Apparently cockatiels have a secret society complete with a secret language and little birdy rituals all meant to see just how much steam can come out of my ears!
The Six, my not so affectionate name for sis’ birds, take turns being the bad bird. Just when I think I have the leader identified ‘he’ becomes docile and another steps up to the cage bars and poops in my eye. Yes, you read that correctly, poops in my eye! The morning ritual is to uncover the little devils, change their disgusting water (poop figures prominently in the bird world, think pidgeons) and refill the food dishes. Not that they actually EAT all of the food…oh no….they scatter it all over, they take turns shooting it across the room, they drop it in the water dish and take bets on how much each seed will swell and yes, they poop in it.
Three days ago I was mindlessly tending to the mini zoo when Number Four (identified by the bright orange circles on his little birdy cheeks) crawled up on the cage bars and began chirping at me. Silly me, I thought he was trying to make friends. Oh no, not Number Four, he had a nefarious plot and I was the intended victim. Knowing that no one could hear me I made birdy cooing noises and overtures at friendship. Number Four chirped and cocked his head first on one side and then the other in that cuty little birdy way. In all innocence I mimicked his movements. Little did I know it was a carefully orchestrated method of getting my eye in just the right position and POOP right in the eye! All six of the rotten beasties were birdie cackling as I rushed into the kitchen to wash my eye in ice cold glacier water. The advantage of ice cold glacier water is that it numbs the eye instantly so the sting of the poop goes away and one can concentrate on revenge.
Before I could get back to the living room my bird brain washed sister opened the cage to pet The Six. Yep, they escaped. Vaulted ceilings are a birds best friend and having various hunting trophys to perch (and poop) on is a bonus. From various ’safe’ vantage points The Six taunted me and chirped their little secret society language and were pretty much just full of themselves.
Just wait….I have a plan……
