Hot Tea

A mug of hot tea on a cold winter afternoon is a pleasant thing, don’t you think? I love to stand on the rim of the mug and feel the warm steam rising up through my feathers. Then, I dip the very tip of my beak into the mug and catch a drop of tea. I lick the tea drop off my beak with the end of my black tongue. Yummmmmmmmmmy. Warm tea tastes and feels so good. Chamomile is my favorite kind. What about you? What do you like to drink on a cold winter day?

I’ve Got Mail!

I often get asked questions about being a parrot, so today I thought I’d share some of the questions and answers with you.

Dear Shadow,
Why do you squawk so much?
Just Wondering

Dear Just Wondering,
The short answer is: I squawk because I’m a parrot. The long answer is: To communicate my feelings, needs, and desires. For example, I squawk if I see something scary looking, to let the rest of the flock know that danger is near. I squawk when I am happy because my person has come home or has put a seed treat in my dish. I squawk when I am angry. That’s usually when I am shut inside my cage and want to get out. These are just some of the reasons, but you can see how important squawking is to a parrot. It’s a very useful skill to have.

Dear Shadow,
You seem very youthful.
How old are you, anyway?
Curious

Dear Curious,
I was born in April of 1997, so I am almost 12 years old. That’s middle aged for a parrot of my species, but I have a very youthful spirit.

That’s all the mail I‘ll share for today. There will be more soon, so check back. If you have any questions for me, leave a comment or e mail me: parrot97 at earthlink dot net.

Movies

Do you like movies? I like to watch them sometimes. I like movies where people laugh because I love the sound of laughter. When I hear people laughing in a movie, I laugh right along with them. Sometimes I hear birds chirping in movies. When I was little, I thought they were real birds and I used to chirp back at them. I don’t do that anymore. I know it’s just a movie. So, movies are OK, but given a choice, I think I’d rather chew a book. What about you? Do like movies or books better? What kinds of movies do you like?

Winter Sounds

Winter can get pretty boring around here. It’s too cold to go for walks in my carrier, so I just stay inside day after day, week after week. I pass the time by listening to the sounds all around me. It’s a quiet time of year, but here are some sounds I hear often: the furnace turning on and the hot air coming out of the heater; the washing machine agitating; the hum of the refrigerator; cars whooshing by; snowplows scraping snow off the road; a distant train whistle. Well, now that I’ve listed them, I guess there are a lot of sounds to listen to in winter. But I can’t wait for spring so I can go outside and listen to the birds and insects. What about you? What sounds do you hear in the winter?

Parrot New Year’s Resolutions

This year, I resolve to be the best parrot I can be. I resolve to squawk as much and as well as I can. I resolve to sit on my perch and preen my feathers daily. I resolve to squawk and splash as much as I can when I take a bath. I resolve to eat seed treats often. I resolve to scatter crumbs everywhere whenever I eat. I resolve to chew every chewable thing that comes my way. I resolve to be cute and cuddly and ask for head scratches all the time. In short, I resolve to be a parrot. Hey, I already am. What’s with this New Year’s resolution business, anyway?