New Blue and Gold

[Scott]

When I thought they were back, I thought it may be my browser cache so I cleared it. After clearing it, they are gone. Viewing the page on other computers (Windows, Apple, Linux) that have never visited ParrotForums shows that the pictures are missing. I am guessing that if you clear your cache you will most likely find them missing also. Sorry I did not think of the browser cache issue earlier which led me to believe they were ok.

Thanks
Kelly and Karl

I do not see images with posts 1, 6, and seven, but all from post 10 to present are excellent!

 

[WakaWaka]

Scott,

Thank you for confirming that. I can just re-post the photos later in the thread. Its just odd that they were fixed, then disappeared. (It's the Engineer in me that wants to know what happened ) LOL

Thanks
Kelly and Karl

 

[WakaWaka]

Hello,

Here are a few pics from our first visit to see our new Blue and Gold. He was hatched 5/10/17. We had a great time and it was good to spend some bonding time with our new family member. We are having him sexed and hope to find out sometime next week if we have a boy or girl so we can pick a name.

Thanks, Kelly and Karl

Re-posting the pics since the others went into cyberspace somewhere

Thanks
Kelly and Karl

 

[WakaWaka]

Hmmm, that's where all the beak marks came from on the video controller

Here are a few pics from our visit on 6/15/17. He/she is growing nicely, more plumage, very happy, more active this visit. We do not know the sex yet but expect results in a week or two.

Thanks
Kelly and Karl

Re-posting the pics since the others went into cyberspace somewhere

Thanks
Kelly and Karl

 

[WakaWaka]

We had a fantastic visit with our new baby today (7/23/17). Wow is he/she growing !!!
Really active, lots of wing flapping and exercise. A lot more feathers. Loving all the attention and scratching under the wings. 10 weeks old. We were amazed.
Still no results on the DNA test. We've been tossing around a few names but really want to wait till we know the sex.

We hope you enjoy the update and a few pics.

Thanks
Kelly and Karl

Re-posting the pics since the others went into cyberspace somewhere

Thanks
Kelly and Karl

 

[WakaWaka]

So we went to see our girl on 8/6/2017 and had a few pleasant surprises.
1. She graduated from the nursery to the big bird room where she is sharing a cage with her sister and an older B&G who is there to show them the ropes, (perching, climbing the cage, eating, etc.)
2. She started eating softened pellets and likes grapes.
3. She was presented to us with out her baby basket and she is very anxious to explore !
4. This week she will be moved to her own cage but still next to her sister and mentor.
5. They are estimating another 2 weeks before she can come home with us.

We had her out for about 2.5 hours, lots of wing exercise, looking out the window, under wing and head scratches, kisses, and mutual preening. It was absolutely great. After 2.5 hours she actually took a nap in Kellys arms and mine too.

Still no name yet. We have narrowed it down but then added a few more to the list today. This is really tough, but we'll get there.

A few pics from our visit and we hope you enjoy the updates.

Taking her first treats from us

Wow Kelly has soft feathers

She took a nap in Kelly's arms

Thanks
Kelly and Karl

 

[Anansi]

Absolutely LOVING these updates! She's growing so swiftly! And she's already a mush mac. Beautiful.

 

[WakaWaka]

We saw our girl again today. Wow she is growing fast and was really wound up this morning ! She was in high gear

We are very pleased with her progress. She is still in a single cage with her sister and mentor B&G. I think she fell a little behind on moving away from formula and the may have to keep her a little longer to ensure she is ready. Than is fine with us and we understand that this process has no definite schedule. We just want to be sure she is ready when we bring her home.

Anyway, we had a very very enjoyable visit with her today and she is showing strong signs of bonding with both of us. It's getting harder to leave because we know it will be another week before we get to see her again.

Since we are starting to see more of her character, we hope it will be easier to zero in on a name. We just want to make sure her name has a solid meaning, fits her well, and is something that she is proud to carry with her.


A few more pics for your viewing pleasure..... enjoy

Kelly and Karl

Hey.... Hey..... Is that thing turned on.... good, cause I want to show you something.

Wheeeeeee, look at me. This is fun !!

Just wondering what I would look like as a brunette.

Man, she knows just where to scratch just right. LOL, I got them trained already

 

[Sandy19]

In case anyone was curious about the username "WakaWaka", PJ our Severe used to say that.
We have no idea where he got it from, he just started with it one day.

He picked it up from Fozzie Bear. Birds are very closely related to muppets if you didn't know. Where do you think Beaker and Gonzo came from?

 

[Anansi]

Amazing update! And they're allowing her to fledge? Sweet! Just look at that gorgeous wingspan!

If they aren't already, you should ask if they can work on harness training her. They're easiest to harness train when they're young, and it will be a VERY worthwhile investment of time.

 

[WakaWaka]

Amazing update! And they're allowing her to fledge? Sweet! Just look at that gorgeous wingspan!

If they aren't already, you should ask if they can work on harness training her. They're easiest to harness train when they're young, and it will be a VERY worthwhile investment of time.

Thank you for the compliments. We very much appreciate the feedback and hope everyone enjoys the updates.

They prefer her to learn full flight indoors before coming home. They also recommend clipping the wings after they know how to fly and before they come home.
As long as the wing clip is not a "chop job" we would not have any problem with that and also plan on working with a harness to get her used to it so we can take her outside later.

We truly admire the beauty of fully feathered wings, the fact that it is completely natural, and also provides stability to the bird. I know others have different opinions about wing clipping and we respect that, but this seems to best route for us her and us. Since she will have experienced full flight, we have the option to allow full growth at a later date and we expect her to remember how to gain lift after a molt or two.

Please do not slam us for our opt to go with flight training and then a light clipping. We are mainly concerned that she is able to land softly if she does take off and not gain altitude for now. We will also work on the harness so she is used to it later on.

Thanks
Kelly and Karl

 

[WakaWaka]

Kelly and I are proud to announce that we have a name for our baby girl.
Arika

Here she is at almost 14 weeks old !

Arika is a name from the Waka Waka people of south-east Queensland, meaning “blue water lily”. There are several species of blue water lily native to Queensland, and they are used as bush food, for all parts of the plant are edible. In Aboriginal mythology, water lilies are a gift from the Rainbow Serpent, and sometimes in Indigenous astronomy, small stars were seen as water lily bulbs.

The blue and gold of the water flower matches her beautiful colors. The association with the Waka Waka people ties back to what PJ, our Severe Macaw used to say..... "WakaWaka". What a goof . PJ was with us for 29 years and crossed the rainbow bridge on 5/11/2017. He will always be in our hearts and never forgotten.

Arika was hatched on 5/10/2017, a day before PJ left us. This union was meant to be.

Akira,
Kelly and I have given a lot of thought to your name and hope you are as happy with it as we are. We promise to give you the best love and care possible. We will always love you, spoil you rotten, teach you well, and hold you close to our hearts. We look forward to bringing you home in a few weeks.

Kelly and Karl

 

[Jen5200]

She's so beautiful - and she's grown up so much! Her name suits her perfectly.

 

[itzjbean]

Welcome, sweet Arika!!! Love the pics and all the updates, this is so exciting!!! She has grown up beautifully. What a doll.

Love macaw babies! It's so great you've been able to build a bond with her from the beginning. Precious.

 

[WakaWaka]

Hello again !
We just want to say a very warm Thank You for all the nice compliments. It is a pleasure sharing our updates with everyone.
Kelly and I visited our baby girl Arika today and we have a few pics to share.

This coming Wednesday, she will be 15 weeks old !!!
Her feathers look fantastic, she looks about the same size as last week but her flying lessons have given her the ability and courage to take off. She caught us off guard twice today and took off around the store. Fortunately she was retrieved and no harm done.

She is moving to her own cage today but will be right next to her sister and mentor B&Gs to minimize any separation anxiety. They are taking excellent care of her during her first months on this earth and we could not ask for more.

Our visits every weekend are showing a very positive effect and a definite bond that grows stronger every week. We are being patient and want to ensure that she is ready to come home with us. Its just hard to leave such a cute baby knowing that it will be another week before we see her again.

Anyway, a few pics of Arika.

So they get me out of the cage again so I can see my new Mom and Dad today.

We played, got lots of love and had a good time

Kelly finds the right spot, Arika is even blushing

Bottom line, a very exciting day !

Its still a lot of work entertaining Mom and Dad. Time for a quick nap


Since May 11th of this year, our "triangle" has been broken with the loss of PJ. While nothing can replace him, this little girl is helping us reconnect that "triangle". She has already stolen our hearts, reconnected the triangle and become a member of our family.

Thank you Arika, for making our lives whole again. We look forward to bringing you home.

Kelly and Karl