Dear Parrots magazine,
No metal please
I bought a pair of African Greys just over a year ago and was told they were a male and female which I think was right as they appeared to want to nest. As a result, I bought a nest box from a chap that makes them not far away from me, but the box had protective metal trim around the nest hole. This did strike me as a bit odd when I first saw the box, as I think birds like to chew their way in. But to confirm my suspicions they seemed very agitated about this metal around the entrance hole, so much so that I removed it and replaced it with some odd softwood strips I had, which I fixed across the hole that left a bit of a gap. I was so pleased to see that they chewed away at this timber and finally entered the nest box, which is what I thought they would do in the wild. They do seem a lot happier now although haven’t produced any eggs yet, so I am waiting with great anticipation.
Read more: Letters: No metal trims please
Dear Parrots magazine,
Happy days
I was delighted to read in previous issues that the RSPCA had decided to contribute to Parrots magazine, and hope this continues. I am also aware that the RSPCA does come under criticism from time to time, but I suppose that is par for the course in the work that they do. However, I happen to be a great supporter and not only pleased to see the birds they include in their page, but also the wonderful story about Tulio, Tim and Polly. What a fantastic result this was as through this magazine, that little bird has now found what appears to be a loving ‘forever’ home.
Read more: Letters: Happy days
Dear Parrots magazine,
Captive bred releases
I do thank Rosemary Low for her 'Letters' input into my article about Tiara bird and her Amazon instincts for survival. When I mentioned in one sentence that captive bred parrots have been successfully released, I was internally thinking about several. The Kakapo comes to mind, though I perhaps was amiss in writing 'Asia" when I should have said Australasia.
Also the wonderful release project for the Echo Parakeet on Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, although Mauritius could arguably be considered either a part of the African continent geographically or part of Asia as it lies at the intersection of the two continental plates.
Read more: Letters: Captive bred releases
Dear Parrots magazine,
Releases of captive-bred endangered parrots
I was very interested in EB Cravens’ claim in the August issue that ‘captive breeding and release of a wealth of endangered parrots in international conservation programmes from Asia to Africa and the Caribbean’ proves that captive-bred parrots can survive in the wild.
Read more: Letters: Releases of captive-bred endangered parrots
Dear Parrots magazine,
A brief encounter
After reading Eb Cravens’ account of the bird he lost and got back again after two months, I was totally fascinated to read how this bird had changed in that time and how it was able to adapt to an outside life in the wild.
Read more: Letters: A brief encounter
Dear Parrots magazine,
Good care and fun
When I went to the Think Parrots Show last year (2017), I didn’t take my Macaw, but was quite impressed with the number of birds that were here this year which were clearly well looked after. I have heard of some criticism about bringing birds to busy events where there are a lot of people and activity, but I have to say that all the birds I came across looked absolutely fine and were clearly enjoying themselves.
Read more: Letters: Good care and fun
