# The Other Flock Members (Ongoing Thread)



## RavensGryf

I thought it was time to post some new pics of the rest of the flock .

This is Robin, my first parrot that I got almost 22 years ago. I have never loved another animal more than him. Robin is my soulmate. He is a Red Bellied Parrot... a very cuddly one too!




This is Griffin the Ruppell's Parrot below, and his best friend Raven the Bronze Winged Pionus Parrot above. This is what keeps my hands full besides the Budgies. These two boys are trouble! 







Although Raven is twice the size of Griffin, you can see the boys are best friends... an odd couple for sure!


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## Niamhf

They are beautiful Julie  
I can just see the mischievness in their eyes too ;P


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## RavensGryf

Thank you so much Niamh . I just posted more pics there!


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## LittleBuds

They are amazing and Raven is breathtaking!


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## bluewing

Oh wow wow wow WOW! :wow:

Julie, your parrots are eye candy for parrot lovers everywhere :001_wub: 

They are beautiful and their plumage -- stunners, all of them and I have never seen a parrot quite like Raven. Remarkable bronzing in the wings. :loveeyes:


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## Birdigirl

Love all the pics of your Beautiful flock Julie they are Fab.
Robin is Adorable and the boys Raven and Griffin really do look like a pair of mischief makers. Hee hee I can imagine how they keep their mom very busy and also keep her smiling and laughing I bet all through the day  Lovely pics Julie Thanks for sharing


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## LynandIndigo

Julie they are so beautiful. I love there big eyes..


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## Kate C

They are truly lovely birds Julie. Raven and Griffin certainly look like a pair of trouble makers. I know that look in their eyes only too well.


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## FaeryBee

*Robin, Griffin and Raven are so unique! 
I love the coloring of each an every one of them.
Robin looks like a sweetheart and it's obvious he loves you, you can see it in the pictures. :lovers:

Griffin and Raven may be an "odd couple" but how wonderful they are best friends. I can imagine the trouble those two dream up when you aren't around. :laughing2:*


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## SouthernKeet

Awesome!
Those are cool birds


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## petites

Robin's eyes are full of love for you Julie :loveeyes:
And as for Raven and Griffin.....well Laurel and Hardy spring to mind :evil:
They are all gorgeous birdies :love2:


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## RavensGryf

LittleBuds said:


> They are amazing and Raven is breathtaking!


Thank you so much for the complement !



bluewing said:


> Oh wow wow wow WOW! :wow:
> 
> Julie, your parrots are eye candy for parrot lovers everywhere :001_wub:
> 
> They are beautiful and their plumage -- stunners, all of them and I have never seen a parrot quite like Raven. Remarkable bronzing in the wings. :loveeyes:


Thanks Dor, I appreciate that! Raven's species is quite unique in the coloring for a parrot. I first fell in love with BW Pionus many years ago when browsing through a parrot book! I had a female too, 10 years ago. Raven is uncommon, and Griffin is considered a rare pet species.



Birdigirl said:


> Love all the pics of your Beautiful flock Julie they are Fab.
> Robin is Adorable and the boys Raven and Griffin really do look like a pair of mischief makers. Hee hee I can imagine how they keep their mom very busy and also keep her smiling and laughing I bet all through the day  Lovely pics Julie Thanks for sharing


Thank you Mary, it's funny, but Raven "used to be" a very trustworthy parrot, as he's not as active and curious by nature as Griffin is... But, since becoming bonded with Griffin, Raven has definitely started to emulate some of his more mischievous behavior unfortunately! Monkey see, monkey do.. especially when it's your partner in crime :laughing:.



LynandIndigo said:


> Julie they are so beautiful. I love there big eyes..


Lyn, thank you for your sweet complement. Raven's eyes are 'extra' large .



Kate C said:


> They are truly lovely birds Julie. Raven and Griffin certainly look like a pair of trouble makers. I know that look in their eyes only too well.


I know you know what I'm talking about Kate! My smallest one is the worst troublemaker I've ever had! I need to fly Griffin around the room to get him tired first, or else he's obnoxious. He has a ton of pent up energy as well as hormones right now, an oversize beak for his body and he's not afraid to use it! I wish I had an indoor aviary for him.. One day.



FaeryBee said:


> *Robin, Griffin and Raven are so unique!
> I love the coloring of each an every one of them.
> Robin looks like a sweetheart and it's obvious he loves you, you can see it in the pictures. :lovers:
> 
> Griffin and Raven may be an "odd couple" but how wonderful they are best friends. I can imagine the trouble those two dream up when you aren't around. :laughing2:*


Thank you Deborah. Robin says "I love you" to me, and he knows what it means, and says it at appropriate times .

On one hand, I'm happy Raven and Griffin are a pair, but that does mean double trouble :laughing:. Raven has always been gentle with his smaller friend, but Griffin can be pretty feisty now as he's going through his hormones.



SouthernKeet said:


> What about your lovebirds deborah?
> 
> OK just looked at the other thread, they are gorgeous! How many birds do u have in all?


I agree Dennis... Deborah does have gorgeous lovebirds .


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## jrook

Wow... you have a really special group of rather unique parrots! I've never seen some of these (except the Pionus.. but is he an unusual color for a pionus?)... Your Robin is beautiful, as are the others, but Robin does steal my heart! I know parrots live long lives... Is Robin still a young man? 
I bet you do have your hands full with that avian family of yours!


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## RavensGryf

petites said:


> Robin's eyes are full of love for you Julie :loveeyes:
> And as for Raven and Griffin.....well Laurel and Hardy spring to mind :evil:
> They are all gorgeous birdies :love2:


Thank you Julie . Robin is closely bonded with me. Raven and Griffin are definitely the evil Laurel and Hardy .



jrook said:


> Wow... you have a really special group of rather unique parrots! I've never seen some of these (except the Pionus.. but is he an unusual color for a pionus?)... Your Robin is beautiful, as are the others, but Robin does steal my heart! I know parrots live long lives... Is Robin still a young man?
> I bet you do have your hands full with that avian family of yours!


Thanks Judy! Raven is a Bronze Winged, one of the 6 species of Pionus available.

My Robin is going to be 22 years old a week from today!  I've had him since he was a weaned baby. Time flies.. I sure wish I could get some years back. 22 is considered about middle aged or an old man for the species depending on the individual. I am praying that my precious boy is only still middle aged.


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## aluz

It's great to see your bigger boys!  
Your Robin really seems to be a total sweetheart, I can also imagine the entertainment you get from Raven and Griffin!


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## Budget baby

Robin is such a sweetie, you can see the bond is indeed very close with you both. How amazing to share that for twenty two years and many more .
HAHA the two little devils do have that glint in their eyes, I have been tempted to foray into bigger species of birds but I find myself totally absorbed with my boys for now. 
Thankyou so much for sharing your flock with us, of course now we have seen them a new Thread and ongoing of course must be made . Keep those pictures coming.icturesplease::thumbsup:


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## RavensGryf

aluz said:


> It's great to see your bigger boys!
> Your Robin really seems to be a total sweetheart, I can also imagine the entertainment you get from Raven and Griffin!


Thanks Ana . Robin is really a blessing. He has his moments, but he is a very sweet bird. Hands-on cuddlier than most too. He is a bird who loves to be snuggled and petted. He has definitely mellowed and gotten even sweeter as he's matured.

Then Raven and Griffin are always making me laugh. They're always making me say "No!" too :laughing2:. They're pretty well trained on voice commands, but they sometimes choose to ignore me of course!



Pretty boy said:


> Robin is such a sweetie, you can see the bond is indeed very close with you both. How amazing to share that for twenty two years and many more .
> HAHA the two little devils do have that glint in their eyes, I have been tempted to foray into bigger species of birds but I find myself totally absorbed with my boys for now.
> Thankyou so much for sharing your flock with us, of course now we have seen them a new Thread and ongoing of course must be made . Keep those pictures coming.icturesplease::thumbsup:


When I stop to think about it, it just seems so amazing that Robin has been with me all this time! I'm looking forward to many more years with him. I've loved all my birds through the years, some more than others, but none like Robin. He really has my heart on a different level.

The parrots do take away a lot of my time, but they're all 3 pretty independent species and individuals too. No doubt Cathy, that if you got a parrot, you wouldn't be able to spend as much time with your budgies as you do now. Too bad I can't spend time with all my birds as a "flock". I have 3 groups I have to spend separate time with. Robin doesn't get along with Raven and Griffin, and the budgies are too small to be safe with the bigger boys.

You're right Cathy! I guess this should be an ongoing thread too? 

Stay tuned... I'm posting more pics tonight!


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## StarlingWings

Julie, I absolutely love your three bigger boys and it's a treat every time I get to see them!

It makes me miss Bucky--parrots have such unique personalities! :lovers:

Robin is precious and the bond he has with you is incredible. I can't believe you've had him for so long. (Well, actually I can, considering the lifespan of parrots, but it's magical to truly see a lifetime bond like that in action)

Griffin and Raven are both beautiful, as usual, and look like they're up to no good, also as usual :laughing:

I've always had a soft spot for Raven, his colouring is just stunning! :wow:

I second the request for an ongoing thread so we never have to live without pictures of your big birdies!  :2thumbs:


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## RavensGryf

Thank you so much Star . I lied above... I said I'd post more pics tonight, but I am pooped. So tired right now... it'll have to wait until some point tomorrow. I promise . Oh, and I will make it an ongoing thread. :thumbsup:

When do you get to see Buckwheat again?


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## StarlingWings

Booo! What a tease, Julie :laughing: :evil: 

I hope soon, I can't believe I miss him this much since I've known him for a while and it's always been fine. Every time I see him, I never want to leave, and he tries every trick in the book to get me to stay. It's precious. We really have such a special bond, and he's not even mine :laughing2:

I'm not sure when I can see him again, to be honest. His owners are very busy all the time and we get together only a few times per year. The last time I saw him was in March, I believe.


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## RavensGryf

I'm sorry... I know, I'm mean :evil: Hehhehhehh

Maybe if Bucky lives long enough, you will eventually inherit him. Amazons are some of the longest lived parrots. Longer lived even than some that are larger.


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## StarlingWings

He's pretty young, I would say early twenties. I've already been assured that I can have him--in fact, his owners have actually tried to convince me to take him earlier, since he doesn't share a bond with any of them. 

However, I've had to decline since I'm going to school and I wouldn't be able to see him much, so it will have to wait out:

For now, I will delight in seeing your beautiful boys and thus live vicariously through you!  :thumbsup:


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## RavensGryf

Oh great, that's awesome that you already know he's yours . After all, YOU are his person :lovers: It will be worth the wait.


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## Cody

They're all beautiful. In that first picture of Griffin and Raven they look like they are planning to get into some mischief. I can here them talking saying " Wait not yet, she's looking, wait until she leaves the room." :w00t:


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## RavensGryf

Cody said:


> They're all beautiful. In that first picture of Griffin and Raven they look like they are planning to get into some mischief. I can here them talking saying " Wait not yet, she's looking, wait until she leaves the room." :w00t:


Haha, that's why I don't leave the room anymore for more than 30 seconds if they're out! I know they must chat like that all the time... I can see them conspiring together, then all of a sudden you will see Griffin walking across the floor heading for trouble, and Raven walking right behind him ready to follow everything he does LOL! It's funny, but at the same time it's so _not_!  It's also hilarious that Raven is the bigger and older one, but he follows Griffin's lead.


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## RavensGryf

As promised, more cute pics of the boys. First, Robin. 



Robin in bed . Don't worry, he's just posing . 
I've heard of too many unfortunate accidents. Please don't sleep or nap with your birds! 



Waiting to be petted


New portrait of Raven



Showing his colors. The turquoise under his tail is under his wings too, and on the underside of most of the body feathers.


Mischievous Griffin :evil:



Sticking his tongue out at the camera


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## StarlingWings

Julie, they are absolutely stunning! 

These pictures are beautiful and show their unique personalities off so well  

The pictures of Robin made me squeal out loud--he's too cute for words! Raven's portrait is precious and I'm sure Griffin will be pleased to hear that in every photo of his, he looks like he's up to something  Probably because he is 

I can't wait for more!  :jumping:


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## RavensGryf

Thanks Star . I am obsessed with taking birdie pics nowadays. Time to dust off the digital camera that I forgot how to use lol. This motorola phone camera is actually ok and does take crisp clear pics (when it decides to focus properly) but the shutter speed is so slow it's hard to capture subjects such as birds without it being blurry. Then the iPad camera forget it, it's really bad quality.

Griffin is always up to something. It's interesting how he's a related species to Robin (both in the genus of Poicephalus parrots) but they have such different personalities and temperaments. That's more individual though, than species. When Griffin started to grow up I said "ohhh no... we have trouble!"

Lately, I've started flying Griffin around the room first thing when he comes out of the cage. Hopefully he will get in the routine and start doing it automatically. I'm teaching him the word "fly". Funny but he goes inside his cage after, thinking it's time to go in . It burns off a ton of pent up energy in him, and stops him from the aerial attacks on my head and Raven! I'm so glad I figured that one out! That's what the boy needs, to fly more. He's too full of hormones and energy. Now that I've gotten his phobic disorder he has is down to a minimum (took about a year working with him which was so _not_ fun), I'm also planning to start target training him.

I was just remembering... When Griffin was very young, he was actually "friends" with my late budgie Twigs. As soon as I saw his behavior changing, Twigs cage was moved to a different part of the house. Looking back, I'd never put a budgie near a mature parrot again.


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## FaeryBee

*Julie,
I absolutely LOVE these pictures. 
I agree with Star -- you've captured their personalities exquisitely. 
I'm really glad you're becoming "obsessed" with taking pictures of your birds because we truly love seeing them. :happy4:*


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## RavensGryf

FaeryBee said:


> *Julie,
> I absolutely LOVE these pictures.
> I agree with Star -- you've captured their personalities exquisitely.
> I'm really glad you're becoming "obsessed" with taking pictures of your birds because we truly love seeing them. :happy4:*


Oh great  I'm so happy that you're enjoying them and that you are not getting bored yet!

I was looking through all my photos, and realized that I should post ALL of the boys "best shots of all time" . For each of them I have some great favorites. You know when you're lucky enough to snap the camera right at the perfect moment?  I will work on posting those this week.


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## petites

RavensGryf said:


> You know when you're lucky enough to snap the camera right at the perfect moment?  I will work on posting those this week.


Yes please :biggrin1: They are gorgeous, gorgeous boys :love2:


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## Birdigirl

Wow what Gorgeous pics Julie they sre Fab. Robin is Beautiful and looks so cosy there all tucked up in bed and Griffin is like okay what mischief can I get into next I 'll just hang here and chill as I plan my next bit of villainy  ...Hee Hee I love the tongue out at the camera...thats priceless and Raven is so majestically Beautiful with all his Beautiful colours...Id never seen his colours before they are Gorgeous...I cant wait to see the next set of pics...thanks for sharing Julie these are Great...keep them coming please ...no one could ever get bored looking at these Beauties they are Adorable


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## StarlingWings

Julie, I can't wait to see the "perfect shot" pictures!  I really can't wait. 


Really. 

I'm still over here, you know, waiting. :undwech:


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## RavensGryf

petites said:


> Yes please :biggrin1: They are gorgeous, gorgeous boys :love2:


Thank you Julie . I'm so glad you're enjoying the pics!



Birdigirl said:


> Wow what Gorgeous pics Julie they sre Fab. Robin is Beautiful and looks so cosy there all tucked up in bed and Griffin is like okay what mischief can I get into next I 'll just hang here and chill as I plan my next bit of villainy  ...Hee Hee I love the tongue out at the camera...thats priceless and Raven is so majestically Beautiful with all his Beautiful colours...Id never seen his colours before they are Gorgeous...I cant wait to see the next set of pics...thanks for sharing Julie these are Great...keep them coming please ...no one could ever get bored looking at these Beauties they are Adorable


Raven does have unique colors for a parrot. Thank you so much for the complement Mary . I have a lot of good photos of all of them that really capture each boy's personality. I have to look through all my photos on my phone and iPad. By the time I get them on here, then you will all be tired of seeing them lol!



StarlingWings said:


> Julie, I can't wait to see the "perfect shot" pictures!  I really can't wait.
> 
> Really.
> 
> I'm still over here, you know, waiting. :undwech:


You so crack me up :laughing2:. I feel the pressure.... okay, okay!!


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## aluz

I loved this latest set of pics!  Your sweet Robin looks so comfy all tucked up in bed. I'm amazed at your Raven's exquisite colours and you really managed to capture Griffin's clownish ways!


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## Birdigirl

RavensGryf said:


> Thank you Julie . I'm so glad you're enjoying the pics!
> 
> Raven does have unique colors for a parrot. Thank you so much for the complement Mary . I have a lot of good photos of all of them that really capture each boy's personality. I have to look through all my photos on my phone and iPad.* By the time I get them on here, then you will all be tired of seeing them lol!
> *
> 
> You so crack me up :laughing2:. I feel the pressure.... okay, okay!!


Never Julie Never  Always love seeing your Gorgeous fids


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## RavensGryf

Here are some new pics of Raven and his little sidekick Griffin .







Griffin always loves to photobomb Raven...



The most mischievous one!


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## FaeryBee

*I love the new pictures of Raven and Griffin!
Your boys are such handsome fellows and it is always delightful to see them. Thanks for sharing them with us, Julie.*


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## StarlingWings

The best Valentine's day gift ever! :jumping: Those are great, Julie  :thumbsup:


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## RavensGryf

Thank you Deborah and Star . Those two are always up to something, but they always make me laugh :laughing2:.


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## RavensGryf

This is the tray I use to take everyone's water bowls to the kitchen from the room. This is what I found since I didn't put it away right away.

The very guilty look...



Griffin: "Raven is such a bad bird. I'd never do something like that."



Raven: "That Griffin is such a liar. Look at him!"


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## RavensGryf

My little soulmate, Robin. The most perfect, precious bird I've ever had. I've had him for 22+ years ! He is a Red Bellied Parrot.


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## RavensGryf

More mischief from Griffin... . He is a rare Ruppell's Parrot.






His feet crack me up. Griffin loves to hang upside down.


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## BooksBudgies

Aww such sweet pictures. And haha they do look guilty in the first picture, especially Raven! I love the angles you captured, especially the second to last of Griffin hanging. And Robin looks so sweet! Amazing you've had him so long! You must be very closely bonded! 

EDIT: I meant I especially liked the angle in the 2nd picture of the last post of Griffin hanging


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## RavensGryf

Thanks Katie. It's amazing to me when I think about just how long I've had him. Yes, Robin and I are very closely bonded . I can do literally anything with him (touching or cuddling), touch him anywhere at any time, and he either craves it, or at worst is a good sport. That is very rare for a parrot regarding touching! There's no way I could do that with Raven and Griffin, or any other bird I've ever had.


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## LynandIndigo

Beautiful Julie. I love your photos.


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## StarlingWings

Julie, those are some wonderful photos of your boys  

The bond you have with Robin is so special! Your relationship is truly precious and I love being able to see that in photos hoto: 

Thanks for sharing! :2thumbs:


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## FaeryBee

*I just caught up with the lastest installments of pictures and they are wonderful!

The ones of Raven and Griffin tearing up the paper towel made me laugh :laughing2: 
Robin is beautiful and the bond of love between the two of you shines through in every picture of him you've posted.*


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## Therm

Your birds are all so beautiful but Griffin hanging upside down is just precious!

I love it when I see any bird doing that. For some reason, I always forget they can do it and m amazed when I see them happily upside down.


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## RavensGryf

More 'hanging' pics . Raven usually never does this. He gets a lot of his influence from Griffin. Good _and_ bad!


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## StarlingWings

Aww, their preening picture is adorable


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## RavensGryf

Thanks Star, I love that pic too. Their faces are too cute! It's even more adorable in person, but it's so hard to get a video of them doing it, although they do it quite often. Sometimes one will tap the other with their beak then lower their head to say "please preen me!" Then sometimes they will preen each other simultaneously which is adorable too. Raven also feeds Griffin. That is _not_ so cute. Especially when they're messy about it!


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## RavensGryf

Today (March 8) is Griffin's 3rd birthday :clown:. He is a mature male Ruppell's Parrot in full adult color.

This morning, his bff Raven invited Griffin to breakfast at his house... then Raven started feeding him (yuck, Griffin can eat just fine on his own lol) . Then Raven started preening him. Griffin sure is lucky to have such a good friend! 


Look at Griffin's face, LOL




Today also marks one of the FIRST times ever where Griffin has felt comfortable with me to step up without having to have a seed first! He usually will bite unless I have a seed. He is a little more on the wild side than my other parrots. We have come a long way with trust and bonding, but as anyone knows that has been through it, it does take a consistent long time. 



Ps.... You can visit this thread http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-pictures/386289-its-someones-birthday.html to see Mink's birthday yesterday!


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## FaeryBee

*Happy, Happy Hatchday, Griffin!



It looks as though you and your BFF, Raven, have been enjoying a wonderful celebration of your Happy Day!

Peachy sends his best wishes and wants you to know he thinks you are very fortunate to have a Mom who celebrates your hatchday. 
Peachy is pretty upset that his Mom didn't even mention to anyone that he turned 5 on March 1st. ​*


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## StarlingWings

Those are some more great pictures :laughing2: They are clowns!  Griffin's face in the first two photos cracked me up  

Happy Birthday to darling Griffin! He's lucky to have such a great mum and best friend  

:happybirthday: I hope his day was wonderful! arty:


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## RavensGryf

Thank you so much for the birthday wishes Deborah and Star . 

Deb, Griffin knows I'm making it up to them for forgetting almost all my bird's birthdays last year... along with my mom's and Don's, and other various special dates of my close friends. :laughing: I had so much going on I could not remember lol. I still do, but am making sure I remember everyone's special day . 

Happy belated birthday Peachy ! From Me, Robin, Griffin, Raven, Mink, and Chip


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## RavensGryf

I forgot to mention that this morning, as soon as Griffin flew to Raven's cage and went inside, Raven went up to his guest and greeted him with a "Hiii!" It was so cute. Too bad he couldn't say Happy Birthday!


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## FaeryBee

*That is adorable!! :laughing2:*


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## RavensGryf

Some new random photos of Raven and Griffin playing


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## FaeryBee

*Julie,

I love how the first picture shows off Raven's beautiful coloring and the 6th picture of Griffin with the red toy part in his mouth. :001_wub:

Those two certainly appear to be best buds!*


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## StarlingWings

Julie, your big boys are absolutely beautiful! I always love seeing photos of them, it makes me smile every time :001_wub:


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## JRS

Really beautiful birds, though they do look eager to make mischief. :001_tongue::XD::jumping1:
Good job you have the bird room as a playground!


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## Brienne

Thank you for sharing your precious, wee lads ...it has been a delight following all their little antics...looking forward to seeing many more. :001_smile:


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## RavensGryf

Thank you all . They're always making me laugh. That is when they're not getting into trouble! Griffin makes a soft whimpering type of peep when Raven is preening him. It's so cute that it makes me giggle every time . 

I miss a lot more great shots with my current phone camera (which is how I take my bird pics). The Motorola Android I have has a camera with a very slow shutter... not good with birds . It's even harder to photograph the budgies' cutest moments because they're so fast.


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