BirdsEyeView: Aviculture Appreciation Day and Our New ConSAv Page

A big thank you to each reader, follower and supporter, for their suggestions and support over time! And a special thanks to my mentor through American Federation of Aviculture (AFA), Lewis "Buddy" Waskey IV, Vice president, Legislative. Buddy serves on BirbObserver's Advisory Council and to date has batted 1.000 with recommendations which, when followed, have … Continue reading BirdsEyeView: Aviculture Appreciation Day and Our New ConSAv Page

BirdsEyeView: THE Aviculturist– Tony Silva

Tony Silva -- winner of BirbObserver's 1st Annual Birbie for Best Aviculturist-- earned his wings in exotics field research and zoo management (Silva is a former Loro Parque Curator) as well as in aviculture. Author of the ever-informative Psittaculture (now available in its second, updated edition!), Silva exudes a focused energy, keen attention and calm competence. … Continue reading BirdsEyeView: THE Aviculturist– Tony Silva

HatchLine: Parrot Festival Showcases Four Endangered Yet Resilient Bird Species

January 25-27, 2019, Houston. -- The Houston-based National Parrot Rescue and Parrot Foundation (NPRPF) hosted its celebratory 20th Annual Parrot Festival this past weekend, drawing attendance from across North America. "Queen" Georgia Hayes, NPRPF President, and Danny Sigmon, Festival Coordinator, presided over a Convention center decked in colorful tables covered in bird chachki, raffle-ticket drums, … Continue reading HatchLine: Parrot Festival Showcases Four Endangered Yet Resilient Bird Species

HatchLine: Feral Macaws Muse in Coconut Palms

Coral Gables, Florida -- The rubicund sun lengthened the shadows as we stood on a Miami flagstone patio craning our necks, gazing awestruck at six blue and gold macaws roosting high in the tops of royal palms.  Fully half of the remaining flock has showed up to be seen, as if they knew visitors were … Continue reading HatchLine: Feral Macaws Muse in Coconut Palms

Horus: Conservation Photographer Pete Oxford

  You flip the page and suddenly there it is, right in front of you.  Bam!  The photo smacks you in the face and is instantly, indelibly etched in your mind.  That’s the power of great photojournalism. The napalmed nine-year-old Vietnamese girl whose photo altered the trajectory of the Vietnam War. The vulture patiently stalking … Continue reading Horus: Conservation Photographer Pete Oxford

HatchLine: Aviculture Tips from South Florida Pros

Beloved author of Psittaculture, Tony Silva, and long-time AFA leader Buddy Waskey hosted a tour of select South Florida aviaries in the days leading up to the Organization of Professional Aviculturists' (OPA) annual meeting. As Florida has enacted a framework of laws favorable to aviculture, aviaries flourish there. The warm weather, though dryer than the … Continue reading HatchLine: Aviculture Tips from South Florida Pros

HatchLine: Staying Alive! in Kensington Gardens

  Anika Shatara of Facebook (@laala_the_banana (IG)) opens her palm in Kensington Gardens, and the wild green Indian ringnecks descend: they know the palm holds good food, and they are hungry indeed. These flocks of wild green Indian ringneck parakeets (Psittacula krameri) have oft caused visitors to London's public parks wonder and surprise, the birds' … Continue reading HatchLine: Staying Alive! in Kensington Gardens

HatchLine: Morbid Galah Mystery in Picturesque Burra

Mornings and evenings wild galah cockatoos congregate on the old brick streets of Sancreed Street in Burra, South Australia, by the old Police Stables and Lockup. But, as reported by ABC News Australia, on Wednesday, July 18, 2018, the urban clearing afforded a different view: lifeless galah bodies littering the ground. Mysteriously dead galah bodies. … Continue reading HatchLine: Morbid Galah Mystery in Picturesque Burra

HatchLine: Little Corella Targeted

Thanks to the City of Playford's council spokespersons for their assistance with this article.] November 5, 2018, the Mount Barker District Council issued a "scaring" notice for Little Corellas, following their April 3, 2018 decision endorsing "selective legal shooting" of flock leaders, or "scout" corellas. The measures seek to discourage flocks, especially the largest flock, from … Continue reading HatchLine: Little Corella Targeted