Band 229 (Reserved by Ariana)

Band 230 (Reserved by Nina)

Band 231 (Reserved by Sherry)

This baby is our only one with multi colored feet!

Hi Beth

Tutu has apparently turned the corner so to speak.  Her appetite is
great, she is pretty content to stay in the cage but would rather be on
us.  She sort of plays with the toys but not much yet.  I will build a
more challenging gym for her.  She still loves to snuggle and will run
for a hand often, just to snuggle under it but now, it isn't so much as
before where she seemed to need a snuggle place for comfort.  She is on
my shoulder now, preening.  She has a game she sometimes plays, "Drop
food in the water and get it back".  This is sometimes interrupted with
a bath which is pretty funny.  She has tried to take a couple of baths
in a cottage cheese dish I keep at my desk for her and that is very comic!

The food coop is getting to know us.  They have the greatest variety of
sprouting seeds and beans around and just about everything is without
preservatives.  I think they are starting to believe I am going to start
a farm with the seeds and beans.
How important is a routine?  Linda wants to set a time for
EVERYTHING, meals, baths, cage time, bedtime, etc.  She said that the
bird should have time in the cage after breakfast and be left there to
entertain herself and that the bird should have 2 hours a day of
interaction with people, (something she read).  I am not that way and
don't quite believe it.  If I am in the office working on the computer,
I don't find her a burden at all and she seems to enjoy just being
around me (or anybody) so I let her stay with me a wander around if she
wants, snuggle grab a bite, etc.  As for sleep, I agree it is important
but that is variable for me.  Last night, she was quietly snuggling
under my hand and went to sleep so I didn't mind keeping her up a bit
later since she was snoozing in my  hand.  We put her to bed at around
9:00 and she is covered with a dark cover so I suspect she awakens near
dawn but is quiet until we come in and remove the cover at about 7:30-8:00.

Tutu is amazing.  She is very happy right now to lean on my neck, doing
a bit of personal grooming for me (she and Linda obviously believe I
can't dress myself) and is not making any sounds, just seems to be
quietly contemplating the world as she looks outside my office window
and combs my hair.  A little neck rub on her seems to be appreciated
every now and again.  And I told you about her seemingly being "house
broken"?  WOW!  Peeps our sparrow was a little lover and very clever but
the closest he came to being house trained was only pooping on things
Horizontal or Vertical.  Tutu has clearly avoided making messes on
people and almost always limits it to a table.  NEWS FLASH!  OK, that
100% record just got broken, she did just make a mess on me but that's
the first time.  Maybe she needs some table time.

We continue to work out the kinks but she is clearly a very smart, very
affectionate bird and a pleasure to have around.  Well, that is until
she decided that my computer keyboards didn't need the "G" key yesterday
and I had to get it fixed.

Band 224 Reserved by Dan and now at home in the great Northwest!

Hi Beth
Tutu continues to get funnier and cuter daily.  What a character!  She
loves chasing her ball on the table and like a kitten, will grab it and
roll on her back with it in her beak. This is interspersed with
exploration and crawling up and down and under stuff. Also like a
kitten, she will sometimes beak my hand or fingers as I scratch her and
tickle her then roll on her side for some "arm pit" scratching.  Then
she might dash up my shirt and under my hand for a head scratch and beak
rub.  She puts her head back facing straight up and closes her eyes as
she gets rubbed.  The rolling on the side though is just too funny.  And
she also discovered crawling up the inside of my shirt to poke her head
out through the collar.

I am sure you have heard it before and get to see it often but this is
all new to us and it has just been a hoot to have her around and see how
she is getting more comfortable with her surroundings and enjoys
interacting with us more.  She is so playful!  She is inquisitive and a
joy to watch run around discovering things!  No matter how crazy she
gets though, all I have to do to calm her down is start stroking the
beak.  The eyes close and she stops whatever she is doing to get a
little massage.  Right now she is on my shoulder being very quiet after
her little play time this morning.

She is absolutely one of the best little animals I have ever had the
pleasure to interact with, thanks for being so good with them to start
them off right.

Dan

March 31 Band 222 is getting red spots already on the abdomen as is band 223!! So cool to see already. We have Sadie's first 4 babies inside as Ainslie's baby goes home this Saturday! Sadie's babies are banded 226-231 and I sent the sexings in on them today.

Band 222 (reserved by Ainslie) Here she is in Jan 2010: Update on Ruby (#222):  She is doing wonderful, has her "crimson-vest" fully and is sooo beautiful!!  She has a wonderful personality, and this past Christmas I took her up to Park City, Utah and she was handled by a lot of people, and loved all the attention!!  Many of my family members, have never handled birds...and really fell in love with her!!  It was great having her up there, and I was able to let her roam in and out of her cage.  Here in AZ,  we have dogs and so she doesn't have the freedom that she had up there.  I think she misses that freedom.  I got her wings/toenails clipped before Christmas and the Dr. said she has beautiful plummage and is very healthy. She is very sweet, I enjoy her sooo much.   Ruby loves water and when ever I have water running in any sink, she wants to jump in and take a bath...she also loves taking showers with me.  She rarely nips and when she does, they aren't hard bites..in fact I can't remember when she did that last.  I use that "hold" and stroke her beak and say "no bite" when I feel she is getting too rough (which is rare) and she settles right down.  She loves being on the shoulder and gives "nibbles" to ears/nose..  Anyone with moles are in trouble though!  I haven't been using her flight suit, and need to start working on her so I can take her outside once the weather warms up.   I know pictures really don't do the justice of her colors...but like any proud "mom" want to share pics of her I took today.   Look forward to hearing about 2010 babies and their families!!   God Bless you and your family,   Ainslie V      March 19 I can fly!

Band 223 (reserved by Phyllis)

March 25                  Video: Nail Trimming 101

Band 226

Band 227

It is amazing to me to think of how beautiful this baby will be in a very short time.

March 18, We scoop up the 2 oldest of Sadie's babies to begin handfeeding . These are our first babies from this pair. They are banded 226 and 227.

March 17 The babies love playing on their backs!! The video to the right is a current, sweet Crimson playing on his back! All of these older Crimsons are weaning and moving on to their new families.