My desk sits in front of a window. I can see the birds at the feeder and up in the trees. We have two regular bird feeders, a thistle sock, and 2 suet baskets. During the day, I can see a wide variety of birds and they keep me entertained. I keep a foldout pamphlet thingy around for NC backyard birds but I keep losing it. For example, I can’t find it now to tell you the name so you can get one for your area, too. (I sooo need to clean off my desk) It has drawings of the birds so you can identify them. I got an app for my iPod Touch called iBird South. It’s supposed to just have the Southern birds in it but it really has all of them. Glad I didn’t spend the money for the US one, eh?
Anyway, about 2 months ago I am sitting here, writing of course, and a flash of color catches my eye. I look out and see this odd bird. It’s brightly colored like a finch. I switch glasses and realize it’s not a goldfinch. It’s a parakeet. We actually managed to catch him the next day but the S.O.B. escaped when we opened the carrier to give him some food. Every day I sat here and watched him. He was an assertive snot and liked to chase the other birds off the feeders whenever he was eating. I named him Floyd.
Last week, after much planning and rigging, we hung a hamster cage from one of the hooks, took down the two regular feeders, and put food inside the cage. The idea was for him to get used to going in there to eat. He finally did and, after watching him for two days, Lorna managed to catch him.
A friend of ours took him in and we were pleased Floyd was now safe. He wasn’t afraid of Annie, our young cat and twice she’d come very close to catching him. We knew he would be okay this summer but come winter, would he know to migrate? We debated a long time about whether we should catch him or not.
Sadly, Floyd died the next day. Patti did some research and found that sunflower seeds cause parakeets to accumulate fatty deposits around their hearts. Combined with the other much-lacking nutritional needs, Floyd was a dead bird anyway. The cool weather had probably helped him since it kept his heart rate down. Floyd’s other problem was he was banded and, based on the color of the band, he was born somewhere in the 90s. So for a parakeet, he was an old man.
We buried Floyd out near Lorna’s mediation spot.
I miss him. I look out and see birds all day but there was no determining which one was which. But Floyd was different. I knew it was him. I knew how many times he was at that feeder or this one. I knew which song was his. No, I don’t want a parakeet now. I think it is sad he had to be re-caged, even just for a night. I wish I could have taken him back to where he was supposed to be. It was good he got to experience freedom and I’m glad he chose our place to live.
