Huge squawking problem driving us nuts

If you read through this thread, you've already seen much of what I will tell you. 

You don't say how long you have had him or her. For convenience I'll refer to "her". If she is very young, keep in mind she recently left a situation where she most likely had lots of company, all the time. That's how parrots like it. They are very social and in nature are rarely alone. They are also noisy by nature, and you will never extinguish that entirely. 

What you do not want to do is teach her that screaming is how to get your attention. It's not easy, but you should do your best to ignore it while it is happening. Even covering the cage should be avoided, unless the choice is between that and screaming back, or reacting in some other dramatic way. It sounds like you know when it's going to happen before it happens, so do what you can to stop it before it starts. If you can safely put a playstand or perch where she can still see you when you're in the kitchen, she'll feel more secure. 

Another thing you can do that works in combination with ignoring screaming is to reward her when she's being quiet. Parrots respond really well to positive reinforcement and she will learn that rewards come from certain behaviors. It doesn't have to be food. Just attention may work with her. You have to be consistent. And very, very patient. 

Somehow I missed seeing LauraC's 2014 post altogether. I wonder what happened with her 12-yo quaker, Max...Truffles, Easttex has given great advice here. In our case, Bonnie still goes through squawking phases regularly, despite everything we do/don't do - she's now about 2 years 8 months old. I feel that one owner (AKA slave ) would find it easier because there would be absolute consistency for the bird. For example, I'm able to tune out the squawking and not respond to it - usually 20-30 minutes - whereas my hubby can only ignore it for 2 minutes, then reacts by yelling//looking/saying something to her before storming off. What I'm trying to say is that one person could be unintentionally reinforcing the behaviour. If that's the case the bird is getting mixed messages and will probably continue the noise because there's not sufficient 'payoff' for being quiet.

I also adopted/rescued a 10 year old quakerfemale named koko that was about 3 years ago. She was sold cheap, cage and all to a local business. Joining 3 other larger parrots, you had to pass her cage to access the other birds. Koko would reach through the cage to grab your shirt, pull you close and bite you. I realized she was angry cause her family got rid of her, (cause I think she scared them.) I decided to bribe her with a dab of peanut butter on my finger. For 3 1/2 months I got bit, until one day she got a taste and we started a relationship.
6 months later I brought her home. I was able to spend a lot of time with her at the beginning, then work got busier and koko got an attitude. She complained most of the time and was trying to bite me. Until I read that quakers are the only parrot that had to work out their aggregation before they could be social again. We have a little rope toy that I shake in her face, she charges out of her cage and tries to rip it a new one. And 30 seconds later, she's cool. I have to spend 20 minutes with her when I first get home, feeding a treat, playing, dancing or singing are all great. Then I can start chores. I admit I do have cable tv near her cage, and put on sit coms for her. I still like hearing her laugh when she's watching. Changing the position of her cage and the things inside slows her roll. I also realized that if she's crabby, I close her cage in the afternoon so she can nap. That way she's not obsessabout defending her territory. I've been wondering about a second bird myself.

When I first got Oscar he was doing the same thing by squawking loudly every time I left the room. With the help of people on here... I learned that he is calling me to see if I am okay. So.. I would start with a whistle that was constant... and just for him. Each time he called... I whistled back and soon enough the calling got less and less. He still does it today but as long as I whistle back he knows I am okay and will calm down.

I also take him everywhere I can in the house.. doing laundry... cleaning the bedrooms.. or to the bathroom etc. etc. He loves to explore... and I love having him with me too. Keeps the noise down a lot.

Lizzylou, I think you've hit the nail on the head here. Quakers do NOT like being ignored when you get home from work - they like your undivided attention. We've learnt quickly that if we let Bonnie out and don't pay enough attention to her (e.g., if we're distracted by computers/TV/phone), then...expect a nip!