Fly Away Home, Smokey (dealing with loss)

I have avoided writing this post because I have had trouble dealing with it. Smokey, AKA Wonderbudgie, AKA Budgie Butt, passed away during the night last week. This was very unexpected and I was devastated. After Smokey was surrendered to us, he went through two surgeries to repair damage from a dog attack and human negligence. He survived all of the above and was on many medicines. He had been off his meds for three weeks and been hopping all over his special needs cage and chirping with the other birds in the house. He was a survivor; then he was gone.

I have only lost one other bird, many years ago. Smokey was in my life for such a short time but he had a huge impact on me. What a fighter he was! I have tried to focus on the fact that he came to us for a reason. We were able to immediately stop his pain and get him medical attention. He got to eat millet and mash, greens, broccoli and other things that he had never had before. He sat in the sun and listened to the other birds and tried to imitate them. He was free to be a budgie. Now, he is truly free and no longer lame. His wings work perfectly and he is flying over the Rainbow Bridge.

A special thank you to those who donated to his two surgeries. The money was not wasted - it was a blessing to one of the cutest little budgies I have ever met. A special thank you to Disco the Parakeet because watching you amused Smokey greatly. Fly away home, Smokey. You were loved.

The Transition Blues or Why GI Joe isn't Thrilled with Life

GI Joe the Military Macaw

We have a new macaw in the rescue.  His name is GI Joe. He is a Military Macaw and was surrendered under emergency circumstances due to family illness. GI had lived with his previous owner for 11 years.  That is a long time.  He is going through a mourning process that I see in many surrendered birds. He is sad and confused. He isn't eating a whole lot and is choosing to hang out in the corner of his cage at the moment. Due to the rapid circumstances of his surrender and the lack of available foster homes, he is temporarily with my avian vet being boarded. The good news about this is that they have placed him near their lunch room so he gets a lot of friendly "hellos", treats and conversation. The bad news is that I wish he only had one transition to go through. His cage was unusable so we are in the process of procuring another one. Once I secure that, he will be coming to my house temporarily. I often wonder what goes through the mind of surrendered birds. I know that many come from homes where they were loved. I can't imagine what it would be like to one day wake up and the flock member I love is just gone. We can't communicate with these beautiful creatures effectively enough to explain human circumstance (or in some cases human selfishness). GI is trying very hard. He responds when I talk to him, he blushes fire engine red, and he chooses to move away rather than striking or becoming aggressive. I wish he could read my mind and know my intentions. Unfortunately, that just isn't how it works. I simply continue to speak calmly and smile and duck my head away from him when I have been staring too long. My heart is already his, he just doesn't know it yet.  Updates will be coming as he continues to move forward in this settling in phase. Today he actually stepped up without much trouble and played with a foot toy that I gave him. That is a victory for him! Yay for GI!

The Innovative Cockatoo: Figaro Invents, Makes, and Uses a Tool - ScienceNOW

The Innovative Cockatoo: Figaro Invents, Makes, and Uses a Tool - ScienceNOW This isn 't news to most  parrot owners but it is so great to have it confirmed! My Goffins plays Bejeweled Blitz!