Author Archives for TWFA Guest Writer

Are You Ready for Fall?

Quigley is!! So is the rest of his Finchy flock too! (Photo by Kristy)

Quigley’s Flock Mates ~ 2014 BOTS

We are honored to have Quigley the Bourke Parakeet as the TWFA 2014 Bird of the Season winner! He is our official mascot for the current breeding season and we will post updates about him regularly. As you can see he represents the parrot/hookbill side of the avian community and brings us all together as avian hobbyists or just enthusiasts. To find out more about this contest or to apply for next season, click here.

Photo by Kristy

Finch Friends of the Handsome Quigley

by Kristy

Quigley lives life as a very spoiled bird. He lives in a Condo below his finch friends, Snap, Crackle, Poppy and Cocoa Puff. Rent is free, meals are delivered daily to his door and even has a heated perch. The condo is furnished with his favorite mirror and several shredding toys. Carpeting is edible and provides foraging time for his favorite treats such as millet and popcorn and Cheerios. An all time favorite is corn on the cob.

He waits patiently during the weekdays while Mom works hard to earn money for all his toys and treats. He loves shredding paper! But when I come home in the evenings…he whistles all his tunes until I open his door to fly free. His finch friends have learned that free flight is a great activity and they get to come out and play too. They also live in a condo on the top floor, and love to visit Quigleys condo and steal treats to take home for later.

Photo by Kristy

Our weekends are usually spent outside on the patio eating toast and watching his wild friends at the bird feeders. Occasionally he’ll get a visit by a humming bird or chickadee for close inspection. I’m sure they wonder why he would get himself stuck in a cage!

Quigley is most active in mornings and the evenings but settles down for naps throughout the day. Usually sings himself to sleep with a very quiet tune of various songs he has learned. When he’s ready for bed in the evenings he will put himself to bed on his warm cozy perch.

Getting to Know Quigley ~ 2014 BOTS

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A little about Quigley

by Kristy

Quigley is very good at learning new tunes. He will get very close to my lips and give me kisses until I whistle a melody. We do this for a short time before he flies away to sit either on top of the fridge or on his chair in the kitchen to practice. He will fly back to me several times for me to whistle the same tune and then off he goes again. It doesn’t take long for him to learn but I love when he gets one mastered and then mushes all the tunes together making it his own.

So far he can whistle Wizard of Oz, Pop Goes the Weasel, cat calls, Andy Griffith, Cuckoo Clock bird, an Army tune, Frosty the Snowman, Popeye, Woody Woodpecker, the Charge tune and various bird calls. He also sings a very sweet warble of notes that often puts me to sleep. He calls to us using the Cuckoo Clock bird call.

Sometimes Quigley helps Dad put his socks on and lotion up his feet. He sits on one leg while Dad lotions his other foot and hops to the other side when Dad says, “rotate.” When he’s done, Dad says, “okay,” and Quigley flies away to wait for the door to open then downstairs he goes.

Quigley is a very sweet, gentle and quiet bird. He doesn’t like to have his chin rubbed too often but he does get snuggly in the evenings and does like having the top of his head kissed. He doesn’t play with toys very much but he does love his mirror with the beads and also preening type toys.

Quigley plays fetch with tiny beads and a small birdie ball. He will also help us move pieces around the Monopoly board on game nights. Quigley is the best paper shredder too. Don’t leave your dollar bills sitting around! His favorite perch is usually a shoulder for a free ride around the house. I think he looks especially pretty sitting on Mom’s shoulder (right).

Quigley is a very good eater and will try anything once. If he doesn’t like it he will shake his head crazy, sneeze and fly away. He does love his sprouts and birdie bread that is loaded with veggies and of course loves his millet. He goes crazy for fresh corn, green beans and mashed potatoes. Fresh herbs and wheatgrass are also among his diet. He’s not a fruit eater at all, but he will take a bite to make sure he still doesn’t like them.

Quigley is a very spoiled bird!

Getting to Know Quigley ~ 2014 BOTS

Quigley’s Story

by Kristy

Quigley is the first Bourke Parakeet that I have ever owned. He picked me which makes him an extra special purchase! I was at the pet store because I needed a friend and didn’t even know it. I didn’t find out why he picked me until later during a family crisis.

I lost my Mother 6 years ago to pulmonary fibrosis and miss her dearly every day. Sometimes I’d have dreams about our good memories together, but other dreams were messages from Heaven. Over the course of several days I had the same dream and the only words I could understand was mom telling me “everything is okay,” and I kept asking her, “what’s okay Mom?” It wasn’t until I got the phone call from my sister that her son had a knee injury which they thought was cancer and would possibly have to amputate. At that moment I understood the dream and told my sister, “Everything is okay!” As we found out it was okay just as Mom had said. Little did I know that there was more to her message.

That night, I had that dream again. “Everything was okay,” my Mom said to me and I replied, “Yes Mom, we miss you and love you.” She then asked me, “Do you love Quigley?” I responded, “Yes I love him, how did you know?” Her answer was, “I love him too.” This is when I knew he was a special gift to help me through the hard times.

In this picture (right) is Quigley when he gets sleepy in the evenings and loves to nap on a shoulder. Any shoulder will do, but sometimes he prefers a toe. He loves sneaking off on Saturday afternoons and he’ll whistle for me from the bedroom. I can always find him waiting on my pillow. Those are the best times for snuggling and he’ll put me right to sleep when he starts “crackin.” They are very short power naps, but it’s our weekend routine. I can’t imagine Saturdays without our naps. Continue reading →

20 Charcoal, Fawn, White & Pied Finches available in Sydney, Australia

Charcoal male & his young offspring

By Wayne

Hi all, my name is Wayne and I live in the suburb of Pennant Hills in Sydney, Australia. I will be shortly moving house and will not be able to take my flock of around twenty zebra finches with me. As I will be moving in three weeks, whoever wants them, must take the lot.

Chelsea has kindly allowed me to place my information here. My zebra finches are Charcoal, Fawn, White and Dappled (Pied) in color, all are healthy birds. They would be the perfect flock for a beginner to start some selective breading.

I would like to give my birds to someone who could give them a good home. They come with a traveling cage and plenty of seed to keep them going! If you’re interested please message me here.

Additional Photos (click to enlarge):

3 Fawn Male Zebra Finches Available Now

by Marie

My Finch journey started out when I adopted my first pair of young Zebra Finches from Chelsea @ TWFA. I chose two unrelated Fawn OB BB birds so they would go on to breed later.

My birds were really active, singing and happy when I brought them home. The little hen’s beak turned orange just like Chelsea said it would. The little male tickled me with all the crowing he did and the little hen chimed right in. He has a cute little song. Continue reading →

UPDATE ~ Adopted! :)

This is a courtesy Community listing for a new TWFA fan and not in any way related to our pairs or offspring. The author has been screened and found to be a wonderfully dedicated new Finch Momma. Please email her if you would like to adopt her juveniles at the point of contact she has listed below. I am still breeding through a waiting list at this point in the season but her offspring are ready to go to their new home immediately. You can request your own listing by contacting me at my email.

2 Rescued, Related Pairs ~ Available Now

By Terri

I recently acquired a pair of Zebra Finches and four babies, a lady was selling them all and the cage for $25 so I bought them mainly to get them out of the deplorable state they were in. They look very healthy amazing enough, but the cage looked like it had never been cleaned.

Long story short, I brought them home. They are eating well and I have been giving them a better diet than they had , starting slow , I don’t want to tax their systems. The babies are feeding themselves now with only a little feeding from Mom and Dad, They are good parents even herding them into the nest when it is time to go down for the evening. I would really like to find good homes for the little one’s. Continue reading →