28 Sep 64 Why Your Bird is Attacking You
News flash, if your bird is attacking you, it probably doesn't mean that they hate you. What it does mean is that we have a lot in our relationship to unpack, from environmental conditions to expectations....
Blog
20 Sep The Power Of Language And Communication In Bird Training
One of the clunkier and less popular sides of animal behavior science is that it feels less palatable, less attainable to all because of the dense scientific language that we use. When I frame a behavioral interaction as a “negative reinforcement contingency”, I lose a...
13 Sep The Value of Feedback Loops
As a bird trainer and caregiver, you are likely aware that the behavior-response feedback loop is one of the most critical components to maintain communication with the bird in your care. It's one thing to pay attention to a bird's body language, it is a...
04 Sep 63 Owl Vocalizations and Behavior with Karla Bloem of the International Owl Center
Karla Bloem, Executive Director of the International Owl Center in Houston, Minnesota, and Hillary have a fascinating conversation about owl vocalizations and Karla's journey with Great Horned Owl behavior....
30 Aug Building Effective Training Programs for Facilities and Non-Profits: From Purpose to Progress
The challenges faced by facility owners and non-profit leaders can be as diverse and intricate as the avian world itself. Advancing toward more sophisticated training behaviors, motivating teams, ensuring consistent record-keeping, and fostering a supportive environment despite varying levels of avian familiarity—these are hurdles that...
04 Aug 62 Part 2 Are we friends with our birds and other deep questions
Hillary answers more questions from a workshop regarding how to prepare a bird for a program, are we friends with our birds, how to know when you are doing more harm than good and much more. We get philosophical on this one! ...
25 Jul 61 Answering Questions About Relationships with Birds of Prey
Hillary answers questions from a workshop regarding do's and don'ts on building relationships with birds of prey, what to do about a kestrel that attacks the bait bag, weight managing owls, and more....
24 Jun 60 World Renown Aviculturist Dick Schroeder on Ground Hornbills
We sit down with good friend and well known aviculturist Dick Schroeder to talk about what we can learn about working with the Southern ground hornbill in a variety of different ways. We kick off our hornbill fundraising campaign for our conservation training in South...
29 May 59 Raising a Well-Socialized Ambassador Owl
Our two favorite subjects, owls and raising ambassadors. Owls are considered flagship species, which means that while they may not necessarily be directly endangered, they are species chosen to raise support for biodiversity conservation in a given place or social context. This means that due...
03 May Why Aren’t There Barn Owls in My Nestbox?
If you are trying to encourage wild barn owls to nest in the barn owl nest box you installed on your property, here are some factors to look at....