A Parrot in our Garden

On Sunday, while Ben was with the kids at Breakfast Club (his little daddies' play date he runs every weekend), I was pottering about with this lovely quiet time when outside, all I could hear was a shrieking bird. It sounded big and I kept going outside trying to figure out where it was coming from. I finally ascertained it was at the top of the casurinas, about 60 feet up, and at last, I saw it's outline against the bright sky, and it did look big, and also black so I assumed it must be an injured crow. When the kids returned home, I told them about the bird and they set about trying to get a better view. Indigo came in first squealing. She was so excited, crying out that it was green and was a parrot, not a crow. I raced about the house looking for seeds to try to draw the poor lost creature down and gave Oslo the bowl while I went inside to ask Ben's mum (on Skype from France) what to do since she is a big parrot person. By the time I came out, Oslo had the bird all the way down and it was sitting in the bowl, snacking on the pumpkin and sunflower seeds.

The parrot was so fluffed up, I assumed it was a baby, but later it flattened its feathers down and after a lengthy google search, I discovered it was a Severe Macaw. So beautiful and when it spread its wings, which it did often to stretch, you could see all the glorious blues and reds underneath.

Next thing I knew, the parrot climbed onto Oslo's shoulder and nuzzled into his hair - how delish!

So for the last couple of days, the parrot has been living in one of our bathrooms! This morning before school, Oslo was cutting branches down and I fashioned a mad jungle gym from the window to the walls. I fed her seeds, kiwi, alfalfa sprouts, banana, tomato and peanuts but all she was interested in were the peanuts. She loved to crack open the shells and peel away the red skin to the white flesh beneath. She became a little less snuggly once she had her own palace, and I was posting like mad on all the social media networks in the hopes of finding her owner. People kept telling me to post a photo but I insisted that if someone had lost a parrot, I am sure they would be able to describe it. I didn't want her to fall into the wrong hands and besides, at this stage, Ben was already planning the massive aviary we were going to build if she wasn't claimed. He was just trying to figure out if the back terrace off my office, or the lower terrace off the back garden would be better, when I got a call today from someone who knew what breed the parrot was and just who had lost her. I got in touch and they were so thrilled to hear that their baby, Jade, was found at last. The mama came over immediately and my kids very sorrowfully watched their fleetingly new pet disappear from our house in our cat box.

I have to admit, I am not a believer in caged animals - no matter how big the space. I sort of feel like it is not a pet if it wants to escape. But there was a part of me that secretly hoped someone had set her free because they didn't want her anymore. That way, I could justify why we had such a beautiful wild creature living with us... in a cage. We would elaborately build as big a space as we could manage for her to flap around in and the kids would learn to love, communicate with and understand the ways of yet another species. But this was not meant to be. We are not meant to be bird people. Jade is home where she belongs with her family who loves her and we are going back to normal after all the excitement of finding her and settling her in - just as soon as we have cleaned up all that poop in the bathroom!