fajrdrako | Birds in flight... (Reply)

Gambit has learned to fly.

He's my newest, youngest budgie. Green and yellow. A cutie. Lots of energy. But in the pet store they'd clipped his wings, so he couldn't fly. He climbed a lot - particularly on his cage, occasionally on my computer wires. Anywhere he could find. It always frustrated him that he couldn't fly back to his cage after he was out, but after doing some inspired jumping from the floor - like a miniature tiny green and yellow Incredible Hulk with feathers - he would usually let me pick him up and carry him, with dignity and decorum, to the cage. With his entire birdie posture protesting that he didn't need me to carry him, but he would consent to let me do so just because I wanted to.

Well, when I opened the cage yesterday, it was a different story. At first he didn't come out and I was doing things in the other room. Then I heard a loud flap-flap-flapflap CRASH.

Uh-oh, I thought.

A few minutes later: flap-flap-flap-flap BANG.

Worried, I went back to the living room, half expecting to find the room in tatters and a dead bird on the rug. Instead things looked okay and Gambit was nowhere to be seen.

I tried using logic: where would a bird who can't fly go to? I checked out his usual hiding places under the sofa, on the computer wires, behind the bookcase. No sign. Then a yellow and green head popped triumphantly up from the pillows on the back of the sofa by the window. How'd he get there?

A few minutes later, he flew. He demonstrated by circling the room three times, just below ceiling level. It wasn't the most graceful flying I've ever seen. There was at any moment the distinct possibility of crashing into walls, furniture and windows. But - he was flying. And mighty proud of himself, too.

He didn't need my help to go back into his cage this time.

Oh dear. I think he's growing up. Or at least...growing new, strong wingfeathers.