Okay, their not chickens... Maybe I should say Meet the Flockers?


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We got the cockatiel as a Christmas gift for my daughter - was it '99 or 2000? Wow, he's been here a while. Jeese is his name. He's a lil sweetie, and he'll tell you that, he's a great talker.

Then we got a Jenday conure, a little parrot. We shot names at him and the one he responded to was Jake, so Jake it was. Later, he let me know he'd picked the last name Murphy.

Good Irish name for a south American bird, lol.

He says a few things, like Nite-nite, love you, makes kissy sounds. And nods when I talk.

Then a friend from MSWorld had a lovebird - well it was her Grandmother's, and her Grandmother passed away. They'd lived in a nursing home. Asked if I'd like to have it, and I said, sure.

Wow, it was cool to meet my board buddy to begin with, in person.


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And the lovebird is beautiful - hooded, black over teal. Never saw one like it.

What a little sweetie. And she has definate tastes in music. I play guitar in the bird room, and I was trying to learn *Crazy* (written by Wilie Nelson, sung by Patsy Cline) And Minnie closed her eyes and rocked back and forth on her swing as I went over and over the song!

I could just tell she knew and loved that song - and didn't hold it against me for butchering it.


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Jake will heckle me for that. Make one mistake and he's Simon Cowell.


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Well, if 3 of em are fun, 4 are a circus - Jake's sister Goldie came to live with us too. Her people took good care of her, but were I guess *over* the whole bird thing. It happens, they're not for everyone.

And once you have a bird, people start asking - hey, you want another one? How can you say no? What's one more cage to clean, one more seed cup to fill?

Jake is totally my bird - he's meaner than snot to everyone else. We have two tiny dogs that couldn't hurt you if they tried. Jake will fly right at you and go for your throat. He got my son. I have to lock his cage.

But he loves me and he'd protect me with his life. He's beautiful, funny, smart and I wouldn't be without him.



Well, Goldie is all of that too, but gentle and sweet. She was never held though, and became untame and shy. I never took the time to retrain her - always wanted to, but was busy watching the grandbaby, and birds and babies don't mix. With the way Jake can bite, no way I was taking any chances.

But the hubby went in there a few times, fed Goldie treats, talked to her. Next thing you know, he's got her *stepping up*, letting him pet her, taking fruit right from his lips!


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Now he gets it, what I get from being with those birds. How cool they are when they let you into their world, their flock.

I'll see if I can add pix for you.

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