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thecryofthegulls · 1 year ago

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On Elwing's Bird Forms

In the educated opinion of me, a slightly wine-drunk semi-professional seabird specialist with a Tolkien hyperfixation, procrastinating from a work presentation I should be preparing let's gooooo.

Too many people think of Elwing in the form of a random bird thing, when there are so many interesting species!

First, the source text (emphasis by me):

"... they told that Elros and Elrond were taken captive, but Elwing with the Silmaril upon her breast had cast herself into the sea. Thus Maedhros and Maglor gained not the jewel; but it was not lost. For Ulmo bore up Elwing out of the waves, and he gave her the likeness of a great white bird, and upon her breast there shone as a star the Silmaril, as she flew over the water to seek Ëarendil her beloved. On a time of night Ëarendil at the helm of his ship saw her come towards him, as a white cloud exceeding swift beneath the moon, as a star over the sea moving in strange course, a pale flame on wings of storm. And it is sung that she fell from the air upon the timbers of Vingilot, in a swoon, nigh unto death for the urgency of her speed, and Ëarendil took her to his bosom; but in the morning with marvelling eyes he beheld his wife in her own form beside him with her hair upon his face, and she slept."

"On those journeys Elwing did not go, for she might not endure the cold and the pathless voids, and she loved rather the earth and the sweet winds that blow on sea and hill. Therefore there was built for her a white tower northward upon the borders of the Sundering Seas; and thither at times all the sea-birds of the earth repaired. And it is said that Elwing learned the tongues of birds, who herself had once worn their shape; and they taught her the craft of flight, and her wings were of white and silver-grey. And at times, when Ëarendil returning drew near again to Arda, she would fly to meet him, even as she had flown long ago, when she was rescued from the sea. Then the far-sighted among the Elves that dwelt in the Lonely Isle would see her like a white bird, shining, rose-stained in the sunset, as she soared in joy to greet the coming of Vingilot to haven."

The Silmarillion CHAPTER 24 OF THE VOYAGE OF EARENDIL AND THE WAR OF WRATH

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)

Right out of the gate, a swan is a popular choice for Elwing. Makes sense, they are beautiful, regal birds with a graceful baring on the water. There is a strong association between mute swans and England, they are indeed an old world bird and as part of Tolkien's worldview as oak trees. They are also vicious and brave defenders of their young. A tough bird, symbol of the Teleri Elwing's elven clan. However, not the best for Elwing. They are not sea birds, and while powerful fliers, do not fly particularly high or far. Mute swans are heavy, needing a lengthy run on the water to take off with a clacking of their wings. Not the ideal shape to fly across the ocean undetected to find your mariner husband, or meet said husband in the morning sky when he comes back from being a star.

Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus)

No, not a Great White Pelican, but a Dalmatian Pelican. More silvery than its pale African cousin, the Dalmatian Pelican has the advantage of being present in more Mediterranean climes, which might be representative of what Sirion was like (thank you @outofangband). Pretty much the largest freshwater bird, this choice for Elwing suffers the same problem as the mute swan. Not a sea bird, doesn't really do long-distance flights. Though I could imagine this large silvery-grey bird being mistaken for a cloud in the night, and you KNOW that the Silmaril is tucked nice and safe in that big pouch!

Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans)

Now that's a sea bird! Another popular choice for Elwing, this graceful soaring beauty is essentially the biggest flying bird in the world by wingspan, with a sweeping 11 feet/3.5 meters. The older they are, the whiter they become, with only bit of dark plumage on the wing tips and tail. The wandering albatross is the textbook example of a great white bird. Albatross adore storms, and can use strong (storm) wings to carry them over vast distances very quickly. They nest on steep hills, because they need the sweet winds to give them lift to take off. All in all, like the others above, large enough to carry a Silmaril without affecting flight capabilities. Though I really can't imagine Ëarendil cradling an albatross to his bosom, long wings flopping down on both sides of him. (Elros and Elrond are definitely albatross chicks muppets, as per @swanmaids' point).

Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)

A gull! Yes, of course, but which gull? There are 54 gull species, and so many of them are herring gulls. But for Elwing? Ulmo would transform her into a Black-legged Kittiwake. A graceful, almost dove-like gull, Kittiwakes are bright white with wings topped in silver-grey. They fly like they are playing in the wind, and spend most of their lives at sea. Gorgeous sea bird. Ëarendil would hug. Am I biased because I love them? Maybe.

Ross's Gull (Rhodostethia rosea)

You want a more white and daintier gull? I was going to write about the Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea) but if we are going with a rare Arctic species, there are many good things about the Ross's Gull. I mean look at it! White and silver-grey with a rosy blush like it is continuously bathed in sunset, a black collar like Elwing is still wearing the memory of the Nauglamír. I also prefer to go with Ross's gull because every time I have seen an ivory gull in the wild it was slightly blood-stained (they feed off polar bear kills) which has very unfortunate implications in Elwing's case really...

But really, if you want a pure-white dove that actually goes sea for your Elwing imagery, go with ivory gull instead!

Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii)

Terns are gorgeous sea birds with impressive flight capacity, and pack an absolutely ridiculous amount of fight and spite in 100 g. I have a scar on the top of my head from a tern chasing me off a beach where it was nesting. That beak sure pinches. Roseate Tern are particularly pretty, and if you subscribed to raven-haired Elwing, that cap is an excellent match. The adults also gain a pink sunset stain on their underparts, so you get that poetic match again. Terns would absolutely yell at Manwë, and probably have.

Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus)

Now if you think Elwing was pale-haired and blue-eyed, a Northern Gannet would be more for you. Northern Gannets are sea birds of great size, swift and fearless. They quite literally launch themselves into the sea. They are powerful enough fliers to evoke thoughts of storm-wings and clouds under moon. Gannets also follow boats, which works nicely with the imagery of bird-Elwing meeting Vingilot.

White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus)

Look at this beautiful thing, is she not fitting of a daughter of Dior, of Lúthien's line? I hope I see one for real one day. These long-tailed sea birds are excellent, graceful in flight, easy to see at a distance due to their tail. More active in the morning and in the evening, more to catch the morning and evening star. White-tailed Tropicbirds also come in a spectacular 'golden' variety. Absolutely fitting for someone named Star-Spray.

Snow Petrel (Pagodroma nivea)

When I first read the Silmarillion years ago, and I read "... as a white cloud exceeding swift beneath the moon, as a star over the sea moving in strange course, a pale flame on wings of storm" I immediately imagined a glowing white creature that I eventually witness in real life: the gloriously beautiful snow petrel. And while Elwing might not endure the cold and pathless void like a snow petrel would around Antarctica, I think she would revel in the shining feathers, the swift, fleet wings, and, as a feature of being a petrel, the tube nose that would allow her to smell and find Ëarendil anywhere at sea or in the sky. They soar with such joy. Perfect hold-to-your-bosom sized. Snow petrels are one of my favourite sea birds, and you should know more about them!

Like how they have the most hilarious defence mechanism:

...

Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta)

No absolutely not.

#honorable mention to snow goose northern fulmar white-bellied sea eagle and masked booby #dishonourable mention to all crane and heron species because it really doesn't make sense in so many ways to have Elwing become one #anyway this brought to you by my love of sea birds and my various bird guides strewn around me #gullcries #silmarillion #tolkien #ocean posting #elwing #earendil #silm meta #sea birds #really leaning into my handle here

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allwaswell16 · 1 year ago

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— Animal Fics by allwaswell16 —

One Direction fics by me that include an animal that is important to the story in some way. I always think I'm done writing these, but...

—Louis/Harry—

🐒 Ace of Spades (E, 80k) : spider monkey

Living as a sheltered omega in a farming village has not prepared Harry for life aboard the most notorious pirate ship to sail the Atlantic.

Or Louis is a pirate, Harry is his captive, and no one is who they say they are.

🐕 Consequences (E, 78k) : dog

Two years ago Harry let his powerful family come between him and the love of his life, something he deeply regrets. Louis has tried to move on from their devastating break up. Sometimes, he even thinks he has. It only takes one moment to freeze them back in time.

An amnesia au

🐐 Until (E, 60k) : horses, a dog, and a weird goat

Rural Eagle County, Colorado wasn’t the type of place to find a famous musician or actor. At least not until songwriter Louis Tomlinson showed up with pop star Niall Horan to visit his uncle’s horse ranch, and they just happened to find themselves next door to a reclusive former movie star.

🦎 I Didn't Fall For You (You Fucking Tripped Me) (E, 20k) : monitor lizard

These days Louis tends to steer clear of dating alphas. He’s dated too many knotheads in his time, and he’s ready to just focus on school and his friends and his pet monitor lizard, of course.

Too bad the alpha next door won’t take a hint and stop using the worst pick up lines of all time on him. He’s really got to stop laughing with him--and talking to him and walking to class with him and letting him bring him coffee and tea and gifts for his lizard and watching Netflix together and...

🦜 That's How I Know (E, 19k) : African grey parrot

Louis Tomlinson has just landed his dream job, coaching soccer at Augustus University. When he moves into a new house near campus, he meets his very fit new neighbor, English professor Harry Styles. Although their first meeting leads to an instant mutual dislike, the more Harry gets to know Louis, the more he likes what he sees.

Or the one where Harry’s African grey parrot spills his dirty secrets to his very hot neighbor.

😽 Charity Ficlets (NR, 10k) : cat and niffler

Chapter 1: Shiny Objects: Louis isn't so sure about Professor Styles, but when he must save him from a loose niffler, things change between them.

Chapter 4: Grease Lightning: Louis' cat likes to give out his phone number.

🐬 Never Been Knotted (E, 9k) : aquarium animals

Harry doesn't mind that he presented as a beta. It mostly just makes his life easier and more convenient. There's just one small problem: he'd really like to be knotted.

🦀 The way you smile (E, 9k) : crab

Harry doesn’t need to go on holiday. Unfortunately, his mum and sister disagree, which is how he ends up alone on holiday in the Caribbean. Luckily, he's not alone for long.

🐈 Won't You Please Come Around (M, 5k) : cat

Harry has lived in London for a month, and so far the only friend he's made is his sister's cat, Mr. Whiskers. When the lock on the window breaks, Mr. Whiskers begins exploring his new neighbourhood a bit too thoroughly and brings back mementos of his escapes.

Or a Valentine's Day story where Harry has a really fit neighbour, and his cat is a thief.

🐽 Let the Feeling Last (T, 5k) : pig

Omega Harry thinks the alpha at the grocery store buying a cart full of vegetables must be an amazing chef. He doesn't know that Alpha Louis is feeding all those vegetables to his pet pig.

😼 Do You See What I See (T, 2k) : cat sort of, have to read to find out

Harry may or may not be rescuing stray animals as an excuse to see the very hot local veterinarian.

Or an absurd pet fic inspired by She Is Beauty We Are World Class

🦓 White Stripes (E, 3k) : zoo animals

Harry’s roommate is gorgeous, kind, generous, and basically everything Harry has ever wanted in another alpha. The only problem is that he isn’t even sure that his alpha roommate is into other alphas. In an effort to finally get over him, he lets Niall set him up on a blind date.

🪳 Happy Valentine's Day, You Cockroach (E, 2k) : meerkats and cockroaches

Harry Styles, new director of the Milltown Zoo, has a great idea for a Valentine's Day themed fundraiser. For a donation, they'll name cockroaches after people's exes and then feed them to the meerkats on a live stream. He just didn't foresee how many cockroaches would end up with his name...

—Rare Pairs—

🐎 Need (E, 21k, Niall/Shawn Mendes) : horses, a dog, and a weird goat

Niall Horan loved his job. Who wouldn’t? He was the biggest pop star in the world, and he’d found his kindred spirit in songwriting and friendship, Louis Tomlinson. The sky was the limit now. He had the perfect place they could hide themselves away from the world and write his next album...his uncle’s horse ranch in Colorado. What he didn’t expect was the cowboy next door.

🐱 Next Door (NR, 2k, Louis/Rob Pattinson) : cat and a dog

When a stray cat starts coming round Louis' garden and bothering his dog, Louis and his best friend set out to capture it.

Or a famous/famous fic where Louis and Oli embarrass themselves in front of Batman.

#myfics #allwasfics #trackinghappily #trackinghome #tracksintheam #1dsource

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hardenpost · 2 years ago

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swordsandrayguns · 5 years ago

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Riker’s Beard And Family Time: Looking Back At Star Trek: TNG

I write science fiction and fantasy novels… so I am no stranger to things dubbed “nerdy.” The last few months, though, I have been doing something that pushes the boundaries of nerdy even for me. I’m watching all the Star Trek properties in the order of their release. Yup, an epic binge watch covering over five decades of television series, cartoons and motion pictures. Look, I can try to explain and rationalize this a couple ways. Truth is, I travel a great deal and have to fill the time I spent in airports and on planes (preferably with things I can download as oppose to stream). I am also, as an author, studying some of the great examples of “universe building” and epic story arcs. Still nerdy, though; I admit it.

Obviously, I started with the original series and jumped into the animated series. I timed this all so my viewing of Star Trek: The Motion Picture coincided with the the special 40th anniversary showings in theaters. I followed through the next couple of movies into The Next Generation, alternating in movies and even the original series pilot The Cage (which was originally made available to the public as a pay per view offering between the first and second seasons of The Next Generation) as they fell in the original release timeline. I am getting to the end of the fifth season of Next Generation now and very much looking forward to alternating between episodes of The Next Generation, Deep Space 9 and even the occasional film in the near future.

Just in case you are wondering, I am pretty dedicated to sticking to the timeline but I am not strictly adhering to it. As I find myself, for example, in a hotel with channels such as BBC America or the Heroes and Icons channel I will only turn on episodes that have already showed up in my series overview… so no DS9, Voyager or Enterprise (yet) but the adventures of Kirk and company are fair game, as are Next Generation episodes up to season five. On the other hand, I am still watching Discovery’s Short Treks as they come out and I am definitely watching Picard as soon as I get a chance (meaning on my big screen at home instead of streaming it on my laptop over shaky hotel wifi).

Even though I have not finished the complete rewatch, I find that I already have some new thoughts and ideas about I have seen so far starting with Riker’s beard.

Star Trek The Next Generation has generated a basketful of memes from “Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.” to “I am not a merry man” but undeniably the greatest is “Riker’s beard.” Just as the Internet has given us “jumping the shark,” the phrase to mark when a show is never quite as good again named for a really stupid moment when Fonzie was in Hawaii, it gave us “Riker’s beard” to mark the opposite. To this day, I know people that will immediately turn off an episode of The Next Generation if Jonathan Frakes turns up clean shaven (or if Wesley is in it, but that is a whole different story and, honestly, my harsh view of Wesley softened a bit with this re-watch). My first revelation from my Next Generation binge is that while season two, when the beard shows up, is better than season one, it is not when Next Generation really hits its stride.

First of all, let me defend season one of Star Trek The Next Generation. Twenty one years after the premiere of Star Trek, after three seasons of a pioneering science fiction drama, a year of the animated series and four feature films, Star Trek The Next Generation had to take up the incredibly difficult challenge of continuing one of the world’s beloved stories without a single character from the original series. Even more difficult, the real world had changed. Where the original Star Trek was making a statement by having a Russian, an Asian and an African woman on the bridge The Next Generation would not have made any statements with this type of casting. After all, when Picard met his crew and first face Q at Farpoint the biggest show on television focused on the an upper middle class African American family, something that was absolutely unthinkable when Kirk boldly set forth with his crew.

The first season of Star Trek The Next Generation not only introduced Q, the Ferengi and Data’s not so lovable android brother Lore it killed a main character. Star Trek The Next Generation took a major step that not only the original series never tackled but most shows avoid. Sure, other shows tease it and even then it was usually on a season ending cliffhanger. Even the original series backed away from the only death of a major character they ever portrayed with an entire movie dedicated to reversing it. Star Trek The Next Generation killed Tasha Yar completely out of the blue with three episodes left in the first season. This incredibly bold move cast a shadow on the entire series, adding a real threat to future episodes.

Is season one perfect? Oh, no. Not at all. Not even close, but like I already mentioned it had an amazingly difficult challenge facing it. The fans were expecting… well, everything. Next Generation was trying to stay true to the essence of Star Trek while making itself something new. They put families on the Enterprise to emphasize it was a vehicle of exploration, not a military ship. They made sure there was not a Vulcan to be found and put the odd man in a kilt wandering the hallways. They put a Klingon on the bridge! But then they had to deal with it all.

Season two was better. For one thing, the anticipation and the expectations were gone. The show made it through the first season and when it came back with its second season it was coming back as Star Trek The Next Generation not “the new Star Trek.” Ironically, due to a writers’ strike, season two actually started off with a script recycled from the ill-fated Star Trek: Phase II series. In addition to the first officer’s facial hair, the second season brought Whoopi Goldberg on board as the ship’s bartender and saw Diana Muldaur (in her third Star Trek universe role as Dr. Pulaski) taking over the sick bay from Dr. Crusher. Geordi La Forge also migrated from the bridge to take over engineering. It was always a bit odd, somehow, in season one to not have the chief engineer as a major character, if only because the chief engineer would seem to play as an important of a role in the operations of the ship as, say, the ship’s counselor or a teenager doing his after school work study program as an acting ensign.

While season two was an improvement, it had its issues. Dr. Pulaski, playing a role meant, no doubt, to help humanize Data, came across as abrasive and (in my opinion) mean spirited. Gates McFadden had been fired, apparently because the head writer did not like her, but Gene Roddenberry resisted killing her character so Dr. Beverly Crusher merely transferred off the ship. When the head writer left the popular character of Dr. Crusher returned in season three. Whoopi Goldberg, although an interesting character, was the ship’s civilian bartender which is just kind of weird. Did the ship have a food court, too? The season was also shortened, because of the aforementioned writers’ strike, and it actually ended with (of all things) a clip show. A clip show!

As a final defense of season two, it did introduce the Borg, one of greatest science fiction villain races of all times. But was it really that much better than season one? Well, season two saw five episodes get a total of six Emmy nominations and won two (both technical Emmy awards related to the sound department). Season one’s premiere was the first television episode to be nominated for a Hugo Award in 15 years. Another season one episode was the first syndicated television episode to win a Peabody Award and six episodes gathered a total of seven Emmy nominations, winning three (for makeup, costume design and sound editing). If you place your faith in the numbers, it seems season one might have actually been better (at least if you go by its awards).

So by now, if I may be so bold as to make a prediction, you are probably thinking “This guy has put way too much thought into Star Trek The Next Generation” and “Okay, so if season two is not when The Next Generation gets great, when is it?” First, I said as an author I am studying Star Trek so cut me some slack. Second, I am glad you asked.

Star Trek The Next Generation, in my opinion, really hit its stride is the fourth season. Season four swept onto screens with the second part of season finale cliffhanger The Best Of Both Worlds. The Federation was facing the awesome might of the Borg and the crew of the Enterprise was desperately trying to save Picard, who had been taken and turned into Borg mouthpiece Locutus, so the season started with big action and drama. This quickly led to a series of episodes focusing on character relationships, particularly family relationships.

After he is rescued, Picard is left a broken man and returns to his family’s vineyard in France. Although there had been several stories about Picard’s history, this was the first to address his family and his entry into Star Fleet. Data’s Day not only explored how the android navigated through his duties and relationships, it introduced Chief O’Brien’s new wife Keiko. The O’Briens are the focus in the very next episode, showing not only the natural difficulties they were having adjusting to their new life as a married couple but also O’Brien’s past Star Fleet career and the psychological wounds left by his service in the war with Cardassia. To me, Riker’s beard does not signify when Star Trek The Next Generation really gets good, it is when Keiko O’Brien appears.

Family was a major theme of the fourth season, as Worf discovered he was a father and worked to regain his family’s honor in the eyes of fellow Klingons. Luxanna Troi re-appeared as did the ghost of Tasha Yar when the crew encountered her sister. Data’s brother also made another appearance, as did Data’s creator. Data also grew a great deal, even being shown to try out a romantic relationship with another crew member. The true strength of Star Trek The Next Generation, as of season four, was that it was well established enough as a series to feature stories based on human relationships instead of action or the “alien of the week.”

It should also be noted that season four also brought more episodes which were a part of longer storylines, such as Worf’s dishonor and the political intrigues of the Klingon Empire. There were also many returning minor characters and new characters being set up for multiple appearances. It is only after three seasons Star Trek The Next Generation finally had established enough of its own universe for this to happen. Also, though, by season four plans were in motion for a second live action Star Trek series, one to run concurrently with Next Generation. It could have been that the introduction of multi-episode storylines were a result of the producers consciously attempting to expand the Star Trek universe while starting to differentiate Next Generation from the upcoming Deep Space Nine.

Ironically, season four also marks Star Trek The Next Generation outlasting its predecessor in terms of seasons on the air. While this did not actually influence the formation of my opinion season four is when Next Generation really gets good, it does really make me wonder what Star Trek may have become if it had a season four.

#star trek #next generation #rikers beard #science fiction #indy author

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fbwzoo · 6 years ago

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I don’t know what to do because my mom wants to get an African gray and I’ve heard how difficult they are to care for and how they really shouldn’t be pets at all. But whenever I tell my family about this they say telling mom would be rude and to let her do what makes her happy (I’m known as the know-it-all and Debby downer of my family because of issues like this haha). I keep subtlety suggesting to get an easier, more ethical species but she wont have it. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Oooof, that’s always a difficult situation. I would definitely try to talk to your mom alone, without the rest of the family around to make comments & be discouraging or insulting towards you & make it more likely for her to dismiss your concerns.

When you talk to her, maybe come prepared with some websites that have info on care needed, enrichment, intelligence, etc. You know your mom best, so how to present the information will depend on what approach you think will work best for her. Being direct & telling her that you’re concerned it’ll be too much & here’s the evidence for why; saying that you were curious because she was so excited about the idea, so you looked them up & found some good info; explaining that you want to help make sure the bird gets what they need & so you went looking for info to help out; so on.

That said, if she can handle the demanding care & emotional and cognitive needs of an African grey (well, as much as human caretakers can, anyway), it’s not necessarily bad as long as she looks to adopt one. There’s a lot of them out there in rescues that need homes, due to how long-lived they are & how demanding their care is. A good rescue will be able to prepare your mom further by explaining what the individual bird needs, as well as giving her more information about that bird’s history, personality, likes/dislikes, and health. And good rescues are also pretty cautious about who they’ll adopt larger parrots out to, due to their intense care needs and how intelligent & social they are. The one near me requires that their basic care class be attended by most interested adopters (except for finches, canaries, doves, quails, budgies, lovebirds and cockatiels). So they’ll likely put your mom through a long adoption application, questioning about care knowledge & plans for providing parrot with care, and possibly more (like the class or visits/volunteering for parrot handling practice).

So if you can at least convince her to look into a good rescue for this endeavor, that may do a lot to help your situation, either by making sure she’s as ready for the situation as she can be, or by making her realize what she’d be getting into & deciding against it.

Good luck! ♥ I hope all ends well either way.

#asks #parrots #parrot care #parrot adoption #carpmcgee #I feel like I should start a tag for these types of asks #human management #maybe?#I get a fair number of these #about how to educate people & encourage better care #it's always a difficult thing to balance #people are so much harder than animals

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cpasz3 · 7 years ago

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Hero’s Spell - Avengers / Harry Potter.

So this is just a oneshot for now. I’ve got more ideas for this story that are in my head right now but I can’t write them all down. So if you don’t get the oneshot, I will explain it at the bottom of the post, okay? Okay.

Just so you know what’s happening, I’ll fill you in; So before this oneshot takes place, an OC (who is a witch from the famous and lovable wizarding world) names Riley (probably gonna change it but whatevs) got tangled in a fight with Steve, Clint, Bucky, Sam and T’Challa. Steve and Bucky may have beat her up before realising that she’s a TEEN (because she wears this mask thingy and they took it off and were like ‘OMG WTF’) And then if things couldn’t get worse, the gov shows up and they’re like ‘well fuck’ while Riley is in pain.

But yeah, hope you guys sit back and read because I finally have the motivation to write.

Warnings; have no idea, maybe loss of plot ??? I honestly don’t know, uhhhhh I just came up with the title, may change it or not but yee.

Steve stared silently down into his lap, avoiding the situation he was currently in. A small ceiling sky light was the only light source in the large van-like vehicle, but he could clearly sense the heavy silence suffocating the air space. Sam and Clint were beside him while Bucky, T’Challa and the girl sat on the opposite from him. Two armed soldiers sat smugly at corners

of the vehicle, stone face like they won a prize and was showing it off. They always looked down on their prisoners like they were superior, having the knowledge that half of the people in this vehicle could literally rip their heads off and escape with ease, but he didn’t want to enlarge the fued he already had with the government.

Steve couldn’t help but look at the teenager in front of him. Her right ear down to the side of her neck was completely covered in a dark red substance caused by the flying debris that must have hit her during the fight. Blood was matted in her brown hair and her clothes were smothered in dirt and grime from the road before. She gently cradled her right arm on top of her lap. From what it looks like, she was the only one actually injured from the fight. She could have been no older than sixteen, Steve thought. Her body gently yet dangerously swayed with the truck, her eyes stared down wide-eyed at the floor.

Steve felt his heart clench in his chest. He remembered holding her down on the rubble floor of the road by her forearms, trying to not let her escape. The blood-rush in his ears seemed drowned out her screams of terror, begging and screaming to get off her. He pulled of the mask hiding her face, revealing not a criminal who had done wrong, but a teenage girl staring back at him in horror. He could have hit her, if T’challa had not interfered by kicking Steve across the jaw. Steve could still feel the slight sting on his cheek.

“Um...” Steve started to say, carefully picking out one word at a time. “I just wanted to say... I’m sorry.” Instantly, her head turned away and a choked whimper fell from her throat, refusing to look at him. Even though her head felt like an actual brick, so many thoughts and feelings were racing inside her head that it all merged into a giant hum. Her shoulder throbbed in pain while high pitched ringing still deafened the mans voice in her ear. She shouldn’t cry. She had to stay strong, she had to not let the fear creeping in her throat win.

One of the soldiers near Steve held his gun closer towards and barked “Shut up.” The venomous tone made Steve look up at him with annoyance.

“I was just apologising to her.” Steve shot back. The soldier tended in front of him and held his gun right up to him, a few feet from his face. Steve, however, was unfazed by the sudden aggression. The vehicle around them suddenly shuddered as they went over a large bump, causing the girl to cry out in pain and clutch her arm tighter. Riley vision went blurry for a few seconds and felt the weight of heavy gravity tilt her body to the side slightly. She felt like her brain was pushing against her skull. Her mind didn’t process

“Look, she needs a doctor.” Clint exclaimed, cautiously looking at the girl. The soldier flared at them before looking over to the girl and scoffed.

“She’ll live.” He simply said. No empathy or sadness radiated from his words though, which made Steve’s blood sizzle. It felt like hours of silence had past until the vehicle suddenly stopped and the back door opened. Steve hopped out before the others and found himself in a huge silver garage with dozens of jets and cars that seemed to stretch a quarter of a mile long. He couldn’t help feel small compared to the monster sized planes just a few meters in front of him. Steve remembered when they went on missions and would go on a signature SHIELD jet with Natasha and the rest of the Avengers. But everything different now. and complicated.

His thoughts snapped in half as a pained yelp and scream caught his attention. The man that had told him to shut up and another soldier were grabbing her by the arms for a few second before throwing to the concrete floor. She could barely get up and crawl.

“Come on! Get up, you worthless piece of-“

“Russel!” A voice shouted over his harsh words, making the main freeze in place. Steve whipped around to see a short man in a suit with grey hair leading a group of heavy armed soldiers and two people in white scrubs. He made a hand gesture to the soldiers instantly rushed towards the girl and gently grabbed her by the arms. Two of the nurses held a white plastic plank vertical from the ground where the soldiers could slowly set down her limp figure. The man in the suit simply glanced down at her with interest plastered on his face like he was observing her greatest strengths and weaknesses. After they carried the girl out of side, the man turned back to Steve with a pleasured grin.

“Your highness, Captain, it’s a pleasure to meet you again.” Everett greeted. He stuck his hand out in a shaking gesture, which Steve took cautiously. “I guess they’ve been treating you all well in there. Russel and his team have been very moody and on-guard ever since you guys broke out.”

“They’ve been alright to us so far. Her, however...” Steve started, glancing over at where the girl as the nurses exited. “Not so much.”

“Ah yes. Well, she is a quite a unique and different species compared to we’ve had. So, the soldiers were treating her with the up most respect we could give her. She’s been on our radar ever since she helped Spider-Man at the bridge. We didn’t want to go after right then because her abilities once wiped out an entire police force; so we thought of the next best thing; you guys.”

“Yeah, well, you should have told us she’s a teenager before we attacked her and actually fucking murdered her.” Sam added, not impressed as her folded his arms. Steve and Bucky rolled her eyes while looking down, trying to not meet Everett’s eyes.

“I actually tried to rescue her from you guys, so don’t blame me. The question is, what are you going to do with her?” T’challa asked, his thick African accent rolling off his tongue. Everett Ross flicked his attention towards the King and half shrugged.

“Well, I guess you’ll have to follow me to find out, if you will.” Everett told them before he began walking back to the same doorway he had appeared. Steve glanced back at the others, eventually proceeding aswell.

There you guys go! Chapter ‘something’ of my weird crossover??? I hoped you liked it. If not, i do apologise because most of this was written late at night and on my phone. I’m also 14 so idk what to do with writing.

heres my explaining for the people who are lost; so there currently in those gov vans like in CA;TWS and Riley is bloodied up and is probably having a concussion of some sort, the leader of the soldiers in the van who are looking after the superheroes is a prick, he practically flips off the embodiment of America, riley’s sick, they arrive at the gov centre thingy, sir. prick is more abusive, the star angel himself who’s supposed to looks like this:

His name is Everett. He’s kinda cool. He’s the top gov director through the gov itself. They take Riley in those hospital planks then Everett leads the super-dooper gang to their dooms (not really, but i’m tired and bored)

Thanks for reading!!

#marvel #avengers #harry potter #oc #fanfiction #fanfiction crossover #lol #god help us all #witch #wizarding world

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draconym · 8 years ago

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How many pets do you have? And how/why did you get them?

I have 3 parrots and 1 snake! And I love talking about them, so buckle up.

I got Enyo the cockatiel in 2004 from a pet store because I was a lonely college student and I’d always, always wanted a bird. He was a handful (and still is), but I love him and I tell him he’s my favorite bird every day. He was a great emotional support to me during the hard times in my early twenties, and his huge personality won him (and me, by extension) a lot of friends in college. Some people didn’t know my name but just stopped by my room to play with Enyo. He likes going outside (on a leash) and yelling at every bird he sees.

Mai Tai the cockatiel came to us from a friend in 2016 who had to rehome her due to having a baby. Mai Tai and Enyo are both twelve, almost thirteen (as of spring 2017). Enyo and Mai Tai met when Mai Tai’s owner and I were in college together, and they had pretty frequent bird play dates. Enyo has always been in love with Mai Tai (as he is with every other cockatiel he meets, and some cockatiel-sized objects), although Mai Tai herself only has eyes for a very special toy bell, to which she has been faithful for about eight years.

Enyo and Mai Tai are still good buddies even if she doesn’t love him the way he loves her, and he gets on her nerves sometimes.

Ripley is a Congo African grey parrot who was born in June of 2009. I’d hoped to live with an African grey since I was a little kid and was obsessed with reading about Alex and the research surrounding him. With Ripley I’ve found that what Dr. Pepperberg insisted about Alex was very true: his smarts weren’t unusual, and are representative of African greys in general, maybe even most parrots.

When I graduated from college I had hoped to adopt a young grey from a rescue, but I didn’t have much luck finding any that were local. I did, however, find a lady with a breeding pair of African Greys who lives just a couple of miles away from me. I was able to meet Ripley as a young bird and watch him grow up before buying him from her in the fall of that year. I do want to stress that there are a lot of parrot rescues out there so if you have one near you, there are still many wonderful birds out there who need homes (especially considering their very long lives and the tendency of new bird owners to give up their pets once they realize what a huge commitment they really are).

Ripley likes television and video games a lot. My significant other and I have done some work to make bird-friendly video games for him, but as much time as we’ve spent on those and as much fun as we’ve all had, it’s still clear that old-fashioned chewable toys and social interaction are the most important things to Ripley.

Dig Dug the western hognose is about to turn three this summer. I got him in 2015, when he was about 6 months old, from a local reptile enthusiast who was downsizing her collection of snakes. I had been thinking about getting a snake for a few years, after having worked with a few of them at my nature center jobs. I wanted a hognose because they’re really unique (behaviorally and physically) and I love talking about them, in addition to their being a cute and laid-back species in general–traits which makes Dig Dug ideal to bring to my job as an educational ambassador. Snakes get a lot of bad press and so many of them have been killed due to human fear and ignorance, but like most hognoses, DD is kind of hard not to love when you meet him. He’s changed a lot of people’s minds about snakes.

BONUS SNEK: Mousetrap is a black rat snake that I rescued in 2016. I got a call from one of my housemates that someone at his work had found an almost-dead snake and was there a good way to mercy kill it? I drove over there to find a bunch of grown men terrified of a 2-foot, very skinny juvenile rat snake painfully stuck to a four-sided glue trap.

I took him home and poured some cooking oil on him, which freed him from the trap (I was going to do it back at the warehouse where he was found, but the guys there were terrified he would escape back into the warehouse and begged me not to). The snake was extremely hungry and dehydrated and was missing big patches of scales where they had been ripped out by the glue, but despite all this he was as tame as any captive-raised rat snake I’d met. He even voluntarily climbed up my arm and licked my face, and as gross as that sounds I found it really charming.

I’d intended to fatten him up and release him, but my housemate fell in love with him and he turned out to be a great educational animal at the nature center. My housemate might or might not take him with when he moves out next month, but either way I’ve had a nice time rehabbing, caring for, and living with this cool snake.

#petblr #pets #photos #dig dug #snake #snek #enyo #mai tai #ripley parrot #birds #birbs #Anonymous

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bullmiddle5-blog · 5 years ago

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America’s 38 Essential Restaurants

Plenty of smart, useful articles appear each year directing people to the nation’s buzziest restaurants, highlighting emerging trends and up-and-coming chefs. This annual guide, compiled after 34 weeks of travel and almost 600 meals in 36 cities, aims to accomplish something else: It’s a distillation of the foods and the communities to which I’ve borne witness. The undertaking has defined my work — my life, really — for nearly the last five years as Eater’s national critic.

The one-word mantra that steers my thinking, and also the city-based Eater 38 maps upon which the list is modeled, is essential. Which places become indispensable to their neighborhoods, and eventually to their towns and whole regions? Which ones spur trends, or set standards for hospitality and leadership, or stir conversations around representation and inclusivity? Which restaurants, ultimately, become vital to how we understand ourselves, and others, at the table?

Every year, the list changes substantially; this time around, we welcome 17 newcomers. They’re the places where I had especially meaningful aha moments, where I thought, “Of course New Mexican cuisine should be lauded,” or “Absolutely this is the one Korean barbecue restaurant where everyone should eat,” or “It’s crazy how perfectly these Pakistani-Texan dishes summarize the heart of Houston dining.” The bleeding-edge vanguards among this crew include a Los Angeles maverick where the chef grafts cuisines from around the world with astounding grace, a San Antonio barbecue upstart ushering Mexican flavors to the forefront, and America’s most impactful Southern restaurant — which happens to be in Seattle.

This being the fifth of these roundups I’ve agonized over, I’ve also observed, over these years, a shifting national consciousness, where diners from many backgrounds increasingly embrace cuisines with which they were previously unfamiliar. It’s the new paradigm, not an exception. Coded culinary language denoting “them” and “us” — as “American” or “other” — is slowly but inexorably dissolving. Each of these restaurants cooks American food; I can’t imagine our dining landscape without them. Sure, they’re wonderful places to eat. But they all engender belonging, possibility, and connection — things we surely need in our country right now.

★ – an Eater 38 Icon, on this list five consecutive times

The 2017 list | The December 2016 list | The January 2016 list | The 2015 list

2M Smokehouse

San Antonio

In an ever-more-crowded genre, pitmaster Esaul Ramos and fellow San Antonian Joe Melig transcend the Texas smoked-meats melee by also serving a frictionless combination of dishes that express their Mexican-American heritage. The uniformly blackened, near-custardy brisket rivals the efforts of the Austin superstars; chopped poblanos and blots of queso Oaxaca punctuate their stellar pork sausage. Fold them into speckled flour tortillas, topped with pickled nopales and interspersed with forkfuls of borracho beans and “Chicharoni Macaroni” (mac and cheese dusted with fried pork skins). This is how the leading edge of Lone Star barbecue looks, smells, and tastes. 2731 South WW White Road, San Antonio, TX, (210) 885-9352, 2msmokehouse.com

Atelier Crenn

San Francisco

With an artist’s sense of constant reinvention, Dominique Crenn has been bending flavors and meditating on design since her flagship restaurant’s 2011 debut. More masterfully than ever, Crenn and her team (including pastry chef Juan Contreras) mine the middle ground between intellect and emotion, between heady presentation and flat-out deliciousness. Crenn focuses the modernist kitchen on seafood and vegetables, using impeccable Bay Area ingredients while musing over her upbringing in Brittany, France, for inspiration. Stunning black-walnut tables, part of the dining room’s 2017 renovation, show off swirling wood grains that resemble turbulent cloud patterns; the effect is mirrored in tableside theatrics like platters of billowing dry ice that soon reveal tiny geoduck tarts. 3125 Fillmore Street, San Francisco, CA, (415) 440-0460, ateliercrenn.com

Brennan’s

New Orleans

Ralph Brennan and his business partner, Terry White, rescued this French Quarter monolith in 2014, shepherding $20 million worth of reconstructive surgery on a building the size of a small cruise ship. Among the city’s Creole restaurant institutions, Brennan’s now takes the lead with its balance of timeless pageantry and relevant, finely honed cooking. Executive chef Slade Rushing nails the classics — eggs Sardou laced with creamed spinach for breakfast, snapper amandine or blackened redfish for dinner, bananas Foster for dessert any time of day — but also rotates in fresh twists like frog legs with basil tempura and tomato escabeche. 417 Royal Street, New Orleans, LA, (504) 525-9711, brennansneworleans.com

Here’s Looking At You

Los Angeles

Beef tartare at Here’s Looking At You

Wonho Frank Lee

Jonathan Whitener, the chef who owns HLAY with front-of-house ace Lien Ta, is arguably the country’s most creatively energized practitioner of the “global plates” aesthetic. Salsa negra, smoked beef tongue, nam jim, carrot curry, blood cake, almond dukkah, sprouted broccoli, New Zealand cockles: All have a place on his menu; all make sense in his electric, eclectic compositions; all reflect Los Angeles’s wondrous pluralism. The cocktail menu takes cues from Tiki culture but spirals off in similarly wild and amazingly cohesive directions. 3901 West 6th Street, Los Angeles, CA, (213) 568-3573, hereslookingatyoula.com

Himalaya

Houston

Effervescent, always-present owner Kaiser Lashkari and his wife, Azra Babar Lashkari, turn out nearly 100 distinct dishes at their boxy strip-mall restaurant in the city’s Mahatma Gandhi District. Numerous curries, including Hyderabadi chicken hara masala coursing with green chiles, evince several regional Indian cuisines, but it’s key to order the gems inspired by Kaiser Lashkari’s native Pakistan. He excels in “hunter beef,” a preparation similar to pastrami, best served cold in thick slices with head-clearing mustard. He links the Pakistani affinity for beef with Texas in specials like his weekend-only smoked brisket masala. The restaurant’s excellent, mildly spiced fried chicken bridges cultures just as successfully. 6652 Southwest Freeway, Houston, TX, (713) 532-2837, himalayarestauranthouston.com

Jose Enrique

San Juan, PR

Jose Enrique’s whole fried fish over yuca

There is no sign outside the self-named restaurant of Jose Enrique Montes Alvarez; there’s also no missing the building, a cottage spangled with Art Deco geometries and painted bright pink. Jose Enrique served as the initial headquarters for José Andrés and his World Central Kitchen, which eventually served over 3 million meals in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria’s destruction in 2017. And it rightly remains the island’s most lauded dining destination. Whiteboards propped around the dining room list the daily-changing menu, a narration of the island’s comida criolla in which local seafood keeps diners rapt. Build a meal around an Enrique classic: whole fish fried into a kinetic sculpture, crowned with a chunky salsa of papaya and avocado and set over mashed yam. The crowd is drinking local rum. Join them. 176 Calle Duffaut, San Juan, Puerto Rico, (787) 725-3518, joseenriquepr.com

JuneBaby

Seattle

Edouardo Jordan grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida, with family roots in Georgia, but it wasn’t until he opened his second Seattle restaurant, in the spring of 2017, that he chose to focus professionally on the foods of the South and his African-American heritage. The decision, and the restaurant’s immediate success, has made him one of the nation’s towering figures of Southern cooking. Among the menu’s familiar, gorgeously rendered comforts, the truest treasures (oxtails, vinegared chitterlings, collard greens with ham hock) are the ones that most resonantly invoke Jordan’s upbringing. 2122 Northeast 65th Street, Seattle, WA, (206) 257-4470, junebabyseattle.com

Koi Palace

Daly City, CA

Dim sum is among my favorite meals; I took a particularly obsessive deep dive through the Bay Area and greater Los Angeles this past year while researching the Eater Guide to California. A Sunday jaunt to the original Koi Palace (the flagship of its three locations) reminded me why it’s the indispensable cornerstone among the region’s many stellar dim sum options. Once you wade through the chaotic crowds, a euphoric whirlwind of food and service awaits. In a blur of dumplings, noodles, congees, sweet and savory cakes, piled greens, and crisp-skinned meats, a through-line of freshness and craftsmanship gives the feast cohesion. Finish with the last dregs of tea and the custardy fritters called “Sugar Egg Puffs.” 365 Gellert Boulevard, Daly City, CA, (650) 992-9000, koipalace.com

Mary & Tito’s Cafe

Albuquerque

The foodways of New Mexico are even more regionalized and misconstrued than Texas’s Tex-Mex traditions. In restaurants, New Mexican cuisine boils down to the quality of two dominant chile sauces: the dusky, fruity, slightly spicy red variation, made from dried pods, and the chunkier, vegetal roasted green chile version. There is no better indoctrination into the state’s culinary nucleus than the cafe started by Tito and Mary Ann Gonzales in 1963. Both have died, but their daughter Antoinette Knight, her family, and the restaurant’s longtime cooks keep the recipes and spirit alive. The crucial dishes: carne adovada (pork marinated in bright, silky, near-perfect red chile sauce and then baked) and stacked blue corn enchiladas with both red and green chiles — which is to say, “Christmas” style. 2711 4th St NW, Albuquerque, NM, (505) 344-6266, no website

Momofuku Ko

New York

The wit and technical command behind the tasting menu at David Chang’s toniest outpost perpetually makes Ko one of Manhattan’s worthiest splurges. A course of frozen foie shavings, melting on the tongue like otherworldly snowflakes, is a forever trademark; it’s hard to look at the split shape of the “Ko egg” and not envision an alabaster Pac-Man gobbling dots of caviar. But this past year the restaurant hoisted itself to another dimension by adding a walk-ins-only bar with a separate, experimental, and sneakily brilliant menu by executive chef Sean Gray and his team. Consistent pleasures have included quadruple-fried chicken legs, served cold. They’re so outrageously good, Harland Sanders only wishes he were picnicking on them in the afterlife. 8 Extra Place, New York, NY, (212) 203-8095, ko.momofuku.com

Palace Diner

Biddeford, Maine

In 2014, Chad Conley and Greg Mitchell took over a decades-old, 15-seat restaurant housed in a Pollard train car built in 1927 and turned it into the ideal realization of a daytime Americana diner. Eating here haunts me: I can’t find better light, lemony, buttery pancakes, or a more precisely engineered egg sandwich, and theirs is the only tuna melt I ever hunger after. Location plays a charming role: Sleepy but quickly burgeoning Biddeford, Maine (also home to Rabelais, one of the country’s finest food-focused booksellers), sits about 20 miles south of Portland. It’s all worth the trek. 18 Franklin Street, Biddeford, ME, (207) 284-0015, palacedinerme.com

Park’s BBQ

Los Angeles

Tabletop barbecue and banchan at Park’s BBQ

Wonho Frank Lee/Eater

In America, the meaty magnetism of Korean barbecue restaurants often serves as a gateway to the country’s cuisine. Park’s, ensconced in a Koreatown strip mall, is more of a journey’s culmination — the pinnacle of the genre. Certainly the tabletop-grilled meats (especially the kalbi, or short ribs, and anything offered as an American wagyu upgrade) deliver with sizzling edges and smoky depths. Before the main event, tiny plates of chef-owner Jenee Kim’s meticulous banchan (kimchi; gyeran mari, or rolled egg; battered slices of squash) rev the appetite. The cooking alone distinguishes the restaurant; the engaged, near-telepathic staff propels the experience even higher. 955 South Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, (213) 380-1717, parksbbq.com

Smyth & the Loyalist

Chicago

Chicago is a stronghold of tasting-menu restaurants all nearly on par in their intellectual heft. At Smyth, husband and wife John Shields and Karen Urie Shields certainly show off brainpower through 12 courses that uniquely coalesce Japanese, Nordic, and Southern-American flavors and techniques. But their close relationship with a farm 20 miles south of the city in Bourbonnais, Illinois helps give Smyth’s cuisine a literal and spiritual grounding. I taste the honest Midwest in dishes like end-of-summer green gooseberries paired with uni. At the Loyalist downstairs, the duo apply their formidable know-how to the Americana fare, including killer biscuits with cheddar and what may be the most righteous cheeseburger in Chicago. 177 North Ada Street, Chicago, IL, (773) 913-3773, smythandtheloyalist.com

Superiority Burger

New York

Brooks Headley departed from his top-of-the-food-chain gig as pastry chef at Del Posto in 2015 to channel his punk-musician origins into a solo project: a seditious, moshing, 270-square-foot Lower East Side restaurant that specializes in a remarkably gratifying vegetarian burger. The place is an ever-rarer reminder of individuality and tenacity in New York City. At its busiest moments, the crowd streams from the six-seat storefront out onto the sidewalk, a breadth of humanity sharing the moment as they consume meat-free sandwiches and spontaneous vegetable creations, straight from the farmers markets. Every menu item costs under $10. Headley doesn’t entirely abandon his previous title: He channels every ounce of his dessert genius into two transcendent gelato and ice cream flavors that change daily and come squashed together in a paper cup. 430 East 9th Street, New York, NY, (212) 256-1192, superiorityburger.com

Via Carota

New York

I’ll just say it: This is my favorite place to eat in New York. While no one “quintessential Manhattan” restaurant exists, Via Carota exquisitely inhabits one version of the mythology. It’s the filtered, shifting light that seeps through the picture windows overlooking a narrow West Village street. It’s the crowd’s smart air (especially at lunch, the ideal time to drop in). And it’s certainly the assured Italian cooking, heavy on vegetable dishes but also with soul-soothing pleasures like tagliatelle showered with Parmesan and draped with prosciutto. An unusually harmonic partnership animates the place: Chef couple Rita Sodi and Jody Williams each started still-successful restaurants nearby before combining forces on their joint darling. I always feel cheered by their doting brand of culinary co-parenting. 51 Grove Street, New York, NY, (212) 255-1962, viacarota.com

Xi’an Famous Foods

New York

Jason Wang and his father, David Shi, began their success story out of longing: The dishes they first served out of a basement stall of the Golden Shopping Mall in Flushing, Queens, channeled signatures of their native Xi’an, the capital of China’s northwestern Shaanxi Province. Hand-ripped noodles with spicy cumin lamb (its complexly seasoned chile oil reflective of Xi’an’s Eastern point along the spice routes), liangpi “cold skin” noodles, and a lamb burger stuffed in a hamburger-bun-shaped bao became phenomenons. Now with over a dozen locations in three New York boroughs, the chain remains in the family, and the food — remarkable in its consistency and affordability — rightly persists as a cult obsession. 41-10 Main Street, Flushing, NY, (212) 786-2068, and other locations, xianfoods.com

Xochi

Houston

Chicken tacos at Xochi

Each of Hugo Ortega and Tracy Vaught’s four Houston restaurants lend distinction to the world-class greatness of the city’s dining scene. Since opening in early 2017, Xochi quickly ascended as the finest of their bellwethers. Ortega and his chefs delve into Oaxaca’s earthy, exhilarating, spicy-sweet cuisine, with its color wheel of moles and its masa-based specialties shaped into irresistible geometries. Look for memelas (a thicker tortilla cradling roasted pork rib), tetelas (blue-masa triangles stuffed with house-made cheese), and molotes (crisp oval cakes painted with creamy and spicy sauces). Lunch ranks equal to dinner in excellence, a blessing for Downtown’s visitors and local workers alike. 1777 Walker Street, Houston, TX, (713) 400-3330, xochihouston.com

Among those reappearing on the list, only five standouts remain from the original guide Eater published in January 2015. The quintet — consider them Eater Icons — comprises the progenitor of hot chicken, the nation’s ranking barbecue lodestar, two luminaries where I’d most readily recommend celebrating a special occasion, and the restaurant that shifted how many of us perceive Middle Eastern foods. These are the places that I could never bring myself to rotate out. They all exemplify cuisines and ideas that dominated the decade, but their influence also clearly surpasses momentary fad.

Al Ameer

Dearborn, Michigan | Among Dearborn’s cache of Lebanese restaurants, this is the paragon. Kahlil Ammar and Zaki Hashem’s family business includes an in-house butcher facility, so the unrivaled stuffed lamb (and also lamb liver, a traditional breakfast dish) exhibits exceptional freshness. 12710 West Warren Avenue, Dearborn, MI, (313) 582-8185, alameerrestaurant.com

Benu

San Francisco

“Thousand year old egg” at Benu

No culinary leader in America deserves the honorific of “chef’s chef” more than Corey Lee. Easy labels don’t stick to his visionary cooking. Lee runs three San Francisco restaurants, including the bistro Monsieur Benjamin and In Situ at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, but it’s at his flagship where his virtuosic talents most hold sway. Lee was born in Korea, and he most often summons the cuisines of China, Japan, and his native country for his intricate, striking dishes. Lobster coral soup dumplings, mussels stuffed with glass noodles and layered vegetables, a combination of potato salad and caramelized anchovies that recalls two staples of banchan: After thousands of meals consumed for Eater, I don’t know another place in America that serves food more dazzlingly, gratifyingly singular than Benu. Master sommelier Yoon Ha’s beverage pairings keep pace with Lee’s kitchen — another of the restaurant’s near-impossible achievements. 22 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA, (415) 685-4860, benusf.com

Bad Saint

Washington, D.C. | The challenge: a no-reservations policy, 24 seats, and a line that begins several hours nightly before opening. The payoff: Tom Cunanan’s peerless Filipino cuisine. Inspirations like piniritong alimasag (fried soft-shell crab in spicy crab-fat sauce) also brilliantly signal the Chesapeake region in which he cooks. 3226 11th Street NW, Washington, D.C., no phone, badsaintdc.com

Bateau

Seattle | At Renee Erickson’s revolutionary overhaul of the American steakhouse, she and her partners dry-age the beef they raise on nearby Whidbey Island. Servers maintain a nightly running list of steaks on a chalkboard; lesser-known cuts like gracilis (the lean top round cap) receive equal billing with New York strips and ribeyes. Gallic-accented sides (kale gratin) and desserts (baba au rhum) trumpet the country’s renewed obsession with French cuisine. 1040 East Union Street, Seattle, WA, (206) 900-8699, restaurantbateau.com

Bertha’s Kitchen

North Charleston | Sisters Sharon Grant Coakley, Julie Grant, and Linda Pinckney carry on the culinary traditions of their deceased mother, Albertha Grant, serving red rice and shrimp, garlic crabs, lima beans, okra stew, and other specialties of the Gullah, former slaves who made their home in South Carolina’s Lowcountry. 2332 Meeting Street Road, North Charleston, SC, (843) 554-6519, no website

Blue Hill at Stone Barns

Pocantico Hills, NY

Squash in the guise of guacamole at Stone Barns

If pushed to pinpoint one restaurant that I consider to be the “best” in America, I will time and again name Dan Barber’s Westchester County destination, the centerpiece of the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. Four-hour-plus meals here are elegant, interactive experiences: They begin with the front-of-house staff asking about interests and appetites, and then the first bites comprise a procession of “vegetables from the field” served raw and impaled on spikes with the lightest gloss of vinaigrette. From there… who knows? Barber and his seasoned improvisers run the show, orchestrating scenarios of experimental squash varietals and no-waste animal cookery; perhaps there’s a mid-evening field trip to the bakery or a course or two in the refurbished manure shed (yes, it’s a thing) or the kitchen. Diners ultimately leave with altered definitions of place and time around food. What Barber creates is a life-affirming reset of what a restaurant can and should be. 630 Bedford Road, Pocantico Hills, NY, (914) 366-9606, bluehillfarm.com

Compère Lapin

New Orleans | Nina Compton, a native of St. Lucia, revives New Orleans’s often-forgotten connections to the Caribbean; at her three-year-old restaurant, she knits together cultures with dishes like snapper with vinegary pepper escovitch and carrot beurre blanc. 535 Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans, LA, (504) 599-2119, comperelapin.com

FIG

Charleston | The first place you should eat in Charleston? And maybe the last? Mike Lata and Jason Stanhope’s ever-creative, always-consistent fixture, where the daily catch from Southern waters steers the nightly menu. 232 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC, (843) 805-5900, eatatfig.com

Franklin Barbecue

Austin, TX

A classic spread at Franklin Barbecue

Courtney Pierce/Eater

Things Americans willingly wait in line for: rides in Disney theme parks, Black Friday sales, the latest iPhone, Aaron Franklin’s sublime array of smoked meats. I’d argue the latter leads to the greatest rewards. Texas barbecue functions as a ferocious, intensely observed sport unto itself; who crafts the most rapturous beef rib or the snappiest sausages fuel constant debate. What isn’t disputed is how Franklin raised the discourse around barbecue when he and his wife, Stacy, stoked the first pit at their barbecue trailer in 2009. (The business moved to its current midcentury modern digs in 2011.) His brisket alone altered my brain chemistry, and did the same for a lot of other souls, forever changing our expectations of that Lone Star staple. A spread of brisket, ribs, pulled pork, potato salad, and pinto beans still merits the wait, which every omnivore should brave once in their lives. 900 East 11th Street, Austin, TX, (512) 653-1187, franklinbarbecue.com

The Grey

Savannah, GA | Eater’s 2017 Restaurant of the Year resides in a former Greyhound bus station, restored to its original 1938 Art Deco grandeur in a multimillion-dollar renovation. Mashama Bailey culls Southern port city flavors into a jubilantly personal expression, with triumphs like salt-preserved grouper on toast and quail scented with Madeira. 109 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Savannah, GA, (912) 662-5999, thegreyrestaurant.com

Highlands Bar & Grill

Birmingham, AL | A victorious year, with James Beard Awards for Outstanding Restaurant (after nine previous nominations) and a long-deserved win for pastry chef Dolester Miles, only emphasizes the timeless relevance of Frank and Pardis Stitt’s affable Southern-French haven. 2011 11th Avenue South, Birmingham, AL, (205) 939-1400, highlandsbarandgrill.com

Kachka

Portland, OR | Bonnie and Israel Morales recently moved their Belarusian-Georgian-Russian restaurant to a larger, splashier space without displacing an ounce of its inimitable spirit; their new lunch service offers the same signature dumplings, caviar, and newly supersized blini, and world-class vodkas. 960 SE 11th Avenue, Portland, OR, (503) 235-0059, kachkapdx.com

Mariscos Jalisco

Los Angeles | Raul Ortega’s mariscos truck, parked in LA’s Boyle Heights community, serves what is arguably the most perfectly constructed taco in the whole blessed country: The taco dorado de camaron, filled with spiced shrimp, emerges sizzling from the fryer before being swathed with salsa roja and avocado slices. 3040 East Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, (323) 528-6701, no website

Milktooth

Indianapolis | Dutch baby pancakes with fluffernutter and grape jelly, sourdough-chocolate waffles with oolong-infused maple syrup, bacon and beef sloppy Joes: Jonathan Brooks is a mad genius of the morning meal. There’s no more inspired destination for relentlessly inventive breakfasts in America. 534 Virginia Avenue, Indianapolis, IN, (317) 986-5131, milktoothindy.com

Mud Hen Water

Honolulu | Hawaiian food exists in its own delicious, swirling cosmos. In dishes like his version of grilled squid lūʻau, whole fish cooked in coals, and chicken long rice croquettes, O‘ahu native Ed Kenney connects the cultural dots like no one else on the islands. 3452 Waialae Avenue, Honolulu, HI, (808) 737-6000, mudhenwater.com

n/naka

Los Angeles | Reservations open three months in advance and book out instantly, but tenacity rewards with the country’s most poetic kaiseki meal. Niki Nakayama and Carole Iida’s menus careen through cooking techniques (sashimi, steaming, frying, searing), but the whole is a meditation on the ties between culinary tradition and individual imagination. 3455 Overland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, (310) 836-6252, n-naka.com

Parachute

Chicago | Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark’s dishes crisscross continents in their exceptionally vivid flavors, but the road always leads back to Korea with seasonal journeys like dolsot bibimbap and sesame-laced beef stew. 3500 N Elston Avenue, Chicago, IL, (773) 654-1460, parachuterestaurant.com

Prince’s Hot Chicken

Nashville

The one-and-only hot chicken at Prince’s

Nashville-style hot chicken can no longer be considered a trend or a local delicacy; its countrywide popularity over the last five years cemented its place in the foundation of American dining. But no matter how many people succumb to the masochistic pleasures of capsaicin and the endorphin rush that follows, or how many restaurant groups fashion their own variations, credit for the dish should — and will — always go straight back to the business that made it famous. James Thornton Prince founded the restaurant in the 1940s; his great-niece André Prince Jeffries remains the guardian of the recipe. The heat levels range from plain to “XXX Hot.” The “Hot” version is as far as I go, and as a full-body sensory happening, it’s plenty. Everyone should visit North Nashville and face the flames for themselves. 123 Ewing Drive, Nashville, TN, (615) 226-9442, princeshotchicken.com

Spoon & Stable

Minneapolis | This is the Twin Cities’ restaurant of the decade. Gavin Kaysen brought New York star power back to his native Minnesota but keeps himself grounded with local ingredients and compelling yet comforting plates. Pastry chef Diane Moua echoes the Midwest charm with creations like root-beer semifreddo. 211 North First Street, Minneapolis, MN, (612) 224-9850, spoonandstable.com

Staplehouse

Atlanta | Ryan Smith crafts the right-now model of the mid-priced tasting menu, serving a dozen or so constantly evolving courses; dishes might involve modernist mousses and powders but never spiral too far from an end goal of accessible pleasure. Co-owners Jen Hidinger and Kara Hidinger (Smith’s wife) lead the front of house with Southern graciousness. 541 Edgewood Avenue Southeast, Atlanta, GA, (404) 524-5005, staplehouse.com

Zahav

Philadelphia, PA

Smoked lamb shoulder with chickpeas at Zahav

The recent limelight on Middle Eastern foods in America, which is overdue and still very much emerging, can in part be traced to Michael Solomonov, the chef who owns Zahav (and about a dozen other restaurants) with Steve Cook. Solomonov, born in Israel, brings a respectful and contemporary translation of that nation’s clearinghouse adaptation of its region’s varied cuisines. Dinner should always begin with salatim — warmly spiced vegetable salads that light up the table in their shades of red, green, gold, and purple — and Solomonov’s justly lauded hummus, maybe in a Turkish variation bathed in melted butter. Grilled duck hearts, roasted carrots with labneh, the signature smoked lamb shoulder lacquered with pomegranate molasses, riffs on kanafeh (a shredded phyllo dessert) with seasonal fruits: These communal plates all foster kinship, further cultural understanding, and of course bring immense enjoyment. 237 St James Place, Philadelphia, PA, (215) 625-8800, zahavrestaurant.com

Editor: Erin DeJesus Art director: Brittany Holloway-Brown Shooter: Gary He Video editor: Murilo Ferreira Photographers: Katie Acheff, Joshua Brasted, Frank Wonho Lee, Reese Moore, Courtney Pierce Social media editors: Milly McGuinness, Adam Moussa Copy editor: Emma Alpern Special thanks to: Matt Buchanan, Amanda Kludt, Francesca Manto, Stefania Orru, Stephen Pelletteri, Mariya Pylayev, and Eater’s city editors

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Source: https://www.eater.com/best-american-restaurants-review/2018/11/13/18071890/best-restaurants-america-2018

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agendahammer79-blog · 6 years ago

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America’s 38 Essential Restaurants

★ – an Eater 38 Icon, on this list five consecutive times

The 2017 list | The December 2016 list | The January 2016 list | The 2015 list

2M Smokehouse

San Antonio

Atelier Crenn

San Francisco

Brennan’s

New Orleans

Here’s Looking At You

Los Angeles

Beef tartare at Here’s Looking At You

Wonho Frank Lee

Himalaya

Houston

Jose Enrique

San Juan, PR

Jose Enrique’s whole fried fish over yuca

JuneBaby

Seattle

Koi Palace

Daly City, CA

Mary & Tito’s Cafe

Albuquerque

Momofuku Ko

New York

Palace Diner

Biddeford, Maine

Park’s BBQ

Los Angeles

Tabletop barbecue and banchan at Park’s BBQ

Wonho Frank Lee/Eater

Smyth & the Loyalist

Chicago

Superiority Burger

New York

Via Carota

New York

Xi’an Famous Foods

New York

Xochi

Houston

Chicken tacos at Xochi

Al Ameer

Benu

San Francisco

“Thousand year old egg” at Benu

Bad Saint

Bateau

Bertha’s Kitchen

Blue Hill at Stone Barns

Pocantico Hills, NY

Squash in the guise of guacamole at Stone Barns

Compère Lapin

FIG

Franklin Barbecue

Austin, TX

A classic spread at Franklin Barbecue

Courtney Pierce/Eater

The Grey

Highlands Bar & Grill

Kachka

Mariscos Jalisco

Milktooth

Mud Hen Water

n/naka

Parachute

Prince’s Hot Chicken

Nashville

The one-and-only hot chicken at Prince’s

Spoon & Stable

Staplehouse

Zahav

Philadelphia, PA

Smoked lamb shoulder with chickpeas at Zahav

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The freshest news from the food world every day

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Source: https://www.eater.com/best-american-restaurants-review/2018/11/13/18071890/best-restaurants-america-2018

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phoenixwaller · 7 years ago

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xmylonely-serenade replied to your photo

I also have a smoll white faced male cockatiel ^\\\^ they are the cutest animals

The one closest to the camera, my little cinnamon-pearl girl is the sweetest thing ever. Like she fusses at me, but her “bites” are more like “please stop.” In 12 years she’s drawn blood maybe 2-3 times. They usually don’t even pinch.

The one farther, my pied boy... is... well... his nickname is “evil demon.” He absolutely despises hands, and if he thinks he can get at a hand he’ll literally run to try and bite it, even if it’s nowhere near him at the time. He’s made it his mission in life to draw as much blood as possible and end the scourge of hands. He also thinks that pecking with the threat of a hard bite is an acceptable way of getting attention.

And when I say hard bite... I mean he clamps down and goes for it. His bites can hurt worse then the bites from my african grey. He doesn’t do warning nips, it’s all or nothing. He’ll make a couple pecks, and that’s it. And if you can’t figure out what he wants he thinks it’s your problem.

People are legit afraid of my demon.

What’s weird... I’m glad I’m the one who got him. I’ve had him for 14 years, and he’s always been this way. But I know his quirks and his personality. We’ve got this weird mutual respect thing, and there are plenty of times he flies over just to hang out cause I’m in his flock... even if I have hands.

I’m 99% convinced that with his overbearing and sometimes vicious personality that he’d have ended up rehomed several times, in and out of rescues, injured as somebody flung to try and get him off, or released to the wild to die out there.

But he’s super affectionate... Like he’s always putting his head down for kisses (no scritches, cause hands). And he loves to learn new songs to whistle.

He’s just... evil, LOL. (Honestly, I love him to bits even if I do have to watch my fingers around him)

#xmylonely-serenade

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thegreenwolf · 8 years ago

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Hey, Birdblr! I Could Use Some Help!

So my housemate who owns the house where my studio is in Washington has two rescued African grey parrots. The two birds don’t get along, so she brought one of them, Liberty, out to hang out with me here at the coast to give him some space and so I can give him more individualized attention. I am excited to have a tiny dinosaur here, but I also have very little bird experience beyond knowing parrots live a very long time and can be really sensitive to their environment and the people in it.

So Liberty is a rescued Congo African grey that she’s had for about two years. He’s somewhere around 25-30 years old, and like so many greys he’s a plucker, though nowhere near as bad as he used to be. He can be really affectionate; my housemate was playing with him and petting him and he looked pretty comfortable with her. So he’s got the potential to be a really sweet guy if I can earn his trust.

He got in yesterday, and right now I’m mostly just letting him get settled in. I can get him out of the cage and put him back in, though he was really nervous with me taking him out this morning and it took a few tries to get him to step up; he was shaking a bit until he actually got on my hand. He stepped up on my hand no problem, though he nipped me when I tried to pet him (just a warning nip, nothing near bad enough to break skin), so we’re not to that point in our relationship just yet XD

I’ll talk to him while he’s hanging out on the perch on top, but if I go near him he puffs up some, though he stands his ground. I also tried sharing a bit of food with him a couple times (including walnuts which are his favorites) and he just dropped it. He’s been chatting up a storm when I’m off on the other side of the room doing my own thing; he apparently has a vocabulary of around 200 words, and I’ve already heard a pretty impressive repertoire of whistles, clicks and other sounds.

I know each bird is an individual so there’s no specific time in which I should expect him to be okay with me. And this is an entirely new environment, with me instead of his owner taking care of him, so there’s a lot of adjustment here. But is there anything I can do besides continuing to chat with him, offer him food every so often, and keep up the routine of taking him in and out of the cage each day, to help him get more used to me? Thanks for any advice you can give :)

#birdblr #African grey #African gray #parrot #mine

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tagamark · 5 years ago

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The Flying Lions of Busanga Plains

New Post has been published on https://tagasafarisafrica.com/africa-travel-news/fauna-and-flora/the-flying-lions-of-busanga-plains/

The Flying Lions of Busanga Plains

During the dry winter season, most of Zambia is on fire. Local people living in rural areas set the dry grassland alight, so that when the summer rains arrive, their cattle can graze on the succulent new growth.

The smoke from the fires casts a drab veil over everything. It’s a thin grey soup that fills the air up to 3 000 metres.

Sunrise view from the hot-air balloon – Photograph by Scott Ramsay

We were flying in a small four-seater plane from the town of Livingstone near Victoria Falls, and were headed north to Busanga Plains in the north of Kafue National Park. Our little plane bounced around on the thermals like a drunken bumblebee.

Kafue in central-west Zambia is just over 22 000 square kilometres. Created in 1924, it’s surrounded by so-called game management areas of another 43 000 square kilometres. At more than 6 million hectares, the area is one of the biggest wild places on the continent.

Flock of white storks – Photograph by Scott Ramsay

Our flight was during the middle of the day. The hot sun and smoky air quickly evaporated any of the romance of flying low over an African wilderness in a small plane.

The miombo woodland below seemed endless, even relentless; kilometer after kilometer of Brachystegia trees that had shed their leaves, waiting with unending patience for the summer thunderstorms that will arrive in November, when everything will turn verdant again.

And then, as our bumblebee dropped down out of the dreary haze, Busanga revealed herself to us. I forgot about the heat, dust and smoke, and pushed my nose up against the small window and stared out, entranced.

Early morning at Shumba – – Photograph by Scott Ramsay

Busanga’s Wildlife Experience

I’d heard good things about Busanga from others who knew her well. Her reputation was tantalizing, but this was unlike anything I’d seen before in Southern Africa.

Hippos fighting over the receding waters. Newton explained that one of these was a female who wanted to get to her calf, which was nearby. But the male wouldn’t let her pass for some reason. Note the nonchalance of the jacana and little egret in the foreground – Photograph by Scott Ramsay

Extending for about 600 square kilometres, the grassy flats of Busanga are an exception to the rule of miombo woodland in Kafue. The Lufupa River, a tributary of the Kafue River, sustains the vast fertile grasslands in this northern sector of the park.

In summer these plains flood, leaving only islands here and there. In winter, the waters recede to reveal massive open grasslands, known as “dambos”. Like veins and arteries pumping blood through the body of a thoroughbred, the narrow water channels spread out across Busanga, where thousands (and thousands) of red lechwe and puku antelope come to graze.

Usually rare in Southern Africa, roan antelope are common in Kafue – Photograph by Scott Ramsay

Within half an hour of landing on the small airstrip, and being plonked onto a game-viewing vehicle, we were surrounded by hordes of these antelope, which dotted the plains in huge numbers.

Kafue has 20 antelope species, the most of any park on the continent. We drove past herds of sable and roan antelope, usually rare in Africa, but relatively common in Kafue. We spotted several groups of oribi, which surely get the prize for being the daintiest, prettiest of them all.

As one of the males crosses the plains, red lechwe keep careful watch – Photograph by Scott Ramsay

Over the next few days, my guides Newton Mulenga and Isaac Kalio introduced me to the wonders of Busanga. We found a Cape clawless otter foraging in a channel of water, near to two fighting hippos. At dusk, a spotted hyena came cantering past us, intent on its nocturnal mission for food. We regularly came across flocks of fifty or more crowned cranes, and several pairs of wattled cranes.

The water channels are clear to see from the air…these swell to flood the plains almost totally in summer – Photograph by Scott Ramsay

One evening, just after enjoying a cold beer under a blazing red sky, we saw a serval, stalking in the grass just thirty metres from us. We followed it and almost drove right past it, as it hunkered down. It stood up, scampered off, then stopped and looked back at us for a few seconds before melting into the blackness.

Flying Lions of Busanga

The two six-month old male cubs. Doing what cubs do – Photograph by Scott Ramsay

And then there were the lions. On the first morning at Busanga Bush Camp, the local pride passed through the unfenced camp. I didn’t see them, but as I walked out my tent, I could see fresh lion tracks everywhere on the soft, sandy substrate.

Then I heard shouting and screaming. Soon after I learnt that two six-month old cubs had started scratching playfully on the canvas of one of the safari tents, to the consternation of the sleepy guest inside who got the fright of his life. The barrel-chested Newton came to the rescue, chuckling, shouting and waving his arms at the cubs, chasing them away.

Who says animals don’t understand what fun is? If you’ve ever watched lion cubs, all they want to do is have fun! – Photograph by Scott Ramsay

For two days we followed the pride across the plains as they crisscrossed their kingdom: two big males in their prime, plus a sensuous lioness and those same scoundrel cubs, which had scared the hell out of the poor guest in his tent. They were full of trouble, stalking their mom and the two big males, jumping on them and causing havoc wherever they went.

My camera worked over time. The lions posed like models at a fashion show, staring into the distance at the lechwe and puku which kept well away. When the big cats came to the narrow water channels on the plains, they’d launch themselves through the air, manes flowing backwards, clearing the water like unlikely ballet dancers at an opera.

A hunter turned photographer called Francois d’Elbee wrote and photographed a beautiful book about Busanga, called simply “Busanga”. HIs photos of the lions here inspired me to do justice in my own way, photographically, to these icons of Africa – Photograph by Scott Ramsay

Busanga is breathtaking, mind-blowing stuff for anyone who loves Africa and its wildlife: the uncluttered horizons, the endless plains, the thousands of antelope and the jumping lions. We were alone mostly, and witness to all of it, with just one or two other game-viewing vehicles on the plains.

Wilderness Safaris operate two small, spectacular camps – the more basic, yet still comfortable Busanga Bush Camp and the larger, more luxurious Shumba Camp. (I prefer Busanga, as it’s smaller, simpler and more connected to the surrounding wilderness).

The accommodation, food and service at both camps hits just the right note. My guides – Newton at Busanga, and Isaac at Shumba – are brilliant : they love what they do, and they want nothing more than to share their wilderness with their guests.

How’s that flowing mane? How can anyone shoot an animal like this? – Photograph by Scott Ramsay

One morning, as the other vehicles headed back for breakfast after their morning drive, Isaac asked me whether I wanted to skip breakfast and stay with the lions. Of course! We ended up spending seven hours with the big cats. That’s how I like to spend my days: thank you, Isaac.

After a day, I’d already resolved to come back here soon, to spend several weeks, perhaps months, absorbing Busanga into every cell of my body. I was spellbound.

Floating Over The Plains

And then on the last morning, like some goofy, clichéd climax, we were whisked away into the sky on a hot-air balloon, floating low over the plains and the woodlands, where fish-eagles perched on the treetops, throwing their heads back as they called to their mates.

Early morning flight in Eric Heseman’s hot air balloon. One of my most memorable experiences of recent times – Photograph by Scott Ramsay

Depending on the weather and the wind, all guests get a chance to ride on the balloon. You’re in safe hands. Owner and operator Eric Hesemans has been doing this his whole adult life, mostly in Namibia, but more recently in Busanga.

Eric told me how he’d become good mates with famous Brazilian photographer Sebastiao Salgado, who a few years ago had flown with Eric over Busanga every morning for several weeks, taking aerial photographs. Salgado has spent the last few years documenting the wildest places on the planet. Busanga cleary made an impression.

“Sebastiao loved it here,” Eric told me. Of course he did.

A hippo on his home turf… – Photograph by Scott Ramsay

Below us, large pods of hippos grunted in the water channels, and all those lechwe and puku looked up at us. We were hovering so close to them that I could see the sunrise reflecting in their big amber eyes. As I write these words, I just want to be back in Busanga.

Beauty at Risk

But for all the serendipitous natural wonder of Busanga, this wild beauty is on a knife-edge. Like so many other wilderness areas in Africa, it’s wildlife and habitat face serious challenges.

Throughout the days and nights while I was there, bush fires raged on the horizons. As part of their traditional fishing rights, locals are allowed into the park to fish in the rivers, and they set the land alight to rid lions of their cover in the grassland, and to keep elephants away. Satellite images show that up to 80% of the park burns ever year. (When the park was established, most of the Nkoya people were evicted from their land, and their fishing rights are a key source of livelihood and protein).

The water channels are clear to see from the air…these swell to flood the plains almost totally in summer – Photograph by Scott Ramsay

While fire is a necessary and natural ecological occurrence in savanna, if the land burns too often it can reduce species diversity, and eventually disrupt the balance of the whole system.

Although the recent Great Elephant Census notes that Kafue’s elephant population may be one of the few that is stable or even increasing, poaching continues to be a serious problem, according to the guides. (In the 1960s, Zambia had about 250 000 elephants. Today there are only 10 000 elephants, of which Kafue has about 2 300. Kruger National Park, similar in size, has about 17 000).

We didn’t see one elephant in my (admittedly short) stay of four days, and very little evidence of their movements on the plains. An old dung ball here and there, but that was it.

Cape clawless otter, spotted in the early morning in one of the water channels – Photograph by Scott Ramsay

Apparently, when elephants do emerge from the miombo woodlands at sunset, they move quickly across the plains to drink at the rivers, and then head back into the safety of the trees long before morning arrives.

And then there are the lions themselves. Increasingly, because of rampant bushmeat poaching by hungry people on the peripheries, the lions are inadvertently snared. Some survive, some die from the wounds and pain. I interviewed lion researcher Dr. Neil Midlane after my trip, and you can read my interview with him here.

Staying at Busanga Bush Camp and Shumba Camp

I had to leave Busanga after just a few days, but I didn’t want to. Even with the bushfires burning on the horizons, and the poaching problems, I get the feeling that there is much hope, that Busanga could be even more spectacular, if it receives the help it needs. Like most other wilderness areas in Africa, there is so much to admire.

Busanga Bush Camp is the simpler, smaller of the two camps which Wilderness Safaris operate. I prefer it to Shumba, as it’s more open to the surrounding plains – Photograph by Scott Ramsay

NOTE: From a conservation perspective, Busanga (and the rest of Kafue, although I haven’t explored all of it) is one of Africa’s finest wilderness areas. And from a photographic perspective, it ranks as one of my favourite places for wildlife photography. Wilderness Safaris deserve plenty of credit for investing in this remote, wild place. I can recommend Busanga Bush Camp and Shumba Camp to anyone who wants a unique, unforgettable wildlife safari. And by travelling there, you’re making a real difference to its conservation. The camps employ mostly local people, and a percentage of your money goes to anti-poaching operations in the area.

Early morning on the plains, and the usual suspects are up and grazing already – Photograph by Scott Ramsay

Written and Photographed by Scott Ramsay

Scott Ramsay of Love Wild Africa is a photographer and writer in protected areas, national parks and nature reserves in Africa.

Post courtesy of Wilderness Safaris

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shametheshadow · 6 years ago

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Okay so I finally finished Ready Player One. Got a little eh in the middle with the romance and sometimes a little too openly expositiony with some things but I otherwise loved it. I can definitely see why it's been considered the nerd bible. Between the references, the action packed and imaginative scenes, the subtle pushes at the darker sides of nerd culture (enough to make you feel a little uncomfortable but not open enough to feel like you -a nerd- were being lectured), and the inclusiveness that didnt feel forced... It definitely made for a good read. It's an old book by now but spoiler if you want to read it still. I cant use the read more on my phone so here's just a warning. You had an abysmally poor fat kid as the protagonist (even when he gets fit he still becomes bald and eyebrowless), a curvy "rubenesque" gal with a large birth mark on her face who word vomits when anxious, an african american lesbian who also rocks her curves using a caucasian male avatar, and two japanese otakus who have never met irl but are considered brothers in the OASIS. Like... I know I'm one of the biggest skeptics when it comes to so-called diversity in media, but this book does it right. It slips it in there and doesnt make a huge deal about anything. It doesnt hold up this huge sign that shouts "HEY! Look at our african american character and our female love interest who needs no man!" it just lets the story happen and the characters do their thing so you can judge them on their own merit and personality. Besides Wade, you dont even know the identities of the other four of the High Five till near the end. It perfectly uses the anonymity of the internet to it's greatest advantage. And on a last note of diversity, the two god like beings of the book Ogden and Halliday are examples of how introversion and extroversion are required to make great things... And Halliday, creator of this entire virtual world, is even believed to be on the autism spectrum. And as I said before, at no point do you feel like you are being lectured to go outside and play or that someone is telling you that your interests are wrong. Instead it speaks as a voice of experience, showing you an outsider perspective on the lives of unhealthy nerd culture in ways like Wade eventually only ever wearing two haptic suits that he wears in rotation and shaving off all of his body hair... Or the "missing million" where the hikikomori epidemic in Japan is driven to the extreme. It gives the main character the wealth and power to do whatever they want just for the very uber nerd Wade idolized to give a gentle reminder in his last message that reality matters more than escapism in something that isnt real. Then there are the references. 80's and even some late 70's, there was so much crammed into every page that I, as a 90's child, could not hope to understand every one even with my love for older media. But that's okay. At no point did I feel lost. Instead I felt... A lot of Wade did I think. There is a reverence for the 80's. For Wade it was because the 80's came to represent his entire life, everything that his hopes, dreams, and fantasies were built on because Halliday was an 80's kid who built the OASIS and filled it with an easter egg hunt dripping in nostalgia. For me, it's similar. The 80's was the basis for everything I loved in the 90's. From the music to the fashion to gaming, and most of our greatest nerdy pop culture icons wouldnt have existed without the groundwork being laid in the late 70's and 80's. 90's kids are marked as some of the first with widespread access to computers and the internet at childhood, but what would that be without the creation of games like pacman or programming prodigies like Wozniak. It wasnt something I considered much before, but it definitely made me feel something to read a book all about the 80's. Not exactly nostalgia but kind of parallel to it. I feel like the 80's is often overshadowed by the 90's. So yeah... This book is awesome. I really enjoy the Steve Jobs/Wozniak duo of Ogden and Halliday. I think it showed off the positives of their very different characters very well. I loved to hate the Sixxers. I loved all of the High Five (I do wish we got more of the Daisho guys though. The part where Daito was actually murdered had me going "Oh shit" outloud) especially Aech whose name I really like. I did want a little bit of payback to Ir0k and I wanted to know more of what happened afterwards, but overall I'd say that by the end I was pretty happy. I did make the mistake of purchasing the movie and watching that though... It made me a mixture of sad, upset, and disappointed. You would think with Spielberg behind the wheel it would nail all of the right buttons but it... It just doesnt. Like... What was up with the bug eyed, elfish avatars? Except for Aech, most of the high five are just more idealized versions of themselves. Totally human with some of their less personally desired traits. But then like Aech... Wth... You took an average white dude with a cheshire smile and turned him into a hulking grey beast. Totally lessens the impact when discovering that he is a black woman by already having her avatar be to unrealistic. And why is Art3mis's avatar given a more athletic gymnast build? One of the body types that Wade states in the book is commonly used by most people, which is why her more curvy figure is unique and interesting. Her entire avatar is supposed to be more realistic to herself, something that captures his attention from the beginning. He can imagine it's what she looks like because she doesnt hide those features like most everyone does. The only thing she really changes is her birthmark. And do we really need to give her one of the best moments Wade has in the book just to make it seem like she has more power in the narrative? Art3mis is great because at no point does she really need Wade's help or rescue until the very end when the gate requires 3 people. She figures out the first key by herself first and is just unlucky enough to not be skilled at one particular game in a million. Even without Wade's suggestion at switching to play the other side, she would have won eventually. She was clever enough to realize that she could have two plays by waiting till midnight and was practicing in every spare moment. And even after she and Wade start seeing one another, it is Wade who is infatuated beyond reason and her who tries to keep her head in the game and feet grounded in reality. She finds and obtains the second key without any help at all. It was Art3mis who knows everything about Tempest, one of the final hurdles Wade needs to overcome, including the bug that gives you 40 extra lives when Wade starts with only one (and he eats through the extras fast). She doesnt need help to be an awesome female character. Wade has skills, I wont take that from him, but he gets by mostly on a lack of self preservation, paranoia, and luck ex machina. If it werent for him getting the second clue wrong and going to the entirely wrong planet, then wandering a different direction out and stumbling upon an arcade machine that nobody has ever found before (despite claiming that the world was picked over by every Gunter ever) and then utilizing his skills in pacman to win a mysterious quarter that just so happens to grant him an extra life after everyone else is vaporized in the final battle just outside the third gate... He never would have won. In that entire scenario his skill is utilized once. Arguably his skills only really come into play during the actual challenges for the keys and the gates. Every other moment actually focused on is mostly him stumbling around either as a paranoid mess or obsessive and depressed. Even with the first key, it's only by chance that during his Latin class he selectively hears the right words to set his brain into motion that takes him from Schoolhouse Rock to D&D to omg the key is hidden on the same planet that has every school! Granted he put in the time to compile all the experience and knowledge needed to connect those dots, but it was still luck that laid the dots out to be connected. I think I've ranted enough though. Originally this was going to most be, "Man, I loved this book!" and "Boy, I hated the movie..." but it got away from me as it usually does.

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danielanduranb · 7 years ago

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The Endangered Species of India: Look Beyond Rhinos, Tigers and Elephants

It is true that most beloved animals of India like One-Horned Rhinoceros, Bengal Tiger and Asian Elephants are under constant threat and often surface in the news. And there are many animal rescue operations and centres built for them. But let us not ignore the remaining >species that come under endangered class, especially Pangolin. With multiple poaching cases in India, deforestation issues and other man-made structures that create havoc in the wild, today there are a number of animals that sit on the borders of extinction. And if conservation is not taken seriously, even a few surviving one’s may not be there for the future generation to see. But on a positive note, India has a number of wildlife sanctuaries to visit that conserves the wild, for instance, there is a sanctuary dedicated to Asiatic Lions in Gujarat and Dolphin Sanctuary in Bihar. As you continue reading this blog, you’ll come across the list of a number of critically endangered animals that need attention before they completely disappear.

Kashmiri Red Stag and where can we find them?

The already beautiful destination of Kashmir is even more radiant when the comely Red Stags /Hangul linger around the valley. This charming species I wish to see dwells in the colder regions and, thus, can only be found in the northern parts of Kashmir and in Himachal Pradesh. Perhaps it being the state animal of Jammu and Kashmir, efforts were made by the state government to protect the animal, and it gradually increased to about 300 plus than the normal. However, it still fluctuates up and down between being critically endangered or endangered animals in India. If you wish to witness this giant antler animal that consists of 5 tines, visit Dachigam National Park, 22 kilometres from Srinagar and the Chamba Valley of Himachal Pradesh.

Source: https://goo.gl/jFWB9a

Pangolin and where can we find them?

To what started as being endangered animal to now in a critical stage, meet the world’s most hunted animal, Pangolin that will soon be completely extinct if we do not take care of it. This anteater is a famous animal for being the only burrowing mammal to be covered entirely in scales. And perhaps, it is the sole reason that attracts poachers to which they can sell and fetch up to 2 lakhs per kilogram in black markets. Pangolin is mostly found throughout the foothills of the Himalayas and in the Indian plains.

It is not only in India, but Pangolin’s are killed worldwide, check the given graph below:

Source: https://goo.gl/DgFCJp

Here is a video by Nat Geo Wild about the World’s Weirdest: Pangolin

youtube

Asiatic Lion and where can we find them?

The Asiatic Lions also cry for attention, but of course, it is less triggered to the conservationists as compared to the Bengal Tigers, One-Horned Rhinos and Asian Elephants. This subspecies of Lion is more comfortable in the semi-deciduous environment and that is why the only place in the world you are to find Asiatic Lions in India is in Gujarat’s Gir National Park and Sanctuary which is covered with dry-deciduous forest. If you plan to take a jungle safari in Gir to see the lions, make sure to notice their legs, they walk on their tiptoes, like literally (laugh). In Gujarat’s National Park alone, the lion population is 400 plus and it is gradually increasing by taking conservation measures by the state government. But one fact that makes Asiatic Lion different from their cousins, the African lions is that Asiatic Lions have longitudinal prominent belly folds.

The population of Asiatic Lions in Gir National Park

Source: https://goo.gl/rwp9VX

Lion-Tailed Macaque and where can we find them?

The rarest of all primate species in India, the Lion-Tailed Macaque is unique in its fullest form, why so, let me explain. Its silver-grey hair covering the entire head to chin almost makes it look like a lion, that densely black body and a long tail with a tufted fur end concludes the entire look, I hope the uniqueness is rightly explained. This endangered primate lives on the lush rainforest of the Western Ghats in the southwestern parts of India like Kalakkadu Hills and the Anaimalai Hills of Tamil Nadu and Sirsi-Honnavara rainforests of Karnataka. According to a study, it states that more than a thousand adult Lion-Tailed Macaques live in the forest of Kerala. And to see the arboreal beings make sure to visit the Nelliyampathy Village in Kerala and the Indira Gandhi National Park in Tamil Nadu.

A map of the Western Ghats where Lion-Tailed Macaque are mostly found

Source: https://goo.gl/igqnbS

Gangetic Dolphin and where can we find them?

Raise your hand if you wish to swim with Dolphins because I sure am, but if you wonder where can I find them, well, it’s not in the ocean but the two rivers of India, Ganges, and Brahmaputra. India is known to have freshwater Dolphins that enjoy swimming sideways at rapid speed and playing near the river confluences but sadly, they are essentially blind. These aquatic animals are also recognized as the National Aquatic Animal of India and are taking great actions to keep them safe from extinction because we only have one beautiful aquatic species. It is said that most of the river Dolphins are observed in the river of the Ganges between Manihari Ghat and Buxar. But if you are wondering the perfect location to witness this aquatic animal, visit the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary in Bihar.

Check out the common threats of Gangetic Dolphin in India:

Red Panda and where can we find them?

You’ve got it all wrong till today, the Red Pandas are not the relatives of the Giant Pandas, they have their own phylogenetic family, but why share the same name right? Seems the naturalist Thomas Hardwicke was too late to submit his paper else we’d know Red Pandas as Wha. Kinda odd isn’t, thank you Frederic Cuvier (zoologist) for giving a cuter name. Besides, all the fuss about naming the animal, the Red Panda is not far behind to top the list being the cutest animal alive. These adorable creatures have a sweet tooth for fake sugar, and it uses its furry tail as a blanket to protect from cold mountain air, aww! And like me, if you are interested to see the Red Pandas, visit the wildlife zoos in the Himalayan destinations of Darjeeling, Sikkim and the Northeast states of Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh.

Sangai and where can we find them?

I guess calling Sangai as a Dancing Deer which also happens to be its other name makes the appearance look more justified, what do you think? Its tall elegant posture and distinctive antlers make it to be one of the rarest species found only in the Northeast destination of India. And it is also the state animal of Manipur that perfectly compliments the states enthrall beauty. This animal prefers staying in the marshy land atop floating phumdis in the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Manipur at the Loktak Lake in Keibul Lamjao National Park. You can find Sangai by taking a morning boat ride along the labyrinthine lake routes and experience both the exquisiteness of the destination and the endangered state animal.

The Nilgiri Tahr and where can we find them?

An endangered species with a stylish backward curving horn is the Nilgiri Tahr also known as an Ibex. This state animal of Tamil Nadu prefers living under montane forest that is found in the southern parts of the Western Ghats in India. Being mountain goats, they are expert in climbing the rocky cliffs and are often seen roaming around the verdant woodlands of Munnar. But in particular, the most preferred place to see this species is at the Eravikulam National Park in the Nilgiri Hills of Kerala and Periyar National Park located in Kerala as well.

Dhole and where can we find them?

Indian wild dog, Dhole are often seen in large groups and are known for their pack hunting skills. These mammal species are carnivores and often target smaller species of wild boars, birds, lizards, frogs, deer, goats and wild cattle. Dhole is also known as whistling dogs because they make high pitched yelps and loud cries. You can catch a glimpse of these species in the northwestern and central wildlife destinations like Kanha National Park, Corbett National Park and Chitwan National Park.

Mishmi Takin and where can we find them?

With horns like from the Disney animated movie, ‘The beauty and the Beast’ this subspecies of Takin, Mishmi Takin is a goat-antelope often targeted by the poachers for its skin. Mishmi Takin is well adapted to live under the bitter cold weather and, thus, can only be found on the high mountain destinations of India. Like any goats, Mishmi Takin too has a split hoof that helps the animal climb steep rocky hills. You can catch a glimpse of this unique endangered animal in the Northeast destination of Arunachal Pradesh in Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary.

When does the Conservation of Animals take place and how can we prevent the animals from being endangered to critical?

There is often a cry for safeguarding the endangered animals not just in India but worldwide, although many efforts are being laid-down to conserve the wildlife and its habitat, how far can one go. The responsibility to protect the animals does not only depend on the forest officials, the governments or the NGOs for that matter, it also starts with you and me. As an individual, we cannot make a huge difference but by organizing events to bring awareness or marching for the voiceless may be of some help. The question, when does the conservation of animals take place is when we stand against unhindered poaching, man-made problems that create havoc in the wild and most importantly deforestation. And perhaps through actions taken against these factors, we will help reduce the barbaric acts against innocent wildlife in India and the world.

Animals in India that are protected yet exposed to danger

Source: https://goo.gl/nMeGqs

After much research, there are 10 animal species in India that are endangered with just one on the verge of complete extinction. But then again, I have come across many that are slowly leading towards being endangered and before a new animal species come under that infamous category, let us help prevent killing and poaching of animals. You can visit the popular national parks in India or a rescue centres and volunteer for a day or simply adore the animals. Truth be told, from all hazardous things that are happening like poaching and killing, we never know for how long these animals would exist with us.

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windycityparrot · 7 years ago

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The Ultimate Guide To How are African Grey Parrots to Keep as Pets

The question “How are African Grey Parrots to keep as pets?” came from Quora “Come on, fess up! You’ve done the unthinkable. You've actually thought of getting an African Grey but the horror stories of screaming, biting and plucking keep you "centered" or "sane". What if you had a mentor? That's why you have me! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQvsjgrJoak I love Quora. I love to argue. I love setting the record straight. The single most important lesson I learned in outside commission sales over 20 years was, God gives you one mouth and two ears that should be used in the same proportion. Regarding that first answer on Quora, Don't you find it unnerving to hear some one dictate the actions you should take based upon a question asked of you, without knowing your life’s skill set? Him: “Do you have an avian vet? No” Me: I didn't have an avian vet - until - I knew I was certain to be getting a bird. Board certified Avian vets are hard to find. According to the American Veterinary Medical Foundation there were only 114 in the US in 2016. Which begs the question do you really need a board-certified avian veterinarian? To be a board-certified avian veterinarian you must know about almost every species of bird on the planet which is about 10,000. You need to know about chickens, seagulls, raptors and so forth. A veterinarian that specializes in exotics can be very well equipped to care for a mere several hundred species of hook bills, wax bills, horn bills and soft bills. Our veterinarian Dr Byron DeLa Navarre Is not a board-certified avian veterinarian but he does travel around the globe teaching other veterinarians the latest exotic trends and surgical techniques on species like geckos and snakes. He's a pretty bright guy and I trust him explicitly with our birds.

Editors note. You would think human doctors have it easy dealing with only one species and not having to guess about their sex. At Windy City parrot we are very sensitive to knowing your bird's species. Telling me you have an African Grey is only half the information I require. Congo Grey Parrots vary in weight between 400-650 grams depending on the diet of individual birds. Timneh Greys vary in weight between 275-400 grams. Thus some Congo Greys can be almost twice the size of some some Timneh greys. Timneh African Grey parrots have deeper shades of dark charcoal feathers – gray color on their wings and back while sporting maroon tails. Congo Greys have a red tail and possibly even more red throughout its feather system. The red factor (video above) stretches things a bit don't you think? When I interact with "Grey" companions they are more often than not caught off guard when I ask them "what kind of African Grey"? They usually have to stop and think about the fact that there is more than one species of grey parrots. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thGFpnt6LBo To put things in a more granular perspective, an Alexandrine parakeet can weigh almost as much as a Timneh African Grey. The patagonus sub species of Pategonian conure weighs 315-390g making it almost the size of a small Congo Grey. Yes that’s right, a conure the size of a grey. Once we know the sub species of your grey parrot we can more accurately talk about nutrition, bird toys, cage accessories and bird cages. Depending upon the size of said grey parrot, you have two stories to tell about the maintenance of these two distinct grey subspecies. Let's start out by talking about Timneh Greys. In that birds are flock animals, they enjoy a social setting. We advocate putting a new bird regardless of history, in the most active area of the home so that they can enjoy human interactions and participate with their human flock as much as possible (this holds true for any new bird). Even if the bird came from an abusive home or poor environment (basement/garage) let him or her see that interactions with other flock mates is a positive experience and nothing to be afraid of. Contrary to popular belief I feel that it is wrong to let a bird quietly settle into his surroundings. Isolation will only make the bird more skeptical and skittish. I shot the video below after getting peaches our Senegal. I put her on multiple stands and in a few birdcages including a travel cage and took her to work. It keeps a bird off balance but keeps her interest up while looking to you for stability. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfHID6m4Aqw Fast forward nine months later and Peaches has settled in quite nicely both at home, weekend home and work in a small part to the constant interaction between the two of us and others in the household as well as customers who come into our bird supply store. Cages can be purchased new, or used on Craigslist for pennies on the dollar) and you can buy lots of expensive toys or make your own. We give you some ideas here in with a couple of videos below. As far as FaceTime I think as long as you're in the room with the bird and the bird knows you're there, you're golden. I don't know a bird or human who really wants six hours of FaceTime with someone else. Personally, and please take no offense to this (my readers) but at some point during the evening I need to shut down and not talk to any of you. The noise of the several hundred thousand people we interact with on social media and email and on the website can be deafening throughout the day. So I like to binge watch Netflix and Amazon or read from my Kindle Fire. Getting back to the point, I used my good friend Kim for a brilliant example of a new Timneh African Grey pet bird keeper. I spoke about her in another recent post about the pros and cons of having a pet bird.

It is said that having a pet bird is the equivalent of having a two or three-year-old autistic child in a feather suit who speaks another language which could be quite trying. Kim has been running a daycare for 25 years dealing with two and three-year-olds en masse. Her words to me were “who better to care for an African Grey parrot”? I recently wrote Kim with a quote from Mark Twain that really explains her: “She was not quite what you would call refined. She was not quite what you would call unrefined She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot.” Yes, digression is my middle name :-) Point is wouldn't a mother who spent 5 or 10 or 20 years raising children be an ideal candidate for keeping a parrot? Or did I miss the memo that children are no longer noisy, messy and require socialization? The world is about supply and demand. Worry less about the origin of the bird and more about the care of the bird. Think about how you tortured your mother for all those years. A bird just might be a cake walk for anyone with parenting skills to draw from. We strongly encourage adoption. We work with local rescues here in the Chicago area. Unfortunately there is not always a bird rescue near you with a particular species of bird that you are seeking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG-4fxBeF9g sorry about the dubbing but this was the best vid (so far) illustrating the differences between the two African grey sub species There's also the universe is too complicated to be arbitrary method of bird acquisition: We pulled Popcorn from a bush after a call from a woman two blocks away from the Birdie Boutique. Bacon was found in a tree across from the shop. When we decided to get our next big bird, I casually mentioned a Senegal would be really cool. Three weeks later one showed up at my door delivered by a rescue volunteer (who has known us for many years). Peaches is 111 g, the term big bird is relative. "hmmmmm" As one reader pointed out, "it's not the fault of breeders which everyone likes to blast". If there wasn't a demand then there wouldn't be any breeders. Saying breeders should be banned is like saying porn is disgusting, evil and should be censored - and everyone agrees, yet Pornhub is the 38th most visited website on the Internet. Visited more than Wordpress.com (41st), MSN.com (42nd) and Microsoft.com (48th). Once you've made the decision to acquire a bird be it an African Grey or any parrot for that matter it's time to seek out an avian veterinarian. You want to interview him or her getting insights on their current avian patient base. Their views on the use of Lupron to treat bird hormonal issues? How they feel about light affecting circadian rhythms? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cTdSGVMZ4I Veterinarians are also a good source for "sourcing" your future pet bird (or cat or dog or gerbil). They know where the good and bad birds come from. They have insights into people looking to re-home animals. Editors note: There is only ONE species of dog. Don't look at your (potential) veterinarian as simply a source of veterinary advice and care. If they can't help you holistically with regards to nutrition, housing, foraging and enrichment, perhaps they are not suited to be your bird’s veterinarian. Veterinarians can also be a great source for finding your next pet. They know the patients and the breeders. If you're looking for a bird and you can't find it at a rescue, or don't have a bird rescue reasonably close, start your pet bird (or any pet) search with local veterinarians. Editors note: If you live in a rural area with no access to a veterinarian competent in avian species, a bird may not be your best choice of pet. There's always the problems of medical emergencies, questions of day-to-day nutrition and housing. You are going to need a go to veterinary authority especially with animals that live for decades.. We can help you out with just about all of your birds environmental needs inside and outside the bird cage. We can't and won't answer veterinary related questions because we're not qualified. Think about it in terms of having a team - veterinary - environmental - day-to-day caregiving as necessary to maintain the equilibrium of an animal that's been evolving for 99 million years - literally. Circling back to the original question, we never really touched on Congo African Greys. Our simple advice is bigger bird bigger brain. Congos are going to be somewhat more demanding, louder and a bit more complex than Timneh African Greys. Bird toys need to be bigger for Congo's Greys over Timneh Greys. The size of the food has to be offered accordingly. Cage size might be based upon the bird’s wingspan and/or lifestyle. Other than that we’re back to having a three-year-old autistic child in a feather suit that's entire lot in life is to make a mess. Birds were put on the earth to spread seeds across the land. Unfortunately they don't understand the difference between the waterholes on the Serengeti Plains of Africa, the ground under the rain forest canopy and your new Pergo floor. They don't know the difference between a $200 play stand and a $5000 armoire, both offer wood to chew. It's all something to be tongue tested and tasted. It's up to you the captive bird keeper to guide the bird towards right decisions. Place in front of them the right things to eat, chew and land upon (should you choose to keep them flighted), much like teaching a child who doesn’t know what hot is until they burn themselves. Thus keeping a Timneh or Congo African Grey, an Eclectus parrot, an Indian Ringneck, a Caique or a Sun Conure will always have its nuances but will have a similarity of experience that one must be prepared for in order to keep any kind of parrot is a pet. Something to ponder: It takes African Greys longer to mature than many other species. Young African Grays may be part of the family group for many years before entering the flock as a flock member seeking a mate. And this is where it gets really interesting: This would explain the African Grey parrot re-bonding with another human in the household out of the blue. Remember - there's 99 million years of DNA at work here, literally. So maybe, just maybe, African Greys are not being irrational but are moving away from whoever brought them up first (mom/dad) in their search for a mate to grow old with. In the bird's mind, instinctually this helps prevent inbreeding and keeps the gene pool strong and deep. In other words, the initial caregiver human is seen as a parent while the next human to bond with, is a flock mate. written by mitch rezman approve by catherine tobsing your zygodactyl footnote https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnnOx178Z64 Click to Post

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