Today's the day-long story

[Mozzie]

Congrats on your absolutely beautiful baby!!!!!

 

[thekarens]

I think it is a turkey vulture. His face had not started to turn red yet in those photos when he was younger but it did before he left. It was most definitely turning red before he left months later in the fall. The babies of both species all have black beaks/heads until they get older. Everyone here that saw him said he was a turkey vulture-we never see black vultures in our area.

That makes sense. I didn't take into account that he's a juvie, which like you said don't start out red. Black vultures are eastern state species. I didn't check to see where you live. I forget that just because they are common here, they aren't everywhere.

 

[denaz101]

What a beautiful bird, thanks for sharing the pix!!

 

[JerseyWendy]

Ok, that black vulture is precious! I know a lot of people don't like them, but I love them!

P.S. Mark, yours was a turkey vulture. This one is a black vulture.

I love them, too, Karen! They are nature's 'clean up' crew. I never forget the first time I saw one (we don't have those where I grew up in Germany). My eyes got bigger than marbles, LOL.

 

[Minimaker]

A few more photos:

These are so blurry, I need to stop being lazy and get my real camera out instead of using my phone.

My green cheek has still been freaking out over her, his cage is in the same room which is really the only place I have for it. My husband got me a nicer cage for Tazzy for Valentine's Day (Am I the only one who asks for bird stuff for special occasions?) and he's got a nice play top on it. He gets up there and all he can do is hop and scream at Sailor the whole time. I distracted him with a piece of apple for a few minutes, but that was all. I literally had to take him off and put him back in his cage to calm him down. He was ok on me for awhile, but he's still highly agitated by her presence no matter what I do. If I had any other place for his cage I'd move it, but it's a pretty big cage and there isn't enough room anywhere else. I think it was for a medium size bird instead, I misjudged how big it would be online. We just put him in there yesterday and he's ok inside. But whenever he's outside of it it seems like he can't stop being afraid of Sailor. I feel bad but I don't know how to help him I don't want to leave him inside forever either.

This is him for the five minutes he was ok up there with his apple. After that it was back to hopping and screaming:

 

[thekarens]

She really is gorgeous!

 

[RavensGryf]

Sailor is just gorgeous. I like Tazzy's nice new place with the deluxe playtop! I think he'll eventually adjust, it's all so new for him right now.

 

[Minimaker]

She's so dry and has poopy tail feathers. I can't wait to be able to take her in to shower. Do you think a vaporizer set above the cage would help for now? She's literally digging dry skin off in flakes. I tried giving her a light spray of warm water with a spray bottle and she most definitely didn't like that. She acted like I tried to shoot her, poor thing. I won't try that again, but she's suffering from itchy dry skin for sure.

 

[LadiDy]

Hi
Don't know if this is proper, but I need you to join my group: Calling All Macaws.
Saw your lovely new baby, and wanted you to participate in this new group I'm trying to start.
I've only been on the forums for 7 days and didn't find a social group dedicated to all macaws, so I started one. Please post pics and information about your wonderful encloser. Thanks

 

[thekarens]

Hi
Don't know if this is proper, but I need you to join my group: Calling All Macaws.
Saw your lovely new baby, and wanted you to participate in this new group I'm trying to start.
I've only been on the forums for 7 days and didn't find a social group dedicated to all macaws, so I started one. Please post pics and information about your wonderful encloser. Thanks

There's actually been one for years:

http://www.macawboard.com/forum/forum.php

And there's the macaw lovers Facebook page

 

[maui]

I love that blue pvc ball. What is it made out of?

 

[Minimaker]

Hi
Don't know if this is proper, but I need you to join my group: Calling All Macaws.
Saw your lovely new baby, and wanted you to participate in this new group I'm trying to start.
I've only been on the forums for 7 days and didn't find a social group dedicated to all macaws, so I started one. Please post pics and information about your wonderful encloser. Thanks

Hello Di, thanks for the invite but I don't facebook much. Never really got into that. Sorry, I'm sure you'll find people who are happy to join there though.

 

[Minimaker]

I love that blue pvc ball. What is it made out of?

I picked that up from a seller on etsy, available here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/180162...-extra-lg-birds-mccaws?ref=shop_home_active_7

and I think they have a smaller version as well for smaller birds. Someone else said it would be easy enough to go buy the parts at a home improvement store but this was all packaged up and precut. With everything going on here it was easier for me to buy it ready made instead of go looking for them. Matter of fact our local store has hardly any stainless steel parts whatsoever so when I recently looked for parts for another bird project I was out of luck. I'll have to order stainless steel online from here on out.

This has turned out to be her favorite thing in the enclosure. She won't get off of it hardly at all.

 

[Birdman666]

I think it is a turkey vulture. His face had not started to turn red yet in those photos when he was younger but it did before he left. It was most definitely turning red before he left months later in the fall. The babies of both species all have black beaks/heads until they get older. Everyone here that saw him said he was a turkey vulture-we never see black vultures in our area.

They get their red faces after around two years... juveniles have darker faces.

And who'd have thought a vulture could be sweet like that?! Thank you for sharing this. I loved it!

 

[Birdman666]

Ok, that black vulture is precious! I know a lot of people don't like them, but I love them!

P.S. Mark, yours was a turkey vulture. This one is a black vulture.

I love them, too, Karen! They are nature's 'clean up' crew. I never forget the first time I saw one (we don't have those where I grew up in Germany). My eyes got bigger than marbles, LOL.

The one I worked with was already an adult, and he was nursed back to health at the Lindsay, and then couldn't be released because he became psychotically attached to the people who saved him. He wouldn't go back to the wild. He wanted to stay... followed "his" people around like they were mother. (Which is why you didn't want to be too friendly with wildlife rehabs. They couldn't lose their fear of humans, and still be safely released back into the wild. They had to retain their wild nature.)

And I remember times when I would clean cages with one arm, and that bird tucked under my other arm like a football... cuz he was a velcro bird, before I understood there even was such a thing as a velcro bird. King Richard, the Velcro Vulture.

I was actually pleasantly surprised to find out that he is still alive and kicking. He was a full adult when I worked with him back in the 70's. Which means that bird is at least 40 years old!!!

 

[RavensGryf]

And I remember times when I would clean cages with one arm, and that bird tucked under my other arm like a football... cuz he was a velcro bird, before I understood there even was such a thing as a velcro bird. King Richard, the Velcro Vulture.

ROTFL !! Velcro Vulture!! I love it! Who knew there was such a thing...

 

[Birdman666]

And I remember times when I would clean cages with one arm, and that bird tucked under my other arm like a football... cuz he was a velcro bird, before I understood there even was such a thing as a velcro bird. King Richard, the Velcro Vulture.

ROTFL !! Velcro Vulture!! I love it! Who knew there was such a thing...

I am not kidding you, that bird used to lay his head down sideways on my shoulder the same way a macaw does...

Which brings us back to: How is the new greenwing settling in?

 

[Birdman666]

This has turned out to be her favorite thing in the enclosure. She won't get off of it hardly at all.

It's a funny thing about atoms. They either love them and live on them, or they are absolutely terrified of them, and won't go near them or stay on them. No in-betweens.

None of mine will go anywhere near them. BUT it was a perch that a lot of parrots fought over down at the rescue... IT'S MINE! GET OFF!!!

 

[Birdman666]

SShe's literally digging dry skin off in flakes. I tried giving her a light spray of warm water with a spray bottle and she most definitely didn't like that. She acted like I tried to shoot her, poor thing. I won't try that again, but she's suffering from itchy dry skin for sure.

Is it dry skin, or just pinnie dander? Young macaws seem to always have a million pin feathers.

 

[Birdman666]

There's some refresher stuff in this post:

http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/50164-macaw-bonding-suggestions-2.html