Oiseau on Day Care

In 1992 I found myself quite alone. Once long engaged, I was not unquestionably single and dealing with very poignant feelings of depression. I was able to hold down my job as a day care teacher, but otherwise my heart was inconsolable. I found myself contemplating the possibility of taking on a winged accomplice in my daily life. I had enough money, enough time, and plenty of undivided love to share with a new companion. My search took me to classified ads and every pet shop...especially Bird Jungle in Westchester. I visited the store many times and I could have come home with armfuls of hand-raised babies of numerous species. However, one day I discovered an unlikely ad in the "Pennysaver" pet section. It said something about handfed baby parrots for sale. Having a lifelong love for parakeets from my own family, I was ready to build a longer relationship with a parrot sooner than I thought. One night after working with my children at the day care center, I made an appointment to see Ralph and his Meyer's parrot clutch. I had no idea what a Meyer's parrot looked like or anything about the species, but I soon found myself holding the runt of the nest. It was a little pinfeathered creature, much smaller and pinker than its three siblings. It screamed in my hand as I held it to my chest. I asked endless questions, met the parents, learned many answers and left the house a deposit poorer.

Ralph was a very patient fellow, very knowledgeable and he was truly concerned about providing his babies with people who were educated about the birds. In fact, I ended up with a cage, toys, bowls, food, and even several free back issues of "Bird Talk" to read before my baby was ready to fledge! I could hardly wait to start spoonfeeding my new friend, Oiseau, when he was ready to join me.

In June 1993, the May 4h hatchling and I found ourselves cooking up culinary creations of oatmeal, grains, fruits and vegetables into an edible gruel we could share several times a day. I became an expert at making these tasty concoctions and Oiseau hungrily gobbled down many tablespoons at each feeding. I quickly learned how fast their little digestive systems worked and became accustomed to being covered with baby poop.

Life was not easy though. It took a lot of work to win his trust and bond with him. Even after two weeks with me, he would still scream when I handled him. Just about when I wasn't' sure he really was going to like me, we became steadfast buddies. My shoulder became his shoulder. And he was also very happy claiming my five and six-year olds' shoulders and fingers as his perch that first month. My children and the others in the center from babies to second graders looked forward to holding, feeding, playing with, and learning about Oiseau on a daily basis.

Oiseau also is no stranger to road trips. He happily whistles his way to the car and certainly screams those chastising reminders of "What about me, Roge?" when I leave him behind. He has been to parks and birdwatching trips, supermarkets and movie theaters, folk concerts and poetry readings, libraries and public school classrooms as my companion and best friend. I have happily and proudly answered hundreds of questions from strangers along the way. He has sat on everyone from toddlers to a group of 80-90 year old people--many of whom had never seen a parrot so close nor ever expected to hold or pet one, either. We catch smiles and funny glances sometimes, but we both, I think, enjoy meeting people and informing them about the wonderful world of parrots!

I hope that we will each find a prospective mate in the future. I plan to acquire and breed several species besides Meyer's in the future to assure a place in the world for these beautiful, intelligent, demanding creatures. For now though, Oiseau and I look forward to our monthly meetings and other B.A.B.A. functions where we have made many new friends who are as dedicated to their long love stories as we are to ours.