My other flying machines!
Although they don't have little motors that guzzle a mixture if nitro and castor oil, nor do they have fixed or rotating wings, they tend to make more noise than any 2 stoke model airplane engine I have ever heard. Also if you think the fuel residue that we all clean up after a day at the flying field is bad, try keeping up with these messy eaters. With a mind of their own, and a determination second to nothing, they have become like family to me.
First up on the left is Samantha. She's a Moluccan Cock-a-too that is just over three years old. Sam's the most loving of the three and also figures things out the quickest. She has to be locked in her cage with a padlock so that she won't get out. After finding a way to open the cage, I tried using a screw clasp to hold the door shut. This didn't last a day before she figured out how to unscrew the clasp and if she got mad, she would tighten it so tight I needed a pair of pliers to get it loose. So far, the padlock works although she watches closely to try and figure a way to unlock it. Providing that she has no health problems, she will probably live to be 70 or so years old. Amber gets along well and will one day probably have to take care of her. Talking isn't her strong point as it is with this breed although her vocabulary right now does contain a handful of words...............all nice ones!!
Next in the middle is Baby. A Blue and Gold Macaw just turning two. She's starting to talk a little and loves to lay on her back in the bottom of the cage and bounce a ball in the air with her feet. She's the largest of the three and is very mild mannered which is sometimes unusual with the big macaws. We call her the "watchdog" as no one drives up without her letting "everyone" in the neighborhood know that we have company. I love her to death although she will probably be here long after I'm gone. These birds also live to be in excess of 70 years old when kept properly. She loves to come out and play in the house but close eyes have to be kept on her as she can destroy things faster than you can leave the room.
And last.........but certainly not least, meet "Turkey", an African Grey. The house clown if you will. I have never had her sexed so I don't know for sure if it's a male or female so I'll just refer to her as if she was a girl. I bought Turkey from a family that never gave her any attention so for the first year I had to handle her with gloves to protect my fingers from being taken off. I worked hard to gain her trust and today I can get her to lay on her back in the palm of my hand. It's amazing what a little love and attention can do for these birds. Turkey has the largest vocabulary and can actually carry on a conversation with herself. She picks up new words rather easily so what is said around her needs to be nice stuff or she would quickly embarrass me. She can mimic the phone so well that I have actually had friends ask me if I planned on answering the phone. She generally rings twice, and then say's "hello" She's a barrel of laughs and has come to be really special to me. Birds are a great choice for pets "IF" you can put up with the noise, mess, and moods that they have. If you can't deal with these things, please do yourself and the bird a favor, and let the next person that comes along have a chance at giving them a good home.