Elaine Henley Parrot Behaviourist

11/07/2024

More Puffin pictures, because who doesn't love Puffin's?

10/07/2024

Someone asked me on the boat over to the Isle of May how many times I have visited- yikes, lots and lots of times! My visits here never disappoint, as I am always thrilled by the sheer volume of birds who make this their temporary home, to raise their chicks before departing. There are over 52,000 Puffin pairs alone! Yesterday it was freezing, and mostly wet- so bad I had to put my camera away....and just watch the comings and goings.
Some of my images....

31/05/2024

Happy World Parrot Day!

03/04/2024

Bird therapy.... we could all do with some of this.

13/03/2024

Many thanks to the wonderful team from Eagle for all of the work that they do to stop poaching. So, it would seem that low life poachers are now using boats to smuggle endangered critters.... Those 12 Lear's Macaws would most likely have had buyers, waiting to sn**ch them and condemn them to a life of breeding in a collection......

The EAGLE February briefing is out -
• 14 traffickers arrested in 4 countries

• A shipment from Brazil of highly endangered 12 Lear’s Macaws and 17 Golden Lion Tamarins on a sailing boat stopped and 5 traffickers arrested in Togo

• 3 traffickers arrested with 6 elephant tusks weighing 33 kg in Gabon

• 4 traffickers arrested with 2 elephant tusks weighing more than 30 kg in Togo

• An ape trafficker arrested and a baby chimp rescued in Côte d'Ivoire

• A fugitive ivory trafficker captured in Congo

for the full briefing click here -
https://www.eagle-enforcement.org/data/files/eagle-briefing-february-2024-public.pdf

26/01/2024

You all know of the famous Stuttgart Amazonian Parrots- now meet the Malaga Monk parakeets. I was lucky to view them as they landed on a low tree- where a local feeds them. Some consider them a nuisance, and a few years ago the Spanish Government sought to remove them.....

24/01/2024

The swearing parrots are back in the news ;-)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-67990806?at_ptr_name=facebook_page&at_link_type=web_link&at_campaign=Social_Flow&at_campaign_type=owned&at_bbc_team=editorial&at_link_origin=BBC_East_Yorkshire_%26_Lincolnshire&at_format=link&at_link_id=A52C7DB2-B90E-11EE-B07F-20E3A9F30DC0&at_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR1JoQA_SBAUXX7QB5ljyjNXJnNulo_C3cQmS5rD04Ar8v03xOO4gTH-qhw

Staff at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park are hoping to "dilute" the swearing.

16/01/2024

It's fabulous to see this wonderful show returning. I had a fabulous time in 2019 when I was there looking after the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors - APBC stall. I was asked to give a presentation in 2020- but this was cancelled due to the pandemic.

If you get the chance- then do go along.

We're pleased to announce that Think Parrots is returning this June. Find out more here. https://www.northernparrots.com/blog/think-parrots-2024/

31/12/2023

27/12/2023

It was an absolute pleasure to visit with the Stuttgart Parrots earlier this year. You can read more about them here at a blog I wrote for Northern Parrots

https://www.northernparrots.com/blog/urban-jungle-parrots/

20/12/2023

Gorgeous- what an amaizing sight….

13/12/2023

An interesting observational study looking at captive Goffin’s cockatoos dunking their hard food in water before eating it. Apparently this behaviour has not been observed in wild Goffin’s cockatoos. Anyone who lives with parrots and in particular the Greys can concur that our feathered companions often dunk their food into their clean water bowls before consuming.... Have I seen this behaviour in wild Grey's? Yes, I have- a Grey taking a berry type fruit to a trees water cavity, dunking it and then eating it.

Scientists observe Goffin’s cockatoos dipping hard foodstuffs in bowl of water, most likely to improve its texture

06/12/2023

Parrots have different accents and dialects depending on which European city they live in, study suggests.... this wouldn't surprise me, as I remember asking Grey parrot caregivers to play sounds of Grey Parrots from Principie Island- their parrots responded either negatively or aggressively to their calls...whereas when listening to the the calls of their Ugandan cousins they responded favourably or even joined in those calls.

A team from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour analysed birds in cities in Spain, Belgium, Italy and Greece.

22/10/2023

It's amazing to have one of my images of nesting wild Grey Parrots featured in this years World Parrot Trust calendar.

They are among the most diverse and fascinating birds on Earth. Sadly, of the more than 400 species of parrot nearly one-in-three are threatened in the wild. These birds face increasing pressure from human encroachment, heavy exploitation for trade and the effects of climate change. Their continued....

16/10/2023

What an interesting study!..."Now in the final stages of writing her PhD, Ms Blackburn says her research shows that man-made noises have a significant impact on urban magpies.

"When loud anthropogenic noise is present, they'll forage less, they'll also be less efficient at foraging, because they do use subterranean cues, like [the sound of] bugs scratching below the surface," she said.

"And their response to alarm calls is also decreased, which is really bad, because if you're not appropriately responding to a signal of danger, you're going to get eaten, unfortunately."

We often hear urban magpies calling and singing. Now, a researcher is studying what impacts our own noises are having on the birds, which can have trouble finding new homes due to the species' territorial nature.

03/10/2023

Please consider supporting or donating to help these Parrots survive in the Urban Jungle.

20/09/2023

Those of us lucky enough to live with parrots know how emotionally complex they are, and how intelligent. In order to lure females, Male Palm cockatoos use seed pods or sticks to tap against a tree in order to create a tune to serenade prospective partners!

Male palm cockatoos prefer certain types of percussion tool, which they create themselves from branches and seed pods.

18/08/2023

This was such an exciting project to work on- as this RSPCA Brighton is converting a building to be a super, parrot appropriate area. Staff were super keen to get it right and dispelling the myths, learn more about the complex needs that parrots have. I know that they will do a fabulous job 🎉💕😀

14/08/2023

You can read my latest blog for the fabulous Northern Parrots here....enjoy!

Elaine Henley explains how Parrots communicate in the wild in her latest blog. https://www.northernparrots.com/blog/how-parrots-communicate-in-the-wild/

13/08/2023

Roy, turning my entire house into a large nest- one book at a time! 😁
Parrots love to chew, to make nests, for beak maintenance and for fun!. By providing them with things to chew- you lessen the risk of them chewing the important stuff.

26/07/2023

While it is lovely that this lady is providing her Macaw with enrichment by taking him on outings with her....to free fly in an area where there are hawks was foolish. Although her instinct was to chase after him when he flew off in fright- by doing so, she risked her own life and the life of the mountain rescue team that had to rescue her from the cliff. Maybe next time she will use a suitable parrot carrier....

A parrot greeted its rescuer with 'hello' after being chased by peregrine falcons.

25/07/2023

Good job!

06/07/2023

The territorial struggles and competition are most likely frequent because there are so few suitable nesting locations...more bonded pairs than available nest.

30/06/2023

This is lovely 🥰

07/06/2023

WOW!!!!

Isak Pretorius spent last week here with some wonderful clients from south Africa. I will post several of his pictures over the coming days but these stunning Grey Parrots are the a fine example of the reason Tamar and I stay here. Isak Pretorius Wildlife Photography C4 Photo Safaris Sangha Lodge

11/05/2023

Whilst it is fantastic that these birds have been rescued- it will be difficult to release them back into the wild. Make no mistake these birds were trapped, mutilated to serve the pet trade. Most would have found themselves confined to a small breeding cage for 30+ years or until death released them from their misery.

EXCLUSIVE: Around 230 of the social intelligent birds were rescued in West Africa after being trapped on trees covered in glue.

04/05/2023

The dexterity and acrobatic capabilities of wild Parrots never ceases to amaze me. Here is this chap calmly hanging on to tree bark....this is why it is so important to allow the parrots in our home to use these skills by providing a range of substances for them....from play-stands, to ropes, to natural tree climbing frames.

02/05/2023

This is lovely!!!

Bird-lover Gordon Squires, 92, has kept and bred exotic birds for 50 years - and now has the decor to prove it. | ITV News Anglia