Monday, July 12, 2010

Happy Birthday, Bird Whisperer!

While still in high school and college, Wes' friends gave him the nickname of Bird. While at the Bird Sanctuary in Hong Kong Park recently, Wes had an up-close-and personal encounter with a feathered parrot friend who thought Wes was absolutely his BEST FRIEND ever!
Let me explain that this was a free-flight zone in the aviary. We saw so many birds perched on tree branches. You can imagine that the birds there were quite different (and more colorful) than those we would see here in the US.
Perhaps it was the red shirt Wes was wearing. Perhaps it was the scent of Wes. Perhaps it was just because Wes was Wes, but this one colorful parrot certainly singled him out!
First the parrot landed on the railing next to Wes. (And I started taking pictures.) Then, the bird hopped closer and closer. Up on Wes' shoulder. (More pictures when I should have been paying more attention to Wes' facial cues.) Then, finally when the parrot started going down into Wes' shirt collar I finally snapped to it and heard his pleas coming, "Deb, get this bird OFF of me!!"
Seeing as I am a non-violent sort and also in a bird sanctuary, I stalled. How does one get an exotic bird out of a shirt collar? By this time those close by are starting to give audience to the situation. I know! The umbrella I'm holding might work! I partially opened it and fluttered it near to the bird and that did the trick...the parrot flew to a nearby tree branch.
Relief for Wes. And, as today is his birthday, I wish him all the best with NO birds for Bird like this encounter in the coming year!

2 comments:

Spirit Bear said...

Hilarious! I would have freaked. When I saw the bird, I thought it was one of your blanket projects! The colors are unbelievable. I don't think I could enter a "free fly" aviary.help.

Lindahl News 2 said...

Patricia, you might have been freaked in this place...it was the biggest free-fly aviary we'd ever seen!

Poor Wes - I thought it was pretty funny as it was happening, but not so much for him, apparently.