Saw-whet Owl Banding! Tons of pics!

[Birdman666]

You hit the nail on head - they are cute, but, we would much rather have parrots for pets! Seabirds, on the other hand... don't know if you have worked with them, but, being so long-lived like parrots they have quite the personalities as well. I have raised baby gulls, terns, puffins, shearwaters from tiny chicks and they are so full of fun and love. If only they did better in captivity and weren't so specialized...

Never worked with any seabirds. I did have a neurotically overbonded Turkey Vulture, who came in badly injured, and survived, and became overly attached to the people who provided care... (i.e. Don't set me down - EVER!)

He had trouble perching due to mangled feet. So you used to tuck him under your arm like a football, and carry him around that way...

HE HAD A FACE ONLY A MOTHER COULD LOVE, but quite a sweet personality.

Haha - what a cutie! Was he eventually releasable back to the wild? I'm guessing no if he became so attached. Your description provides a pretty funny mental picture. I've worked with turkey vultures that have a ferocious stink because of their diet, hopefully his was a little better!

No. Badly broken wing, could never fly again. Broken feet, had trouble perching. Too attached to humans. He wouldn't last five minutes in the wild.

Frankly, they almost euthanized him when he came in, figuring he probably wouldn't survive. BUT he had this HUGE will to live. And he pulled through. And he never forgot the people who cared for him either...

WHEN A BIRD THAT UGLY PUTS IT'S HEAD DOWN SIDEWAYS ON YOUR SHOULDER... WELL... IT'S NOT EXACTLY THE SAME AS A MACAW... BUT YOU STILL MELT.

In captivity, if you bathe them frequently, the stink isn't an issue. That comes from diving face first into dead things...

FUNNY, BUT I WAS ONLY 12 YEARS OLD WHEN I WORKED WITH THAT BIRD... THAT WAS OVER 40 YEARS AGO NOW!!!

 

[Birdman666]

http://gcdailyworld.com/photos/13/19/93/1319931-L.jpg

Yeah, if you think MACAWS are intimidating large birds?!

Try working with one of these some time.

My mom had one... Bald Eagle. Got electrocuted. Handicapped. Lost one wing. Wild Bird. NOT TAME. Woke up in a strange place, without the ability to fly. Had to be taught to adapt to the human world AND the handicap! Grouchy/Frustrated because it had trouble balancing at times due to the amputated wing.

NOTHING AT ALL INTIMIDATING ABOUT WORKING WITH A BIRD LIKE THAT.

For the record, I could never get near that bird. My Mom was the only one who could. (They are also pair bond birds.) In the beginning she had to wear a padded suit in the enclosure. THAT BIRD WAS NOT HAPPY! Gradually the bird could be handled (by her) with just a glove. BUT IT WAS LOOKING DOWN ON YOU when perched on a hand... (That's NOT my Mom in the photo. Just something I pulled of the net to give the proper size prospective. THOSE are intimidating to work with!)

 

[Gillis]

http://gcdailyworld.com/photos/13/19/93/1319931-L.jpg

Yeah, if you think MACAWS are intimidating large birds?!

Try working with one of these some time.

My mom had one... Bald Eagle. Got electrocuted. Handicapped. Lost one wing. Wild Bird. NOT TAME. Woke up in a strange place, without the ability to fly. Had to be taught to adapt to the human world AND the handicap! Grouchy/Frustrated because it had trouble balancing at times due to the amputated wing.

NOTHING AT ALL INTIMIDATING ABOUT WORKING WITH A BIRD LIKE THAT.

For the record, I could never get near that bird. My Mom was the only one who could. (They are also pair bond birds.) In the beginning she had to wear a padded suit in the enclosure. THAT BIRD WAS NOT HAPPY! Gradually the bird could be handled (by her) with just a glove. BUT IT WAS LOOKING DOWN ON YOU when perched on a hand... (That's NOT my Mom in the photo. Just something I pulled of the net to give the proper size prospective. THOSE are intimidating to work with!)

Haha, yeah they're freaking HUGE!! How cool that your mom got to work with one - that's super special. If not a little scary. I have always been fascinated by the Mongolians who hunt with their eagles and pair bond with them out of the wild at an extremely young age. Giving an eagle to a tiny, young girl? And she doesn't get mauled (usually)? And they "grow up" together and at the end of the Eagle's life/usefulness, they leave it on a hill with a giant kill and release it back to the wild. Sniff.

Though I have never personally held a Bald Eagle, I did have the privilege of demonstrating an African Hawk Eagle on the glove to a local bird club last fall. What an extremely gorgeous bird....