Sutcliffe-Continued Discussion

Dear all; while I know you can read the comments, I wanted to highlight this one posted today re: Sutcliffe's feeding behavior:

nacly dog said...

this is acting as the flock leader.  He checks out possibly tainted food, takes the first risk then guards the rest from possible predators.  this behavior is consistent with dimporhism and a social hierarchy.  I've seen flocks of geese show the same behavior.  Sutcliffe would be a good leader for a small feral flock".

This is fascinating.  I don't know much about geese, but remember their social structure being discussed in the book about King Arthur, "The Sword and the Stone" which I read as a young person.  King Arthur spent time with many animals and learned their social behavior.  The geese were very important to teaching King Arthur how to lead compassionately.

I am so proud of Sutcliffe!  He came from a budgie bin, where he really had no upbringing or opportunity at all, and he has become tame, socialized,  the pater familias who saved the life of his beloved child (Magoo), and a true flock leader.  

Thanks naclydog for these insights!

Brave and Selfless Leader or Hen-Pecked Wimp? OR???

Here is a description of a typical behavior of Sutcliffe at feeding time.  I am interested in your interpretation of this;

When a treat or the AM food is placed in the cage, the females do not approach it right away.  Sutcliffe goes first and eats some of the treat.  Soon thereafter, one of the females (Boo or Mary ann, but usually, Mary ann) will come over to where he is, and he'll leave and go to the next feeding spot.  Then Boo will go to that spot, and Sutcliffe will leave.  There is usually a third spot to eat, but Sutcliffe does not go there. Rather, he sits elsewhere and sings and chirps while the other two eat.  Later, when they are finished, he will go and eat some of the treats at any of the three places.

Hypotheses:

Is he being a wimp, chased away from getting a treat by his wife and then his daughter, although he is brave and tame enough, or foolhardy enough, to go first?  

Or is he checking the food for safety, then advertising "good food here" to the flock by singing, while the females feed, being brave, caring, and paternal towards his flock.

Or maybe, there is another idea which we haven't thought about yet?

And finally, what would be good experiments to test this hypotheses?

What do you think?

The Pineal Gland, Budgie Circadian Rhythms, and Other Thoughts

On the post about the Budgies Professionalism, a comment was left:

From Nacly Dog...."Maybe they're taking a vacation.   Can budgies change a circadian rhythm set point?"

This is a very interesting idea!

It definitely was a bit dark on the day when the budgies were quiet (due to thunderstorms).  I wonder if the budgies are particularly sensitive to light and dark?  Birds have a particular connection to the pineal gland.  

The pineal gland affects circadian rhythms in almost all animals.  In birds, it not only affects sleep (it makes melatonin) but also is thought to help with magnetic determination of flying directions.  Because of its role in detecting dark and light in some animals, it is sometimes called the "third eye".  Perhaps the pineal gland is important in budgie professionalism, and budgie vacations.  Apparently bird sleep-wake cycles can be set not only with light, but also with the sounds of bird songs.  There clearly is an interaction to explore between dark/light/sleep/wake in birds.  And perhaps we are more dependent on these cycles then our modern societal pressures may allow us to admit.  And denying them may not be good for us.  Next time is is rainy, I may just give in and sleep late.

Budgie Professionalism (or Lack Thereof)

All animals have a job to do, and do it with pride.  For example, the parental cat (Nikko) patrols his turf daily.   He also must bring back any creatures caught, to share with his human pride.

Budgies have a very important job; greeting the day.  Every morning, it is their job to sing and chirp and greet the morning.  Also it is their job to be active and prepare for nightfall.

This morning, we had to awaken without the budgies.  No songs, nothing.  It was quite rainy, and the budgies just didn't bother getting up to greet the day.  We had to walk downstairs and talk to them to even get any chirps.

Professionalism?  These budgies are slipping!

In an earlier posted comment, C stated:

"The budgies may enjoy "Manzanilla" which is what Spanish-speakers around here call chamomile".  He went on to state "Mantazilla" sounds like a giant manta ray that emerges from the deep to ally with Godzilla against Mothra."

A picture of the budgies vs. the monster "Manzanilla" is shown here (courtesy of C).  Because budgies are really dinosaurs, it will be an impressive, B movie-worthy battle.

K wondered if she had misread the label on the herb bought at the Walmart in Sealy.  The best way to check on this is to Google it (not check the label).  A quick google search revealed:

from a site about the history of chamomile  "In spain it has been known for centuries at Mantazillla or "little apple".  It goes on to state that "this is also the name of a type of sherry which has a similar flavor."

But what about Manzanilla?

Wikipedia states that: Manzanilla is a variety of fino sherry...In Spanish, chamomile tea is called "manzanilla"...

So what is the answer to this confusing quandary?  Are there two ways of talking about chamomile in Spanish?  Is one a mutation of the other?  Is one more "correct"? and who will win in the battle of the Mantazilla monster and the ancient feathered dinosaur budgies?

See the Sequel, "son of budgies" to find out!