Draw A Bird Day 2024 is on Monday, April 8, 2024: Why is my bird so angry?

Monday, April 8, 2024 is Draw A Bird Day 2024. Draw A Bird Day is a movement that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid to late 1940s.

Draw A Bird Day is a movement that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid to late 1940s.

Birds are creatures of habit. It goes with the saying, "An elephant never forgets." Think back to the kind of attention Guess received from your father and also keep in mind that socialization is important. Conures tend to attach themselves to one person, but aggressive biting is serious. Nipping is one thing, but attacking out of some fear is another. Do not let anybody pick and poke at Guess when he's in his cage, that is his safety zone and birds can become very cage-attached; therefore if this happens remember that the bird will use his beak to discipline you... In regards to that, how often is Guess inside his cage? Parrots need several hours a day outside the safety zone to be able to explore and establish trust in their environment. The ability of flight and their beak are both used as defense mechanisms. It is very important to recognize and respect a bird's body language. For example: slick or ruffled feathers, pinning eyes, loud squaks, running away and biting are all common signs that a bird does not want to be approached and handled.

Unwanted behavior needs to be redirected and never force a bird into submission. I suggest reading a training manual and following simple rules of conduct. For example, do not shout, do not become physically aggressive and do not punish Guess by leaving him in his cage all day. Birds have their own internal sense of day and night, and need up to 12 hours of sleep. So during the day is when you let the bird be a part of your environment.

I doubt the bird is screaming for junk food, although birds can become addicted to it. Conures will scream when they're excited, in fear or want attention. If you need to, place the bird back in the cage without saying anything, cover it and walk away. The loss of your attention is enough. When the bird stops screaming, which sometimes isn't likely, redirect the bird's behavior. The bird comes out, perches and is given a healthy treat. If they bite, do not react. Back in the cage and walk away. A bird's behavior can be directed or redirected at any time. The length of ownership has nothing to do with a bird's personality or possible behavioral problems. So again, the kind of socialization you give Guess is important.

Chinese food, oreos, dairy, grains such as cereal, ice cream and pepsi need to be eliminated from the diet. Caffeine, chocolate, avocado, fruit seeds, etc are toxic and screw up the metabolism. Cereals have supplemental iron which is not a source of iron at all for a bird and can lead to incurable disease. Just as giving too much of one vitamin leads to an overdose. Birds are lactose intolerant, dairy creates indigestion and diarrhea. Chinese food is fattening and they don't eat that in the wild. Conures need Vitamin A, K, iron and calcium. Carrots, kale, mustard greens, apples, pomegranates, broccoli, blueberries (watch the amount b/c these contain tons of iron), melon, pea pods, okra are rich vitamin sources. Calcium is important as it also helps coagulate the blood. This can be found in cuttlebone, eggshells and dark leaf veggies. Mix in seeds with the diet, they all love peanuts, but careful how much you give them in addition to seed mixes because they contain a lot of fat (too much leads to things such as fatty liver disease). Birds also like sprout seeds: green sprouts, niger (protein), etc.

Refer to the site below for more info. I have a sun conure myself in addition to being a certified specialist so I know how demanding conures can be. :)

Things to draw realistically?

Absolutely Anything that you see around you can be drawn realistically :-)

In general :

-- Nature, the great outdoors, the scene from your window, anything & everything around you, ....can tell a wonderful story.

-- You can also try to visualize quotations, lyrics, jokes, quips, literary characters & scenes [from any book you are reading], etc. - give it your own interpretation & impression.

-- Ask "what if....?" questions. eg. What if we had only 4 fingers in each hand? What if the stage curtain does not drop at the right moment? What if a character from Shakespeare met a character from Victor Hugo?.... When you think up answers to some of these Qs, you can get some unique material for your drawings.

-- News items, current events, human interest stories, weather, etc. also offer you a Daily opportunity to draw something.

-- Dreams, fantasies, interpersonal experiences, feelings & emotions, colours, ....

-- From A to Z, think of a thing starting with each letter every day & draw it. eg. A for apple, apostrophe, apparition,... today ; then stuff with B tomorrow; & so on. Think of more than one thing, that will go together meaningfully, for each letter, & compose your sketch.

-- Pick up a random word(s) each day from a dictionary & try to write/sketch a composition.

-- Similarly with geometric shapes. Choose one & develop some images with it.

-- Visualize & draw Emotions / Traits, etc. eg. Courage, Love, Fear, Hate, Perseverance, Peace, Joy, Kindness, Naivety, etc.

-- Depict Life stages or Rites of Passage such as Birth, Death, Adulthood, Maturation, Childishness, Teenage years, Mid-life crisis, Old age, Senility, Marriage, Widowhood, becoming a grandparent,....

-- Think of some "story", incident, issue, quotation, joke, ... & try to depict them through your sketches.

-- Choose characters from any book, comic, film, poem, etc. that you like & develop them visually. Draw them as you "see" them.

-- Mythological characters, symbols, ...

-- Make lists of words - adjectives, nouns, adverbs, .... Then conjure up images by randomly choosing any one from each list!

-- For any or all of the above, you could do a whole Spectrum of emotions, expressions, positive-to-negative, and so on.

I'm listing categories & when you choose individual items from these categories, your list will become Huge ;-))) Moreover, you can choose from various categories to make your drawing tell a "story".

And you can change the same drawing by using different media or by changing perspective, distance, lighting, angle, genre, etc.

- the sky [ day & night sky] -- sun, moon, clouds, stars, ......

- the elements - rain, fire, water, land, ....

- beaches - sand, oceans, surfers, shells, driftwood, tides, ...

- aquatic life - algae, whales, sharks, octopus, coral reefs, deep-sea divers, ....

- islands, boats, ships, nets, trawlers, anglers, ....

- still-life -- any & all objects at home, using different light sources & perspectives, shadows & reflections

- yourself, friends & family - portraits, caricatures, ....

- nature from your window -- trees, neighborhood, lawns, birds, ....

- animals, including pets

- birds

- plants, trees, flowers, bees & butterflies.....

- humans performing various activities – series of dancers eg.

- transport systems - bus, car, train, plane, spaceship, UFO, ....

- architectural marvels, buildings, sheds, ....

- mythical & mythological forms/creatures

- mountains, rivers, landscapes, .....

- anatomy

- any congregation of people/animals like circus, zoo, fair grounds, etc.

the list can go on & on ;-)

For an almost unlimited & renewable stock of ideas :

AND generate random ideas for free

-- this site has a weekly (or more frequent) “Picture of the Day”

-- 149 ideas for a sketchbook

-- use these “challenges” to create your own versions &/or think up similar challenges for the future.

-- 1000 random things for sketching

You can Combine 2 or more prompts/ideas to create New versions :-)

I have a question about birds in Central California, can anyone help me out?

Many people wonder why birds crash into their windows or simply peck at them. Birds don’t understand the concept of glass or it’s reflective properties and may just see it as an extension of the sky. This behavior can greatly injure a bird or kill it. If a bird crashes into your window and seems stunned, you can put the bird in a shoebox with air holes and place it in a quiet, dark place for about an hour. Sometimes all they need is a little bit of time to recuperate. After this time, you should try and release the bird and see if it can fly away on it’s own. If it cannot, and the bird still seems disoriented or has any obvious wounds or other injuries you should seek help from a local wildlife rehabilitation center. Don’t attempt to care for the bird yourself as this is illegal.

Birds are often seen pecking at windows and car mirrors during the breeding season. Males are full of testosterone at this time of year and become very territorial, and will often mistake their reflection for a rival male. This behavior can be discouraged by making your windows less reflective by closing curtains or shades, or by placing decals on your windows. Decals are sold specifically for this purpose and come in hawk-shaped silhouettes or something more subtle like butterflies or snowflakes. Many are treated to reflect back ultra-violet light that acts as deterrent to birds making contact with the window. Although the birds can easily see these decals, they appear almost transparent to the human eye. You can also try breaking up the reflection by applying strips of masking tape in a criss-cross pattern to your windows, or by drawing lines on them with a bar of soap. Adding a screen, net or other barrier outside the window, and moving bird feeders, birdhouses and bird baths away from windows also helps.

Birds attacking car mirrors can be discouraged by simply covering the mirrors when your car is not in use. Potholders or plastic grocery bags with a rubber band to hold it in place work well. If window reflection is attracting them to your car, you might consider investing in a car cover.

Edit...Yes, I got the question..my point is, is that this is nothing mysterious or unusual..birds fly into glass windows ALL the time..it is a big problem. Nothing mystical about it..just that birds don't understand glass...end of story.