Virgil's arrival to our home was on 1/13/00. We flew down to Texas to pick up our new little bundle of feathers to make sure the trip would not be too stressful on him.

Virgil is a Hawk-Headed Parrot (Deroptyus accipitrinus). His hatch date is 5/9/99.

Updates

• 1/18/00

• 1/25/00

• 2/7/00

Update 1/18/00: We did the "official" handover from Mama Linda to me and he stepped up just fine. My gosh, you have not seen beauty till you have actually held a Hawkhead in hand. He was a little nervous, which was to be expected and so was I (having the unexpected in mind). 20 minutes goes by so quickly and we had to head back on the dreaded plane but with the hype of having Virgil with us gave us a "bright glee" (kind of like just finding out your happily pregnant ~ that new mom glow).

The guy at the airlines desk was so wonderful he gave us a whole row of our own in the back of the plane so we had some privacy.  Naturally we were warned to put him under the seat for take offs and landings.  Needless to say once we were up and stable ~ so was Virgil. He was plopped right in between his new Mama and Papa. Poor little guy did not know what was happening to him.  He was missing Mama Linda something awful ~ I felt it. Towards the end of the trip he was getting better and more relaxed, I think it also was because we were more relaxed.

Got him to the truck warm and snuggly. Took us 2 hours to get home.  Got him home and up on his playstand. First Carlos gently introduced him to Grammy, and the grey crew then Carlos brought him into the
rooms on the first floor. It was a long day and we needed to get him
settled. So up on the stand he went and DOVE into the seed and grain
mixture! (Great he's eating!)

Nite nite time: He was uncomfortable in his new cage and I had lots of
questions for Mama Linda about placement and sorts of his old cage. Perch types, Toy Placement, Feeder Placement ~ All important things I FORGOT to ask ahead of time! You can ask a million things and always forget a thing or two in the mix.

Ok nite nite, he immediately started playing with the toys I made him
(Yippee success! I love it! Thanks for the hints Mama Linda!!) I only put 3
small/med size toys in there I did not want to culture shock him. Boy
did he surprise me. He played with everything one at a time ~ taste testing them all.

Morning, he was playing with his toys but didn't seem to like the rope perch (we changed that right away), now need to move the food up higher.  BINGO he's eating! He's comfy! He's sweet!

No problem with transition. He didn't flinch an eye when Oliver flew over. In fact, anytime today he was very calm and wasn't nervous at all! He ate all his veggies and fruit like a good boy!!

Tomorrow is a new day, with exploring new things. I am looking forward to learning with Virgil. His name fits him wonderfully!!! I know I haven't
seen the devilish side I have heard so much about! lol.

I'm going to go and cuddle with my little boy! Thank you for allowing me to share my wondrous joy.

Update 1/25/00:  Well the little guy has been here over a week and he is such a joy to be with. So sweet, cuddly and playful.  He really enjoys playing and even more so loves to spend time interacting with his new family.  His weight is steady at 243 grams.

Update 2/7/00: Virgil is settling in wonderfully. He is eating so wonderfully and he is playing and getting on really well here. Here is a cute Virgil story for you: 

Since I was home today, I made birdie toys and rearranged some of the toys that the others don't play with. Took apart a few toys and reused the good parts etc.  The toys that they play with for a week then it just kind of sits there. I made a Preening toy on a ring and strung some leather in it and wood pieces. I decided to put it in Virgil's cage. I also took out the Perma Play lil Birdie Man out of Abby's cage and put it in Virgil's cage. Oh my!

He was hanging upside down from the preening ring and attacking it like a grey with his "daisy"  full blown, screaming like a grey would but in this little tiny voice! (I call his crest/crown a daisy when it goes up).
Then he would slip and fall from the toy and wind up on his feet and  would scream up at the toy! He is such a funny bird. 

But Virgil all day long was doing this with his new toys. He is really into
leather and pine shapes. Pretty much any kind of toy I put in there and he plays with it willingly. He is really letting his hair down and I have been laughing all day at him.

The Photos below are Thumbnails. Please click on them to get the FULL effect of Virgil's beautiful feathers!

Virgil's Favorite Sites - for Hawk-Headed Eyes Only

• All Bird Toys

 Mama Linda's site, where I was born! Coming Soon!!!

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