Yes, it's true - we now have a parrot in our back yard! How cool is that? As best I can figure, it's not a wild parrot...it seems a lot bigger than the pictures I've been able to find of Monk parrots or parakeets (this guy definitely couldn't sit on my finger!) but he doesn't seem as bright green as the Eclectus parrot. For scale, the iron curve he's sitting on in this picture is 17" long. It's quite shy (which is why the picture isn't great, had to take it through the window and screen), but listens closely to vocalizations. Why "Ike?" Well, I called our vet tech Saturday morning to find out what - if anything - I should be doing for said parrot, and she suggested Ike. In "honor" of the hurricane, of course, but it also fits because we name all the girls after songs. And Ike Turner just died. Even more fitting, perhaps, both Ikes turned out to be bastards. So, for now we're putting out Velveeta cheese (in the squirrel's suet holder), and peanuts. However, the girls have already learned to troll for peanuts, so we have to figure out a platform of sorts to put the nuts on where the parrot can get to them and the girls can NOT. Also, the vet tech said red peppers - the hotter the better! Don't think I'm going to go there, though. Any and all suggestions welcome.
