Pictures of the Current Clutch


I do refer to the babies with nicknames, instead of calling them Baby #1 and so forth constantly. In the individual sections for each bird, I'll tell you the reason for their nickname and other interesting tidbits.
Please click on a picture to get a bigger version!.
All babies have been sold. The next clutch will be ready around September 2002! Check back for updates.


Group Shots / Baby #1 (McCloud) / Baby #2 (Neo) / Baby #3 (Etcetera)


Group Shots
     About 16, 18, and 20 days old. Left to right: Etc., Neo, McCloud      About 16, 18, and 20 days old. Upper left: Etc. Lower left: Neo Right: McCloud      Clockwise from right: Etc., Neo, McCloud


     As of 9/6/01 - McCloud, Neo, Etc.      As of 9/17/01 - Left to Right: McCloud, Neo, Etc.


Baby #1 (McCloud) - Sold
    Awww, isn't she a cutie? McCloud's name does come from the movie Highlander. There can be only one. I had originally intended for McCloud's leg band to be #1, but unfortunately she grew too big too fast, and is unbanded. However, she did turn out to be the only pearl (ever), so her name worked out okay after all. :) Here she is at about 20 days.      This is McCloud at 25 days. Her pearling is really coming out on her wings. I've taken the most pictures of McCloud to show how her pearling develops. This bird will be $75 instead of the usual $70.      25 days. The white tufts on the top of each wing are where feathers are still coming in.



     A nice view of her back, again at 25 days. Note the development of the pearl. The middle section of the back is still encased in feather sheaths. I expect her to be fully feathered in a week.      29 days.      This is the "please take me home and love me" look. :) She has a couple of crest feathers that have only half popped out, and as a result, stick straight up. I've taken to calling her "McCloud Dancing." (please refer to Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman to get the joke. :))



     9/6/01 - 29 days. As you can see, McCloud loves to pose for the camera.     McCloud is definitely a female. Genetics dictates that from my two birds, 50% of all females will be pearls, and no males will be pearls.Her pearling is uneven.



     9/17/01 - A little blurry, has a bit of a slouchy posture..     A rather picturesque shot, nice closeup of the head. Crest is a little weird, coloring leaves much to be desired at this point...     Another nice shot.


Baby #2 (Neo) - Sold
    Neo has the biggest eyes I've ever seen. He is pretty shy, and I'm working on socialising him and just cuddling him constantly. His name is from The Matrix. I thought that since I already had one movie character, I might as well have another. :)     Neo is getting less shy, he loves to be on your shoulder. Lately he has been chirping and *singing*. If trained properly and early, I believe he might be a talker.     9/17/01 - Neo (left) and Etc. are great pals, usually you don't see one without the other.


    9/17/01 - Little blurry, but shows his nice full head.     9/17/01 - Just an overal posture shot. Neo's becoming a sweet little bird. He needs to be an "only bird," though.


Baby #3 (Etcetera)
    Etcetera is the last chick that I am raising this year, so of course she got the name for an obvious reason. :) She craves attention, and if you pick up another chick but not her, she doesn't hesitate to protest loudly. Etc ended up being the only one in the clutch with a band! Etc is the baby, and a very sweet one, which babies tend to be. :)     Etcetera was the first one to learn to play! Always up for a nice headrub and loves to be passed around.     An awesome picture. Very unnatural for a bird, shows enormous trust. She just lays back and looks around.



    A nice pic of Etc. on my shoulder, showing off that nice crest and beautiful body shape. Could easily be shown at a bird show. (9/17/01)     Who's the pretty bird?     Etc. and Neo like to play soccer together.



    You can see how the crest is going to be tall and full.     All the babies like to shred Kleenex and paper. They also play tug of war.     Hi-ho, hi-ho, off to shred some tissue i go!

More fun with Kleenex.

I am "fairly" certain of each gender of each bird. I judge on the following characteristics: Aggressiveness, noise level, and interaction with other birds and myself. These are not foolproof - the only way to guarantee gender of these birds before their first molt is through a DNA test. There are always exceptions - some females may be loud, some males may be quiet. If it weren't for genetics, I would be certain that McCloud is a male - she is very loud and can get pushy. That should be proof enough that not every bird follows the same mold. I give an educated guess, which is more than some breeders will do.