Companions and friends need not just be HUMANS. I have never quite fathom the PERISTEROPHILE (people who adore birds, Google teaches me a lot of new words!) as oppose to ORNITHOPHILE (people who study birds) until I visited Melbourne. I was introduced to an aviary of feathered frens sixteen years ago. Surprisingly, me a dog person found the birds very responsive and charming companions. These birds could carry out, not a a decent conversation, but a babbling on with their songs and repetitive sentences. Unconditional LOVE, very soothing for the soul. Since then, I have followed their progress through Whats app photos. The owners, the Wees care so much and bond with these babies, Sadly, only two feathered friends are now alive. So here is a memory post to:
Paco: Alexandrine parakeet named after who else but Alexander the Great. Paco was Jan’s favourite, smart and gentle. Sadly Paco passed away just yesterday.
Yindi: Rainbow lorikeet. Yindi is aboriginal for colourful. This one whistles and loves her many toys but was very possessive and bit the other birds.
Joey (13.5 years) – Green budgie, a feisty escapee who flew
in for a visit and never left. Babbled a lot and no body understood him.
Kirri (11 years): Lutino cockatiel, quite amusing with orange patch on cheek. Kirri is aboriginal for smart. Kirri was their very first bird.
Georgie (16 years): Grey cockatiel, another escapee which stayed on. This wonder boy can amazingly sing “London bridge is falling down” and he has been singing non-stop since Paco passed on. Hope Georgie will keep you both company at home now.
The Wees had a
Yellow-crested cockatoo who stayed with them for 10 years. 
Coco when we visited in 2004
Coco is now happily
staying in an Australian animal rescue home run by
Nigel and Kegan
Tony (bird on shoulder) used to wake up at dawn to care for COCO before work. With temperatures below 0 degrees, he would be in his gloves and hoodie pacifying Coco. Coco learnt to dominate, knowing his screams will get Tony's attention. Hmm, there's a lesson to be learnt from Coco here, wonder if it'll work with Gizmo Man? I think Tony loves the birds more than his wife (Jan is his first LOVE but the BIRDS are catching up) cos' i caught him many times with his deck chair and portable TV resting next to his birds, having lunch at the aviary and just chilling with them in WINTER too. LOVE KNOWS NO BOUNDS!!
Sharon in her paradise for cockatoos
unwanted by the councils due to insufficient funding, and other animals.
Coco loves it there. Look at him up front with fluffed-up feathers to show off who's the BOZZ. 
Cockatoos screech very loudly and it is for this reason that Coco could not live at home as he riled up the neighbours. Coco sees Tony, who brings all his treats when visiting every month without fail.
A HAPPY COCO.
The Birds Place of Rest in Tony and Jan's garden., the most recent being Paco.
Australia has colourful birds dropping in for visits in the Wee's garden.
EASTER ROSELLA
KING PARROT
The birds/animals that we love claim a piece of our heart and take a piece of us with them when they leave.
ReplyDeleteCockatoos ARE noisy. Very noisy. I am sure that the neighbours curse us when we have twenty or more visiting at a time.
20 or more cockatoos is a mighty lot! Birds over in Australia are quite bold as they seem to be quite comfortable being seen in the open. Here, the birds are very shy and are always hiding in foliage. It is a bonus if I can see them.
ReplyDeleteSome of our birds are shy, and difficult to see. Not the cockatoos. I have seen flocks of more than a hundred of them. Noisy, destructive, beautiful flocks.
DeleteI find birds quite interesting and how they very from different places.
ReplyDeleteanother bird friend I have found 👍
DeleteWow ... that's impressive. They are all beautiful and clever birds !. I am annoyed with Georgie who is good at singing 'london bridge falls'. The color of the fur is also beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI send greetings to Georgie ....
Haha.. Georgie sings very well
ReplyDelete