January 2009 Dear Human Beings, Elephants and, of course, Birds, I want to wish everyone who can read this, and those who cannot and need it to be read to them, a very HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR. Aristophanes, who cannot read YET, was a very good boy this new year. Being a scarlet macaw, and having a reputation for being a bit "feisty," he was incredibly sweet and loving and spent the whole morning with me, riding on my arm, nuzzling and kissing me, without biting me even once. That, for Aristophanes, is a situation that has not occurred in a long time. That gives hope for all of us who have a bird with a less than delightful disposition. If you wait and bleed long enough, it happens. Emma, my yellow nape, has been wonderful.....maybe it is the joy and hope of the new year....and Zeke, my sweet, award winning, cockatiel is always a delight. I think that the concept of cockatiels being the ideal bird pet is well deserved. So.......how are everybody else's birds? The only writing we get regularly, that tells us about that, comes from Debbie Napolitano about Sammy, her blue and gold macaw and Bonnie, her umbrella cockatoo. I wish that everyone in the club would write, at least a few times a year, about their birds. It would give us material to read that doesn't come from my boring mind or worse yet, from Little Ugly Matt's even more boring mind. But, since he and I have to fill this newsletter, I will write about my chickens this month.......After all, they are birds too. Be careful, I can fill this newsletter with elephant stories and they don't even have feathers. This is a new year and I have to nudge, cajole, bother, annoy and beg for programs so that all of you can be entertained and educated every month. I will let you know what to expect as they come in. Please let me know if you have any ideas and/or contacts that I can call from whom our people may learn and enjoy. I have no shame; I will contact and torture anybody until they say "yes." Tonight we have Carol Cipriano, the president of the Delaware Valley Companion Bird Club, here to speak to us about a Parrot Cruise. This should be very interesting and exciting. Imagine spending time vacationing and enjoying ourselves with other people who love parrots........I can't wait to hear what she has to say and see what she has to show us.. I also, want to thank her for giving us her time. She has a great love for parrots and that fact was clearly evident the last time that she was our speaker. ***Keep your wild bird feeders full and record the species you see** Again, have a wonderful, happy and radiantly healthy new year.....Enjoy the evening and I will see you again next month.