Herk seems to be a great bird. Loves to talk and babble. So far, I've heard him say wwwhhhooooooaaaa, okay, hi, hello, what's up, ooohhhhh. he also does a lot of mumbling that i cannot identify. he LOVES broccoli. so far, i have given it to him uncooked. he enjoys starting from the stem and work his way up to the top. Herk also loves corn, banana and apple juice.

Herk doesn't seem to be phased by the damaged eye. when he feels he needs a better view of you, he turns his head upside-down and stares at you. i wonder if this gives him a better spatial view of what he is viewing.

he is very curious and likes to explore. it didn't take him long to decide he wants to travel down his cage, on to the ground and take a look around. he has shown no interest in hunting down toes. he usually just walks right past me (toes showing) and goes either over to Ellis' cage (his roommate and friend) or somewhere else. Herk has shown more interest in my husband (i will put up the movie that shows it) but so far, he doesn't really want to have any physical contact from either of us.

Herk has stepped up onto my husband's arm that was padded with a sweatshirt sleeve, but lunged out when my husband asked him to step up on to his hand. a week has barely passed, so it could definitely be a matter of trust and time. we have not pressed anything on them - everything has happened at their own pace.

as with his roommate and buddy, Herk eats parrot mix - which is seed, nuts and dried fruit. i have been mixing in some zupreem fruit blend pellets in with this parrot mix and i've seen Herk nibbling on them. this is a good sign. maybe in a couple months, we can wean him onto pellets and use the nuts for treats and training.

below are some pictures we took of herk. i gave him a bath today and it seemed that he actually started to like it. under the water, he puffed up, opened his wings a few times and rolled his head on his back.