House guest

neil-jandaya-1.jpg

Prior to leaving work this evening, I received a call from Gemma telling me that there was "A parrot on the terrace". Assuming that it would be gone by the time I made the 10 minute walk back to our apartment (yes, life's hard), I urged Gemma to take some photos of this strange new visitor.

Upon my arrival at home ('the ranch'), I made a beeline for the terrace to see whether our new friend was still around. He was! (It's worth noting here that we've given the bird male nomenclature purely because a decision had to be made. His argumentative attitude and, later, manic attempts to gain entry to the house, seemed to confirm our initial decision).

My initial thoughts were that we should (a) get rid of him by chasing him off the terrace ; or (b) buy a cage and keep him. Gemma, as is her wont, wouldn't go with either option. She fed him some apple and water while I plotted to catch the creature in a tea towel or washing tub. The bird, who stayed put most of the time, suddenly became very nimble and evasive when I was brandishing tools of capture instead of pieces of apple. At one point, he swooped on me and clung to my back as I went back into the sitting room. I must say that I shrieked and ran, thinking that he was intent on a Hitchcock-style revolution; my cowardice would have made Flashman proud.

Eventually, Gemma went down to one of the local pet shops and asked about cages. The Jandaya Conure (for that is what he seems to be) apparently needs a big cage (surprise, surprise) which costs €60. We didn't get it, but he's sleeping right now outside our bedroom window. Apparently, these birds are worth €350… so it's likely that someone is looking for Neil. I think I'm going to end up buying a cage tomorrow, unless he leaves us at dawn.

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April 19, 2007 | Filed Under Home 

Comments

8 Responses to “House guest”

  1. Sophie on April 20th, 2007 9:30 am

    Hi,

    Your new friend Neil is really nice.
    But if he pulled a Houdini on someone, I'm not sure I'd reward his escapism by putting him back in a cage… Of course if he wanders away from your place someone else might do it, but I like free birds much better than caged ones.
    The photo is excellent, I think apples and seeds might be some kind of bar-less cage…

  2. Tom on April 20th, 2007 9:36 am

    Hi Sophie. You might be right. What I was thinking was a sort of 'open cage' where he can go and sit/play with things but it's not locked. It would be good if we could contain him a bit, because otherwise he might make a bit of a mess.

    On the whole, I agree with you: I don't like the idea of caging creatures at all. But all this talk is theoretical too: maybe he'll be gone when I get home?

    BTW - Gemma took the picture.

  3. Neil on April 20th, 2007 4:18 pm

    I am honoured. At last.

  4. Steve on April 20th, 2007 5:45 pm

    You have named him so you have to keep him, get a big cage and let him out now and again. I am not a bird fan but look how cute it looks…..

  5. Graeme on April 20th, 2007 6:20 pm

    Well if he's leaving comments on your blog it looks like you have no choice!

  6. Tom on April 20th, 2007 6:40 pm

    These Macs are just so easy to use.

  7. Rab on April 20th, 2007 9:57 pm

    Tom,

    What thought process did you follow to come up with the name of Neil for the "argumentative" parrot?

    Rab

  8. Tom on April 20th, 2007 10:33 pm

    Actually, it's sort of an homage to the comedian Neil Hamburger, who looks nothing like a parrot. He is sad and ill-tempered though.

    We bought him a cage and some toys. The intention is still to operate a sort of free-association with him, but I've closed him up for the night as he was pretty nervous this evening and it seemed the best thing to do. I hope that as he becomes accustomed to us, we'll be able to let him put himself to bed.

    I can understand, though, why such a pet is common among retirees: they're very demanding.

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