Irish, i hope you dont mind me saying, but you sure do have a farm going on at your house!
sounds like a place i'd like to strive for. i love animals. interesting that you say that you are more afraid of your sun conure than a macaw. it does depend on bird-speediness. my gcc, like your sun, strikes quickly. and not only does it bite - it bites and TWISTS. darn lil thing! with Pico, he does move much slower, which allows me to move out of the way before he actually bites, but when he does get his beak on me, ive found that he usually just bites down hard and lets go. no twisting, which would make things a LOT worse.
homebird, i do find my journal quite helpful. i review what ive written sometimes to see if Pico and I are actually doing some progress and to see where i can help make training a better experience. yes, you are right. i think i need to change the training location. i have used the corn during my training to help with praising him, which helped. you may read my blog any time. i am also always open to comments and suggestions!
about hormonal swings, its too early to tell. he does act more strongly some times, mostly just with me and not with my husband. i will have to keep tabs on his personality as time progresses.