serve Chop as opposed to the higher-pried model? I know it’s different every time, but perhaps some of you have done the costing out? I’d love to know what you’ve come up with.

I hate to break it to you. But your birds expect a lot from you. Well, if they are anything like my three they do. They want to have fun all the time. They want my attention all the time. They want to sit with you, near you or on you all the time. They only want to eat what they want, when they want to eat it. Macaroni and cheese will do. A bowl of spaghetti would be even better. And get that bowl over here pronto! What? No parmesan cheese?

They are spoiled little pigs. If they were children I’d send them to their rooms. And lock the door. And tell them I’m going to take them to the desert and leave them there.

I absolutely adore them. Those little winged hellions mean so much to me.

Do I get upset? Ha! I have never been so mad in my life as I was years ago. There was one time Parker took a whack at me. Pissed? Weak word.

I was so damned mad at him, I had to set him on the floor in the hallway and walk into the living room, all the while swearing like a sailor and simultaneously willing myself to see through all that red that was clouding my vision. Yes, I saw red, I was so furious. What made it worse was the fact that I knew exactly why he did it and that he indeed warned me before. Being a complete idiot, I ignored his warning.

The entire time this is going on, Parker is waddling down the hall uttering “Coooh?” “Coooooh?” He knew he was in hot water.

But I calmed down a bit, quietly picked him up, put him in his cage, called him a bad name and covered him up. I left him that way for a half hour while I gathered my wits and came to my senses. That time out was for me.

Then, I got him out and asked him. Why the hell did he clamp onto my jaw when he was on my shoulder? I knew why, but it wasn’t a good enough reason for me. This was completely stupid on my part. He never did give me an answer. But we made up and soon, all was well in the world.

I didn’t give up. I didn’t plan on getting rid of the little hellboy because, well, I’m just nuts about him. But man, Parker certainly knows how to push my buttons. But through some training, he’s also learned that screwing off isn’t really going to get him very far. You have to read this with the understanding that Parker is once of the sweetest, nicest, most outgoing African Greys you’ll ever meet. But he’s still a wild animal. And I sometimes tend to lose sight of that.

So you see, it’s not all skittles and beer even in the best of homes with the best of diets and the best of intentions. You’re going to have some rough moments. There are times when having birds absolutely blows.

It’s the same with having children I suppose. Or having athlete’s foot. Just because you have athlete’s foot doesn’t make you cut your feet off. It just makes you want to cut your feet off. I’ve had athlete’s foot and I was miserable until it cleared up.

So you just hang in there and wait for another day. You work with them, play with them, take good care of them and have the hope that tomorrow is going to be a better day all around. Because it probably will.

Allow me to explain this. As you might know, I, along with half the population of the United States am rather active on Facebook. And I don’t cheat at it either by posting Tweets from Twitter as my status. I have found it to be tremendously satisfying because FB has allowed me to get out some really good information about good parrot care and and nutrition as well as attempting to get people to lighten up a bit about their birds. So it has turned out to be a rather nicely melded and synergistic relationship between “Parrot Nation” and Facebook. Not long ago I got a private email on FB from Jenni. Jenni has birds, reads my blog, reads my column and BT features and that’s really all I know about her other than she is very sweet and very good with her birds. A few years ago I wrote an essay that has been making the rounds and simply refuses to die, which is a good thing I guess. It was one of the first things I wrote about birds and to be honest, it’s not a bad “stand alone” piece. It got picked up by Marcia Jud Kwarsick who has a very fine African Grey named Einstein. Marcia writes a blog about Einstein and she wrote to me asking if she could publish my essay titled, “What’s the Point?” As things manage to happen, Jenni was at Marcia’s blog, and read my essay. About ten times. As a result, Jenni emailed me with this and it was so damned good, I asked Jenni if I could post it here. She agreed and so here it is. It’s simply wonderful!

Here is the link to my essay at Marcia’s Blog: Einstein the Parrot’s Blog, or you can just read it here at Parrot Nation: What’s the Point? And here is Jenni’s email:

Patricia,

I read and re-read (probably about 10 times now) your “What’s the Point” essay on Einstein’s page. Like you, I find myself talking more people OUT of getting a bird, especially at work. One gal said she wanted to get a parrot, but she didn’t know if her kids would take care of it–the same kids who wouldn’t take care of a cat. Another co-worker just wanted an animal who could talk… Uhhh no. So I talked to him about the hours I spend cleaning my house, or trying to keep wood bits from toys from under my feet, and I told him about how I have been “out with friends” after work precisely 3 times since our household grew to 4 parrots, back in October. I don’t like to leave all 4 alone with my husband for very because that’s not fair to him. If I go out to my mom’s place (about 2 hours away in Northwestern Nebraska) I end up bringing at least 2 of them with me.

I think the next time I meet someone who wants birds because “they are cool” I shall invite them over after work for a two hour retreat. The advertising writes itself! “Come on over when the house is a mess (breakfast mix dried on the wall like cement, toy parts and pony beads scattered all over) and the birds are raucous from being in the bird room while we are at work. Without the benefit of earplugs (we have 3 conures after all), one lucky individual will get to experience the joy of being pooped on without benefit of warning, the yelling while the Sund chop is warming in the microwave, the joy of catching the kitten and shutting her away in another room, and the newly updated wardrobe that includes new air holes! While they try to prevent the sun conure from climbing down their shirt and the green cheek from picking up and dumping her food dish to watch it fall, the lucky person will want to wear steel toed shoes home from work as the blue crowned conure chases toes and will render even the toughest leather shoes as sandals. Want to go barefoot? Did the African grey just bite your toes? Yeah, she’ll do that. Care to eat? As long as you don’t mind the green cheek conure flying to you for a sample or the African grey shaking your whole plate for some food while whining for a bite, sure! Go ahead and try to eat. Going to the restroom? Grab a parrot and go. Don’t even bother trying to talk to anyone else as you will constantly be interrupted. Don’t forget: this is an ENRICHING EXPERIENCE that will change your life forever, so e-mail now to reserve your night at the Parker house! If I don’t reply, it’s because the green cheek ran off with some keys from my laptop again.”

Now, don’t get me wrong: I LOVE my birds. I have more patience than I ever thought I ever would and I eat a lot healthier, and I have saved oodles of money making my own bird toys. I work at a place that manufactures and packages medications, such as Excedrin and SlowFe. From the cardboard rolls that the film and/or foil come on to the lubrication on the machine, EVERYTHING is food grade. I dumpster dive here all the time, especially the cardboard rolls, which can be cut into rings the size of birdie bagels. Your ideas have inspired me to look at trash as not just trash, but with feelings of “What could I do with this?” I rescued some phone books a few weeks ago, and they are totally gone now thanks to the birds.

Most of the people I have warned against birds didn’t take cost into account. I think I read this somewhere: if you purchase a bird from a breeder, prepare to spend one to one-and-a-half times that amount on a cage, and about half the amount the bird cost on startup toys and food. I warn people that parrots need about as much interaction time as a human child, and that most birds reach an emotional and cognitive age of about two-three years old (in human years) and live 25+ years with proper treatment. I ask if they are prepared to live with a 2-3 year old for a few decades. I have even offered to let a few of them “birdsit” for the weekend: one coworker in particular would make an excellent bird person, I think. She knows small birds as a friend of hers has a lovebird. I offered to let her watch the sun conure for a whole weekend, after the two of them meet a few times.

If said co-worker ever takes me up on my offer, maybe it will give me a whole weekend to look for my missing laptop keys.

Take care and have a great day!!

Jenni

Parker

I‘m of the belief that either you’re a “Grey” person or you’re not. Some “Grey” people like Greys and other species. And some, like me, really prefer just Greys. There is something about them that simply enchants me. I like other species of birds, but African Greys attract me like a magnet. I didn’t know I was that way until I began working with other birds. I’ve worked with numerous species, but so far I’ve either boarded or rehabbed and rehomed Cockatiels, Quakers, a Solomon Islands Eclectus, lovebirds, and other Greys. Not much really, but enough to know what I like.

I find Greys to have more expression, personality, and “soul”, if you will. They seem more 3-dimensional to me and I find I can read them far easier than other species. They have a quiet dignity that I admire and a nobility about them that I respect. I don’t find them aloof. Rather, I find them introspective and thoughtful.

I’ve read a lot about them through the hundreds and hundreds of articles and books by almost all of the leading writers in the field.

One thing became clear to me while reading their work: Raising a companion bird is not so much a science, or a pastime as it is an art. It is a creative work always in progress and it changes every minute. There are two participants in this work of art, the human and the bird, and sometimes the collaborators don’t always agree. But this is where it becomes a work of art. Both participants must come up with a viable solution or one of them loses out in the experience. The experience is the art, as well as the outcome, and both of the participants change as time passes. It is a fluid, moving entity.

Working that all out is a daily discipline and it takes a lot of time and thoughtful effort to get it right. And the more we learn, the better we get at it.

How can you cram more time for your birds into a busy day? With three African Greys under my roof, I was forced to move completely out of my office and do my writing in the living room. On my days off, they see me all damned day long. And if that wasn’t enough, (And with Parker, it usually isn’t) if I go into  the kitchen, one of them goes with me as long as I don’t have anything cooking on the stove. If I’m vacuuming, one is on my shoulder.  There’s all kinds of little ways to spend more time with your birds and this time adds up.
If I go into my bedroom to fold laundry, one of them goes with me. I have friends over all the time. Nobody sits anywhere unless they have a parrot on them. If you sit down in my house, you get the charming company of an African Grey while you’re there.
I call this “time theft.” You can call it anything you want, but that extra five or ten minutes of ambient attention means a lot to these little guys.
When I get home, Pepper makes a big deal about sitting on my shoulder. She just adores that half hour or so and it really means a lot to her.  Pepper is such a good little soul, I rarely have to move her or “shush” her, and you can tend to forget about her because she’s so good. But those minutes with me are gold to her. And if it’s that important to her, it’s important to me.

I’d love to know what ways you find to spend more time with your animal family. I always welcome suggestions!
]]> http://parrotnation.com/2011/02/09/theft/feed/ 11 parrotnation IMG_0628 http://parrotnation.com/2011/01/26/an-overdue-review/ http://parrotnation.com/2011/01/26/an-overdue-review/#comments Wed, 26 Jan 2011 13:59:51 +0000 Patricia Sund http://parrotnation.com/?p=4608 ]]>

I thought it would take off. I thought it would be massive. I thought it would be the next Marley and Me.  I was positive that Irene Pepperberg’s book, Alex and Me would be a smash hit putting the book about the world’s worst dog to shame. It was big, but it wasn’t the massive hit Marley’s story was.

Irene’s book did respectably well. And I’m pleased for her. The problem is, for a book this damned good, this interesting and this well written, it should have gone to the top and stayed there. Well, it didn’t. And that’s just not right.

For as popular and talented as Alex was, and still is, people who loved his interview with Alan Alda on the TV show,  Scientific Frontiers should have trotted right out and bought the book to get the back story on how that television special came about. If you enjoy the film clips of Alex and Irene on Youtube, watching Irene work with Alex, Griffin and Arthur, you should race out and buy the book. It is simply wonderful.

Irene and writer Roger Lewin crafted a book that not only gives insight and detail into the story of Alex, it gives you the backstory of so many things we know about him. How did he begin to say “corknut?” Where did he get the word, “Banerry?” How in God’s name did Irene and Alex end up at MIT anyway? Do you want to know? Buy the book. It’ll tell you all about it.

Following her life from her childhood and first bird, to her education and ultimately her choice to forgo work in her chosen field of chemistry to study animal cognition and communication, Alex and Me is a detailed chronicle of Irene’s life with Alex and their achievements, accomplishments and difficulties.

The book takes you to Arizona where Irene worked as a professor, back to MIT, her old stomping grounds where she earned her chemistry degree, and on to Brandeis University, where her lab is now. In her book, she discusses the struggle to raise funds for the Alex Foundation that still goes on today, and her battle to have her research and work taken seriously.

It’s witty, thoughtful, and gives the reader a “bird’s eye view” so to speak, of Alex and Irene’s story. It’s not just an I-did-this-and-then-I-did-that tale. Irene’s book tells you not only what she did, but how she did them and why. It fills all of those questions you’d want to ask her if you had an hour or two to sit down with Irene and ask her anything you wanted to know.

For people interested in training their parrot, the book is inspiring. It also answers a common question Irene is always asked: “What was Alex really like?”

Well, let me tell you, from the sound of it, Alex was a real pistol. He had an attitude, confidence, and he was even a bit demanding. He also was somewhat of a bully from what I’ve been able to gather. In reading this account of Alex and what his personality was like, I had one constant thought nagging at me: “My God, this sounds a bit like Parker.”  And if you have an African Grey or two, you will see many similarities in your own birds.

Alex stunned the world with his ability and potential. And when he died, I know I wasn’t the only one who cried when I heard the news. I’ve seen person after person break down in tears right in front of Irene, trying to express how bad they felt when Alex passed away. I was emotionally paralyzed for two weeks after Alex died. This wasn’t even my bird, but it affected me deeply. However, I am pleased to know that I’m in huge company.

Alex is an icon, and will forever be remembered as “The smartest bird in the world.” He broke previously held scientific notions into pieces, shattering what it means to be human, and what it means to be cognizant. He changed many minds about the connection all creatures have in nature and in the world, including humans.

As Irene put it in the book, “…he (Alex) did leave me this great gift of what was once known and embraced, but was lost; the oneness of nature and our part in it.”

Irene’s book will answer so many questions you might have about African Greys, animal intelligence and the amazing story of Alex, a very special African Grey Parrot.

Alex and Me should be in every bird person’s library. It’s that good.

You can purchase your copy here: The Alex Foundation

This is my friend Shari. Shari is an extraordinary individual in the field of birds. She has a plethora of Greys, (I guess a plethora in this case would be seven.) that she takes exquisite care of and is truly a “Grey Person.” She has taught me more about Greys and birds in general from her vast experience in the field and in her own research work than I even can explain.

She thinks nothing of curling up with a copy of Forshaw’s, Parrots of the World for an evening of “light reading” and can research like nobody’s business because she knows where to look.

Shari has tried several times over the years to get into something other than birds and animals. But she always finds herself returning to the field. For one thing, she’s damned good at it. She knows a ton about companion parrots, she is a Vet Tech for Dr. Sam Backos and she is a whiz with a nail file and scissors: She is a also a top notch groomer. She is very laid back and relaxed and doesn’t mind a few of my bonehead questions here and there.

Shari and Parker

Shari explains: “I’ve tried to find something else, but I always found myself coming back to the Bird Business. About two years ago I had like an epiphany and I realized, you know what, I guess this is what I do. This is it. It’s who I am. I don’t know why. You know, I was looking at my dog, and I consider myself a dog person. And I was thinking, how come I don’t want to rescue dogs with crooked necks? It is bizarre; my Father thinks I’m an absolute nut.”

As it is with a lot of people who live with them, Shari can’t explain the relationship she has with her birds. She feels that it is a distinctive relationship that goes beyond the sort you have with a dog, and most people can’t comprehend it until they begin living with one.

Shari is of the opinion that some people who have birds still didn’t quite understand what their birds are capable of. But if you understood the abilities of companion parrots and take the time to train them and teach them, it opens up a whole new relationship. I agreed with her on this as one of the things that I came to understand in my training classes with Susan Friedman and Steve Martin is that training is a form of communication, a language of its own.

“You are a teacher, and it means that you are in this growing relationship with something. Take dogs for instance; We’ve sort of “dumbed them down” so that they can mold better with us. But parrots are always learning, so you have to have a different sort of respect for them.”

Shari believes that the innate wildness of parrots tends to lend itself to their intelligence in that they haven’t had years of breeding for abilities other than survival.

“I agree that parrots are, at best third generation away from the wild.  They are so sensitive, so intuitive and so intelligent, that they deserve all the respect that we can give them. A long time ago people wanted to decide what made humans different than animals: tool use. But animals use tools; Jane Goodall blew that out of the water. But we also know that they have complex societies, they remember things, they learn about strategy. And now there’s this thing about being self-aware. Do I know I exist? So now sentience is now the criteria for what makes us different from the animal world.”

Shari Mirojnick always had an interest in animals and reads books on birds in the wild as well as books on companion birds. And like many in the business of birds, she worries over many things including the impending extinction crisis looming on the horizon for many of the parrot species.

Sheri recognizes the need for breeders, yet she is frustrated by the necessity of it in view of the growing number of birds that are in parrot rescues without permanent homes.

“Everybody wants a baby, and if people didn’t buy babies, breeders would be out of business.”

Shari has been in and out of the bird business for years, but she has had birds for over 25 years, a huge amount of time compared to my paltry 8 years or so and her experience and confidence shows in the way she handles any bird.

As it is with a lot of people who live with them, Shari can’t explain the relationship she has with her birds. She feels that it is a distinctive relationship that goes beyond the sort you have with a dog, and most people can’t comprehend it until they begin living with one.

Shari Mirojnick is one of the people I’ve always gone to when I need a fact checked, a clarification on an issue or simply need some information I can’t find. Her knowledge is almost encyclopedic and her love for the field is evident.

When she was at UCLA she studied Musicology, which is, as one of her Professors put it, ‘the scholarly study of Western Art Music’.

Shari once said to me, “I used to lean over to one of my friends in class and say, ‘I am going to be so boring at parties.’ And you know what, now I really am. My Mother sometimes says, ’Okay, okay enough about birds.’”

Boring? Ummm, no. This is Shari with her band she had a few years ago. They were called, “The Maneaters.”

Shari may be many things: experienced, fearless when rehabbing a relinquishment, student of aviculture, a certified teacher and experienced avian vet tech. But boring? Not a chance!

African Greys have a very lofty reputation. They are considered to be not only one of the best communicators in the animal kingdom, but one of the most intelligent.

The majority of them either talk their little feathered noggins off or they are busy attempting to get you to pick up the telephone when no one has called. However, other birds are capable of this as well.

I believe the distinction between Greys and other types of verbally gifted birds is the fact that African Greys are like the old E.F. Hutton TV. Commercial:

“When Greys speak, we listen.”

Parker & Lisa

I’m convinced that the attention grabber with Greys is not how much they talk, but the content of their speech. They have an astounding ability to utter that plate-dropping comment at the right instant or make a flawless sound effect at an appropriate (or hilariously inappropriate) moment. At times, they can come up with a novel word or phrase combination that makes you wonder precisely who your little guy has been spending time with when you aren’t around. (Little parties he throws for the neighbors while you’re at the supermarket perhaps?) It’s that edgy, “smarty-pants” air they possess that simply slays me. It appears as though they know just what to say at just the right moment.

I believe the African Grey’s actual ability lies in observing the world around him.  Our birds are constantly watching what we do even when we aren’t paying attention to our own behavior. They know us better than we know them, and possibly better than we know ourselves. They can sense our emotions and reactions to a myriad of situations. By observing what moves us, they can encourage us respond to them. In other words: they know how to push our buttons.

Are they better talkers? I would have to say, “maybe”.

However, I can’t imagine that there is a parrot with better ability to listen, learn and observe precisely who we are and what makes us tick. Their verbal excellence might not be how much they talk, but what they say, and when they say it.

My friend Lisa and I shot a video demonstration of how to make “Chop.” Many of my “Bleaders,” (Blog Readers)  wanted more detail on the process, so here you go! I hope you get a kick out of it and perhaps will try this way of feeding your birds. Thanks Lisa, and thanks to all of you for your interest in a great way to feed your birds that isn’t just great for your birds, but very convenient for you. Giving your birds a nutritious  meal day after day  doesn’t have to be a painstaking process. A little shopping, chopping and packaging and you are good for months. I’ve always maintained that if something is easy and convenient for you to do, then you’ll probably do it. Making “Chop” every few months is easier then standing at a cutting board twice a day and even if I had the time to do that, There is no way I could get the consistent variety of ingredients you find in “Chop” into their bowls even in a week. The waste would be tremendous and the amount of time you’d spend shopping would eat up your week. By making “Chop” every few months, it’s easier on you and far better for your birds. You’re less likely to give up and slide back to the dried food rut.

Here are some of the more unusual ingredients I used and some nutritional information. Correction: I identified a pepper in the video as a habanero pepper. It is a poblano pepper.

Amaranth

Amaranth contain large amounts of protein and essential amino acids, such as lysine. Amaranth grains grow quickly and their large seedheads can weigh up to 1 kilogram, containing a half-million seeds. Amaranthus species can have a 30% higher protein value than cereals, such as rice, wheat flour, oats, and rye. it’s also high in iron, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and calcium. It’s low in gluten and sodium. Amaranth has the highest lysine content of all the grains. Quinoa comes in a close second.

Spelt

Spelt contains 15 – 21% protein; much higher than wheat. It’s also higher than wheat in complex carbohydrates, iron, potassium and the B Vitamins. Spelt is rich in protein. These proteins contain all of the eight essential amino acids needed by the human body. These amino acids are called “essential” because the body cannot manufacture them. You need to get them from food. Spelt is very high in the “bioavailability” department, meaning that the nutrients it contains are easily and quickly accessible to the body. It’s easily and rapidly broken down and used without much effort.

Peppers

Red peppers have very high levels of vitamin C and yellow and green peppers have nearly as much. The red varieties are also rich in beta carotene which the body converts to vitamin A.  Vitamin A is important for healthy skin, boosts the immune system, and aids in night blindness. They have high antioxidant properties.

Kale

Kale is known as a “Superfood.” It is an amazing source of an easily absorbed calcium, which is one of the many factors that may help prevent osteoporosis. It also provides fairly decent amounts of vitamin C, folic acid, vitamin B6, manganese, and potassium.

Dandelion Greens

Dandelions are nature’s richest green vegetable source of beta-carotene, from which Vitamin A is created, and the third richest source of Vitamin A of all foods. African Greys need high amounts of Vitamin A, so dandelion greens are right up their alley as a standard food for them. Dandelion greens are also rich in micronutrients such as copper, cobalt, zinc, boron, and molybdenum, as well as Vitamin D.

Wheat Grass Powder

I haven’t tried using this before but I’ve done research and I know it won’t hurt my birds. Wheat grass is very rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium, sulfur, zinc, and protein.  And it’s loaded with vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, phytonutrients and carotenoids.

There’s been some interesting stuff going on at FaceBook: Birds who have their own Face Book Pages. I’ve seen quite a few of them and I am FB Friends with many of them. However, there is one little character I’m fascinated with: Bart Henry. Now Bart is an interesting guy: He’s an African Grey, he just recently celebrated his 19th Hatch day with a donut and he regularly throws online parties on FB that are hilarious as long as you have an imagination. Here’s a photo of the real Bart looking at his “Major Award” he won in a contest I had here at “PN.”

I attended one of these “Virtual Parties” and laughed my head off. It was a pool party and here is just some of the online repartee. Bear in mind, these are all “parrots” attending this party with me being the only exception:

Bart Henry: Mom’s got the blow up pool filled up just enough for us to wade in. The floaties and towels are out too. Just make sure you all use the ladders to enter and exit the pool. I don’t want any punctures!

Stanly Scheulin: Woooohoooo, this peanutcolady thingy goes straight to your talons….I’m getting tippsy talons indeed…..follow in my wake, you’ve not that much at stake…

Bart Henry: don’t barrel roll into the pool, Stanly! ; >

King Crayon: Hey! watch out! You splashed into my pitcher of peanucoladas.

Stanly Scheulin: Ah ha..someone sounds like a flight attendant….”woooops” (slips into pool)…”cough, cough”…egad, this waters wet, oops, so’s my veggie burger…on well little moisture never hurt anyburger…*hic*.

King Crayon: Eewww…what’s that floating in the pool? It better be a veggie burger….

Patricia Sund: Parker wants a burger…and not veggie either. Are there any of those?

Bart Henry: OK…no poopies in the pool! : > And take that moisture Stanly. The humidity is under 10% out here right now! I’ll go get another veggie burger on for you. *yells* “HEY DAD!! Another VB over here for Stanly! Thank you!”

Stanly Scheulin: My burger….come to mommy…nom nom…yeppa it’s a burger. Pre-processed.

Patricia Sund: Pepper needs sunscreen; her feathers are “sparse.”

Bart Henry: Sure Patricia…we’ve got veggie burgers, turkey burgers, buffalo burgers, spicy chicken burgers and regular ol’ Bubba Burgers!  Yeah, well so are some of mine that’s why I’m wearing a bandana and a hat! There’s basket by the sliding door with SPF (super parrot factor) 98…help yourself!

Patricia Sund: Parker says ” Buffalo! They’re biggest!”

Bart Henry: Stop it Stanly…I’ve got peanutcolada coming out my nares! *snort*

Patricia Sund :Thanks…And Pepper is going to borrow that baseball cap that says, “Green Parrot Bar-Key West Florida” Is that okay? I’ll make sure she doesn’t make holes.

Bart Henry: *yelling again* DADDDD!!! Buffalo burger for Parker..well done with safflower seeds!

Bart Henry: Hey, Mom and Dad have been to that bar! Wait…let me go inside and see if I can find a piccy…

Patricia Sund: Where’s the Ketchup? And watch it, Parker just took off on your inflatable duck… It’s okay…he has his “swimmies” on. ·

Patricia Sund:  Parker, quit splashing King Crayon. Nyla! GET OFF THE SHED!

King Crayon: Ah jeez, now my MJ is soaked. Someone get me another drink, this time with a lid!

Patricia Sund: King, what is your “MJ?” Oh! Mint Julip!  Stanley, how’s your burger…you done yet?

Chris Hanselman: Yea there are MJ’s over there in the fountain. Here let me get one for you King Crayon. I filled the flask so we can sit here and relax in the hot tub. Hey Bart, I will take a Bubba Burger. Pickles (hehe), ketchup and mustard on it, please. :>

Stanly Scheulin: Hey Mom and Dad stayed at Papa’s Hideaway once in Key West, kewl…(dangles talons in water, sips on peanutcolad)a…Bart these are just the best, can I have another umbrella, I must haved nomed mine…..she’s gotta a passion for cookies a room full of rookies, it’s gonna be a hellofablow….

King Crayon: (joins Pickles in the hot tub) Say…there aren’t any bubbles in the hot tub are there. See…I’m kind of afraid of bubbles. I recently made a confession about it on Beakbook.

Bully Buffett: I’m here at last! gosh- didn’t anyone miss me? I had all kinds of trouble getting my surfboard through customs at DTW this morning. Woaah- Jimmy Buffett! Who wants to DANCE? Is that a Mint Julep FOUNTAIN?

Patricia Sund: Parker says he went to the “Parrot Lounge” down there. (He really did) Was that you with the underwear on your head?

It was incredibly fun and while I don’t personally know the brains behind the birds, they are whip-fast thinkers and have great imaginations. Bart’s Mom and Dad are also very good at Photoshop. Here is Bart at Easter time. He complained for a week about sweating in his bunny suit:

I had a “talk” with Bart about his sudden rise to fame. This was my second “interview” with a bird, actually. The first one was just a “meet-and-greet” with “Oscar,” the naked cockatoo at the Broward County Humane Society for an article for “BIRD TALK.” She didn’t actually answer any questions.  But Bart was far more eloquent. And I must tell you, it’s a little strange interviewing a bird! His answers are in quotations:

1.) Bart, I see you have a lot of friends on Facebook. How long did it take you to talk your Mom and Dad into letting you get a Facebook account?

“It took like, FOREVER to talk Mom and Dad into letting me start my own Facebook account. I’m like, c’mon! You’re both into technology and you have 3 computers for only 2 people. Surely you could spare one of them for the Bartman to have a social life. I mean, you didn’t see fit to provide me with appropriate “real life” friends, at least let me have some cyber fun. Finally after about 20 minutes of convincing (I told you it took forever!) they relented and I haven’t looked back since.”

2.) You play a lot of games with your friends and you’re quite the party guy. What was the first party you ever threw on FB?

“I had to dig back through my archives for the answer to this one. My first party was quite ambitious. It was actually a whirlwind weekend that started in Vegas then moved on to some mountain-top snowman building, then Buckingham Palace (where we scared the poop out of the tourists) before ending up in Disney World. In fact, that initial party weekend was so successful that I was persuaded to run for the office of President of the Tiny Island Principality of Parrotopia, or POTTIPOP as it’s commonly known. My not-quite-yet-but-soon-to-be-girlfriend, Chanel was my V-POTTIPOP and we served our 2 week term with all the dignity the office required. The inauguration was really something to behold and our cabinet meetings were perching room only. Ahh, those crazy, heady days…In any case, it’s been go, go, go ever since!”

3.) Bart, I know that you’re nineteen now. That’s pretty grown up! Any thoughts on writing a book?

“It’s quite a coincidence that you ask about writing a book. You see, while I have no plans to pen my memoirs just yet (after all, there’s more to come!) I will be making my literary debut as a fictional character in the forthcoming “Black Beak’s Revenge” which is the sixth installment in the Cap’n Black Beak saga written by Bully Buffett’s and King Crayon’s moms. In the meantime, anybirdie who is interested will have to make due with the Barty bits I share on Facebook and my BeakBook.net blog. “

4.) You get a lot of letters and cards from your friends. You have friends all over the world, don’t you?

“One of the most surprising things about Facebook is the friendships I’ve developed with folks all over the world. I have friends in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, South Africa, Sweden, the Netherlands, Switzerland and of course the US. I’ve even exchanged cards and small gifts with some of them. It has been such a pleasure to connect with these other “beings” from all walks (and flights) of life!”

5.) I understand Bully Buffett is your best friend. Have you ever really met Bully in person?

“Bully Buffett is indeed my bestest birdie buddy EVER. He’s the coolest parrot dude in cyberspace and his imagination, creativity, wit and intelligence really inspire me. Alas, we have never actually met but it doesn’t matter. We go together like almonds and cashews; sweet potatoes and corn; Nutri and berries; Juicy and Juice; Ben and Jerry…well, you get the idea. As a matter of fact, would it be OK for me to give a shout out? *holds up a talon* High Four, Bully!”

6.) As you probably know from the BIRD TALK Magazine column, “Memo to Parker and Pepper,” Parker can sometimes be a handful. Are you that way too?

“Well, if by “handful” you mean wanting what I want when I want it the way I want it and expecting Mom and Dad to understand this, then yes, I’m a handful. But what else should one expect from a grey? If you want a thimbleful, get a goldfish. If you want to share you life with an equal being, live with a grey.”

7.) Why do you and your friends all like to play “Princess Bride?” Are there rules, or do you just reenact the film?

“Well, “Princess Bride” isn’t the only game we play but it is a favorite. There are no rules to any of our games which is the beauty part – we’re all free to “color outside the lines” if you will and everybirdie brings their own take on things. Beings as intelligent as us feel no need to hem ourselves in with “rules” that would merely limit our creative flow. Having said that, I would like to add, ‘Aaaaaassssss you wwwwiiiiiiiiisssshh’.”

8.) If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

“Hmmm…that’s like a Barbara Walters question. Couldn’t you have asked “if you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?” because that would be easy. Almond. Where do lots of almond trees grow? That’s where I’d like to go.  Anywhere in the world where lots and lots of almond trees grow. There and Australia so I could visit my friends in Conuretopia. And Bully’s house. I would definitely like to go to Bully’s house. And visiting Kokonino in the UK would be grand. And then, and then…Well, I guess I’d like to go anywhere and everywhere in the world where my friends are.”

9.) And one final question: What’s the deal with the doughnuts?

“I’m glad you asked about the donuts. It started with my first Entenmann’s softee which I grabbed right out of the box myself. From that day on, I KNEW what was in that box but Mom was not at all sympathetic to my donut desires. Flash forward several years and Dad wins not one but two Krispy Kreme cards entitling him to one free donut a day for a year. Now I’m seeing those bags and boxes every week (He doesn’t actually go EVERY DAY – Mom’s not at all sympathetic to Dad’s donut desires either.) and it’s not like I don’t know what’s in there but I pretty much end up with the empty box which is fun but not particularly tasty. So finally on my 19th hatchday, Mom relented and allowed me to have AN ENTIRE Krispy Kreme sugar donut. Oh was I in heaven. A taste sensation and shred toy all in one! I’ve not been offered another donut since but at least Mom filmed the occasion so when I get nostalgic for that day, I can watch the video.”

Thank you Bart! I appreciate your time.

*shakes tail feathers as the recorder is turned off*

“Whew! Did I do alright? I was so nervous – could you tell? I’ve never been interviewed before and it was you know, fun but sorta nerve wracking at the same time. I hope I didn’t sound stupid. Can’t have my friends mocking me out on “the wall”. Can I have a kiss? Whoo! Thank you!”