conure behavior

Question
I have a brown throated conure, Scooby. He's (not sexed-just my personal choice) about a year and a half. When I first got him I was living with my boyfriend. He had more interaction with humans. But I moved to a smaller apartment, and don't have much social activity. Plus, I'm gone some of most days for school.
...I think he's getting a bit bored. He wants my attention at all times. He can hear me everywhere in the apartment. If he's out and I leave the living room he starts squawking. I feel bad. At the same time, it's a bit ridiculous. I cough in the bedroom and it sets him off.
What could I provide him with that might give him more entertainment while I'm gone (or home but occupied). He's not aggressive or mean, just demanding. How authoritative can I get with him when he starts acting obnoxious? I speak to him firmly and/or ignore him. That doesn't seem very productive.
Thanks for any advice.

Answer
hi. thanks for your question. it sounds like scooby is just exhibiting the normal conure behavior i like to call "If your here, then why am I still in my cage".  as you know, parrots are social creatures. parrots are not solo in the wild and as such, they are not accustomed to being solo in captivity. you, as scooby's owner, are his "flock" mate, and he expects that the two of you will spend time together when you are in the vicinity, as you already have experienced.
first of all, are you spending an adequate amount of time with him when you can? not just interacting but actual out-of-cage playtime? birds need as much human interaction that is practically possible. while it is difficult (and not practical) to spend every waking moment with him, there are easier ways to incorporate your playtime into your daily activities. i take my parrot out and let him "chill" on my shoulder or lap while i check e-mail, surf the web, pay bills, read mail, or do whatever activity that is practical with him with me.  this cut down on his squawking alot and i was able to "multitask" by combining quality parrot time with my daily activities.
if you feel that you are spending an adequate amount of time with him, you can always cover him when his squawking gets too irritating. i do not encourage using this as a permanent fix but if you have been spending alot of time with him, he may just be squawking for additional attention as conures often do. you can cover him briefly while he is squawking and then uncover him after about 15 mins. then re-cover if he squawks again. he may get the "idea" after that. never cover him while quiet though as this may confuse him. also, i would discourage yelling, hitting, or otherwise getting aggressive with him (not that you would but i know how angry my bird makes me). not only can it frighten the bird but as you can tell, it doesn't "work" in curbing any loud behavior. birds instincts are to vocalize and sometimes i wonder if raising my voice only encourages him to raise his!
if you want to provide more entertainment for him...i would do a quick "toy" assessment and see if he has plenty of toys to entertain himself. conures LOVE to chew so make sure you have plenty of different types of toys/chews for him. my bird loves Kladders (you can find them anywhere) and rag doll type toys. he also starts chewing up his wood perches when he gets bored to my dismay but oh well.
when you are gone during the day, you may want to consider leaving on a radio or the television. i do this for both of my birds while i am gone.  sometimes i put on one of the music channels thats on cable. if your are able and its not too drafty, you could place him where he can see out a window.
good luck and i hope this helps. solitary birds can be hard to manage but it is do-able. good luck and let me know how it goes.  alicia