Frank spent quite a bit of time on the Evil perch this morning. He faced the Finsterium and looked around, he preened a bit, he sang the first part of his Hunka Hunka Burning Love song, and he sat on one foot — all signs that he feels comfortable there. This means those long toenails have a good chance at getting trimmed. Click here for a bigger version of Frank on the Evil perch. I guess I can go back to calling these concrete perches. No Evil things here!

It is well into winter here in Michigan, so after letting it air out for a couple of days, I finally wrapped the back and sides of the Finsterium in clear plastic. This stuff is sold by the yard at fabric stores, I think for turning into tablecloths. Apart from the plastic smell, it works very well to keep drafts out of the cage. You'll be glad to know that I won't be able to take mediocre photographs of the Finsters until the Spring.

The Finsters don't seem to notice the plastic once it's up, but the process of wrapping the Finsterium means moving it, and walking around it, so the birds usually get upset, and fly around a lot. Decaffeinated seemed particularly upset, and hung from the side of the cage a couple of times by one foot. I couldn't tell if she was getting stuck, or if she wanted to hang that way, but after the second time I decided to try to catch her. Since I could catch her, she probably was getting stuck. She seemed okay, just a little spooked, but to be sure, I popped her into the hospital cage. This will give her a rest from the Big House, me a chance to watch her carefully, and Darjeeling a companion. I won't catch either of them for doses of calcium, the hospital cage is so small they would get very upset (especially if I caught the wrong one), but I'll put calcium in the water.