three hundred fifty seven

 

BIRD DRAMA

The neighborhood I live in is on the edge of a large wilderness. A mile to the east starts a high desert all of the way to the Idaho border. Streams, hills, valleys and lush ranch land with a mix of pines and Juniper trees. The volcanic nature of the terrain is similar to the Hawaiian Big Island. We have no traffic noise or pedestrians other then dog walkers. It seems like there is nothing going on but if you pay close attention there is plenty of drama. 

It's winter in central Oregon so I feed the birds in the neighborhood. Small birds hide in our thorny shrubs for protection from larger birds and the local cat. They take turns popping in and out to raid the feeder. I enjoy watching their system. 

Like most flock birds, every bird is a look out but a select few hold back to watch the area while other birds pull the seed out so it drops to the ground. This creates a larger open area where more birds can eat and there are more escape routes. 

This goes on until the doves show up but most of the small birds just ignore them. The bullies in the neighborhood are the Bluejays. Last summer there were four young ones living in the tree close to the feeder. 

The young ones are as large as the adults but their feathers are not filled in completely. The mother Bluejay would sit on the peak of our roof to yell directions and warnings. When they are around they run the show but I haven't seen any in a couple months. 

Robbins show now and then but they are usually alone. I have seen Quail in my yard, they don't seem to be very bright. I pulled into my driveway, opened the garage door, they panicked and ran into my garage. I had to get out of the car and chase them out.

A gaggle of crows occasionally roars into the neighborhood like an outlaw biker gang. They stay for a few hours to scavenge then they roar back out. 

The state has several types of predator birds. I occasionally see Eagles but mostly Red Tailed Hawks. This one was hanging out on the railing outside my wife's hospital room. The hospital is only a couple blocks from our home.

There is one, maybe the same one, that sits in the very top of a tree about two hundred feet down the street. The birds are aware of this so when there are no birds around our feeder I look to see if one is there. 

Most people only see a few birds and they don't see the constant battles for food, territory, nesting and mating. They may notice the more vicious battles but most think the bird kingdom is all peace and harmony. 

Birds are amazing creatures. They are direct descendants of dinosaurs with feathers. We have had birds as pets for years. Our first birds were when we lived in San Francisco. There was an exotic bird store close to my work. I started to walk through it a few times a week when I went to the post office. They boarded birds so many were mature parrots that could talk. 

My wife had a cat that died before we met. I'm allergic to cats and a dog wasn't practical so we started to think about a bird. They had just received two male Derbyan Parakeets. They were still in an incubator and required hand feeding. 

 We decided to buy one that we named Elvis, but the other one looked so lonely we bought him too and named him Ringo. 

They are larger birds but are called parakeets because of their long tails. Their markings were stunning. They were very timid and were bonded to each other unfortunately they weren't very interactive with us. The did talk a little and could be handled but mostly they tolerated us.

 

We had them for two years when we moved to Hawaii. The permits, quarantines, inspections and extra tickets were expensive. Two weeks after we arrived they were stressed from the long isolation and plane flight and their cage had not arrived. One morning they made a break for it and escaped. 

This was so unusual because they were afraid of the outside and open doors. They stayed in the area for three days saying "I love you" but they would not come down from the mango tree. 

At around five in the morning on a Sunday I heard their distinct morning calls. I saw them across the street in a mango tree. I know they saw me but then they did one last fly over and headed for a macadamia farm up the mountain.

We searched for months, put up flyers, played recordings of their calls and followed several dead end leads. The good thing is they are young, together, their wings weren't clipped and they were healthy. 

Hawaii has an abundance of food the year around, there are very few predators other than mongooses but Elvis and Ringo are tree top birds so they are never on the ground. We thought if they survived the first few weeks they should be okay.

I ask myself the question, thirty or forty years in captivity or five, ten or more years in the wild, which one would I prefer? We miss them and always will but we have hopes that they are thriving in their tropical paradise. 

The locals say there are fresh water pools and caves high on the 8250 foot high peak of the Hualalai dormant volcano high above Kailua. They say there are  hundreds of exotic birds of all kinds up there. I never hiked up to see, the locals warned me not to because locals liked their privacy, don't like outsiders and have guns. 

A few years later we still miss them but we still wanted a pet. The local big box pet store had several Conures. They were so small when we brought them home they could squeeze through the bars of their cage. They could not fly yet so they could only climb around but it didn't stop Frankie the female from stealing jewelry and hiding it in her cage. 

They are both Conures but different types. Marty Feldman, the classic dark green male. He is smaller, grumpy and a perpetual lover. Frankie is a female Green Cheek Conure. She is the dominant one and bent on world domination. Parrots bond to particular people but they still interact with us both.

Frankie has become my stalker girlfriend now that she has laid eggs a few times. She has always bossed Marty around but now she is attempting to run the house. She is constantly into everything.

Open cupboards, open drawers, freezer, refrigerator, dish washer, washing machine, dryer, flushing toilets and empty pitchers if you leave them on the counter. 

Marty is a curmudgeon he loves to eat and really enjoys his bath time. He has a history of flying into walls, windows and doors and has actually knocked himself out a couple of times.

They do team up and go on what I call adventures. They are like children, if they are quiet they are into something. They might be shredding a roll of toilet paper in the back bathroom, throwing everything off of my office desk, popping the buttons out of my key board or hiding in any dark place they can find. 

They don't talk, do tricks, stay quiet when you are on the phone and yes they will chew the edges of the book you are reading. They are just cute and part of the family. The personalities, instincts to lay and take care of eggs, and warn us if danger is interesting to watch. 

We don't want to raise birds so we replace her eggs with fake eggs.  She knows something is up so she gives us the stink eye for a couple days. They are moody, hold grudges, cuddle inside your shirt and let you know when they are ready for bed. 

There is bird drama everywhere including on my key board. Today they want my full attention and don't want me to type. 

They are both in their cage now because she nipped my finger (crazy stalker girlfriend). She knows what she did and flies to her cage and he just follows. I'll let them out in an hour and they will behave for the rest of the day. Bird drama.....