It is not a bike, but it is beautiful
 

Had a rough weekend, found a Fledgling Starling in the street that had been had by a cat, but it did not make it and died this morning.

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I must admit to being quite sad, but not for very long because today we picked up our new baby, Alby.

I am now officially a mummy. :cheers:

Alby is his/her name. We shall not be inflicting a gender on our baby until we can tell what gender they really are! Well, we need feathers for that.

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Bred in captivity and imprinted for raising by humans, little Alby the Barn Owl is going to bring a lot of joy to Carol and I on our third anniversary together. :smt040

Re: It is not a bike, but it is beautiful
 

had a look at the photos on fb lovely little thing :D

Re: It is not a bike, but it is beautiful
 

cute, well he or she will be, how did you get hold of it?, they don't just give them away.

Re: It is not a bike, but it is beautiful
 

We went to a specialist breeder, little Alby is fully registered and ringed. It does cost to buy something as beautiful as an Owl, but Carol has wanted to get back into Falconry again for a long time. Her last bird was several years ago and was also a Barn Owl.

I knew a breeder in Devon a while back who bred Merlins, Peregrines and even a Gyr Saker hybrid. All were hand reared and made beautiful pets. More cuddly and less murderous than cats, but way more interesting than a Goldfish.

As for little Alby, he is happiest when sat on a lap, cuddled into a person. The cats are a bit strung out though and are not sure what to make of it all!

Re: It is not a bike, but it is beautiful
 

Thats a lovely little fluff ball :) Will you be training it to fly outdoors or will it just live in an aviary?

Re: It is not a bike, but it is beautiful
 

Aww how beautiful! I am sorry to hear about the starling, so often rescued with good intentions but the shock does get to them.

Alby is gorgeous, always had a soft spot for Barnies, he/she will bring you much happiness I am sure. Fantastic critters, YC and I flew one at the beginning of this year, he was originally called Barney and such character! Enjoy Jayne, and Carol too :) xx

Re: It is not a bike, but it is beautiful
 

Its not a rabbit!

Sorry couldn't resist.

Shown this thread to my mum, and she is so jealous, adores owls, potentially to an unhealthy level! :(

Re: It is not a bike, but it is beautiful
 

Sounds like another job for Miss YC when he/she's fledged.

Re: It is not a bike, but it is beautiful
 

Our plan is to let Alby be as free as a captive bird can be. It is a risk with flying Owls due to what is described by Carol as them being "Lazy F**kers!" They have a tendency to fly away or sit in a tree and stay there! Best bet is leave them hungry for about 24 hours and then fly them, they come back because they know that they will get fed!

He will be in the aviary only when we are work, I would hate for him to eat (or be eaten by) the cats, the rest of the time he will be sat with Carol and I, having cuddles or just chilling out. Her last bird was a real character who was very demanding of attention, this little guy seems much more relaxed, but still very cuddly.

The little chappie is developing flight feathers and real plumage, however flying is a little like falling with a distince lack of style at the moment. Landing via faceplant seems the preferred stopping method at the moment!

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Only seconds after this one was taken, our little bundle of fluff cacked on our duvet! The smell is er... interesting! I can feel that our washing machine is going to be busy while we house train!

Re: It is not a bike, but it is beautiful
 

LAzy critters LOL

We were treated to a display last year at the Yorkshire Wildlife park. Their owl decided it really didn't want to show off to the public and preferred to roost in the Range Rovers wheel arch, that belonged to the keeper! But wow what a wonderful display of flight when he did eventually come out :)
One thing I did see the other day on the telly was a lady who had one kept in an aviary, they do like to have a bath apparently! Not literally in your bathtub, but one of their own, I didn't know that. Obviously I've seen little birds sandbathing themselves, but never thought a larger one would prefer to have a bit of a dip in its own bathtub LOL