The Dawn Chorus and Life Forces

by Cornelis van Dalen

Some call it cacophony and are driven to madness; others find it the most beautiful event in all of creation – the dawn chorus of the birds. Especially in spring, before the sun’s morning rays light the heavens, the birds begin to sing. First one, then another, and finally all together singing to their heart’s content, if one can use such an expression. Each country has its own song where the species of birds differ; I shall never forget dawn chorus in the subtropical bush of northern New South Wales, Australia. Enchanting, dear Angela and Ian!

Here in southern England the bird life is especially prevalent in our locality. I have long admired the Blackbird Turdus merula for his song, yet after the summer solstice he gradually ceases to sing so regularly. This is also true for the Song Thrush Turdus musicus, often called England’s finest singer.

The song of the various birds is most beautiful and one must ask why they sing. The Rev. F.O. Morris in writing of the Nightingale says it ‘loves a neighbourhood where there is an echo, as if aware of and admiring its own music.’ [1] Or is the Nightingale in that locality to enhance the effects of the music? Music! Here is our clue.

In the book A Pilgrimage with the Animals [2] Dr Lascelles introduces us to the subtle nature of animals, and points to our failure to understand them as spiritual beings having a role and function in the labyrinth of life. “I want you to think of what you call the dawn chorus of the birds, that strange moment of nature just before the morning light seeps through. Suddenly, as you may have noticed if you have been lying awake, every bird in the neighbourhood breaks into song as though obeying some signal. For a time, while it is dark, the air is filled with orchestrated sound – the triumphant, challenging and positive sound of birds in song.”

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This article has been reprinted with written permission of the author.

'Multilingual' birds learn foreign alarm calls

New Scientist * 00:01 12 November 2008 by Rachel Nowak

Birdwatchers are all too aware that when a bird of one species spots a hawk and squawks an alarm, birds of other species fly for cover. What was unknown was whether this multilingual ability was "hard-wired" or whether birds learned the alarm calls of other birds on the job.

It now turns out that recognising alarm calls - even very different ones from other species - can now be added to the growing repertoire of things birds can learn Movie Camera, according to study led by behavioural ecologist Robert Magrath of the Australian National University in Canberra.

The Magrath team played recordings of calls of different bird species to fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus) and monitored their response.

Fairy-wrens living in the Australian National Botanical Gardens and other parks in Canberra fled from the alarm calls of other fairy-wrens [hear audio] and scrubwrens (Sericornis frontalis) [hear audio], but not from the non-alarm call of the galah (Cacatua roseicapilla) [hear audio].

Fairy and scrubwrens have very similar alarm calls - a high-pitched piping noise - so the fairy-wren may have automatically recognised the alarm call of the scrubwren.

But whereas the two wren species naturally share the same habitat in the Canberra area, only fairy-wrens live in the Macquarie Marshes Nature Reserve in New South Wales, which is outside of the scrubwren range.

When the team played the calls here, fairy-wren only fled from the fairy-wren alarm call, and were unperturbed by scrubwren alarm calls, and galah non-alarm calls.

That suggests, says Magrath, that, rather than being hard-wired, the fairy-wren needed to have heard the scrubwrens' alarm call, and learnt that it meant danger.

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The Facts About Punishing Birds

Using punishment as a teaching aid is still all too common these days, especially when the subject being taught is a bird! Birds do not think or function like humans do or dogs or even as a horse does. Birds are prey animals and we should study their nature and how they live in the wild to hopefully understand better how to work with them and enjoy their companionship.

The topic of "punishment" is a great source of confusion and guilt that is plaguing many people, and not just an unchallenged method of changing unwanted behaviour.

Susan Friedman Ph.D. explains why, and gives sound strategies for reducing undesirable behaviours in parrots.

The Facts About Punishment S.G. Friedman, PhD, Utah, and Bobbi Brinker, Ohio Published in Original Flying Machine, Issue 4: Jan/Feb 2001

Nowadays, the issue of punishment has become an emotional minefield of misconceptions, good intentions, and general confusion. And this is the good news. We would be loath to return to a time when the use of punishment was unquestioned and was the most common, if not sole, strategy for changing undesirable behavior. A large part of the present confusion results from the perennial gap between research and practice. However, the negative effects of some forms of punishment have been studied scientifically and are well documented. These studies reveal compelling information about the detriments of punishment that no parrot guardian should be without.

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Birds keep man's life from tumbling out of control

Bobby Wilson made some bad decisions growing up in Watts. His hobby pigeons and their freewheeling somersaults helped straighten his life out, and now he's passing on his expertise.
By Joe Mozingo, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 12, 2008
Bobby Wilson, a.k.a. Kill Kill, is a roller pigeon fancier -- has been since he was a little boy in the projects in Watts.

He was walking his dog down Holmes Avenue when he first spotted the birds flying above Eddie Scott's house. He watched in wonder as they whirled and somersaulted through the sky. Bobby was 9 years old and a serial collector of animals -- spiders, red ants, hamsters, lizards. But he'd never seen this...

Read the entire wonderful story HERE

Snowball and Irena Schultz Join Animal Talk Naturally Radio Show Again

We had repeat guest and friend, Irena Schulz from Bird Lovers Only Rescue visit us on Animal Talk Naturally Radio Show this week. If you were not able to be there live, I have posted the show in a media player below.

Irena discussed Snowball's research with Dr Patel and how it may well relate to recent studies involving music therapy on Parkinson's Disease patients. We also talked about how the state of the economy has increased the calls and emails from bird owners needing to rehome their birds.

Just click to listen below :-)



If the player does not show up for you, just click on this link for the mp3 version of the show. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/animaltalknaturally/2008/09/09/Dancing-with-Snowball-Show-196.mp3

Defying "The Myth Of The Unmanegable Sexually Mature Male Amazon"

Defying "The Myth Of The Unmanegable Sexually Mature Male Amazon" by Shari Beaudoin

Shari Beaudoin has recently (August 2006) taken on the role of President for The Amazona Society. Although she lives and works with many companion birds, Amazons have always had a special place in her heart.

Along with her husband Terry and son, Troy, she owns and operates Parrot Island, Inc., a highly respected quality Parrot Specialty Store in the Minneapolis area.


Shari is a Certified Parrot Behavior Consultant with the IAABC /(International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants) /who does both telephone and in home consultations for companion parrots owners.


As an author, Shari is a regular contributor to The Companion Parrot Quarterly and Companion Parrot in Japan. Her numerous articles have also been published in Bird Talk, The Island Times, The Parrot Education Journal, The Amazona Quarterly, and numerous parrot clubs throughout the U.S., Canada, The Netherlands, Spain, and The U.K.

Shari’s flock consists of her beloved Double Yellow-headed Amazon, Lt. Columbo, two Black-capped Caiques, Scooter and Skeeter, a Vasa Parrot, Gadget, and a Hyacinth Macaw, Mateo. She also shares her life with a Standard Poodle named Leon and 12 beautiful Japanese Koi.


Defying The Myth Of The Unmanegable Sexually Mature Male Amazon

Lt. Columbo, my male Double Yellow-headed Amazon, Amazona ochrocephala oratrix, is the perfect myth buster when it comes to discussions regarding unmanageable, sexually mature, male Amazon Parrots, or what I call "THE USMMA's". Many people are of the belief that all or most sexually mature male Amazon parrots will ultimately become unmanageable, aggressive, biting screamers.

As of the date of this article, Lt. Columbo is 10 years of age, and sexually mature, yet he remains gentle, playful, vocal, outgoing, and friendly. He is not a one person bird, in fact he enjoys interaction with numerous people. So why is it that Lt. Columbo has not fallen into the "USMMA" category?

It is my belief that it is a comprehensive combination of many factors that have contributed to Lt. Columbo's indulgent nature. In an attempt to better understand why Lt. Columbo is the way he is - I will discuss a number of what I feel are the most important of these factors.

Veterinary Care

In the case of either a juvenile or an adult Amazon parrot it is important that the bird is in good health and maintaining an optimal weight. Poor health is often the cause of many behavioral problems. All of these problems may not be fatal or disease related, but many may cause enough discomfort to cause a bird to become sedate, unwilling to play, and down right cantankerous. Lt. Columbo receives annual well bird exams by a qualified Avian Veterinarian. During these exams he has regular blood work done and his annual polyoma virus vaccine along with a crop swab and a fecal smear. I have chosen to have periodic x-rays (every two years or so) to establish a good baseline for what is normal for him. I also pay close attention to the bottoms of Lt. Columbo's feet. Amazon parrots are solid, stocky birds and therefore can be prone to foot sores. I prefer to use rope perches or Vet-wrap (a spongy tape that sticks to itself) to wrap around portions of natural wood perches. I am especially careful to make sure that the perch he sleeps on (usually the highest in his cage) is soft. Wooden dowel perches, cement, or any perches that are rough on top or lack any variance in diameter, are very hard on an Amazon's feet. These perches force the bird's feet to remain in one position causing constant wear on one area of the foot. The feet can become almost raw on the bottoms. Often times when I talk to people with parrots in their teens and above (I have seen Amazons that are not even 5 years of age show foot problems), one of the first things I ask about is the condition of the bird's feet. I often wonder if some of these birds feet have become so sore and arthritic that it is painful for them to move around, causing them to become sedate and aggressive when asked to do so.

Determining A Healthy Weight

Amazon parrots are prone to obesity making it very important to determine the individual bird's optimal weight. Once you and your veterinarian have made this determination, your bird's weight should be monitored at home weekly with an accurate precision gram scale (accurate to within 1 gram).

To read the rest of this fantastic article, please click >>> HERE

The Nature Of Our Featherd Friends

Friend,certified veterinary technician and certified parrot behavior consultant, Liz Wilson joins us again on Animal Talk Naturally Radio show to talk about the intelligence and nature of our parrots and debunks some myths while talking about the true nature of our feathered friends.

Listen to the recording of the show by clicking HERE