Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Meet a Flock member - Viesa


Not all that much is going on with the whole cockatiel flock... I suppose that's a good thing?

I've decided to introduce you to one of the flock members today in a random sort of way, no rhyme or reason to it...

Today, you will meet Viesa. Her full name is Traviesa, or Viesa, or even Vivi for short.
traviesa is spanish for mischievous girl, and she was that from the moment she entered my home. She is the boss and one hot chick, if you were to ask any of the male cockatiels. I can't let her out with the boys as they all fight and jostle each other in their attempts to mount her, worse, she invites it, strutting about with her tail up and that suggestive chirping. She also seems to always be sitting on eggs when not getting into trouble.

She is cuddly one minute and ripping up things the next. She is also the one who is always trying to rip the keys of the computer keyboard and prying the dvd drive open, for what, I don't know. She won't step up for the kids... I have no problem with that though. In an emergency, I would have to be around, or else...

She's the baby of the flock as well, only about 2 yrs old, seem much longer though. I don't know her parentage, but looks normal gray with a speckled breast and 1 yellow crest feather, toward the back, so there is pied in the mix.

Gee what else can I say, before I get you bored, maybe I better leave off now,,,

so Tutaloo for now,

Cyndi

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Finally...


I've been meaning to set up this blog... like, since forever... I bit the bullet, and here we are. Several of you are no doubt familiar with my ezine and website, but as I've been so-o-o-o-o busy, I've haven't really done much on that front lately... did spend a gazillion hours on the graphic for the logo... all those birds are from my own flock and am still adding more to that logo. My cockatiels don't seem to want their photos taken often... I still keep trying. Of course it didn't help that my daughter kept swiping my camera and finally the camera broke (no not my daughters doing).

Now lets see, what's been going on in my life? The cockatiels are always keeping me busy. that will be ongoing, my middle child will be starting college in the fall, he started his own website design business in January and makes more than I do as A Nurse... I feel like I'm in the wrong career, but I'm so happy for him. My daughter is starting ninth grade, and my oldest is also in college...

Here is a beautiful picture of a young hawk... I was able to get to within 5 feet of him as he was sitting on a picnic table... Now you may be wondering what a hawk has to do with cockatiels, especially this particular hawk? This hawk dive bombed at my cockatiels, well at Hansome, the cockatiel, thankfully unsuccessfully. Here's what happened... one afternoon, Hansome was sitting on the branches of his favorite perch on the java wood tree I have set up by one of the wondows, Along comes myself and see Hansone sitting in the sun, about 1 foot from the open window (don't worry there was a screen there). Hansome starts his flirty whistle, so I whistle back, this goes on for a minute or so, whe suddenly there was the scream of a hawk, a flutter of wings and this bird flew betreen hansome and I. Hansome, thankfully, flew to the further recesses of the room, but my heart was beating a mile a minute... I don't know if a hawk would try to go through a screen window, and I'm not sure the screen is strong enough to stop a hawk if he were to try it. I flew upstairs and closed all the windows, no matter that it was 90 degrees out! It was noticeably quiet the rest of the afternoon, no birds could be seen or heard outside, even the squirrels and chipmunks went into hiding. Of course when I went upstairs to the bird's room, they all were trying to tell me about the hawk, boy were they noisy, but as soon as I left the room after closing the windows, they were very quiet as well. That hawk sat out on the roof of the neighbors house for several hours. I have seen that hawk a few times since then, including the day I took the picture posted here... I did take pictures of him when he had landed on the neighbors roof, but those pictures are no ways as clear as this picture here... I think he is a young coopers hawk, and he is very beautiful.

Well I think this is enough adventure for now, lest I bore you, so tutaloo for now,

Cyndi