Circus Staff aka “Bird Sitters”

One thing I really love about touring with the Ringling Bros Circus is their staff! Their staff is a bunch of awesome people who are bird lovers (even if some of them are obsessive compulsive!) they have great attitudes and love to “bird sit” for us.

As we were figuring out which birds to implement at different places in the show, some hadn’t been implemented yet and we like to have birds on rotation so that if they don’t feel like performing a few nights another bird can take its place. It keeps it fun and interesting for all the birds that way, and keeps the show looking good too by featuring as many as possible.

Because our staff is so great and kept asking us if they could hang out with the birds every once in a while, we started bringing birds that we weren’t using in the show yet to their trailer to hang out with them. It was a great thing for the birds because it socializes them and gives them interaction all day long between at LEAST three people working there plus all the people coming in and out during the day. It really beats sitting in their cage with a few toys and no people around (at the time their aviary wasn’t set up so this was the ultimate) and even so, tons of our birds LOVE interaction with people and it’s so good for them with this show setting.

It’s fun to walk in and find one of our birds on their shoulders or perched on top of their computer screens as they work away. I’ve even walked in one some of them working “one handed” while the other hand is petting the bird… hahaha… I guess it doesn’t make the most efficient use of their time but it sure does for the birds!

During rehearsals this month the birds get to get that kind of attention and interaction all day long from 8am to 9pm. We bring as many different birds in as possible so the staff can meet everyone but they are already getting names confused (who can blame them?!)

I’m just glad to have a few willing bird sitters traveling around with us, and the birds are too!