Budgies in flight...

[fajrdrako]

I've been niggardly about letting the budgies out of their cages lately, but on Saturday I opened the cage door for Pryde and Kaylee and they had a happy fly-around, a visit to the curtain rod, and after a while went back to their cage.

Sunday I opened the cage door for Wisdom, Simon and Domino. The green ones.

Domino was particularly having fun, flying round and round the apartment. Because he's young and hasn't had a lot of practice flying, he was awkward at first - having trouble turning, or landing, or getting where he wanted to go. More flapping helplessly in the air than actual flight. At one point Wisdom (tired of watching his difficulties, I suppose) took pity and went to fly in front of him, showing him how it's done. In her slipstream, he started to fly much better and more smoothly. I was proud of her mothering skills.

So Domino was more skilled, but no more well-behaved. You know how pets like to go right to the places you don't want them to go? In my case, it's the kitchen. I don't want budgies in the kitchen. It's tiny, dangerous, and there are too many crevices and cupboards they could go into, not to mention things they could eat that they shouldn't, and messes they could make. No kitchen privileges for budgies.

So when I was making tea for maboroshimaki when she visited, they found a moment where I hadn't closed the kitchen door quickly enough behind me and all three went straight into the kitchen. There was a lot of noisy flying around before they all found refuge in some bowls I have stored on top of the cupboards.

Little devils. They always look so smug when they get past my barriers. They thought that was just the place.

Once they were out of the kitchen things were smoother. Domino spent most of the evening on top of the curtains, though he also visited the top of the smoke detector, stayed for a while on the sword over my bathroom door, and clung to the side of the hall closet. Wisdom and Simon spent most of the evening on top of the cages, wandering around. Eventually they went back in, but Domino wouldn't. He had every intention of sleeping on the curtain rod. You'd think he'd get hungry, but no. Budgies can go for a long time without food - or maybe they live on a combination of ceiling plaster, picture frames, and curtain fibres.

I tried persuasion, but he's stubborn. I tried chasing him, but he's faster than I am and went wherever he wanted. (Except the kitchen, where the door was closed.) Eventually maboroshimaki grabbed him in a napkin and dumped him into the cage.

He didn't mind. He was still chirping proudly about what an exciting day he'd had when I covered the cages for the night.

This morning, there's a lot of cheerful singing from the cage.

Comments

[dolimir-k.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'm confused. I thought the babies died, but you've talked about Dominio and Wisdom.

So these two survived and it was the new batch that passed?

I really do love your budgie stories and was really sad to think the one you had told us so much about had died. Now, I'm thinking I got things all wrong.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Domino was hatched at the end of June, and is thriving. Two eggs hatched in early August, and neither baby survived.

Domino is the one I've talked about most, since he's healthy and lively and doing fine. I hardly mentioned the other two - except to mention their hatching and their deaths, I think - they were way too young to move or to have feathers or to do anything but lie and chirp in the nesting box.

So the full contingent of birds is:

(1) The right-hand cage: the green ones: Simon (father), Wisdom (mother), Domino (offspring). All green and yellow.

(2) The left-hand cage: Pryde and Kaylee, both girls, both white with some blue markings.

[paperbkryter.livejournal.com]

I love your bird stories. I used to have several myself, plus some finches. I miss my birds but not the mess and the fact that when they got out there was always the risk of being eaten by a kitty! I may get some finches again one day. I love the sound of their little peep peeps.

[lmondegreen.livejournal.com]

I love your budgies!

[dolimir-k.livejournal.com]

Domino's alive? Thank God!!!!

I adored your stories about him. When you said all the babies died, I thought he was included. I'm so glad to be wrong.

*happy squirming* (since I'm at work and can't really dance)

Dang, I'm all choked up now because the little bugger's alive. I'm really happy to hear that.

[dargie.livejournal.com]

I really hope I'll get to meet these little guys one day. They sound adorable. Make kissy noises at them from me.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

If Domino had died I'd be in mourning still. He's such a cute, lively little guy - with his parent's budgie-ish intelligence and flamboyance but a youthful cuteness all his own.

The little guys who died never become old enough to get names - Or feathers or visible eyelids. They were very little. (About an inch long, I think.)

I told Domino what you said about him and he gave me a thoughtful look and fluffed his neck-feathers. Make of that what you will.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I told them you said that and got some alert cheeps, interested stares, and some bouncing around on perches. I think they're looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday. You know how they love it when people are around. I think they're convinced that everyone visits just to see them. (Clark and Lex are a bonus.)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I hope you get to meet them, too. They love having visitors. Visitors make them sing. And show off. (It doesn't take much.) I made kissy noises on your behalf and they loved it - I don't usually do that on my own. They think it's a wonderful thing.

[dargie.livejournal.com]

I'm big on kissy noises with birds so any time you want to convey my good wishes to them, that's the way. *g*

[lmondegreen.livejournal.com]

We can start calling it 'Budgie Wednesday' to make them happy :-)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'll do that! They like the noises, and reply with crescendos and arias of their own. So to speak.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

They'll love that! I'm trying to teach them to say "Lex loves Clark" and "Kiss him!"

[lmondegreen.livejournal.com]

ooh... and teach them to chirp really loudly whenever Lana says anything!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Good idea! Drown her out! The little guys do that so well.