Liberty

[amazing greys]

I need to get more pics taken. Have been working since end of Feb. full time, and now just getting a break.

I'm trying to get video taken of Liberty & I playing. He loves to play on his back while I tickle his tummy and play with his beak. He really loves him mama :wub:

I've done some presentations before my dog got really sick, then was working after that, so just as of recently I've started a couple again.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v435/superbirdie/Toydemo.jpg

I've also got a new page (http://www.freewebs.com/amazing_grey/presentationpicsvideo.htm) on my site, to show pics & video of my presentations. I'm working on editing video for that and some of Akeela and such.

Liberty is doing real well. He just turned 1 on July 4th. He loves his veggie mash & banana's. He's going through his first molt, which is cool, so now I have some long tail feathers to show. He plays hard, flies really good, and LOVES his baths. :thumbup:

[tropiclegirl]

That is a GREAT pic!

I get to bring my B&G home in about 4 1/2 weeks, i can not wait. I love reading other peoples stories of there Macaws and seeing pics. Gives me something to look forward to with mine until he gets here. :)

[Jean]

That is an adorable pic. :wub: You two make a beautiful team! :heart: I'm so glad to see you having so much fun with Liberty. :highfive:

[Shirley]

Great photos, Barb! I love the last one on his site - where he just landed on you :wub:

[Jim]

Great picture! When I see a bird standing tall like that and the look of delight and joy on your face, I don't have to ask how Liberty is doing.:)

[amazing greys]

Great picture! When I see a bird standing tall like that and the look of delight and joy on your face, I don't have to ask how Liberty is doing.:)

Thanks Jim! He does enjoy being the spectical of the program, lol. He's really attached to me. Other people can hold him, but it's for a short bit before he wants to come back to me. That's good enough for me. When I get some video of us playing, you'll get a kick out of us :p He's so funny when we play. He'll just flip over when we are on the floor and let me tickle him, then we play 'I'm gonna get you' game and he'll go hide under his cage real quick, then come back for more.

He absolutely loves his baths. He will flap so hard, I have to make sure I hold him good. Fun seeing his tail wag in excitement. I would love to give him a good washing, kinda got that bird smell when wet, but don't know if he'd let me soak him anyother way other than the spray bottle. :scratchch

Need to go check out pics of the boys, as I'm sure you've got some out there :cool:

Good to 'see' you again!

[amazing greys]

Great photos, Barb! I love the last one on his site - where he just landed on you :wub:

Thanks Shirley, when the kids giggle in excitement when they see him fly, it makes me soooo happy to do what I do :thumbup:

[Jim]

He sounds like a great bird, Barb. You've done a super job with him.:thumbup: Mine love to get soaked, I mean SOAKED, in the shower. I let both of them perch on top of the shower door while I showered. Talked to them and had fun while doing it and now they can't wait to get soaked and flap like wild men. They even like the shower on full blast!:eek: :funny:

Oh and they both get in at the same time - with me! That's a sight to see believe me.

P.S. Gotta' love the tail wag. Does he do it when he lands sometimes. Like when he's really having fun?

[Islandzoo]

Hi Barb,
lovely pic!

I wondered where you had gotten to, glad to hear you're all doing ok :)

[amazing greys]

Hello Kristie!! Life sure has been busy, and had alot going on both good and bad since our last move. We are doing well, can't complain really.

How have you been? Sure miss chatting with you as well :tighthug:

[amazing greys]

He sounds like a great bird, Barb. You've done a super job with him.:thumbup: Mine love to get soaked, I mean SOAKED, in the shower. I let both of them perch on top of the shower door while I showered. Talked to them and had fun while doing it and now they can't wait to get soaked and flap like wild men. They even like the shower on full blast!:eek: :funny:

Oh and they both get in at the same time - with me! That's a sight to see believe me.

P.S. Gotta' love the tail wag. Does he do it when he lands sometimes. Like when he's really having fun?

One reason I haven't really showered with him....I would never be able to wash, roflol. And to top it off, please explain how you get TWO in there with you?? I did try once, and his wing span is so big, there's not much room to flap those wings :shrug: If we had a huge walk in shower, I gather it would work better than a tub shower, lol.

He tail wags anytime we really get into playing, but I would say more so when taking a bath.

One of my fav things he does is when we play and he will be on my shoulder, climb down to my chest, and lay over on his side for belly tickles. We can be sitting on the sofa and he will just flop over on me. Sometimes when he's on my arm, he will just flop over to hang upside down, I have to be aware he's going to do that to make sure he has a good grip and don't fall. I know he trusts me completely.

At night is our cuddle time after we play and fly. I take him in the room, lights out, and will cuddle so close to my neck. He will litterly 'lay' in my arms close to me and get his pets. :wub:

[Jean]

Barb, Liberty sounds like such fun and a great companion.

[Jim]

We have both a tub shower and walk-in and they take showers either place. Mostly with me in the walk-in. They get under the water, get wet, and I can just tell when they want to flap so I raise then up so their above the door and they go to town flapping. Then it's back down for more water. You know, I'm sure Liberty drives you around by leaning or wanting up or down.:D

I have a shower perch I made, so one is either on the perch or on my shoulder while the other is showering. I hold them on my hand or streched out arm. They take turns getting right under the spray. They hold their wings out and turn all around to get wet, but you're right they can't flap down in the water. They do try but it's not really a flap.

[parrotgirl]

That would be a sight to see, but as they both get in the shower with you, probably best not to even ask for pics :eek: :funny:

I can't even imagine taking a shower with I caw let alone two, Kito takes up most of the room in my shower and he's just a little ole grey. But boy oh boy he does like a lot of room.

[SummerJ]

Barb,
Liberty is a beautiful bird. I really enjoyed looking at your web site - especially the pictures of Liberty growing up. Baby birds are just so precious!:heart: You have done a great job with Sinbad. Are his feathers still continuing to grow in? Sydney, my cockatoo, is a plucker also. I like hearing about others who are having success getting the feathers to come back in. Sydney is in the midst of a molt now and looks alot better than he has had for several months. Hopefully he will leave these feathers alone for awhile. :wub:
Janet

[Jim]

...He's really attached to me. Other people can hold him, but it's for a short bit before he wants to come back to me. That's good enough for me...That's good enough for me too. Even what I want.

I wasn't going to say what was on my mind but that would be a cop out. Friends shouldn't be like that with friends.:)

Food for thought. If a "flighted" bird gets so used to going to people and has little or no fear, is it really a good thing, long term? It's no secret I don't encourage socializing with strangers with the boys. I also don't discourage biting. I see it like this. Bird could be flying to a person for what ever reason, person gets scared and swats at bird or worse. Or, Bird lands on person and all is OK, person moves fast or tries to touch and bird bites.

Nino is getting too used to going to people and I'm not comfortable with it for the above reason. Plus, God forbid they get out, I'm not big on them going to just any human. I'd rather rely on them getting home or coming back to me on there own. They don't need a person to bring them home, or worse, not bring them home.

I freak when I think of this, it happened to someone I know. Bird went to someone, they grabbed him, tail was mostly gone (must have grabbed tail) clipped his wings, (which is what they were told to do:() and looked for owner. The bird was returned.

The point is, the bird had been out plenty of times, it flies at liberty and returns home, but, it became social.... The owner was happy and sad all at the same time not to mention the bird was freaked out, nippy and pretty stand-offish for quite awhile.

[amazing greys]

Yes, I see the pro's and con's.

My worry is him biting a child, so it is very controlled and monitored. This is part of my presentaion where I talk about giving a bird space, not sticking fingers in cages, and so forth. 'If' HE chooses to go to someone, then I allow him, mainly because I am there, he trusts me and looks to me for guidance about if they are 'ok'. I do though, tell anyone who does hold him, what the rules are, and how we go about holding and not forcing a bird to do something they don't want, ie: petting. He does not like strangers petting him, which I'm ok with. That is his terms and I do not want to force him to do something he don't want to do. I always make any encounter a positive one. No different than telling my child she must go to a stranger, or maybe an old friend/family member we haven't seen in a long time, to greet or hug.

I do want him friendly to a point as you described. I do not want an out of control bird in my home that feels the need to dive bomb and attack anyone, lol. But also, if someone tried to snatch him, turn into attack bird and bite the crap out of them. I do think they may understand the difference.

It is a horrible thought of Liberty accidently getting out, but it is very monitored in my home, that I really don't sweat it. I have determined I will NEVER clip him, he is so happy being that way. I live in a small area, I can only hope word would get out, and people would know if they saw him, and/or help look. News would be quick to do a story about that. So hopefully I never have to deal with him not coming back home.