Sad News

We are deeply sad to report the death of our brother Jary.

It was a very unexpected. He was taken to the vet about a week before, assaulted with a needle, and forced to take an extremely nasty medicine daily for several days. Then, just when the medicine had been stopped, and things were coming back to normal, the accident occurred. Jary tried to land on a perch, and his leg wouldn't work right. He was terribly frightened, as were we all. The girl picked him up gently in her hand, and he relaxed a little. They took him away in the travel cage. We "pinged" for him for two days, but there was no answer, and in our hearts we knew he was dead.

We love you, Jary. We will never forget you.

Geoffrey and Jay-Jay

Thunderstorms

The sky is black
With roiling clouds.
A lightning crack,
Then thunder booms.

I tuck my head
Beneath my wing,
And think, with dread,
The world might end.

Big heavy drops
Roar on the roof.
Then the rain stops.
The sun comes out.

The sunlight glow!
The clouds move off.
Look! A rainbow!
I sing my joy.

Jary

That Dog Again

The humans have been visiting, and brought back pictures of Turner, the dog who warned us off his turf last fall. Looks out of shape to me-tongue hanging out--eager to suck up to the humans. The old lady was completely taken in. Says he is a "sweetie dog". And what's with the flat face and the curly tail?. Jah-Jah!
Jary

Bird Watching 10: Parenting

Carolina chickadee (Poecile carolinensis)

Nesting birds have been extremely active the last 6-8 weeks. Several different species competed for the nesting box on the deck--house sparrows, house finches, blue birds--but the chickadee family won out. They are courageous and persistent little birds, and this pair raised a fine family of young. One of the hunting parents is shown here in the nearby beech tree. They love to eat the nasty little green caterpillars that infest the beech trees this time of year. The squishy wrigglers were transformed into handsome little Carolina chickadees. What an improvement!
G.

Lost and Found!

We came across an inspiring news story last week about a grey African parrot named Yosuke, who lives near Tokyo. Yosuke flew out of the house, and couldn't find his way back home. Luckily, he was not eaten by a hawk or an owl, but rescued by the police from a roof. The police took him to a local vet hospital, where he gave the vet his full name and address, and then went home to a tender reunion! The policeman interviewed seemed amazed at his knowing to give his name and address, which is silly. All psittacines are remarkable linguists. Consider the characterization of Polynesia the Parrot in the "Dr. Doolittle" books. Humans tend to credit parrots only when they speak a human language, and then claim the performance as mimicry! We know what we're saying--its just very hard to speak any human language through a beak. I don't speak a human language, but I am fluent in Budgie, Robin, House Wren, Cardinal, Crow, Woodpecker dialects, Canary, Lovebird, Red Winged Blackbird, and the trash-bird languages (ie, starling and grackle).
Geoffrey

A Fantastic Toy!

The humans bought me a wonderful toy this week! It's a little plastic bathtub with a cute rubber duck on the top. They fill it with lettuce and water, so I can eat a salad and take a bath at the same time! Even Geoffrey and Jary like it, and they are not very fond of baths. But it is mine, and I love it. Thank you!
Jay-Jay

Rain Forest?

Scarlet Macaw (http://www.fieldguides.com/perumanuwildlife.htm)
Photographer: Paul Thomas

We've had almost 9 inches of rain this month. (How do we know? Careful perusal of the newspaper and observation of the family rain gauge.) This would suggest that we are going to have climate change; we are hoping for rain forest conditions. Imagine the bird-watching opportunities! Australian parakeets (Melopsittacus undulatus) are birds of the dry plains--and we have seen no other psitticines. If the backyard becomes a temperate rain forest, we will surely see parrots. We are hoping for macaws!
Geoffrey