Thursday, June 13, 2013

Señor Gringo

This is our new bird, Gringo!



Our family had no intention of adding a feathered friend, but this was just fate. A while back at the park I found this bird sitting on a handrail in the middle of a bunch of kiddos. When I asked the moms standing around me whose bird it was, they all said it was not theirs. I then took it upon myself to save his little life. I wrapped him in my over-shirt (I am not fond of birds and did not want to get bitten) and  put him on my passenger seat. I strapped Augie in and we were off to get him some water and food. I called Forrest and he said we should keep him until we could find out who his real owner is. On the way home from the Petsmart I stopped at the Chick-fil-A drive through and got some food and a little cup of water for Gringo. He gulped it thankfully, hopped onto my thigh, and whistled a cat-call at me. That was the first moment I realized that this bird might not be Satan incarnate like most; any creature than can recognize my beauty, even when un-showered and sweaty must be a winner. Anyway, I brought him home and started researching what kind of bird he was, what he needed to live, and the best ways to find a lost bird's owner. For a few days I searched for the person who lost him, to no avail. In the mean time, I got to know him and as it turns out, he really likes me. As it also turns out, it is really hard to hate something that really likes you. Tertiarily, it turns out my husband is a big fan of birds. We are now bird owners. I knew we would end up keeping him when Forrest and I both started spending money on creature-comforts for him, unbeknownst to each other. 

He had a bit of a rough time bonding with Augie and Forrest at first, but he has calmed down about both of them since. 

Isn't my husband handsome!?



He is a low-maintenance, chilled out sort of person bird and he makes a few fun little sounds, including mimicking the song our washing machine makes upon completion of a load. We intend to take him to the vet to get checked out, sexed, and find out about how old he is. 

I have to admit that at first I desperately wanted to find his owner, because I don't like birds and did not want to be responsible for him. I was even intending on eventually finding a home for him if we didn't find who lost him. Now I have completely changed my mind. He is a super little love bird and I have adopted a finders-keepers sort of mentality.