Introduction To "A Great Joy"
I am a "bird guy," proud of it, too. And, here, I intend to talk about BIG birds. A LOT!
This is Caribus Magnificus. He's every bit of that.
Why not? This is a completely new social platform and I've never put my "writings" about birds all in one place, end to end. I'm 70 years old. If not now, when?
Truth is, I have a lot of "articles" about birds. Some go back 15 years or more. I've had small birds, 'tiels and conures, a joy to watch, listen to and interact with. And, I have big birds now...Caribe, Bravo, and Gandolf, who's bonded to wonder wifey, Kate. More on that later, the bonding thing. They're all BIG macaws, blue and gold, and Gandy...well, best we can figure, he's a "Hawaiian Sunset.
"Formal name, Gandolfus Terrificus. Answers to "Gandy."
I have no illusions about popularity here. I ain't here to make a bundle of money, even if it's bitcoin. And, I'm not here to impress anybody with glitz or glamor. I'm a down home Texan, I'm old, which means I don't fit here, but then again...I do. Seems I've picked a niche about as small as you can get, too.
BIG BIRDS. That's it. Just BIG birds.
Bravo Stupendicus, a gentle giant. Fearless, too. Yeah, that's a Great Dane.
Consider this: Only about seven per-cent of Americans own birds. Of THAT number, a subset of seven per-cent own LARGE birds. The macaws, the cockatoos, the amazons, the greys and the variants of all those breeds.
So, 326.5 million population, as of today. (According to Worldometers.) Seven per-cent is still a big number, 22.8 million people. OK...down to seven per-cent of THAT population. Now, we're talkin' about 1.6 million people. (I rounded a hair, if you check my math.)
The Congo African Grey. He can explain the numbers to you.
Still a lotta folks. A lotta folks kinda like ME! Been around birds a long time. Found their personalities and behaviors fascinating. Decided to keep BIG companion birds in our homes, apartments, condos, castles, even in RV's, traveling the roads of America. (I'd LOVE to do that!)
Some years ago, when I lived in Tallahassee, Florida, I was in, then ended up runnin' a small bird club for a few years. During that time, I did a lot of writing, starting about 2001 or so. I've carried those writings with me for a long time.
Blue and Gold Macaw. Voted most photogenic.
The article I'm introducing is called "A Great Joy." The original runs about 3000 words. A bit long for these premises. However...in my defense, there is a LOT of joy in sharing your life with big birds. So, I broke it down.
That's why this intro is needed. There will be four pieces in all, with more images of "my guys." Each piece kinda stands on its own, but they're all related to that "joy." I feel it still.
Expect I always will.
Be talkin' to you.....Web Rydr
NOTICE: This is a one-time disclaimer. The images are either mine, or I've had them so long, I have NO idea where they came from. I have thousands of bird images. So, if I step on any toes, I'll gladly pull a disputed image. Otherwise...they stay.