Class Column Cockatoo

My Cornell Alumni Magazine arrived in the mail today and I am delighted to see that class columnist Brad Mehl included a mention of this blog from the news I sent in!  See text below:

Other classmates have been busy creating websites and blogs. Want to see a fun one? Go to http://www.cockatoochronicles.blogspot.com/. This site is a quirky blog from Alison Minton about her pet parrot. The parrot is an umbrella cockatoo who has done some professional modeling (he's registered with an animal agency). Alison reports "at home he does and says lots of really cute and funny things. He speaks pretty well and often shocks everyone with what he communicates. Everyone is always asking me about him (and my other parrot) and asking to see photos and meet them and have their kids meet them, etc., so I decided to create a fun blog with lots of photos and some videos. It's going to be called 'The Cockatoo Chronicles' and hopefully will entertain and educate people about these highly intelligent animals, many species of which are endangered or protected due to loss of rainforest habitat."

Thanks Brad!  Chris the Cockatoo and I appreciate it.

Holly Look-A-Like

Recently a friend gave me a parrot razor that looks like Holly.   I've lined up a photo of Holly on the left with a photo of the razor on the right.  Not exactly a mirror image, but close enough.

The curious part is that in the accompanying note she wrote:  "This razor is by no means any suggestion you should use it on your throat or wrists."  Hmmm......the birds do drive me crazy sometimes, and I may even occasionally say I'm going to jump out the window because of their antics, but I didn't realize I needed an intervention!  Maybe it's time for a vacation sans parrots.

Easter Chicks

Yesterday was Easter and Chris & Holly had an exciting day. The Easter Bunny brought them presents and Barbara came to visit and brought them a special treat.

Chris & Holly also got some early Easter gifts and have been playing with them for a couple of weeks. Mostly Chris has been playing and driving me, Holly and the cats nuts. The birdbabies got a toy duck and a toy chick that make noise. Chris commandeered them both and all we hear now is quacking or chirping for 30 minutes at a time. At first the cats thought there was another bird in here, but now they just go in my bedroom and hide. Holly starts to protest the noise after a while and I try to block it out, but no luck. You can hear the chick briefly in this video:


The duck is louder (and possibly more annoying):




Fortunately, Chris & Holly also got gifts that don't make noise, like fun sunglasses in assorted colors:

Sporting some yellow shades

and Easter themed foam masks. Chris & Holly love to play with the masks and tear them apart. I put a blue bunny mask on Chris' back, but he didn't love that idea so he quickly stepped out of it.

Birdie got bunny back

Stepping out of the bunny mask

Chris liked it much better when I wore the mask.   He sat on my head and gave me a new hairdo to go with my new bunny face.

 

Alison sporting a bunny mask and a cockatoo hat

Barbara arrived mid-afternoon and all the boys (avian & feline) were happy to see her.  She brought cans of tuna for the kitty boys and an egg pie for Chris & Holly.  (Quiche is known around here as 'egg pie'.)  They gobbled some up in the evening after Barbara left.  But, while Barbara was here she was the main attraction for Chris. 

Chris perched on Barbara's shoulder

Chris was upset when Barbara had to leave so we went downstairs with her and escorted her into the car.  Usually Chris is in the car and we are leaving Barbara's house, but today it was the opposite.  Chris made kissy noises at her and I let him peer into the car so he could say his final 'good bye' for the day.  But, just before Barbara left Chris said "Happy Birthday."  Barbara's birthday is this month and I did tell Chris that we were going to see Barbara in a few weeks for her birthday.  Chris loves the birthday song and can say "birthday to you" but I've never heard him say "happy birthday" before.  I hesitate to think this was a coincidence.  We'll see if he says it again when we go up for her birthday. 

Before bedtime we watched Easter Parade and Chris and Holly got a last Easter treat: Easter Bunny Pez dispensers.  Chris loves Pez dispensers and pulls out all the candy and then tears the dispenser apart.  Then he plays with the heads.  As of now Easter Bunny Pez is still in tact, but I'm sure that won't last long. 

Chris rubbing his head against his Easter Bunny Pez

Holly's Easter Bunny Pez sans Holly who refused to pose with it.