Although I have led many workshops and talks in the Central Florida area, this was my first time for the West Coast Avian Society in Sarasota, Florida. Whenever I am asked to give a workshop, it is not until I get there and am able to meet the folks that are going to be listening to me, that I know what is going to be of their greatest interest. I hate the thought that I may be going on and on, let's say, how important I believe it is for owners to be able to groom their own birds, when in fact, I am surrounded by a group desperate to keep their birds from biting - so they can handle them at all, let alone being able to groom them. When I arrived at the club, I was thrilled to see so many people had brought their birds to the talk. I encourage owners to socialize their birds, and advocate bringing them out and about, even amidst all the whispers of "it's not safe"…. "it's not healthy". Of course there are places where I would never take bird, but on the whole, it is worse to keep your bird from the outside world. In most cases it is the poorly socialized bird that develops behavioral problems.

As usual, once I had circulated the room speaking to owners and meeting their birds, there were several parrots that I wanted to connect with and try to find out what was going on in there little heads. One in particular was Stoney, the little cockatoo you see in the photographs. According to owner Linda Mayo, he was afraid of everything, and unlikely to come out of his carrier for me.


Afraid, he certainly was, and once he was coerced out of his carrier, the only way I was able to keep him from fleeing was by restraining him with a firm hug. Although this may seem counterintuitive, it actually helps a bird feel safe and stay calm. As I feel the bird give up resistance, I am able to slowly release my hold, until eventually they are staying on my arm voluntarily, without restraint. When you reach that 'tipping point' as I call it, it's as if you can literally see them thinking, "Hey this isn't so bad!"

At this point I will lightly cup a toe and begin to walk, vocalizing 'happy talk' all the while. This puts the bird in a position where it must trust me, because I have become a moving branch, and completely in control. Stoney did fine, and after our walk about I returned him to his "safe place" - the top of his carrier. He still did not want anything to do with a T-stand, and it would take a bit of work before hand movements would not cause him to fly off in fear. But, he had made a first step.

When a bird has a fear of something, the worst thing to do is move the object towards the bird, because then you are just creating an even scarier moving monster. So the way to start to desensitize them of their fear, is to move them towards the object . For Stoney, this meant spending the next five minutes playing the "hand game". I Moved my hand towards him in small, slow increments. If he backed away, I stopped, removed the energy from the hand and looked away. Each bird has a "comfort zone" and when you reach that distance he will not let you any closer, no matter how slowly you proceed. Eventually though, if you are still, curiosity gets the better of the bird. Why have you stopped?

It was not too long before he started to edge towards my motionless hand, as he did, I backed it slowly away, until it was on the edge of the carrier and could go no further. Several minutes later he stepped right up onto my hand! Now, if I had moved it right then, I would have undone everything. Again, I waited patiently, lowered my expectations of the moment, and the 'tipping point' arrived again: "Hey, this isn't so bad!"

It seemed like forever, but finally the time had come to progress, and begin to move with him remaining on my hand. If you have ever walked with a burning candle, hand cupped to shield it from the wind, you will understand how I "candle walk" to keep an anxious bird from fleeing. I simply block an easy flight path - not right in their face but just within their comfort zone. A bit of strolling around the room reinforced his trust . When I casually reintroduced him to the dreaded T-stand, he hopped right on, and remained there calmly when I walked away. But when I returned, and asked him to step up, and he did…. What wonderful, and crucial, progress for Stoney! These are the moments that fill my soul.

Having "a way with birds" is not enough, however. What I can get a bird to do, is not the point. The true gift, is helping owners work with their own animals; otherwise my skills are useless. Training any animal is all about synergy and timing: combining sound and motion in just the right way, at just the right time, in just the right amount. You have to bring together all you have learned, and be creative enough to explore all possibilities. Teaching someone else to do it, is like being the dance teacher, trying to train the pupil to dance who may not have the natural rhythm, coordination, balance or timing. it's a challenge.

Lucky for me, Stoney's owner Linda, did know how to dance….or at least she was a quick learner. We successfully got our little cockatoo to go from Linda to a stranger and back again with only a slight hint of his previous fear, and with a round of encouraging applause from the on looking audience, all the applause goes to you my little Cockatoo friend.

I want to give Stoney and Linda and all my new friends in Sarasota an enormous thank you for a great evening and wonderful hospitality. See you again in the fall.