Baby #26 has a name! And you know what that means...

He's been adopted! She named him Jesse, and he will go home in January. His new momma is having him DNA-sexed so she knows one way or the other if he's a little boy or a little girl.

And... she got to see him take his first couple of short flights today while visiting him! I think he flew about 3 or 4 ft.

Bowl-o-Bourke's!

It's dinner time! Eager to eat, and a couple are about to fly!
12-13-08

First Portraits! Photos taken Dec. 11, 2008

Holiday Special!

All five babies are growing well! Handfeeding begins today. Deposits made prior to December 31 receive a discount! *$65 each instead of $75! You may choose your baby in order of deposits received, and detailed photos will be posted once they begin flying, approximately 2 weeks from today. Babies go home around January 10, 2009.

*Discounts do not apply to babies being shipped, as they cannot be shipped prior to 12 weeks of age.

All Five Babies have Hatched!

Here they are, all five - photo taken today. The youngest hatched on the 23rd.

Babies are Hatching!

Three of the five eggs have hatched - sooner than we expected!
One of these hatched today, and the other two hatched on the 17th and 18th.
They will be ready to move into new homes in about 8 weeks - and a deposit of $50.00 holds your baby.

Baby Bourke's Coming Soon!

Lily has laid eggs! We should have hand-raised babies ready to go around January 10th, 2009. A deposit of $50 holds your baby. DNA sexing is available for $20. Babies will sell for $75.

Lily is paired with Spencer, so all the babies will be Rosy (Opaline) Bourke's. You'll find photos of Spencer in the February 24, 2007 post here.

Send email to bourkesparakeets@gmail.com for information.

Understand that while we've shipped to a few distant states, it is expensive - $75 RT travel to the Indianapolis airport, approximately $125-165 one way climate-controlled cargo ticket, $30 modified crate for bird/s. Two birds can be shipped together. Some locations require vet exam of $30.00 prior to accepting shipping. Birds must be 3 mos old before shipping.

Visit www.shirleymorgan.com/bourkes/ for information about the Australian Bourke's Grass Parakeet.

New Photos! - Outdoor Aviary and Babies

Baby #13 above - Soon going to live with Ellen K. Cook, DVM.

Above is Papa Blue, our wild color male. He is 7 - 8 yrs old.

Baby #12 above and below - she will be going to Boston, MA to live.

Above, L to R: baby #12, Papa Blue, and Kilroy
Below, Baby #12

Baby #13

The outdoor Aviary - Groups of birds who get along together spend a few hours at a time here.

This is the outside aviary with 8 Bourke's inside... Usually Skyler, our Rose-breasted (Galah) Cockatoo is in there with them as well. You can barely see Tucker 'tiel on the far right. The little white cage is the carrier from house to aviary and back.

Babies 12 and 13 are DNA-sexed females. I believe #14 is also a female - same petite head, same coloring around her neck. She will be living with a family in Central Indiana.

Kilroy has 3 tiny babies, 1 of which is reserved. These babies' mom, Lily, is sitting on a clutch of 5 eggs now.

Lily's first-born -

#12 is being DNA-sexed and might be leaving in June to live a life of luxury in the Boston/Brookline area of Massachusetts! We think he's a boy...

All of today's photos were shot with my Olympus C-5050, not my Nikon SLR... so the color is "accurate" but not quite the depth as it really is, (compare to portraits taken earlier) and the flash is not bounced, so there's more "white" than there really is.

Baby #13 - the "Middle Child"!

The 2nd to hatch, photographed today. This one is being DNA-sexed - if she's a girl, she's going to Dr. Ellen K. Cook's to live where she'll be spoiled and free-flighted all her life - Dr. Cook has a female already from Kilroy, and does not want any babies! :)

Lily's babies, youngest to oldest #14

Here's her last to hatch, #14, taken today, April 10, 2008. The color is different in the center shot due to lighting and flash - they weren't taken in the same location. She's somewhere in between those colors of rose. We don't know if she's a she, of course.

Kilroy's Babies!

Here's all three -- They hatched on April 2nd and April 5th. These photos were taken today, April 10. Papa Rosy is unique in that he spends a lot of time in the nestbox with Kilroy once his babies hatch, and he helps Kilroy feed them.

April 5: Kilroy's 3rd egg hatched!

Kilroy's 3rd egg hatched this evening! She has three fluffly little babies - I'll post pics as they grow. Papa Rosy is their father. :)

Kilroy and Papa Rosy's Eggs Hatch!

April 2: Kilroy and Papa Rosy hatched two eggs! They have one egg left to hatch, and one was clear. These photos were taken today - two days old.

April 4 Photo Update

Shirley's Bourke's Parakeets

All three babies are flying about now - and just delightful! They are caged in our bedroom, eating on their own, plus being fed formula.

#12 is the oldest, and #14 is the youngest.

They are eating Zupreem Natural parakeet size pellets, Harrison's Adult Lifetime Mash, Higgins Parakeet seed mixed with Higgins Fruit 'n' Veggie, and a bowl of water. They also get millet and fresh minced veggies. (peas, carrots, corn, squash, etc). Their formula is Zupreem Embrace Plus.

Babies' First Portraits!

Two are flying - and #12, the first-hatched, LOVES to fly all over the bedroom! #14 isn't ready to fledge yet, and hatched later than the others. He runs about on the bed instead. #12 is in the center in the group photo.