Budgies Love Cilantro

Parrots in the Land of Oz! (Thanks M!)

You have GOT to check out this website, http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/parrotsinoz/ about a PBS show, "Parrots in the Land of Oz". It has great video clips from the show. For example, it explains that the lovely violet "Elizabeth Taylor spots" which I so admire are seen by a special photoreceptor. Apparently, budgies are able to see ultraviolet. If you check it out, you will also learn more about wild budgies and other parrot behavior. You can even buy the show, which sadly we missed Sun PM when it was on television. (So of course, we just ordered it as a DVD-its backordered).
Thanks M for this wonderful link! I know the flock will enjoy seeing the video once it arrives.

Boos-day, December 18th, 2007

Happy Boos-day, all! Boo is doing great. He's still adorable and playful, and tame. He seems to particularly enjoy when we get home and give him greens. Mia is also fine. She/he remains neurotic, and often runs back on forth on the perch closest to Boo's cage, quite nervously. She also squawks loudly whenever a hand goes into her cage to deposit food. She actually falls off the perch in her terror. There are tame budgies; and then, there's Mia. Boo and Mia are polar opposites in terms of tameness.
In the summer Boo, and the other budgies gets fresh grasses and dandelion greens. However, in the winter, he (and the other flock members) typically get dill weed, almost daily. They rejected parsley. They love cilantro, but it is a bit pricey and so it is reserved as an occasional treat. I did freeze several stalks of wild grass with seeds, recently thawed. The result of this experiment was budgie elation all around.