A galah named Morgy changed bird trainer Mel Vincent's life forever
It was a galah named Morgy that would inspire Mel Vincent's love for birds and change the trajectory of her life.
After getting lost during a windstorm, Morgy showed up unannounced on Vincent's doorstep and refused to budge.?
"She just planted herself in front of my car and she just refused to get out of the way," Vincent tells 9honey.
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Unable to move her car, Vincent parked on the street, walked to her house and opened the door. Morgy swept right past her and made herself at home.
"She ran ahead of me and it was like she just moved in," Vincent explains.?
"She was like 'I live here now' and bit anyone that tried to remove her."
Eventually Vincent accepted her fate and her stubborn new housemate
"I had a cage out the back, so I just put her in that while I was looking for her owner and she just settled in, like, 'Finally you're getting it, where's my food?'," Vincent laughs.?
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Having already had pet training experience, Vincent built a strong bond with Morgy and realised she had a natural gift for training birds.?
"I had a skateboarding dog at that stage, so I was great with dog training but I suddenly realised I had a real ability to transform training into changing these birds' lives," she explains.
From that moment on, Vincent didn't look back จC turning her newfound passion for birds into a career.?
Today, Vincent is an avian behaviourist and one of the most experienced bird trainers in Australia.
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She is committed to helping owners train their birds and assisting with behavioural issues.?
She is also known for training birds to do some curious tricks, from walking on a leash to playing the drums or even a game of soccer จC yes, you read that correctly.
"Your imagination is what limits it. You can teach a bird to do anything," Vincent says.
"And that's one of the things I love about birds is they're always up for a good game, if you make it fun, they'll do anything."
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At Vincent's bird training clinic, she teaches birds and their owners to walk on a leash- just like you would a dog or a cat.?
"[It's] very similar to a dog and cat harness, except part of the lead is elastic so if they do fly you can guide the flight down to land safely or circle back to you," Vincent says.
"The last graduating class I had we were out playing on play equipment at the local park ... so, you can imagine birds sliding down slides with their owners."
With strict rules in Australia around pet ownership, pet birds are not allowed to fly free, leaving them restricted to aviaries and houses.
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Harness training allows pet birds to get decent exposure to sunlight and forage in native trees, which Vincent says is extremely beneficial for them.?
Harness training aside, Vincent has trained parrots to play soccer and musical chickens to dance and play "everything from drums to tamborines to xylophones."
"I had one [chicken] that could play Mary Had A Little Lamb on the xylophone," she tells 9honey.
According to Vincent, birds treat training like play and when done right, it is a great way for an owner to bond with their bird.?
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"The best thing about training is you're teaching your bird how to communicate with you and you are building that bond," she says.?
"I would actually argue that bird owners are actually closer to their pets than dog or cat owners.
"There's just this incredible bond that they form with their humans."
This could not be more accurate for Vincent, who has formed her life around her love for birds.
Residing in Melbourne, she has turned her home into an aviary and dedicates her spare time to her pet birds.?
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She's currently training one of her ducks to go kayaking with her.?
"That's what I do in my spare time," she laughs.
Passionate about sharing her love for birds with the world, Vincent will be attending the Melbourne Pet Show this weekend.
She will have her kayaking duck in tow, along with some other members of her flock, to meet guests and talk about all things bird training and welfare.?
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