From as far back as I can remember, I have been enthralled with birds; initially the wild birds I saw outside. My Grandmother Dorman always had a budgie as a pet and I loved petting and handling the soft little bird. My Dad was not a pet person unless it was a hunting dog. So, no birds for me even though I constantly asked for one; and no cats because Dad was terribly allergic. My love of birds continued until I was six years old.
We lived in Baltimore in the old rundown neighborhoods that used to be clustered around the old McCormack spice warehouse. Down the block was an old sea captain who had a large green parrot who the man often put out in his yard on a T-stand. The bird was not tethered on the stand and the kids in the neighborhood often teased him and threw stones at him. Needless to say, the bird came to hate children. Eventually, the bird did attack one of the kids and bit him severely. One day my Mom and I were walking home from the store down the alley and the bird came flying off his perch and chased us up the alley. From that day on, I was terrified of parrots, especially large, green parrots. This went on until I was 33 when my wife and I moved in together and Pam brought her parakeet, Ribbon, with her. Pam realized I was terrified of parrots and always cared for them herself. I found I was just as interested in birds as I had been when I was a kid, I was just also terrified of them. Eventually Pam had brought home six budgies, all different colors, and I loved watching them and hearing their calls. Then, one day, Pam brought home three GREEN lovebirds. I could not even make myself approach their cage. They were terrifying to me. Yet, they were also facenating to me as well.
Fast forward ten years, and Pam broke up with me and moved out but did not take her birds or her cats or her dogs. So I was left with eight budgies, three lovebirds and 23 cats and three dogs. I couldn't let the birds starve, so I started caring for them. Those GREEN lovebirds were blood thirsty little buggers; bit me every chance they got! Yet my interest in them and their behavior and their movement did not decrease or waver. I was researching what I could feed the birds besides seeds and suddenly came across the idea of a handfed, tame pet parrot. About that time, my BFF decided she wanted to get a budgie and hand tame it. It took her only three weeks to tame the little guy. I tried the same techniques on my budgies and, surprise, they tamed as well. The GREEN lovebirds... not so much.
About this time, I met a handfed, tame cockatiel at a bird store and I was hooked. Within a few months, I had found a breeder and obtained Gracie Tiel. She was a cuddly three month old hen and very compliant and loving. I started being less afraid of the green lovebirds and was amazed at how intelligent they were, learning to put themselves in their cage when I announced it was 'bedtime' so I did not have to net them to put them to bed. I got Gracie and mate and between them they surprised me with chicks and soon I had seventeen cockatiels.
Meanwhile, I had found a bird club and went to meetings and met many different species of birds. I had seen a Meyers Parrot at a bird store years earlier and I thought they were the most beautiful birds I had ever seen. But back then, Meyers were extremely expensive and rather hard to get in my area. At the bird club meetings, I met several Senegal Parrots and became smitten with their charm and personality. A year later, I met Sunshine Senegal at a bird club fair and Sunny kept jumping on me until I bought her. Cockatiels, Pois and lovebirds are my favorites.
That is how I got into birds and how I found my favorite species. (long-winded, as usual)
