I found a military
macaw said to be fifteen at a lady's house...the lock to the cage
was rusted out so obviously the door had not been opened in who
knows how long ...there was a slimy plastic bucket which got filled
by hose with agua de la llave (not safe for human consumption)
and there were no traces of food beneath the cage so I had no
idea what this bird was being feed at all.
It took me
a year to convince the owner to sell the macaw, which flirted
with me outrageously ever time I stopped by. At one time she
said it had been much loved by her children and then of course
the usual happened...the kids lose interest and the bird gets
abandoned, relegated to its cage with nothing to do and often
inadequate nutrition and hygiene.
Richard of
our bird/animal refuge
cut open the
lock and we grabbed the poor bird. My technique is to put them
on my bike handle bars and ride home, they are so discombobulated
they don't have time to be afraid.....I put him on a perch on
the balcony which overlooks the ocean.
After some
days he wasn't raising his feathers every time I came close.
He began to eat in a fashion I could only compare to someone liberated
from a concentration camp -- Enormous quantities of peanuts especially.
I would wager he was eating four times more than my other military
Lala. He still to this day is somewhat preoccupied about food,
and can put away 1/3 cup of ice cream.
"Rocky"
as I renamed him since this is the only word he says, tested male.
After so many years with nothing to do, he is supremely active
in getting into everything. He adores me and was preening me
incessantly so it being spring when there are birds still in remote
markets I took a trip to Tecpan three hours away
These half
moon conures are hard to breed in captivity and cost $250.00 (US
prices)10 years ago when available. On the left is a lilac crown
Amazon worth $1000 in the U.S.
and bought
six half moon conures still mostly peloncitos (still unfeathered)
and presented them to him. To my amazement he went right over
and starting licking them, progressing to grooming and within
one day was feeding them. You never saw such a proud father.
At night the babies slept in a wicker trash basket and Rocky
slept with his head in. When they began to fly I put them all
in a large aviary.
Parrots are
alleged to be the fourth smartest animal on the planet, with the
intellectual capacity of a four year old. Rocky now is the alpha
male of the household. His territory starts at the entrance to
La Madera, and he scurries up the hill as fast as he can go, in
eager anticipation to get back to his 'nest' after an excursion
out to town. Watch out, because he's my bodyguard: He will run
out and attack any stranger.
If I'm in
the kitchen, or brushing my teeth, here comes Rocky, bound to
feed my toes by regurgitating on them (yes, there are downside
aspects to parrot ownership!) His other major occupations are:
trying to hunt down and fight with Lala,
getting the
tap to turn on when he wants fresh water, rearranging his nest,
and of course hours of fun 'making out' and playing with his owner.
Who needs a alarm clock when you have a warm green body crawling
over you at 7:10 A.M. everyday?
Rocky and Lala
and an admirer
Every ship
must have a parrot. These two bodyguards are guarding a renowed
visitor to our town, seen in the background, whose last name was
Snipes.
