Hike Until You Drop (But Don't)...

Towards the end of Little Birdies!, Willie Nolan, an environmental program specialist with the Bureau of Wildlife division of New York State's Department of Environmental Conservation, is at the Mohonk Mountain House and needs to get to Sky Top Tower to see how closely the birds are being monitored by the authorities. He's forced to climb the Labyrinth at night, to avoid the State Trooper parked at the base of Sky Top Road.

When he returns, two hours later, he describes the trail to Dan Grant: "It was blazed by sadists for crazy people," an observation that anyone who has attempted the near-vertical scramble knows to be true. Here's a great up-close and personal look at the entire trail, from the bottom up to the Tower:

And, yes, I've done it. My advice? Carry water and little else, wear sturdy, supportive footwear and don't fall...

The Carriage Road to SkyTop Tower...

Here's a great look at the carriage road leading from the Mohonk Mountain House to SkyTop Tower. Towards the end of Little Birdies!, Mandy and her friends track the birds to the tower, where they've taken up residence and enjoy riding the thermals during the day. Enjoy your walk...

A Set of Golf Clubs and this Grey is Good to Go...

Proof positive that when really smart people and really smart parrots get together, hilarity ensues. I particularly like how the folded newspaper slips securely into the retaining slots below the driver. Nice touch...

"Proving that robots aren't just for people any longer, African grey parrot, Pepper, has learned to drive a robot that was specially designed for him. Pepper, whose wings are clipped to preventing him from flying around his humans' house and destroying things, now manipulates the joystick on his riding robot to guide it to where ever he wishes to go.

This robotic "bird buggy" was the brainchild of his human companion, Andrew Gray, a 29-year-old electrical and computer engineering graduate student at the University of Florida. It was inspired by Pepper's growing frustration with his human family's rude behaviours."

Read the whole story here: Tool use by an African grey parrot 

For more hijinks involving really, really smart African Grey Parrots, please check out my book, Little Birdies!  And I'd really appreciate it if you could take a moment to "Like" my Amazon Author's Page; it really helps with my visibility. Thanks.

Marc Morrone talks Birds 101...

Television personality Marc Morrone is here doing what he does best, educating the public about pet keeping. This is a great, concise primer on the pros and cons of keeping exotic birds as companion animals:



Marc had some very kind words for my third novel, Little Birdies! :

"One of my favorite books of all time was Watership Down, by Richard Adams. The author's descriptions of the pastoral English countryside were vivid and organic, and transported the reader into an imaginary world in ways that only a great novel can do.

It's that ability to carry readers away and immerse them in a fictional world that I most like about Little Birdies! by Anthony F. Lewis. The fact that the setting for much of the book was New York's densely forested Hudson Valley and the spectacular Mohonk Mountain House only upped the measure of personal satisfaction for me. Lewis captures the region's look and feel in a manner that effortlessly sweeps the reader away to the woodland steams and primordial highlands that inhabit the story.

Another mark of a world-class novelist--the late Michael Crichton comes to mind here--is attention to detail; especially scientific detail. There are few things more upsetting for me than when an author ruins a perfectly good story by getting the facts wrong. Such is not the case here. Like Crichton, Lewis has exhaustively researched his subject matter, providing the reader with a convincing and realistic platform from which to launch the story.

There are many good stories around. What sets books like Little Birdies! apart from the rest is the author's attention to detail and the ease with which he draws the reader into the story. Do yourself a favor ... curl up with a copy of Little Birdies! and be prepared to be transported."

 Read the opening chapters of Little Birdies! here, the reviews here. And, of course, the book is available at Amazon, in both softcover and Kindle editions,

A Seasonal Selection of Christmas Parrots...

Who better to enjoy Christmas than a perpetual five-year-old?


















It's still not too late to get the parrot lover on your gift list a copy of Little Birdies! (softcover or Kindle). Sample chapters are right here, but that would sort of give away the surprise, wouldn't it?

The World's Largest Indoor Rainforest...

This is one helluva bird cage:

"Located inside of a giant, 22,000 square foot dome, the indoor tropical resort is about the size of eight football fields and wins the title of the world's largest indoor rainforest, as well as the biggest tropical sauna and spa complex in Europe. The complex is also home to more than 29,000 plants while cockatiels, parrots, and budgerigars provide animal life for the space."

I guess this means that Dan Grant's geodesic dome aviary featured in Little Birdies! is no longer as impressive as it once seemed, though for a backyard aviary a 100-foot diameter, 50-foot tall dome is still nothing to sneeze at.

Read the entire article here: Visit the world's largest indoor rainforest resort. 
More on the Tropical Islands resort at their website.

Dr. Pepperberg discussing her research with Alex...

Here's an interesting video of Dr. Irene Pepperberg discussing her research involving Alex, the African Grey parrot. It's remarkable the degree to which the concept of avian intelligence - something most scientists take for granted today - was brushed off, even mocked, when she first tried to get funding for her studies. And what's really extraordinary is the degree to which Alex was able to use his acquired language skills in ad hoc communications. It's fascinating stuff, far more important, I suspect, than we realize right now. Check it out; it's well worth the time:



The underlying scientific premise of my novel, Little Birdies!, is based on Dr. Pepperberg's work. You can read the reviews here, and read the opening chapters here: Little Birdies! excerpts. And of course, you can buy it here (available in both softcover and Kindle). Check it out; if you're an Alex fan you'll love the book, I promise...

On the fourth anniversary of Alex's passing...

Dr. Irene Pepperberg's famed partner, Alex the African Grey parrot, died unexpectedly four years ago today. In his memory, I'm reposting the full NOVA segment on Dr. Pepperberg and her work on animal intelligence with Alex. It runs just under twelve minutes:

Watch the full episode. See more NOVA scienceNOW.

The underlying scientific premise of my novel, Little Birdies!, is based on Dr. Pepperberg's work. You can read the opening chapters here: Little Birdies! excerpts. Check it out; if you're an Alex fan you'll love the book, I promise...

This post (from June 16, 2010) is also worth revisiting: 

In a rather moving interview, Dr. Pepperberg relates the story of Alex's passing, and the immediate, and unexpected public and personal reactions that followed:

Spix's Macaws to be released in the wild in 2013...

Here's an update on the critically endangered Spix's Macaw. Only 86 remain alive in the world, all in captivity:



Update (July 11, 2011) - More on this from The Washington Post: Qatari sheik takes endangered bird species under his wing.

Update (June 24, 2016) -  Spix’s Macaw reappears in Brazil

Fun with Little Birdies! Visiting the Kakapo Chicks...

Barbara Heidenreich, from Good Bird, Inc, has posted this great video of her visit with Kakapo chicks before they were released into the wild. Fascinating little critters...



Read more about Barbara's adventures with the Kakapo chicks here:  Parrot Conservation and You!

Barbara was kind enough to review my novel, Little Birdies!. Here's an excerpt from that review:

"Most fiction these days seem to focus on murder mystery, crime or romance. I have to admit none of those genres spark my interest. However I recently came upon a novel perfectly suited for parrot enthusiasts who like character studies, suspense, drama and action!

Set in my old stomping grounds upstate New York, Lewis paints the terrain in great detail whether it be the university classroom, the parrot sanctuary, roadside fruit stands or wooded rolling hills. I enjoyed picturing the sights and sounds of upstate New York being invaded by a flock of misfits.

I think what I liked most about this novel was that it was a rollicking good adventure, full of science, suspense, a hint of romance, a few bad guys, a few heroes and of course birds as a focal point. Even with all that, there was also room for an important take home message. It certainly struck me when one of the good guys said to his bird "We take you into our home, and if we treat you right, if we earn your trust, you give us your hearts." Words of wisdom from a writer who knows the connection we share with animals." 

Her full review can be found here: Amazon Editorial Reviews. And please be sure to visit the Kakapo Recovery site. Like they say, there are six billion people on earth, and only 131 Kakapo. Give a bird a break...

Update (July 6, 2011): Here are some of the chicks being released into their new home on Codfish Island, NZ:

"Bringing Birdie Home" video...

This is a fantastic, educational, soup-to-nuts primer on the subject of bringing home a companion parrot. It's well worth watching even if you already share your home with one (or several). It's chock full of practical advice as to what you can expect when you invite a parrot into your home, including safety precautions, dietary requirements, sanitation helpful hints, behavioral training and environmental enrichment suggestions.

Barbara Heidenreich, who is featured prominently in the video, was kind enough to review and recommend my novel, Little Birdies!. I mention this only to enhance her already stellar reputation in the avian community and to demonstrate her obvious impeccable taste in avian science fiction literature.

Dinosaurs are not extinct...

...they're flying above your head.



For more adventures with dinobirds in your backyard, check out Little Birdies! Excerpts here: Read the first two chapters.

NOVA scienceNOW Special - Dr. Irene Pepperberg and Alex...

Here's the full NOVA segment on Dr. Pepperberg and her work on animal intelligence with Alex, the African Grey parrot. It runs just under twelve minutes:

Watch the full episode. See more NOVA scienceNOW.

The underlying scientific premise of my novel, Little Birdies!, is based on Dr. Pepperberg's work. You can read the opening chapters here: Little Birdies! excerpts. Check it out; if you're an Alex fan you'll love the book, I promise...

Super Bowl Parrot Commercials...

There are tons of parrot commercials out there, some better than others. Here's a small sample...



ut

Not Super Bowl, but good for a few yucks nevertheless:
















Not a commercial but might as well be:





"Everybody likes the talking bird..."

More Amusing Marc Morrone Outtakes...

Pet expert Marc Morrone has earned a reputation as the Dr. Dolittle of the television world, calmly dispensing advice from behind a table of lion-laying-down-with-the-lambs domestic wildlife. Well, the advice may be accurate, but in truth the bucolic menagerie takes a little "management:"



I've posted this one before:


Marc was kind enough to blurb my book, Little Birdies!. Here's a quote:

"Another mark of a world-class novelist--the late Michael Crichton comes to mind here--is attention to detail; especially scientific detail. There are few things more upsetting for me than when an author ruins a perfectly good story by getting the facts wrong. Such is not the case here. Like Crichton, Lewis has exhaustively researched his subject matter, providing the reader with a convincing and realistic platform from which to launch the story."

Much obliged. And for what it's worth, I find it easier to catch escaped birds with the lights off. It evens up the odds a bit...

Another Kakapo attack!

Yet another Kakapo that can't seem to keep its sharp claws off of a human head. Fear not; everybody gets out alive...

Rescued African Grey Parrots on the road to recovery...

Stuff like this really ticks me off, but at least the dirtbags got caught and the birds have a shot at recovering their former lives. I do think that the smugglers should be sentenced to a month or so in those little boxes (and left in the hot sun), with nothing to eat but scraps of sugar cane.






If you'd like to see what transgenically-empowered Grey Parrots can do when they're really pissed off, check out Little Birdies!. Sample chapters here. It's the feel-good book for parrot lovers..
More here: Scores of African parrots rescued from alleged smuggler.
And here: UWEC needs help to feed rescued parrots

Night Frights writ large...

By now everyone has read about the news of "birds falling from the sky" out of Arkansas and Louisiana. So far, necropsies performed on representative samples of the birds have all indicated that the creatures died of internal bleeding and blunt-force trauma, with no indications of any sort of poisoning or lightening strikes involved.


While both the political and Biblical/Apocalyptic conspiracy theorists are tripping all over each other trying to paint the unfortunate event with their own special brand of crazy, those of us who keep exotic birds in our homes recognize this for what it likely is: night frights.


For the most part, a bird's night vision is as poor as its daytime vision is acute. It's why both wild and caged birds securely settle-in and perch themselves at dusk, well before it gets dark - they don't want to be caught out in the open when the lights go out. 


That said, the fight-or-flight response is deeply embedded in prey animals, and, in the case of defenseless birds, it inevitably means flight. Birds that are frightened out of their sleep will hit the air first and think about it later. In caged birds we call this "night frights," and most of us have been awakened to the panicked thrashing of our domestic flock trying desperately to flee from some imagined threat. Panicked birds will fly full-force into walls, windows, cage walls, wedge themselves behind mirrors and furniture, etc. They can't see the "danger" in the dark, they can't see the rest of their flock in the dark, and all they know is that they're alone and something's chasing them. The only solution is to switch on the lights, let the bird/birds awaken fully, and try to put everyone to bed again. Loads of fun at 2:30 in the morning.


The birds in question, red-winged blackbirds, weigh about 2 1/2 ounces, and can fly from 17 to 28 miles per hour. You can imagine the results when something that light smashes into a building, a telephone pole, a heavy tree branch, or flies into the ground at close to 30 mph - internal bleeding and blunt-force trauma. Whether it was a fireworks display or an hungry raccoon or snake that spooked the flock, it resulted in near simultaneous panic and mass confusion, thousands of birds rising into the air, totally blind, terrified and smashing into each other, and heading off into the darkness at full speed until something solid stopped them forever. I like a good government conspiracy or alien probe story as much as the next guy, but Occam's razor demands that we accept the hypothesis that answers the question with the fewest new assumptions. I'm putting my money on night frights...


More here: 4 and 20 blackbirds, and 4,000, dead in the sky. "Celebratory fireworks likely sent thousands of discombobulated blackbirds into such a tizzy that they crashed into homes, cars and each other before plummeting to their deaths in central Arkansas, scientists say..."


Here's a nice rundown of the black helicopter stuff: Counting Dead Blackbirds: Conspiracy Theories Abound In Arkansas


Worldwide phenomenon! Swedish birds 'scared to death': veterinarian

Update: "I told you so..." Fireworks likely cause of massive Ark. bird kill


Another Update: "I told you so (again).  In a thoughtful radio interview, Cornell Lab scientist Kevin McGowan pretty much confirms everything I said above: Radio Interview About Dead Blackbirds

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Spix's Macaw Breeding Center

Here's a nice look at how eight of the seventy remaining Spix's Macaws spend their day. The species was declared extinct in the wild (Brazil) in 2000.