Emma

Now I'm getting a big head Have to give some credit to all the animals who put up with me poking a camera in their faces. I think my composition is really good (if I say so myself) but sometimes the quality lets the picture down. I think I could do better with better equipment. But I do what I can with what I have. Expect lots of photos from me

Thank you - don't worry, there will be lots of closeups of my birds over time, I'm sure. Feathers are great to photograph (although my sister would have a fit - she has a feather phobia). And don't mind me, I'm a fretting new birdmum, rather be safe than sorry, etc etc. I'm not worried about the flakes, but the grooves looked odd, so I thought I would check just in case. Maurie was very indignant about the whole thing

Thank you Kaz.. it's made me really happy to have people compliment the girls and the photos, I feel like I did good! I'm a wannabe photographer, I love taking photos, especially nature photos and particularly macro shots. Some bits and pieces: http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f136/sma...70121_gecko.jpg http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f136/sma...4_toad_pipe.jpg http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f136/sma...070321_duck.jpg I was really happy that the girls were quiet and let me get so close. I apologised to them later for hassling them so much My camera is a Canon PowerShot A610 - nothing particularly fancy. I think I could do a lot with a decent SLR, but I can't justify buying one just now. And thanks Nerwen, I will trust myself a bit more.. I guessed TCB and then grey green.. I'm pleased I actually got it right at first glance (even if I decided I must be wrong!).

Nerwen said she wasn't opaline - but I thought she was because of her head/neck markings. But history shows I am terrible with opaline to date :sad:

Look at the clearbody picture from that page! It's exactly my girl!!

I don't think many explanations of opaline markings are written for newbies. The photos I looked at - I just couldn't tell the difference. It made me feel really stupid - I'd be staring at them and reading the descriptions over and over and just didn't get it :sad: Now I get it, yay.. but still make some mistakes, like with your blue boy - too busy looking at the wings and didn't notice his neck was normal, doh. I think I've got it now though. Promise.

Oh, you're right.. I didn't look close enough (didn't look at the back, just the wings, silly). See? I'm still bad with opaline. In a few months I'll look back and be embarrassed because it's so easy. But I don't mind if he's not, normal's fine by me. Oldest trick in the book and you fell for it!

*pockets the opaline sky boy while you're distracted*

Praps I should learn to trust my first thoughts. My train of thought was like this: Yay, the blue girl is still there! Are there any others I might like too? Wow, what is that yellow hen - I've never seen yellow and black like that. ...clearbody? Nah..... (oh who cares, she's gorgeous, someone will be able to tell me later) I figured it wasn't TCB because I live in Central QLD and we couldn't possibly have something cool here - ha Like I said, all the other stores have cages stuffed with normal greens. And I went with grey green because I've seen some pictures of a really yellowy colour being called grey green. I thought it was more probable to see a grey green than a TCB. I don't mind looking silly and being corrected. I'm getting much better though, for a while I couldn't understand what Opaline was, for the life of me I could NOT see how it was different (you'll probably all think wow, how can you not see the difference).. hehe. I've read everything I can find on violet and it still makes me :sad: But I know it will all come in time. Like finally realising what opaline looks like!

I love the yellow faces, and the spangles. Is that what an opaline spangle looks like - back of the last photo? It's funny, I used to dislike yellow faces, but they've really grown on me. The yellow against grey looks so soft and subtle. Hey Pearce, what's that over there?

okay, I took the girls outside for some good light. I agree the blue is violet now, she definitely has a purply tinge, especially up around the shoulders. The camera just doesn't capture it properly though. Miss blue: This is how quiet and docile they are and how close I can photograph them (in fact they nibbled the camera at one point). Miss yellow: She is an amazing, striking, canary yellow. and her tail:

Are these grooves along the bottom edge of his beak normal? PS - I love how his little feathers turned out on the right side of the picture.

Sure - it's Rocky Pet World, in the Red Hill center, I think you would have to come past it if you're coming down from Mackay - it's on the north side of town. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rockhampton-...rld/22583862427 The girl was quite happy to catch the blue hen and let me have a look over her.. she didn't try to "sell" them to me, she just let me look them over, let me see their faces and their feet etc, and we chatted a little. It was nice and relaxed, she didn't make me feel like I was being picky It just really made me happy when I saw all the birds with fresh greens - I don't think I've ever seen a pet store give anything other than the bare minimum in terms of food.

I think it's great to see the discussion back and forth.. I want to learn how to recognise what a bird isn't, not just what it is I got them from a great pet store here, but I'd say they're from a local breeder, they have capricornia rings - I think maybe someone had a cull, quite a few adults, a bit of everything. A lutino, sky blue spangle, a few olives, couple of greys etc... rather than all the other stores around here that seem to have 50 green budgies crammed into small cages :/ I know it's a great store because they have separate cages for their boy and girl rats. When I saw that I knew I was onto a good thing. When I went in the other day, the birds were all chomping on fresh vegies <3

Maybe I should have stuck with rats.. birds are going to make my head explode! I appreciate the help though, it's fun to learn, even if it's horribly confusing so far.

I agree with Nerwen The bird is a texas clearbody so this does not apply here. Clearbody was my first guess when I saw her, but I am still such a newbie, I thought I was just pulling stuff out of the air. She is so pretty - such stark contrast. When they've settled more I will take some more photos out in the natural light. Edit: If that is the case, what would be the proper term for her then, just texas clearbody opaline?

I've been giggling the whole time, like this is the biggest mystery in the universe and I'm running back and forth to check cheek patches and tail feathers and report back.. I'm weird.

It's hard to see now that the sun has gone down, my light isn't very good, but the tail has a bit of olive amongst all the black. (sorry, I'm still very new at colours!)

Actually, now that you mention it, the yellow one has light blue cheek patches. Definitely blue.

The camera really isn't picking up her colour properly, the blue does look purplish, but I couldn't capture it.

Please tell me if I have these colours right (and if I've put the colours/mutations in the right order?) - Cobalt dominant pied opaline hen: Grey green opaline hen: No names yet. The blue has a black ring (2008?) and the grey green has a green (2007 right?) I think I've fallen in love with opalines. I saw the blue girl a week ago and somehow thought she was a cock (I have no idea, I must have been with the pixies that day). I was tempted, but walked away. I went back two days later, saw she was a hen and agonised, but walked away again. Finally yesterday I decided that if she was still there when I went back.. I would take her. She's just so lovely. And I've never been a big fan of green series budgies, but the grey green girl was so striking. And olive boys are really starting to grow on me, too.. all of the olive boys I've seen so far have been big, solid, healthy looking things with big boofy heads and sit chattering away to themselves. I don't want to go nuts though. They've settled down, nice and quiet - they're quite docile, so I'd say they've been handled. The blue one has already been stolen by my mother. I was informed quite matter-of-factly, "oh, she's mine! I want that one." PS: after only owning a male budgie, I have discovered that I had grossly underestimated the bite of a female. *bleed*

I don't understand why people post a lot of the questions they do, you can TELL they know they're doing the wrong thing (even on some deep subconscious level), it's almost like they're posting to get at least one person to give them the answer they want to hear and justify what they want to do or have done. Like.. I did (this really stupid and dangerous thing) and my bird died. Do you think it was because I did (the really stupid and dangerous thing)? I swear they know they've done something dumb (or are about to) and they're looking for just one person to say "no, you're good". Then if you give them an answer they don't want to hear, you're rude and inconsiderate! I trust you're going to continue answering his questions? I would. Mostly out of concern and a desire to help educate people (hoping other people will read and learn from it), but also partly out of spite because he doesn't want your (correct) answers.

I missed this one. I'm in Rockhampton too (well, close enough). Hi!

Gorgeous!

URGENT ! My budgie flew out of his cage and now hes on top?!!? AHHH! NOW HES FLOWN ONTO THE BOOKSHELF I NEED TO TRIM HIS WINGS!! and he keeps biting and biting! how do i get him down?! Help wanted urgent plzz help budgie on risk? i cnt go to a store to buy medicene for my budgie this time plz tell if any house product have calcium for her she is very weak i dont have cuttle bone in home wht happened is tht she had an egg bound i removed the egg but know she is weak but now i cant evenm go to a medical store and i cant even wait 4 morning Adding a different colored parakeet to the same cage? I know that my parakeet gets lonely during the day when I'm gone because as soon as I get home she chirps madly until I pet her. I wanted to get another parakeet, not just for her company, but because I love birds. Does it really matter what color the parakeet is? I know they are different breeds, but is it life threatening to my parakeet? She's all white except for a patch of blue on her back. Is my parrakeet going to die??? My bird gets out of its cage often, and i also have 2 cats in my room... one week ago, my cats got it, but it was okay, a couple of days later, I went to feed it, and it couldn't walk, i'm assuming it broke it's leg... it can't get up to the food and water dishes, so i put them down at the bottom of the cage so it could reach, but it hasen't ate or drank, what do I do? Why does my parakeet hve crusty stuff all over its beak? My bird has been growing some brownish/yellowish stuff all over its beak, especially by the nose and around the where the beak meets the fethers. i dont know whether its something that goes on to all parrakeets or if its contagious to any other parrakeet in the cage, i moved all the other birds too a diffrent cage in case its contageous and my mom says too just let it fly away because it might be very harmful, so if you know anything please help becasue i dont want to make her fly away and especially with the crazy weather! Can i use long beaded earing for toy for my parokeet?!?!? i coulkd just use the hook to hook it on the the side bars or do you think that would be dangerouse? Why do budgies like to rub their bottoms onto stuffed toys? My brother gave our budgies a littled stuffed dog for Christmas that is a little bigger than them. One of my budgies likes to peck and rub its bottom onto it, and I can see his tail moving rapidly. What is it trying to do with it??? :rofl: Does anyone know if its safe to rub a little talcum into a budgies feathers to make them smell nice? I would like my budgies to smell nice but refuse to use anything unless its safe otherwise they might die. Is there any soap or shampoo or any kind of body wash for budgies while they have bath? Someone's answer: We used regular Listerine and water mixed together and just spray on them until they get wet. (mix about half and half) :ohmygod: Is it possible that budgies change sex , like tropical swords ? Someone's answer: no because that is impossible unless you got the sex change from a vet and chances of death are very high and it will probably die How do I make my budgies shut their beaks because they are so loud and it's annoying? The only thing that has worked for me is to hit the cage and clap very loud. My budgies have gotten mites, what should I do, release them? The mites have also been biting me for about 2 weeks now. I'm guessing that they didn't have mites before those 2 weeks because I have owned them for more than a year and this has never occurred before. I'm going to give them away, unless there's something that I can do to get rid of the mites without having to visit a vet. How soon after planting budgie seed should the budgies grow? Answer: Plant at the beginning of spring and by July they will come up a tweet.