My birds - circa 1990's

[RavensGryf]

When my Red Bellied parrot Robin was a young bird, I was still pretty much a bird newbie. It took longer to learn back then (remember no internet or forums). When I wanted to get a couple more birds, I honestly had no clue what species made a better tame pet, and which species would be happier in an aviary type setting. I knew I wanted something more 'unusual'. I eagerly looked in books and magazines...

About that time I went to a bird mart (I won't go to those anymore, and I have posted why, but that is a different topic). Anyway, the fairs out here are huge, and here in California there is a wide selection of rare or uncommon species of birds. Wow... Something stopped me in my tracks! It was small (slightly smaller than a cockatiel) bright turquoise with a black head, gray back with a gold patch on the wings, and a tangerine vent area that looked exquisite with the turquoise! I HAD TO know what this bird was, and HAD TO get my hands on one (never mind that they don't make the best pets). I found the owner and he told me it was a Hooded Parakeet. An Australian grass keet related to the Red Rump.

I wasn't in a position to buy a bird then, but I went home obsessed with finding a breeder of Hooded Parakeets. I was in luck! Although it's a rare bird, would you believe it, there was a breeder about a 2 hour drive from me. I was so excited to know that he had babies, and that although they're really "aviary birds" he said he'd hand feed one for me. I was at his doorstep in no time lol.

He had lots of aviaries and gorgeous birds. Many Australians - rosellas and grass parakeet species. Here was one of his male breeder Hooded Parakeets. An excellent example!


Getting a bath, notice the dark orange vent feathers



So here is my little Adrian . You can see he is is not fully in adult colors yet. (He's sitting with a juvenile Plum Headed parakeet who was wild and went to become a breeder).

Even though Adrian was hand fed, he was not what you'd call tame. I could get near him, but he didn't like touching. He was fully flighted, and I don't remember how in the world I ever got him back into his cage!



Adrian unfortunately never made it to his full adult colors before passing away. I found him on the bottom of the cage one day, weak and near death. I rushed him to the vet, but he died when I got to the vet's office. I didn't get a necropsy, but I remember the avian vet saying it might have had to do with how he was hand fed or weaned improperly. I'm not sure about that. I'll never know.

If I am ever able to have an aviary, I will have to try and find these beauties again .

 

[Anansi]

That hooded 'keet is gorgeous! He looks enormous in that first pic, though! Too bad you'll never find out what happened with Adrian, but I agree that it likely had nothing to do with weaning.

 

[Scott]

You've had a long and rich history with birds, Julie. Unlike many of us, you did a great job preserving their memories with pictures. I'm sure they are difficult for you to view, but as time rolls on they probably bring more smiles than tears.

I regret not having more pictures from the early years, though I clearly remember every bird save for a small aviary of my Mom's Kakarikis.

The big takeaway is.... take lots of photos and videos! So easy today in the era of smartphones and prolific storage options.

 

[Allee]

Wow Julie! You had some real beauties! Terry was such a pretty cockatiel and he must have been a sweetheart. Thanks for inviting us to come along on your trip down memory lane. I'm so glad you kept photos. You must have been so relieved to find out your finches lived to old age. The hooded parakeet was a stunner, for some reason when I first glanced at the photo I thought the bird was roughly the size of a macaw. Really pretty birds, all of them.

 

[RavensGryf]

It was bittersweet looking at all these pics in the thread for the first time in a while. I wish I at least had feathers from Adrian. I have Terry the cockatiel's feathers somewhere, and I think I still even have some breast feathers of Adam my first Gouldian put away somewhere. I only have a few pics of Adrian. I'm at least as sad if not even more so for the birds that I made a hard decision to rehome whoare still alive today.

 

[JerseyWendy]

WOW, Julie! Thank you so much for going down memory lane with us all! You had some MAGNIFICENT birds!!! (Still do!!)

Looking at your gorgeous Terry opened the flood gates for me. I had a Lutino female cockatiel (Sparky), whom I think of often....and miss more than I'm willing to admit.

 

[labell]

Wow Julie just seeing this, what beautiful birds. I can't get over all the colors on some of them. I was never around finches much and had no clue that there were so many lovely shades.