Fun With Feathers!

Once a year my guys shed their old feathers. During these times my house is filled with drifting parrot underwear and outerwear. Before long, bright, shiny new feathers replace the molted ones and my ragged little birdies are as beautiful as ever.

I have always hated to throw away their molted feathers. But what to do with them? I wondered. Then it smacked me up side the head: Share them!

What follows are a few suggestions that I've tried myself. These ideas have never failed to brighten someone's day, or to educate and entertain. If you share your home with companion birds, how about giving one or two of these ideas a whirl? You may never again throw away another molted feather!

GIFTS Many people have never actually seen a parrot feather up close, let alone touched one. Try placing a few in a pretty little basket or in a vase. You might even try adding some to a floral arrangement. Now there's a unique gift!

CLASSROOM PROJECTS (Important: Check first to see if anybody is allergic!) Way back when my daughter was in school I was often asked to bring pictures of our birds to her classroom and talk to the students about them. I was delighted to do this--it is never too early to educate children in the proper care of pet birds. And the feathers were a nice take-home reminder of the day's discussion.

BOOKMARKS Cockatiels, with their long, graceful tail feathers, contribute lovely bookmarks. So do conures, parakeets and Amazons. If you have friends who like to read, why not give them a unique nature-made bookmark?

PARROT PETTERS Pancho, my orange-winged Amazon, loves to be touched--and he's not picky about what I touch him with so long as I touch him! He will sit motionless, with his eyes closed, turning his head from side to side, while I gently tickle him with the tip of a feather. He enjoys being "feather-petted" and doesn't seem to mind that the feather might have once been one of his own!

MAIL ENCLOSURES On occasion, I've slipped smaller feathers into letters or cards to send to friends or family who are in the hospital or who might be going through a tough time. (A delicate canary feather fits perfectly into a greeting card.) It has never failed to brighten the recipient's day and it makes me happy to know that one of my precious birds has helped to make someone feel a little better.

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