Hope you guys out there had a wonderful Easter.  Sorry we missed you, but holy smokes been busy here!  Yep, it's me the silver beauty again here.  Only the other one this time.  Really can't tell us apart, cepting for personality that is.  Me, I'm really out going, lots of get up and go.  My sibling there is always trying to get in and help JO feed the babies in the brooder!  Or as you can see below, travelling around the outside of the brooder and admiring herself!  Too bad she would not stop scoffing more grub from Jo and clean her face up!  We really are kinda spoiled as we are, believe it or not, the only two lovebirds babies JO has in here now, so every time she comes in the Babies room we get to come out and be with her while she feeds. 

Funny how mutations work.  Last clutch Tula and Grady had all greens and olives.  This clutch they only have two greens I think JO told me out of six babies.  Rest are cobalts.  They did have seven out of seven hatch again, but one little fellow Tula for some reason figured she would not feed.  Hard as Jo tried she kept pushing that baby out.  Jo figures that was her way of saying there was somthing wrong with that baby and it was better off with the angels.  Might only be two of us lovebird babies here, but I think there are 14 of those linnie babies!  They are all really feathering in now and just going concerns!  Jo had a couple folks come visit with their babies over Easter.  One pair of folks called back to say they had a name all picked out and it's gonna be a DJ.  So cure.  Then a couple folks came and picked their babies up.  The two playing kissie face on Jo's laptop, they self this weekend.  As you can see, one is on his way out the door and poking his head thru his new Mom's hair, to say Good Bye! 

Soloman and Sophie, well gosh Jo is having more fun laughing at them lately.  They are so full of spring air, they just never stop.  Sophie out there tonight coming down the inside corner of her door (on the outside) literally trying to turn herself inside out!  Just too funny.  This is a lady that 6 months ago was so shy and quiet that now is just as outgoing as her hubbie!  She still has not mastered Soloman's jump yet though.  Soloman gives a look, judges his distance and makes a jump for the shoulder.  Sophie, she's still a lady and expects to be helped to the shoulder.  Bear in mind, your birds (especially your bigger birds) should only be on your shoulder if you have complete trust in them.  If they wanted to take a chomp out of you,  from a fright or scare, it's gonna hurt you, big time and your not going to have a lot of warning sometimes.  Luckily this has never happened with Sophie or Soloman, but that does not mean it could never happen.   Eat, I gotta tell you, don't know if its spring, the fact they are molting their first real good molt, or what, but they sure can't get enough to eat!  They are just starting to take on their blue bellies and man oh man, are they beautiful.  Another couple months and they should be well on their way to their adult plumage.  Soloman just wants to continually feed, make no matter if it's JO or Sophie, he just wants to share his food! 

Bonita and Peppe on the other hand, may be just the most beautiful birds, but man are they testing Jo.  She had made them everything under the sun for fresh food.  3 new dishes of grub each day and no way, no how, those two are eating anything except their beloved apples.  Jo is a great believer of patience and knows (or hopes) in the end she will win!  Soloman and Sophie were the same way when they came here, would eat next to nothing for fresh foods.  Now they can't get enough.  Hopefully these two will be the same way.  Pine nuts, they sure will gobble those down, and they eat their pellets and their seed mix, but Jo wants them so bad to eat all their other foods.  Hopefully they will have company this week, as Jo has decided to bring the other pair to our aviary as well.  You see when she bought this pair, the chap had two pairs for sale.  Jo is hoping they will stimulate each other as right now, they have the whole breeding hut to themselves.  There they go again eating their apple.  I think we told you, we have a camera on them, connected to our TV inside, so Jo can watch their every move.  Right now they are in their big fresh food dish, picking out all the apple.  Oh well, Jo is no fool, she makes sure all their supplements are on the apple pieces! 

For now folks, we have to run.  Jo has lots and lots of Healthy Bird product orders to get out in the mail.  Did you notice by the way, this would be the month to get your sandy perches.   Jo has them on special!  Visit www.healthybird.net and check them out.  Every day she gets new customers for Healthy Bird products.  She had a lady come on the weekend who has a rose crowned conure, which the poor baby (well it's a year old!) but has a bacterial infection.  Saturday she came and got product and Monday she calls Jo saying she simply cannot believe the vast improvement in her bird in just two days!  Says you have to see the bird to believe it!  Jo knows, as she has used these products and supplements for a long time and has also heard this this said to her from many, many a folks.  How much healthier and happier folks birds are after using Bird Care products. 

Just when you thought we'd never be back!  Ha, fooled you didn't we.

See me, the little green linnie, wings outstretched.  Jo thinks I'm practising to fly off to my new home!  Tells me it's a little too early yet.  Imagine.

Finally those two beautiful silver lovebirds are gone.  Those two braggers,  everytime Jo was in here, they would  be on the inside of her sweatshirt and we'd have to play on the outside.  Then the braggers, would come peeking their heads out the top, and chrip to us.  Us we'd much prefer to be on the shoulder anyways, preening Jo's hair or bunting her face.  Me, well she laughs her head off at me.  I go bunting all over her face,  as fast as I can.  Twice now I got going so fast, I almost got my head up her nose she says!!  That would be a laugh.   Spunk, yep that's me.  Hopefully Jo  says I will keep this same funny personality when I mature and wean. 

Then you got the cobalt sharing my pad with me, who got running so fast for supper tonight he knocked into the food dish, over it topples, all over the floor and drawbridge.  He just  continues running on thru it.  What a mess he was!    Course it worked as he got fed, before he got cleaned up!  Humm, must try that.

Then ya got the olive linnie, supper all over his chest, looking up, begging for more! 

The slate linnie up there.  I don't know yet what his name will be, but I can tell you he is going to live with Sky and Skylar.  Then I think there's also a girl there named Tookie.  Well little miss Tookie got her eyes on Skylar.  (Who bear in mind is supposed to be a boyfriend of Sky).  Not any more!  Love at first sigh and hard as they   tried Tookie wanted to be with Skylar and Skylar wanted to be with her.  So the little slate fellows  gets Sky as a girlfriend I am told!!  Course all of them (and him) get to remain as handtame pets and are out 1/2 the days so they tell me. 

Good golly, I don't think I told you the other big news.  Bonita and Peppe have company.  Yep, JO felt they really were not happy and were so quiet, she called and bought their pals.   And there there were Four.  I am most pleased to announce  Belladonna and Giuseppe have joined our Aviary.  Bonita and Peppe think they have died and gone to parrot heaven.  The difference in them is like day and night.  They truly missed their friends and old roomies! 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MOMS

Between playing with our baby linnies, taking care of our big guys, doing spring yard work, Healthy Bird, a daughter getting married in two weeks, we are just going full tilt here folks and sorry, no time right now to set up a nice new Mother's Day Month page. 

So as we sit here and give you a bit of an update, with three baby linnies, on my shoulder,  sitting gazing out the window behind me, let's see what news we have for you.  Can tell you the three linnies on her shoulder now are just giving her the hardest time.  They love being with her, spend the better part of the days with her, as she has four that are giving a hard time with their step ups.  Should we say they will do their step ups anywhere except from the drawbridge of their homes.  Usually we have to break them of their nibbling habits as Jo calls it, but nope, none of these turks are even developing that stage, just have a few this time not wanting to do their step ups.  Now as Jo is typing here, one of the little blue guys has just walked on down the arm and is trying to help type.  Now the fun begins here.  Just pooped on the keyboard!  In case your wondering Linda, this is your little fellow that I'm talking about just now!!   God, now he's over on the adding machine....... back up on the shoulder he goes.  Down he comes again.  Yesterday was a close call.  Jo has a spike for messages on her desk.  She had put it on the floor behind her as had lots of paperwork out.  Well the little olive linnies decides to take a fly to the floor.  Last place Jo wanted him, was to crawl in behind Lou's desk, so she immediately drops to the floor to get him.  You guessed it, right onto the spike.  Could have been real bad, but she just poked in a bit into her cheek, just enough to hurt real bad!   Now he's just flown over to Lou's keyboard!  Back again!!  We only give them little  clippings of the wings, as like to be able to let them glide to the floor when they decide to go for a spin, with real short clips, they end up going thump to the floor and that's gotta hurt!  Now he's having a chatter session, yes he is already saying Step Up.  Olive and blue linnies on the other shoulder are being real quiet right now. 

One lovebird baby, that's it's one lone lovebird baby is all we are going to have after next weekend.  Pretty hard to believe huh.  Really that baby is not supposed to be with us either as Jo thought she had gave the Mom all dudes, but guess Flo was smarter than Jo!  She hatched this little fart right on the floor in the Resting Room and Jo just pulled yesterday for handfeeding.  She already has a home to go to when she grows up and you can just bet ya she will be pretty spoiled.   Jo has been delaying putting anyone to nest due to the upcoming wedding and also wants to have good quality time in the event Bonita/Peppe and Giuseppe and Belladonna have some wee ones.  They are both working the nestboxes now and Jo is getting pretty excited. 

And that folks is the note we received with the wonderful pictures at the top of this Journal yesterday.  Both guys (we think!), so I guess that means they get trucks to play with.  Just tooooooo cute!!  Both these guys made a trip to their new home in Toronto this past week and by the looks of things, they are going to be well taken care of and loved!  Jo chuckled over the responding to "Babies"  as that is what she is always calling them.  First time she actually has someone say they respond to the name though! 

Don't know what the heck we are going to report next month. All the linnie babies will be gone this week, one little lovebird baby up in the Babies room, who you can just guarantee is gonna be spoiled rotten and only one pair of linnies nesting!  Imagine that, first time in a long long time Jo's gonna have a month of no babies.  Really she planned it this way as next week she has to be away from home a lot, so did not want a lot of babies needing attention.  There are one pair of linnies laying eggs now and I'm sure next week she'll put some lovebirds to nest.  Not as if they are not ready, willing and able!    

When I brought Bandit home (Thursday), I put him in his cage so he can get familiar with it.  After a few hours, I went to pick him up.  I was surprised to see he didn't like to be touched so I just let him go on my shoulder.  He took several flights that evening.  He scared the heck out of me.  I thought he would hurt himself so I put him back into his cage.  He found his way to the hut that you made and stayed there till morning.  John thought he was scared to come out because the hut is so high at the top of the cage. All Bandit did was sleep.  He must of been very tired.  The second day (Friday) Bandit was much better.  Actually, we both felt more comfortable with each other.  He still didn't like to be touched but was doing much better with his step up.  I held him and talked to him then I let him on my shoulder in the computer room.  This is when he was nipping at my neck.  I told him several times NO BITE and AHAHAH.  He was not listening very well so I put him in his cage for the night.  Well, the third day (Sunday) I asked Bandit in the morning to step up and held him for a while.  He was much more comfortable in my hands.  I lifted one hand, he stepped up on my finger and let me pet him.  He is so different today.  I think he knows that this is home.  He didn't even try to fly away from me, he just let me pet him. Jo, Bandit is my little man and he is not going anywheres.  I think that I will go over to Terri's and have just a little more clipped from his wings.  He is flying to high, I am scared that he is going to hurt himself.  By the third day Bandit is very good being with me and listening much better.  I just love him so much.  What a difference between the size of Zoey and Bandit.  I only let one of them out at a time.  If there is anything else please let me know.  Jo, you raise such beautiful Linnie's and hopefully someday I will purchase another (thats if I can get my husband to agree LOL). Thanks a bunch for being Bandits mommy for two months.  You are so wonderful with these little guys.

vicky