22 of 25: Hand Feeding Baby Birds with Savanna

First things first – MERRY CHRISTMAS!! May you have a little more peace and love in your lives from this season of hope.

I’m getting down to the wire here with my New Year’s resolution of learning 25 new things in 2013. Like I wrote in an earlier post, despite it being so close, I do have it all planned out and it *should* happen…if all goes according to plan.

For number 22 I headed up north to visit a new, but very dear friend. I met Savanna (and her wonderful husband) through James’ work this summer, but there is something about our dynamic that makes me feel like we have been kindred spirits forever – basically she’s the Diana to my Anne.

Anne & Diana = Christy & Savanna

Whenever there is fun to be had, or shenanigans to get into, she’s there to remind me of how delightful it can be to be wild and free-spirited. One awesome memory I have of this summer is the two of us wildly dancing our hearts out in the middle of a street concert in Kenora. We were surrounded by strangers in this small town and the stars were twinkling above with good music in the summer breeze. Shen she asked if I wanted to cut a rug, I couldn’t think of one reason to say no. Our husbands worry a bit whenever we get together, because there is no telling what will come out of it.

This is our dancin’ street.

Savanna could probably teach me 25 new things all by herself. She has a ridiculous skill set and can do basically anything she puts her mind to – renovate, drywall, build cabinets, repair an RV, breed tropical birds and on and on. She is the most well rounded person I know. Whenever I am around her I feel like I could do anything. Savanna was a part of the group for a few of my other resolution adventures – check out #15 and #18 to see the fun we were up to.

Out of the many things she could have taught me, we settled on how to feed baby birds by hand. She is raising a flock of 6 baby Timneh African Greys. They are not quite old enough to be eating on their own yet, but should be by mid January. The first thing we did is make the food by mixing a powdered baby bird feed with warm water until you have a thick soup consistency.  Then I went to get some of the birds (from the aviary Savanna had built herself) and put them into a plastic basket.

You fill a syringe with the food, and then aim the stream of food into the bottom right side of their mouths. Sav taught me that the birds breathe through the left side of their mouths, so it is best to aim the food at the right side. She explained that you need to have a steady pressure and touch the side of their beak with your thumb so that they start the natural suckling action.

Here is Savanna coaching me as I feed the birds.

You can tell the birds are done being fed when their gullet’s are full. You can feel their gullet right at the top of their breast. Needless to say, things got a little messy, and I wasn’t very good at keeping the food flowing at a consistent rate. I got lots of food all over their faces, and ended up giving them a shower under the tap after feeding.

It was really great getting to handle the birds, and boy were they ever happy to be fed! They were pecking at my hands and body checking each other out of the way to get at the syringe. Strangely, a maternal feeling came over me as I was feeding them and they depended on me for survival supper. I was laughing at myself for how dorky it was, but the description of someone being a ‘mama bird’ made a whole lot more sense to me after this experience! Thanks Savanna for teaching me how to feed baby birds, it surely was a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Stay tuned, my final 3 will come fast and furious before the year is out!