I finally got myself organized enough to get the birdies to the vet for wing and nail trims. The office wasn't busy, which was a relief since Nicholas tends to screech and call in a voice of about 200 decibels. You can't imagine such noise coming from such a tiny creature, but you can hear him a block away.
Nicholas has a touch of separation anxiety, so if he cannot see Flash he will begin his ear-splitting calls. This morning I held him while the vets groomed Flash, and Nicholas shrieked when the towel covered up Flash's little face.
Meanwhile, little Charli sat in her cage and watched the torturous events in silence.
I'm lucky that the vet techs are used to parrots. In fact, it was this vet clinic that rescued little Nicholas and then gave him to me several years ago. I must have been deaf at the time not to have noticed how loud he can be.
Soon enough the gruesome deeds were done and all the little birds were put back in their respective cages to eat Nutriberries and pout. I put everyone in the car and headed home, but first I had to make another stop.
All winter I've been feeding the wild birds. As you know, it's been a hard winter, and Wild Birds Unlimited actually ran out of safflower seed more than once. But I made an effort to keep feeding them.
The last week or so I've noticed that the wild birds (I'm assuming doves) have been pooping all over my new car. Not just a spot -- no, multiple long tracks of it on both front doors and mirrors. Repeatedly. As in people in traffic stop and point at my car. There is a branch or two of a tree that hangs over the passenger side of the car, but by no means is it large enough or close enough to hold that many birds and there's no place for a bird to sit/stand on the driver's side of the driveway.
I've made two trips to the car wash already and since the wild birds had yet again decorated my car yesterday I decided to run it through the car wash again. I bought some gas then selected the Express Carwash, then drove up to the little building and punched in the numbers. I explained to the birds what we were going to do, but they were still pouting about the grooming.
The machines whirled to life and the big brushes began their descent, and the birds grew silent. The water rushed over the windshield and car and then the foam and more brushes and more water. They kept looking at me to be sure everything was all right then turned their attention back to the brushes and suds and water cascading everywhere. I told them every step of what was happening and pretended they were actually listening. I guess this is what living with parrots will eventually do to you.
When the car wash was done, I put the car in drive and homeward we went. When I parked the car, I got out and made an announcement to the sky. "Look," I said. "I went to a lot of trouble to keep you guys fed this winter so please stop pooping all over my car, okay?" No birds answered me, so I hauled out my parrots in their little travel cages and we all went inside -- where there are no evil vet techs with scissors and no big strange machines with gushing water.
I have to go out again this afternoon -- I'm kinda concerned about what I'll see . . . .
The staff woman said the zoo feeds the lorikeets all kinds of fruits and vegetables, that sometimes when she comes in the entire ground of their aviary is covered with lettuce and the lorikeets are going to town on it. There were a couple of lorikeets who looked a bit plucked; the woman said they have had some bully problems.
