# Friendly feral?!



## Snowy_pied_chic (Feb 19, 2009)

I'd never seen this feral before (no band) but about a week ago she just walked right over to my cage of rehabs and started talking to them. she seemed to know one and he fluttered down to the bottom of the cage and began to converse with her. she looked hungry so i walked over, fully expcting her to fly off, but she didn't, she just stared at me as if i was a familiar face. the flock that i usually see is quite a small one, a family of about 15 birds. they are all interrelated as i can see that they all have the characteristic "white tailfeather", a single white tailfeather on the far left of their tail. This bird does not. Was she the mate of my rehab (Hermes) ?
Today she was back again, except she'd somehow managed to find her way into my food storage and she was feasting on my supply of milo seeds... 
I must have left the door open...anyway, when she saw me ran into the back of the room, where i keep spare cages and she ran into the nearest cage and stood realy still. so i picked her up and looked at her closely, she was a seemingly healthy bird with a beautiful neck...
so then i relseased her, but she flew stubbornly back and sat on top of the aviary, talking to Hermes. 
Is there a way of...i dunno...luring her away. Why is she so interested in Hermes???


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

If she wants to be there so much and is so tame, maybe she should stay. That is really unusual behavior....especially that you could so easily pick her up.


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## Snowy_pied_chic (Feb 19, 2009)

*Odd...*

yes, i agree. i can see her right now, trying to steal some food from the seed dish. she just stood there and let me pick her up, minimal struggle. i wonder if she belonged to somebody...


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

I'll bet she did. Let the dear little thing in.
Maybe you can dress her up and take a cute picture.


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## lwerden (May 31, 2008)

Sounds like this bird must have belonged to someone as she has such little fear of humans. Also you said she went right into a cage. The fact that she is all alone and not with a mate is of some concern as well. Sounds like she has chosen your rehabs as her flock. She also sounds like she's hungry trying to get at the food. She and your Hermes are already good friends, why not take her in she sounds and looks so sweet and needy.


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## Snowy_pied_chic (Feb 19, 2009)

*Don't mind if i do...*

I accept your challenge! This is going to be funnnnnnnn....
P.S Pooper now does the 'night shift' nest duty. Hmm, i wonder if he sleeps on the job.
Here she is on the garage rooftop. (it's a rainy day)








I lured her down with some wild bird seed... and, to my surprise, she hopped into my hands and started to eat!
so i dressed her up a bit (Pooper was pretty ticked off...) 
and took these pictures. It looks like the camera 'loves' her too! 








(the flower was a bit dewy but she didn't seem to mind)








(though it looks like i'm pushing her down, she was sliding down the heel so i had to hold her in place...)


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

OH MY...You are such a character...can't help but smile at your antics. Love the pictures.

What will you name this lovely new feral?


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## Snowy_pied_chic (Feb 19, 2009)

*Names...*

I didn't think that much about a name to be perfectly honest...
how about something like Cleopatra, you know... a female bird with a large, hooked nose...
(at least, i think she's female. it'd be a bit of an insult to name a male pijie Cleo)


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Where do you live?


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## Snowy_pied_chic (Feb 19, 2009)

Why do you ask? 

P.S I live in NSW, Australia.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Just curious...that's all.


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Lol, how funny. She was probably raised by someone who released her when she got big enough. Good thing you found her and not someone who doesn't like pigeons!


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## Snowy_pied_chic (Feb 19, 2009)

*?*

Was it the picture?


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

LOL...the flowers.


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## Snowy_pied_chic (Feb 19, 2009)

*replies*

Yes, flowers are in bloom. i found this camelia outside the feeding shed (oh, no i've left the door open again, she's flying inside...)
and it fitted so snugly on her head. She didn't like having a hat, though, i think she'dve preferred it as a brooch. 
anyhow, i'll have to get her out of the feeding shed now...
RELIEF...(about 5 mins later...)
luckily, no more of my seeds have been eaten. i locked the door as i went out. but as i was chasing her out i noticed that there was another little pijie with her, a fledgling that she was sitting with. it must have followed her there. here is a pic:
(in my "transport" cage)








she seemed to be "mothering" it. 
Now, i can see them both on top of hermes's cage, and they are lying on their sides, relaxing. Oh, hang on...the fledgling has a white tailfeather...
perhaps she knows the flock as well. this younster doesn't seem so tame, though. he's just flown away to the Food Shed. 
now he's trying to get in again...
should i catch her and put her in my 'rehabs' cage?


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

HOLY SHEEP! Your little flock is growing by the hour. If the young one is with the new tame feral, then I guess you should. Especially if he has a white feather.


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## Snowy_pied_chic (Feb 19, 2009)

*Quarantine*

And now that i've managed to sneeeeakily catch them (milo seeds in transport cage) i've put them in quarantine. young fledgling is a bit thin, but not emanciated. Odd, he still pecks the other's beak for food even though i saw him eating milo seeds. he doesn't like being touched (bit me) and doesn't seem to like the camera either, so it looks like this little guy was NOT destined to become the next Pij-Miranda Kerr.
The flock is circling around my street, i saw them a moment ago flying by. 
p.s i've also got one fantail in quarantine next to them, i think she has mites. should i move her someplace else?
(hehe, a fantail called homer. i got a laugh out of my brother yesterday when i was telling him about her. the conversation went a bit like this:
Me: try as i might, i still can't teach my little homer to home!
Bro:Why? isn't it kinda, uh, natural?
Me:No
Bro:WHAT?! 
Me: Duh! Fantails don't home!
Sorry, a bit off the topic...)
So right now the flock has landed in my garden again. And...now they've just flown away...(magpies, they think my garden is THEIR TURF).
Anyway, i think i have to close the food shed again, the flock has just landed outside the shed, i left the door open when i caught the 2 pijies with the transport cage. Yes, i'm THAT forgetful. Mum doesn't think i'll ever manage to finish reading that book on paediatrics...


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Why don't you just dust them all for mites? It wouldn't hurt and you wouldn't need to move any of them.
I'll be anxious to find out how many others join your flock.


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## Snowy_pied_chic (Feb 19, 2009)

*Just Dusted!*

yes, i've just dusted the birds. (the flock were still trying to steal more of my milo seeds...why do they like them so much?!) 
i hope they don't start nesting on my roof!


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## tuxedobaby (Sep 9, 2008)

what a nice feral,,she may have been a pet,usually ferals are slightly wary,having said that,some of ours have lost the shyness and come up and handfeed


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## Snowy_pied_chic (Feb 19, 2009)

*Hermes is now married!*

As you know, this little pijie that i caught (the one with a camelia on it's head) was bonding with Hermes yesterday. Today, i saw them mating! (incidentally, it is female. i just checked.) they like to preen each other and are sitting on a lone perch-Hermes's perch-and kissing each other. 
I wonder if there will be any  babies... 
I rescued Hermes a few months back after i noticed there were strange lumps on his feet that caused him to curl his toes inwards while he was walking (that is cured now, the only lasting symptom is a little weakness in his toes so he sometimes slides off the smoother perches or rolls backwards when he is asleep)
He was a naughty bird who liked to hit me with his wings whenever i had to check his feet. Now we play games when i say 'doctor, doctor, foot doctor' he will slap me with his wings and woop loudly until the foot doctor says "diagnosis complete!" This is a very (cough) rapid diagnosis, which usually takes an average of 1 minute.
He is almost completely black, with feathers all the way down to his feet and a strangely short, stubby tail (which is also black). 
I have yet to rehab a blue-barred feral. Come to think of it, i haven't seen many of those around here anyway...
The younger feral is a strange bird, he will annoy all the others by protecting the food bowl so nobody can eat from it, only himself.
I thinkyou'll be able to guess which seeds he eats first...
Yess... you were correct! Milo seeds! i've decided to call him 'milo' in their honour. 
does anybody have any names for Hermes's new wife? They'd be very much appreciated!


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