Feathered Friends

So I haven't mentioned anything that flies lately. I've put up some pictures of our orchids. Here's another view of domestic life where I live. The cockatiel hen above has been with us for about eight years now. She was given to us by some friends to whom she was given. We don't know how old she is, but she is starting to show her age. I have read that they can live as long as 25 years but 15 or so is more common. She has been a sweet little pet who is always eager to see me and loves to get out and ride around on my shoulder. She was a good flier until one day I came home to see that all her flight feathers had molted out. And her crest was, well, crestfallen. They are growing back but something has been lost.

The yellow fellow we adopted about a year and a half ago when some friends had about a dozen they were trying to find homes for. He (she? we're not sure) had some problems with pulling his own feathers out. We thought he'd calm down but I 'm afraid the creature is flat out psychotic. They called him "Red Eye" because his indeed are, but we call him "El Ojo Rojo Pollo Loco."

After parakeets as a kid I became a cockatiel person later in life. Then one day not long ago, my wife spotted this brilliant orange canary at the pet store. She just decided she had to have her and so we went and got her. Unfortunately, as sometimes happens with these so-called red factor intense color bred birds, as she matured the brilliant color has started to frost to white.

The little canary seemed so lonely in her new cage. I kinda wanted to find a mate for her but the critters are kind of expensive. I saw at a pet store that finches were living in the same cage with some canaries. I thought it might be nice to get one of these little guys to keep her company. They don't cost very much and they are fun to watch since they are so small they can actually fly around inside the cage. Last weekend we went to get one I had picked out earlier. I was told they don't do well without another finch so we ended up getting two. Later I found out that zebra finches aren't the kind that are supposed to be able to live with canaries. But they all seem to be getting along, even feeding out of the same cup at the same time. The canary seems happier. Much more active anyway.

Isn't he a handsome fellow?

This one's sex is rather ambiguous as far as markings. The orange cheek patch indicates a male zebra finch. This one has a rather mutant color scheme with a hint of a patch on the right cheek and none on the left. I thought it was good looking, though, the white being unusual at least among the ones I've seen.

Cute little buggers, aren't they?