So the local bird club had it's fall bird show yesterday, and I went with both my mom and my boyfriend. It wasn't quite as big as I expected it, but there were some really cool species. Still quite a few I've never seen in person before. I even got to pet a galah cockatoo, who was so affectionate, she pressed her head against my hand to be pet.

As usual, half the species I was looking for weren't there, and the other half were above my price range. However, it was nice. Talked to some nice people, and Carolyn was there, selling some of her babies. I didn't buy any of them this time though. (sorry Carolyn. Maybe next time. lol)

I saw a lot of cool parrot toys, though Dudley isn't the playful type with toys, and Lucy prefers to shred paper and destroy most of my things, so I didn't bother.

I didn't leave completely empty-handed, though. I was able to get some millet sprays, and my mom bought some food for Dudley, which is an odd mix, consisting grains, noodles, and some other stuff (can't quite remember all of the ingredients, but I think there's some fruit in the mix). My mom mixed it in with his usual food, and he seems to enjoy it, so that's good.

I also have some new flock additions. I got a diamond dove (finally), and my mom got a pair of Mannikin finches. Some odd birds, they are. My mom had to borrow money from me, and when she said she wanted a couple of Mannikins, I thought she meant "manequins", since they sound the same, and that alone sounded bizzare. Then when I realized they were species of birds, the request made a lot more sense. My mom used to keep finches, so it's kind of natural that she gravitated towards them. I didn't expect her to want to actually buy some though.


They're still adjusting, though the Mannikins are doing well, as my mom put them in her sitting room that she's in often, and is usually quieter. I would've put the diamond dove in my room, but I'm rarely ever in there (except for when I'm doing homework with my self-proclaimed assistant). My diamond dove is in a cage on top of Lucy's cage. It's specifically meant for non-parrot species, and a suitable size. However, there's one thing that bugs me: The wired bottom. Doves are ground-feeders, so it's common for them to want to hang out on the bottom of the cage sometimes. The barred bottom can really cause some harm for the feet. It's not removable unfortunately. I'm going to have to get a new cage as soon as I can afford it. The cages I saw at the bird show were above my budget (because I made the mistake of not bringing enough... again). Until then, there will be either be cardboard, or newspaper covering the wire.

Taming is going to be a little bit of a challenge with the diamond dove, because as far as I can tell, he's not tame at all, since he's really scared of me being in front of his cage. On top of that, doves tend to be a bit more flighty, so my approach is going to have to be quite different. I have researched on how one can tame a dove (specifically diamond doves), so I know how I plan on approaching. However, I can't clip his wings of course, because doves don't climb. So it's going to start in the bathroom, since there's not a lot of room or high areas for him to land on.


He's already getting a comfortable though. He's started cooing. It's so adorable! I've answered him a few times. Hoping this will help him get used to me.

On a related note, my boyfriend hung out at my house afterwards, and he met Lucy for the very first time. Considering how I've seen Lucy react to some of my friends and family members that she doesn't know too well, if at all, I was surprised at how easily she warmed up to him. He's always had a strange affinity with animals, so in a way, it's not too strange. She even allowed him to pet her a couple of times. Of course, when she stepped up onto his hand, she would look back at me with the same "get me away from this stranger" expression that she gives me when she's perched on anyone else, other than me. I thought it would have been good for him to go. He and his roommate were considering getting a pet for their apartment, and he did consider getting a bird of some sort, so he came, to basically see how a lot of birds are, and learn about them.

Yay, you got your diamond dove! If you can carry the cage to your room while you're hanging out there with Lucy, he can watch the two of you interact and eventually join the party when he's ready.

The bird mart was supposed to be bigger, but Miller Feed (which usually takes up a big section of the left-hand wall) had a last-minute emergency and couldn't come. I was traumatized when I found out about that because I get all my seed from them, but I was able to get some reasonably satisfactory seed from someone else. There was a bird mart in Las Vegas the same day as ours, and a couple of our long-distance vendors decided to go there instead of Tucson. I think that's where the guy was who brought the peacocks last time. We have several vendors who come from California and other states. We coordinate with the bird clubs in Phoenix to make sure we don't schedule bird marts on the same date, but the one in Las Vegas was a surprise to us.

Did you see the princess parrots that the guy to my left had? They're probably Dweezil's siblings, because that's the guy we got Dweezil from. He had a huge display with lots of cages and several hundred birds. A year ago I didn't know what a princess parrot sounded like, but I found out yesterday that now I can pick out their call from among hundreds of other birds. They have a very distinctive sound.

I can carry the cage. Thing is with doves and cockatiels though,is that they're quite different in behaviors. Not only that, but chances are, the dove's probably never seen a cockatiel. I don't think he would understand much of what was going on. Doves are a bit... Simple, after all.

The first thing I want to try and focus on is getting him used to hands, and eventually get him to step up. From the reaction to the man grabbing him, I doubt the dove has had any kind of handling outside of being grabbed a few times, to be taken to the bird mart, and then to my home.

I was sad about not seeing Miller feeds there, either. I was hoping to get some pellets from them, since I remember you telling me they sell pellets. At least I got the millet spray!

Indeed, I did see the princess parrots. They were quite pretty. one of them was very vocal, so I quickly learned to distinguish them from the rest. Still not quite as recognizable to me as the conure's famous screech.

There were quite a few birds I didn't expect to see nonetheless, as well as some I didn't know existed. Back where the finches were, I saw one kind of bird that was so tiny (average finch size), and it's tail wasleast 3-4 times it's body length. I know I didn't expect to see cardinals either, and yet I did see some species that were legally allowed to be kept.

I actually held Lucy to the dove's cage. She started swaying from side to side. Now, if I know anything from cockatiel body language, I know that she wasn't trying to welcome him, for sure. It's safe to say, she's not happy about having the space above her cage being taken up by his residence. Maybe she'll get used to it... Maybe. She always liked to sit up there, and now she can't.

Carolyn, did you by any chance see that one emerald tiel that was being sold to the right of the entrance? He was an emerald pearl being sold for only $30. I did consider taking him, but he had some problems according to the sellers. Tending to be a biter, and he apparently had a seizure upon arrival to the expo. Them again, I would imagine that to be a bit stressful for a bird, so I wonder whether it was an actual seizure, or if he got really frightened.

The tiny bird with the crazy long tail was the long-tailed whydah. I think that's the male's courtship plumage, not something that he drags around with him all year long. I think his tail might be longer than Dweezil's.

I didn't see the emerald for sale - I only sold half the babies that I brought so I spent most of the day sitting at my table and didn't have time for leisurely shopping. But if they're selling an emerald cockatiel for only $30 that's a pretty good indication that there's something wrong with it that goes beyond just being bitey. A bitey bird can be a good breeder, but if a bird is prone to seizures it's definitely NOT a good idea to breed it. If it's a genetic problem you'll mess up the chicks.

the dove is very pretty

I would love to go to a Bird show thing never heard of any of those in Ireland your dove is very nice you should put a picture of it on the facebook group

I assume you posted that before you saw my post on the facebook group, Brandon? Way ahead of you.

Is there a bird club in your area, Brandon? Look to them, for any bird shows. They're basically events where a lot of bird lovers and breeders gather and sell their birds, or bird-related things, such as toys, cages, food, etc. The one here calls the smaller bird shows "Bird Marts", and the bigger shows "Bird Expos". They might be called something else in your area.

I often find birds I don't see sold at pet stores, at bird shows.

my only concern about selling at the bird show is that the decision has to be made instantly, and there is no point of return. I mean, suppose I am selling babies, and somebody wants to buy a bird or two but I don't like that person. I don't think you can refuse to sell. It would be odd at least.

Ive never heard of any around I would love to go to one I love looking at birds.

Check out this one: http://swordscbs.webs.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SwordsDistrictCageBirdSociety

They just had a big event a week and a half ago so it might be a while until the next one. It looks like their show is an actual competition, with ribbons and cash awards to the winners. But if there are any "buying and selling" type bird events it's likely that they would be the sponsor of it, or at least they would be aware of it. They would probably know about any other pet bird clubs that might be more convenient for you, if this one isn't close to where you live. You can contact them for more information on what they do and when they're going to do it.