Clive Jeffrey's blog

I have a new addition......

Wed, 09 Feb 2005 17:36:11 -0500

I have been on a waiting list for about 3 years for a pair of Eclectus parrots. Yesterday I took delivery of a two month old male he is so cute!! His partner will hopefully be born in the next month o

Archie is home!!!!!!!!!!!

Thu, 03 Feb 2005 17:10:46 -0500

I got a call about 10pm last night from a farmer about 10kms away. He had seen Archie hanging around his place for a few days over the weekend and they were whistling to each other. On Monday he said Archie was in a tree quite close to his house so he just held out his hand and whistled and to his surpise Archie flew right down to him!! He then saw my ad in the local paper and gave me a ring.

Archie...........

Mon, 31 Jan 2005 18:01:36 -0500

Well guys, I took Friday off work to continue the hunt for Archie. He was back around home on Friday afternoon playing in the trees behind the aviaries. I could not get over how much his flight skills have improved. It was trully awesome watching him flying around, ducking and diving at great speed. I must admit I felt quite proud raising such a happy confidnet flyer. Unfortunately thats where the good news ends as that was the last time I saw Archie........

Archie is free flying outside!

Tue, 25 Jan 2005 18:21:43 -0500

.......Unfortunately unintentially! I just got a call at work from my wife that Archie is out in the trees behind the aviaries(the ones pictured with Bazil in my gallery)

He is having a great time chewing on branches and just being a bird, showing no signs of wanting to come down.

Bazil & Archie Update

Tue, 11 Jan 2005 21:22:04 -0500

Well, reading Nates progress with Phoebe's flying retrieve got me all motivated to do some more training again. The build up to Christmas was so hectic things kinda slipped by the way side! I had not worked on the retrieve for a while(a good month or two)so yesterday I dug out Bazil's block and placed it on a perch in his aviary, sure enough he climbed up to where I put the block, picked it up and flew about 10feet to give it to me! When they get it they don't seem to forget in a hurry. I did this a few times and then played the "perch tapping" game. I had him flying a circuit in his aviary from swing to perch to another swing another perch and then to me. I C/T for every landing where I tapped. I will have to work on him completeing the circuit now to get the treat. He is doing great with my wife if I am not around but if she is view when I am around all Bazil wants to do is attack her. I have really not made much progress on this front. He is fine with other people when I take him into the office with me. He won't go to anyone but he will take a treat from a few but at least he does not attck them. He turned 5 on New Years eve so hopfully he will get better as grows out of being a stroppy adolecent:)

Archie Update

Mon, 13 Dec 2004 23:25:07 -0500

Well Archie is progressing well, he is doing very good controlled flights around the living room now. Last night just before his evening feed he was in his cage in the kitchen watching me mix up his formula while sitting at the table.

Does "the bird" make a difference?

Wed, 08 Dec 2004 18:18:25 -0500

I Have been wandering for some time now whether "the bird" we are trying to train makes any difference? I know that all living species follow the same beahaviour rules but as with humans we are all better at some things than others.

Archie update

Tue, 07 Dec 2004 17:44:59 -0500

Well Archie took his first desperation flight on Sunday! He thought he was so clever. He was with the family in the living room, just playing with some toys in a low cut card board box, doing lots of flapping.

OK I am sorry ...BUT... I am going to have to make everybody jealous!

Tue, 23 Nov 2004 19:24:42 -0500

I mentioned earlier that I had not been posting as much because I was busy doing the LLP course, which is now completed. Completion of the course is one way to get on the advanced companion parrot course being run by Steve Martin and Dr Susan Friedman in May 2005 at the Natural Encounters Ranch in Florida. I am pleased to say my registration has been accepted - Yeehaa!!

Bazil News

Wed, 13 Oct 2004 19:15:40 -0400

Did some more recall and fly to perch this morning and also worked on retrieving a block to my hand. Bazil has been doing this for a while now but I got my first flying retrieve this morning!!! It was only about a couple of feet but Bazil had to walk over to where I placed the block on his perch, pick it up and then fly to me with it in his beak, land on my arm and drop it in my other hand. Needless to say, I was quite tickled by this!Thanks Nate for the motivation after hearing about Darwin & Phoebe bringing back rolled up paper.

The Power of the clicker!

Mon, 11 Oct 2004 19:23:48 -0400

On the weekend I was doing some recall and fly to perch with Bazil. We do this quite a bit, when I first started out I used the clicker but have since faded it out and give verbal praise "good" then the treat. However on Sunday I happened to have the clicker in my pocket, as you do, so started to use it. I was absolutley stunned by Bazil's reaction. We were just doing routine flights but when I clicked that for the first landing he spun around in eager anticipation of the treat. His reaction was so pronounced that I thought he may have been startled. On the next try it was obvious that he was responding to the sound of the click. He was just so eager to please! I will be making sure that I always have my clicker with me for training sessions from now on!

Had Bazil at work again today

Wed, 22 Sep 2004 23:59:19 -0400

All went well! I have actually been letting him spend a bit of time on my shoulder while have been working at the computer(he is there right now) and am happy to report I still have both ears!
He is really comfortable here now, as he starting to get up to mischief, what is it about keyboards and parrots?

Bazil's latest freeflying

Mon, 13 Sep 2004 22:33:21 -0400

On Friday afternoon I got home from work early so decided to take advantage of the daylight and let Bazil go for a fly around. He did his usual fly around the area swooping and diving and having a great time. He landed in some large trees and had a play for a while chewing branches and leaves etc. I called him down from about 100feet or so and he came right away. I then gave him a cashew and a few head scratches while we walked for a bit. I placed him on a fence for a bit of a phot session(I will post soon) I then sent him on his way and he landed in the trees above the aviaries so I set up a chair in front, so I could watch all the birds and make sure Bazil did not hassle them. He flew down on top of the aviaries a couple of times and had to be squirted off with the garden hose, from where he flies away, does a couple of laps and then back up into the trees.

Bazil was back at work again today

Mon, 30 Aug 2004 23:00:50 -0400

After about 3 weeks of staying home Bazil came into work with me again today. Everything has gone very smoothly thus far, he entered his tarvel cage without hesitation and seemed to enjoy the trip in. It is now nearly the end of the day and he has been really well behaved.

Bazil's cool step up/down

Wed, 25 Aug 2004 19:07:59 -0400

Things have been really crazy at work lately which has ment that I have had to leave Bazil at home. The good news is my new aviaries are complete and Bazil sure is enjoying the extra space. Not quite as good as when I could leave him oustide all day but then he has been the master of his own destiny :). As it's mid winter here it is dark when I get home so when I go out to the aviary to bring Bazil in I have to take a torch with me. Bazil's favouite perch is about 2.7m above the ground(about 8 feet up) needless to say this makes foir an intersting step up. When I reach up I can't touch the perch so, Bazil has to hang on with his beak and dangle his feet down which just reach the tips of my fingers! Once on my fingers he lets go with his beak, all this is done in pitch darkness in the beam of my torch.