Designed for the pet parrot owner, or prospective pet parrot owner, who would like a more rewarding and fulfilling relationship with their bird. This two-day Workshop will give the attendees the basic methods and tools required to teach their birds using positive reinforcement. Topics covered in this workshop include:

+ Understanding bird behaviour + The basics of training + Reading & interpreting a birds body language + Training basic behaviours

+ Problem behaviours and solutions + Training advanced behaviours + Enrichment principles + Enrichment design and implementation

The course will consist of lectures, practical sessions, interactive activities, written materials and live presentations. The workshops aim to be both a fun and educational experience.

The two-day workshops are charged at £200 for World Parrot Trust members, or £220 for non-members. This included admission to Paradise Park for both days at the weekend, all course materials, morning and afternoon tea/coffee breaks, and a lunch cooked to order from Paradise Parks restaurant.

Please note that attendees may not bring their own birds to the workshop for welfare reasons, although videos/dvds of problem behaviours will be welcomed.

We aim to run two courses a year, the dates of which, along with information on booking and local accomodation, can be found in the Upcoming Courses section, here.

Bespoke training days can be arranged to include topics from the two day workshops and the following additional topics:

+ The catching, handling and restraint of birds
+ Enclosure design
+ Administering medicines and treatments

Why not host a Training Workshop in your locality? Workshops can be hosted by Zoos, Wildlife Parks, Bird Clubs, Animal Welfare Organisations etc.

We will bring the workshop to you. No birds of course, unless the host facility has birds available. Workshop format can be tailored to your requirements covering one or two days, with a typical one day session lasting between six and eight hours. This can be a good fund raising event for the host facility!

If you would like any further information, or to book a training day, then please use the Contact link on the left hand menu.

Consultancy is available in the following areas:

+ In house help and advice with “problem” birds
+ Enclosure design and enrichment
+ Show development and presentation

“This is just a quick note to thank you very much for your invaluable advice given over the phone yesterday. I'm delighted to say that following your advice I'm seeing very small improvements in the situation already.”		“Arrived at Paradise Park in Hayle just before the bird show started. I was most impressed. One of the best shows of this type I have seen and it was very obviously enjoyed and appreciated by the visitors. I particularly liked the use of a pair of free flying Cornish Choughs in the show. Delightful birds. It is displays like this which will capture the attention and imagination of the public to their plight.”
A.W. - Wiltshire		Zoo News Digest - 9th - 15th July 2005

 

“Dear David, you may remember that I called you three months ago regarding a problem I had gaining the trust of my newly acquired three month old blue fronted amazon? I'm happy to be able to tell you that after following your advice I now have an extremely tame (and somewhat clingy) bird, and I can't thank you enough for your help. You were absolutely right; gaining the trust of a flighted bird was hard work and did take a lot of time, but the rewards are enormous. The added bonus is that since the day I took your advice I have not been bitten once.”

A.W. - Wiltshire

If you would like any further information, or to consult with us about your own problem, then please use the Contact Us link on the left hand menu.

We have been involved in numerous filming sessions with birds and animals. All the birds are fully winged and all are trained using positive reinforcement.

Although many of our animals travel extremely well, we will not hesitate to turn down an offer if we feel that the animal or bird's welfare would be compromised. We always prefer to accommodate film crews on our site which makes the birds much more relaxed and gives the film crews unsurpassed filming opportunities.

Thomas the Timneh Grey, appearing with Nick Baker and The Nolans on The Paul O'Grady Show in September 2009.

Pictures taking during the filming of the Christmas special of Doc Martin:

 

Michaela Strachan's Challenge was to help a Cockatoo raise funds for conservation of birds in the wild. - Challenge completed!

 

Steve Leonard was assisted by Cedric the Citron Crested Cockatoo during the filming for the Journey Of Life series for BBC television. Cedric features in the 'Airborne' episode when Steve explains the evolution of feathers.
	Watch excerpt from the program featuring Cedric

 

“Hi David. Thank you so much to you, Kirsty and Louise for all of your help and of course a big thank you to the real stars, the birds!! I am really pleased with all that we managed to achieve in a day. We all felt very privileged to have been able to get so close to some truly awesome birds who are all clearly so well looked after. Thanks again David for a really memorable shoot.”

- Tilly Scott-Wilson, Assistant Producer, John Downer Productions. (Animal Games 2004)