Maya Update

[Anansi]

Can't do a Bixby update without doing one for Lady Maya as well! Lol!

Maya is now a fully established member of our household. We've all grown to love her very quickly, though she still has, thus far, only bonded with me. So there's a lot of work still to be done in terms of socialization.

She has been picking up new things very quickly! She can now say her name, which she does in a very clear and eerily accurate imitation of my wife's voice. She has also picked up laughing from Bixby, and has learned to say "Good girl!" as well! She's even been trying to teach Bixby how to say "hello" in different tones of voice! (Apparently he's been underachieving with just the one tone! Lol!)

She's also learned to turn around on command and even to lie down in my hand. (Though not yet without holding on to the fingers of my other hand. But still huge for an ekky, right? Lol!)

Unlike Bixby, she actually enjoys her showers and spreads her wings wide while whistling to me. Haha!

Anyhow, without further ado, here are some pics:

Hide-n-seek!

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Preening my thumb. She's a multi-tasker! Lol!

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[JerseyWendy]

Oh Stephen, that first photo is MAGNIFICENT!!!!!! I love them all...but the first one just gave me the chills.

WOW, Maya is so trusting by laying in your hand like that.

I'm confident she'll 'bond' with everyone really soon. IME it will be more like 'VERY' tolerant rather than actually 'bonding', if you know what I mean.

AWESOME update. I'm all smiles here.

 

[Allee]

Stephen, thank you for Lady Maya's happy update! Beautiful photos, Maya is very photogenic. She obviously has a strong bond with you to let you hold her on her back, and yes, that is HUGE! I think it's fascinating when parrots teach their flock mates the words and sounds they know. Bixby is probably calling Maya, 'teachers pet', when you aren't looking.

 

[Birdman666]

She is such a beautiful girl!

 

[labell]

She is lovely! Yes, laying in your hand is huge!

 

[Anansi]

Oh Stephen, that first photo is MAGNIFICENT!!!!!! I love them all...but the first one just gave me the chills.

WOW, Maya is so trusting by laying in your hand like that.

I'm confident she'll 'bond' with everyone really soon. IME it will be more like 'VERY' tolerant rather than actually 'bonding', if you know what I mean.

AWESOME update. I'm all smiles here.

Awww, thanks Wendy! You should've seen me trying to get that first pic! High comedy! If she notices me so much as glancing in her direction she'll immediately stop whatever she's doing and try to will me to her. (Because she STILL refuses to fly! So she just stares intently at me, reaching out with the power of her mind. Lol!) So I had to move slowly enough not to attract her attention, yet quickly enough to catch that pose! It looked like Matrix "bullet time" maneuvering... if you subtracted the cool factor and added a few heaping doses of ungainly and awkward. Hahaha!

But definitely worth it, though.

And I hope you're right about her at least becoming VERY tolerant of everyone else. I'd love for them to be able to share in the joy of holding her.

Stephen, thank you for Lady Maya's happy update! Beautiful photos, Maya is very photogenic. She obviously has a strong bond with you to let you hold her on her back, and yes, that is HUGE! I think it's fascinating when parrots teach their flock mates the words and sounds they know. Bixby is probably calling Maya, 'teachers pet', when you aren't looking.

Thank you, Allee! And you are very welcome! I love that she feels so comfortable with me. I never would have thought she would bond with me so quickly, but it was practically immediate. I feel pretty fortunate to have two bonded birds.

And yes, I don't doubt Bixby calls her a teacher's pet when I'm not looking. That's probably not all he calls her, either. Lol! I definitely have to work on their relationship with each other as well.

She is such a beautiful girl!

Thanks, Mark! And she works hard to keep that plumage looking good. Lol! She preens enough for herself and Bixby both!

She is lovely! Yes, laying in your hand is huge!

Thanks, Laura! And yes, I knew that would be a big step for an ekky. So I mentally prepared myself for a massive chomp when I first tried it, but she didn't even nip. Whew! Lucky me, eh?

I also have a video that I want to show you all, but I was having some trouble getting it posted. Bare with me and I'll give it another shot, later. Work beckons.

 

[RavensGryf]

Wow Stephen, Maya is a GORGEOUS bird! It's very obvious she loves you also . Hopefully she will eventually open up to other people as well. I think she will in time. I don't think Eclectus are the "pair bond" birds(?) and seems like I've read before they are known to cheat? Lol, don't tell young Bixby...

 

[Anansi]

Wow Stephen, Maya is a GORGEOUS bird! It's very obvious she loves you also . Hopefully she will eventually open up to other people as well. I think she will in time. I don't think Eclectus are the "pair bond" birds(?) and seems like I've read before they are known to cheat? Lol, don't tell young Bixby...

Thank you, Julie!!

And you're right. Eclectus aren't pair bond birds. In fact, the females are known to have a harem of men attending to her and courting her. (Definitely not my idea of the ideal society. Lol!) Real hippie lifestyle, with a matriarchal twist, going on over there.

As for Bixby, as frequently as they squabble I doubt he'd much care what she wanted to do. (Of course, when those hormones kick in full force 2 or 3 years from now, it might be a completely different story. Lol!)

 

[Anansi]

Eureka! Finally managed to post this video! Bixby may get all the shine when it comes to flying, but when it comes to effortless acrobatics Maya takes it hands down! This is far from the most spectacular maneuvering she's done, but it's the only video I've managed to capture of her thus far without her noticing me. I'll post video of some of her more jaw-dropping feats as soon as I manage to successfully sneak up on her. (If you're seeing this, Tab, I know your "Gumby Ninja" analogy is probably playing through your mind at the moment. So wrong! Lol!)

http://vid1375.photobucket.com/albums/ag450/smchayle/Mobile%20Uploads/Mayan%20Acrobatics_zpsw7reiq1s.mp4

Btw, thought I'd share the resolution to my video posting dilemma to save someone else from having to reinvent the wheel redundantly and repeatedly all over again. (Any Cheers/Frasier fans left out there? If so, you'll recognize the nod. Lol!)

This pertains to posting video from Photobucket. (Don't know yet if there is a difference when attempting to post video from YouTube, as I've never tried.) Basically, my problem was that I was trying to insert video into my post using the same method as when I'm posting images.

Turns out you have to use the "Direct Link" option on the Photobucket site instead of the "IMG" option optimized for forums and boards as you would for an image. And then you click on the "Insert Link" tab on the Forum's message reply bar rather than the "Insert Image" tab that you'd use for pics.

Of course, people post videos all the time. So maybe it was just me. But, you know, just in case I wasn't alone in my video posting woes.

 

[tab_xo]

Ahhh amazing Stephen! Look at Maya!!! She is so gorgeous and she trusts you so much already

Is it just me, or does it feel like you have had Maya for as long as Bixby.. You know? You, Bixby and Maya are a family, that I can't even imagine that Maya wasn't with you not long ago?


I just adore how Maya is teaching Bixby everything, and of course, saying hello in different tones is important!


That video is hilarious! She is just hanging there, absolutely no worries in the world ! HAHA
Does Bixby play like that at all?

 

[Anansi]

Ahhh amazing Stephen! Look at Maya!!! She is so gorgeous and she trusts you so much already

Is it just me, or does it feel like you have had Maya for as long as Bixby.. You know? You, Bixby and Maya are a family, that I can't even imagine that Maya wasn't with you not long ago?


I just adore how Maya is teaching Bixby everything, and of course, saying hello in different tones is important!


That video is hilarious! She is just hanging there, absolutely no worries in the world ! HAHA
Does Bixby play like that at all?

Thanks, Robin! She is such a sweetheart. One of the most jealous ladies I've ever had in my life, though. Lol! She is so not amused if I only have Bixby on my arm. [emoji57]

It's definitely not just you, mama. It's crazy how much love I have for that nutty bird already! Hard to believe it's only been 2 months! Can't imagine her not being a part of my family, anymore.

Her different tones of hello are apparently VERY important. Tab, it's hilarious when she looks at you and does all of those voices in a row! She sounds possessed! Hahaha!

Lol! The first time I saw Maya just hanging like that I swore she was stuck. I jumped up so fast to help her and learned then just how swiftly she can climb that thing! Hahaha!

No, Bixby doesn't play quite like that. He's far less confident in his climbing ability, whereas her foot-eye coordination is ridiculously precise. He does do more climbing and playing with toys since she came along. Hopefully their different strengths will continue to rub off on each other.

 

[Terry57]

That video is awesome, Stephen! I have to ask, how on earth do you keep your stand so clean and brand new looking?? Mine don't even look that clean before a bird has ever been on it yet..lol

 

[Anansi]

That video is awesome, Stephen! I have to ask, how on earth do you keep your stand so clean and brand new looking?? Mine don't even look that clean before a bird has ever been on it yet..lol

Thank you, Terr!

Lol! Bixby certainly makes keeping those stands clean a challenge! He almost seems to go out of his way to "bless" every perch within striking distance! Hahaha!

Maya, on the other hand, is quite careful about where she conducts her business. Lol!

 

[thekarens]

She's still stunning! Great progress!

 

[Allee]

WOW! I just saw Maya's new video! She's unbelievably beautiful, Stephen. She looks so happy and confident, like she's been a family member for years.

Hahaha! So Lady Maya is a little high maintenance? Hmmm, and the jealous type? Good girl, Ms. Maya!

Thanks for the lovely video and the great instructions, Doc. Keep the photos coming.

 

[Anansi]

She's still stunning! Great progress!

Thanks, Karen! Just hoping to make as much progress with her socialization and flight training. But baby steps, right?

WOW! I just saw Maya's new video! She's unbelievably beautiful, Stephen. She looks so happy and confident, like she's been a family member for years.

Hahaha! So Lady Maya is a little high maintenance? Hmmm, and the jealous type? Good girl, Ms. Maya!

Thanks for the lovely video and the great instructions, Doc. Keep the photos coming.

Thank you, Allee! It really does feel like she's been a part of the family for years.

Hahaha! Yes, definitely the jealous type. She is obviously highly offended whenever Bixby is on my hand if she isn't on the other one.

This isn't a big issue if she's on her tree stand, but if she's with anyone else she'll bite. First a hard nip, then going progressively harder. Definitely working to curb that behavior, but she's a tough nut to crack in that regard.

Good news is, it isn't an issue of active dislike. I've been told that she's much sweeter as long as I'm not around. Lol!

Glad you enjoyed the video, my friend. I'll try and capture more of her and Bixby's antics, soon.

 

[RavensGryf]

Wow, Maya could be a bird model! She's so beaitiful and perfect

 

[Anansi]

Thank you, Julie! I will, of course, refrain from telling her so it doesn't go to her head. Given how much she loves preening, she's likely a bit on the vain side. Lol!

Speaking of which, that's actually a source of quite a few of her squabbles with Bixby! You can tell that his patented "perpetually tousled look" literally drives her insane. Hahaha! So she tries to reach over and preen him every chance she gets. Bixby is less than amused by this. Hahaha! (I can hardly blame her, though. Sometimes even I want to tackle him and start preening away!)