Big Guy Skittles

April 6, 2022

Skittles and Pops came to us as rescue birds, who knows what they had been through? They seemed to ritually regurgitate and feed each other a lot when they first came. Was it their way of coping with moves and living condition changes?

I called the female Pops, but that may have reversed their original
designations. Skittles was bright yellow colored on top, with red feathers
lower down. His coloring reminded me of the candy Skittles. Soon we renamed Pops Opaline, because that is what her coloring is called.

Opaline wanted to nest as soon as I started letting them out of their cage. She was frail and Tracie didn't want her to nest so I had to block their access to some spots they found. I regret not giving her more freedom.

Eventually Opaline gave up on nesting but other birds molested her because she was frail. She hid in a back corner of her cage a lot. But she also came out sometimes. She was careful in her movements, dainty. She loved Skittles.

Little Guy came to us too a little later, and he kept going over to Skittles, I assume because they had the same coloring. They became fast friends, and Opaline accepted Little Guy.

Opaline died maybe six months after we got her and Big Guy Skittles. She collapsed in her cage one day. I held her for a long time while her eyes were still open, trying to communicate love to her. Her eyes looked at me softly.

Big Guy and Little Guy became good friends.

Little Guy started nesting with Jack (Jacqueline); Big Guy would enter their cage when it was open. Jack tolerated him. Sometimes she chased him out, but never but him hard enough to draw blood.

Big Guy, often accompanied by Little Guy, used to go in all the other birds' cages when they were open. Mostly, the other birds tolerated them.

Today, maybe a year after Opaline died, Big Guy flew out the door.

We saw his bright yellow colors in nearby trees for a few hours.

We left an open cage with food on the back porch. I hope he knows he can come back. We miss him.

One time, he defended Tye and Chirpo's nest as three female lovebirds threatened it. He was very brave and seemed to know it was wrong for the lovebirds to harass the Cockatiels.

I got the sense, when looking in Big Guy's eyes, of a vast intelligence that
intrigued me and I wanted to learn from.

I wish he could tell us his story, and Opaline's story. This is my attempt ...