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| Name: |
Buddy
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Age: |
Three years old
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| Gender: |
Male
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Kind: |
Spangled Harlequin
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| Home: |
Port Elliot, South Australia
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G'day
I would like to introduce myself. My name is Buddy, and I was
born in a town called Port Elliot which is on the coastline of South
Australia. When I was old enough I was taken to a bird dealer along with
my family and friends and we were placed into a very large cage next to
many other cages with cockatoos and parrots.
Then, one day while I was minding my own business and preening my
feathers, I was taken by surprise when this large net captured me and I
was placed into a dark box with holes around it. Of course, I was scared
and fretting and all I could hear was my future owner's voice. She
introduced herself to me and was very gentle and tolerant while getting
to know me and she named me "Buddy". Eventually I built up trust towards
her and now we are inseparable; I follow her everywhere and whenever my
owner goes to visit her family in the city, I go with her and we all end
up having a good time catching up. I must admit though that I am quite
obnoxious, loud and bossy and when I look in the mirror I don't see me -
I see a wedged-tailed eagle and say "I am buddy, and I am strong!" but
when my owner puts my cage outside I can hear all the other birds that
are much larger than me like the Australian magpie and the crows. Then,
I am not so brave and loud - actually I keep very still and quiet till
they pass; thankfully my owner is nearby when that happens.
I love 'warbling' and 'chirruping' when the water tap is turned on and
when I hear the shower being turned on I fly into the bathroom and just
"lose myself" with the noise of the water. I have two girlfriends, one is
a statue which looks just like me and I am very protective of her and am
always trying to get some response from her but she just stares at me.
I bang my beak on her beak and I hop on her back and head but she never
seems to answer back - very frustrating! Then there is my other
girlfriend who does respond and she is "the bell" in the cage. I have
to say that she really gets my feathers standing on my head and I go all
puffy! She really 'starts my motor' so much that I bury my face under
the dome of the bell and whisper 'sweet nothings' to her; my owner and
her friend are always laughing at me when I do that because I lift my
leg up in the air as if I'm trying to grasp something while I'm talking
to the bell and I don't even realise that I'm doing it!!
Besides my silly antics I have learned to say a variety of words and
short sentences, like, "Would you like a cup of tea!" "Hello, what are
you doing?" "Buddy's a pest, yes you are!" and "Okay, bye!"- they are
just a few.
I have such a good life and my owner takes care of me well. Most nights
before I go to bed I'll fly over to her shoulder, puff myself up and
chatter to her or have a little snooze next to her cheek because of the
warmth I can feel from her when I'm sitting up close. I feel so
comfortable that I fall straight to sleep as you can see from my photo.
I love my food. I gobble down the millet spray and eat any leftovers
from my owner's meal and I'll gladly inspect any plate with leftovers to
see if there are any tasty morsels that I can nibble on that have been
forgotten.
I also have my toys which I guard from any wandering fingers that may
try to take them away from me. I have learnt not to bite too hard but I
do give a playful nip; my owner has a good time chasing my toys with her
fingers and I have a fun time chasing then away, plus it's good
exercise!
So, that's my story and I hope that you have enjoyed reading about me as
much as I have enjoyed sharing it with you!
"Okay, bye!!"
From your Aussie friend, Buddy...
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