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WingTips In This Issue
From the Editor
But most of all, we want to wish all of our subscribers a very happy holiday season and a wonderful New Year! Remember this is your newsletter - we want to hear from you!
PH Budgie
One of my favorite pet birds to bring to these programs is Sapphire (see Sapphire Flies Away), a sky-blue clearwing budgie. Sapphire is two and a half years old, and has one of the most outgoing personalities for a bird. He absolutely loves people, particularly the attention. I have brought Ingrid (see Ingrid, A Rescued Umbrella Cockatoo) to several programs, however, she doesn’t do as well with other birds around as Sapphire does. One of the most memorable programs took place a few months ago at a nursing home. After explaining the care Sapphire requires and what joys I receive from him, he glided to a woman sitting in her wheel chair in the corner. Sapphire must have instinctively known that this woman was virtually alone. She had no family and no visitors. While she had other adult companions, this woman did not have someone close to her.
What happened next was quite a surprise for the three of us. As Sapphire played and talked to this woman, he started to kiss her neck. At first, she got scared that he was trying to bite her. I suspect that this woman didn’t have the same sensations she did when she was younger. I had to explain to her that these were little budgie kisses. A moment later, I looked at her face, as she sat in her wheelchair. Tears were slowly making their way down her cheeks. I asked her what was the matter, would she like me to remove Sapphire. No, she said, emotion clouding her voice. “No please leave him. It’s been so long since anyone kissed me.” The three of us sat in silence until it was time to go. As a birdie mom, I was so proud of my little Sapphire that day. I talked to the activity director asking if Sapphire and I could come back to visit this dear woman. Unfortunately, before we came back, she passed on. Sapphire gave a wonderful gift to a lonely woman, a memory I can only hope she kept with her. If you have never considered participating in outreach programs, please consider doing this. If your local bird club doesn’t have an outreach program, it is something to consider starting. At the very least, call a nearby assisted living center, people would love a visitor, even feathered visitors. Not only do you get the chance to educate the public on pet birds, but also you get the chance to brighten another persons life. Copyright 2002 by Chiara Petro. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
2 cups chunky peanut butter 1 cup lard (animal fat-based if possible) 2 cups oats 2 cups cornmeal 1 cup white flour Melt lard and peanut butter together; add the rest, plus mixed seeds, fresh cranberries, orange pieces, and other colorful additions. Birdseed and Fruit Mixture Edible Glue: 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup water, 3 Tbsp. corn syrup (add package of plain Knox gelatin for extra holding power if necessary). Add 4 cups birdseed and peanuts, fruits, berries, raisins, or anything else the birds enjoy. Stars and Wreaths
Birdseed Bells Coat outside of 2-1/4" diameter peat pots with the suet mixture or use a paintbrush to coat with the edible glue and then roll in birdseed and place on waxed paper to dry for 4-6 hours. Use needle and thread to string 4-5 cranberries for clappers; pass needle through top of bell and knot at top. Use paper-twists or raffia bows to decorate at top and double as hangers. Stuffed Pine Cones Gather cones that are partially opened. Stuff with the suet mixture or chunky peanut butter and cornmeal mixture (better for the birds than peanut butter alone). Use raffia or colorful string to hang. Dried Fruit Wreaths and Garlands For Wreaths: Thread a large darning needle with cotton string or dental floss. Make a knot 4-6" from one end. String dried fruit (apricots, papaya, oranges, raisins, etc.) until enough to form a small wreath. Knot string together to secure circle, leaving enough string at each end to form hanger loop. Use paper-twists or raffia to decorate. Garlands look festive in outside trees. Thread a large needle with a 3 to 6 foot length of cotton string or dental floss. After stringing the ingredients, loop and knot each end for hanger loops. String with the following:
Come perch and prattle in the Aviary, which is available 24 hours a day with specific bird topic chats scheduled every day. There is nothing to download and no registration is required! (Chats will be canceled on December 24, 25, 31, and January 1; Pet Loss Support chats will be hosted as usual and can be found at http://www.pethobbyist.com/PetLoss.html.) All times Eastern
Sunday 9-10 PM Training & Behavior WingTips is copyright 2002 by OnlineHobbyist.com unless otherwise specified. All rights reserved.
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Welcome to the December issue of WingTips! This month, we have a very special story about a bird who made a great difference in an elderly woman's life, "Sapphire Reaches Out" by Chiara Petro. PH Macayo also has some great ideas for holiday recipes and treats for wild birds. We also want to remind you to follow the clues in our 
A year ago, the local bird club I am a member of started an Outreach Program. A number of members bring one or several of our parrots to schools, nursing homes, or other groups and talk about what it’s like to own a parrot. The highlight of these programs is when folks, who otherwise never had a pet let alone a bird, can hold and pet the birds.
Sapphire perched on this woman’s shoulder, chirping happily away. At first, she was rather surprised and even a little bit scared. After all, he was this tiny little fluff of feathers, and as thin as she was, was much larger than him. I came and sat down next to them, as she asked what he was doing. It was a bit hard for her to turn her head to see Sapphire on her shoulder. I explained to her that he was talking to her, in his own language. Sapphire hopped around on her shoulder for a while, happy as a clam.
Macayo reminds us: While you are baking and cooking for your companion flock for the holidays, don't forget your wild feathered friends! Here are some ideas for decorating your yard and trees with festive, edible treats. These make wonderful gifts for the wild bird lovers in your family, too. Use either the suet or birdseed/fruit mixture to form the decorations that follow.
Cover tray with waxed paper; roll out mixture 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Use cookie cutters or shape mixture into stars and wreaths. Freeze if using the suet. For birdseed mixture, let dry 4-6 hours; remove cookie cutters; turn over and dry 4-6 hours more. Use raffia to hang from trees.