Victor the Budgie...

[Miro The Macaw]

Ran across an incredible site, http://www.parrotresearch.com/ , with tons of streaming audio and video of Victor, the talking budgie... Apparently, victor not only talked, but did so in context- and the videos seem to support that... I almost didn't beleive it at first myself...

It helps to have a broadband connection- The files are BIG...

-Andrew

[ParrotletLover]

Personally, I don't believe those recordings. It sounds very much like there is a radio in the background and just very weird translations... in my opinion.

[basketbagley]

I actually belong to that group. They have been doing incredible research. They even have a Princess parrot that talks in context to. Victor was incredible, and funny. and it hard to believe if you haven't seen the videos. but why would they make it up?

I think the group has 30+ budgies and a few other types of parrots including a cockatiel that speaks in context. They guy who runs it is named Ryan and he lives in Canada.

Everyone should check it out!

[ParrotletLover]

Tracy, one forum I'm a member of had extensive talks about this group. We have listened to these clips, too.

Budgies have great talking ability, but I would have to draw the line at tsunami prediction. No doubt animals have great sensing abilities, but could one bird really, truly comprehend and use the appropriates words to tell everyone?

It sounds fishy to me, and the video and audio clips are very hard to recognize and understand. It could be true, but in my opinion, I feel it is not.

[Monica]

From my understanding, Victor is dead.... And the rest of the group that started from him is something like 4 budgies, however there are people who DO send in some clips of their own budgies talking. Some of it may actually be far fetched, however I do remember having one video from the group (from one of the bazillion sites they have) that I could clearly hear "We don't want to" when four budgies were sitting on the back of a chair and Ryan was telling them to do something...

[Miro The Macaw]

Originally Posted by ParrotletLover

Personally, I don't believe those recordings. It sounds very much like there is a radio in the background and just very weird translations... in my opinion.

I didnt beleive them FIRST either, but they have been documented to be authentic- Meaning that the bird DID say everything. Now, that brings up the question of wether the bird was speaking in context, or if it was just mumbling words that it had picked up, and that is tougher, if not impossible, to answer.

It SEEMS that the bird does speak in context, many of the phrases are used at too perfect a time to be anything else, but it could also be argued that as only the best of the best are on the site, that the recordings were selected because they happened to be the only ones that DID make sense out of hours of babble.

Whichever it is- It is entertaining and thought provoking none the less. Victor CLEARLY knows (knew) a LOT of words- Even if he is just memorizing sounds, he had a huge capacity to learn. And if he is using them in context, well, then- Makes me wonder what MY parrot is doing when he is sitting there 'thinking'. There could be WAY more going on in there than we think!

-Andrew

[Adi]

I have no doubts that budgies might have extensive talking abilities and I have no doubt that the people running and participating in the Budgie Research Group have nothing but good intentions and an interest in furthering the research.

With that much said, predictions and prophecies are where I too, draw the line. I was at first quite intrigued by the research and did a bit of research of my own. When I came up with the following web site, also related to the BRG, the research just lost all credibility in my eyes.

http://www.budgiebible.homestead.com/

Obviously, some people still have faith and interest in this kinda stuff. Personally... it's a little too far fetched for me.

[paultheparrotlover]

Originally Posted by Miro The Macaw

Ran across an incredible site, http://www.parrotresearch.com/ , with tons of streaming audio and video of Victor, the talking budgie... Apparently, victor not only talked, but did so in context- and the videos seem to support that... I almost didn't beleive it at first myself...

It helps to have a broadband connection- The files are BIG...

-Andrew

And they also predict the future!

[basketbagley]

Well, I read and listen to the recordings with headphones on. I have heard the recordings saying all that stuff. Now I'm not saying that birds can predict the future or tell us when natural disasters are coming for sure, I'm also not saying they can't. My jury is still out on that one. I do however believe that all animals have a natural sense or ability to know when danger is coming - like earthquakes and tsunami's and such, so they can get out of harms way. that is a documented, scientific fact. so it's not such a far stretch that they could have some type of ability to predict some future things.

Take for instance, dogs and cats have both been video taped while the owner was away. and they had the owners come back home at different times then they normally would. it never failed that, that dog/cat would go to the door and be waiting for that owner. (not that all of them do that, but alot of them do) isn't that sorta predicting the future?

I have some friends, some on the site, some not, that have birds that have predicted when the phone is going to ring or when a certain person would be coming to visit. and once even who was one the phone when it rang! oh, and there is one budgie that can tell the time sorta, he always knows when the chime will go off on the hour.

Anyway - there are alot of other bird owners here that have birds that talk in context (Regina's saying he was going to go get himself some ice cream!) as far as all the other stuff, I have no reason to believe they would just make things up, there'd really be no point in that and would certainly waste alot of time trying to. I really dont' read much of the "Budgie Bible" as they call it, I just mainly focus on the context speaking part.

I haven't recorded mine yet. so for now I'm just listening in. and Yes, Victor passed away, he told Ryan he had cancer but it was no use to take him to the vets that it was too late. amazingly enough he did predict his own death.

There are now 30+ context speaking birds, but not all of them are clear enough to put on the site, they do only put the ones that people can make out. cause you can't really hear them well with the naked ear.

I enjoy the site and the recordings, even if most think it's far fetched.