Sad news...

One of my little budgies died on Friday. I didn't have the heart to post anything about it then. Simon - named after the doctor in Firefly - was green and yellow and grey, with no black feathers at all. He was smart and quick and lively. He was healthy as far as I could tell up to the moment of his death. I was cleaning the apartment, listening to music, with him and the other birds singing along as they always do - then I looked at the cage and saw he was lying dead on its floor.

A shock.

All budgies have a lot of personality but he had more than most. He came to me as a pair with Kaylee, a gift from a friend. He fell in love with Wisdom on sight - two schmoopier birds I can't imagine, staring into each others eyes by the hour, grooming each other, cuddling each other, having sex on the curtain rods and anywhere else that struck their fancy. Domino is their son. They were the happiest budgie family you can imagine. Once he had abandoned her for Wisdom, Kaylee took to attacking him on sight. Killer budgie mode. I kept them in separate cages after that. (Who needs to watch soap operas, when they have budgies?)

Simon was a master escape artist. He wasn't a particularly tiny budgie, but he could fit through holes you'd swear no bugie could fit through unless he had removable wings. He could escape the cage through the small slit where the floor-tray fits. He could escape the cage if I was inattentive for a second when putting in the food and water. Once, he got out of the cage and I still haven't figured out how he did it. Teleportation?

Just a few days ago he was foraging for stray crumbs of seed on the apartment floor, strutting around the parquet as if he owned the place. Which, as far as I am concerned, he did.

I miss the little guy.