A series of web-based seminars produced by the World Parrot Trust will bring leading experts to parrot enthusiasts everywhere. Thanks to the Donner Canadian Foundation for its support of this project. Stay tuned for more details!

What better way to beat the winter blahs, indulge your love of all things parrot and do something good for parrot conservation than by taking a Parrot Cruise!

Carole Cipriano presents Parrot Cruise 2009, an eight-day fun-in-the-sun excursion filled with seminars, rainforest walks, games and raffles. Features talks by avian vet/lecturer Dr. James Morrisey, foraging and enrichment specialist Robin Shewokis, and writer/companion bird behaviourist Lara Joseph.

Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Freedom sails from Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Oct. 24, 2009 with stops in Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama. Proceeds from each ticket sale go to benefit the work of the World Parrot Trust.

Genus: Pezoporus
Species: wallicus

Where found: Scattered populations along coastal SE and W Australia; also Tasmania, Hunter Island. Formerly Flinders Island in Bass Strait and north along W coastline near Perth.

Ecology: Inhabits heathland and sedgeland, as well as temperate and subtropical shrubby heath with thick cover. Is a ground feeder which eats a variety of seeds, leaves, shoots and small insects. Lives in pairs in territories.

Population: 2,000-5,000
Status: Appendix I, Least Concern

Threats: Loss of habitat through urbanization and agriculture, with resultant fragmentation of range.

Steve Martin has had a busy life -- all in aid of training and caring for animals of every shape and size, and understanding them better. Steve and his staff at Natural Encounters, Inc. instruct people in the fine art of animal care in areas such as education, behaviour management, husbandry, environmental enrichment and training animals to accept medical procedures, to name a few.

This work takes him all over the globe, consulting with zoos, aquariums and similar institutions. It's a labour of love, though, since Steve has had a bond with animals from a very young age. And it shows through his work. Steve took some time out of his hectic schedule to have a chat with Flock Talk.

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Caring for one's pets is a challenge at the best of times -– and right now isn't the best of times. In fact, it's rather frightening for a lot of people. Worries about jobs, mortgages and finances can overwhelm a person, to the extent that other concerns sometimes fall further down the list.

During economic downturns family pets can be unintentionally forgotten, and care can suffer. Here are some tips to help prevent the littlest ones from falling through the cracks.

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In the February 2006 issue of PsittaScene Werner Lantermann first reported his findings from a trip to Arusha, Tanzania on the African continent.

His observations involved the interbreeding of Masked (Yellow-collared) and Fischer's Lovebirds -- two species that until the 20th century were separated by ecological and geographical barriers. Because of accidental releases of pet birds, it is now apparent they are not as separated as once thought.

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