Bedtime

Not the prettiest photo but I thought it was worth a post. This is Mooky in his bed. It’s a big round pillow covered with a twin size fitted sheet. When it starts to get dark out Mooky will ask for his Blankie as he calls it. If I don’t respond to him quickly he repeats “Blankie, Blankie, Blankie!” He sleeps there until I go to bed and then I’ll put him in his cage but first he'll have a poop in the toilet and a drink of water. I make sure he poops first because he won't poop in his cage. I know probably too much information. And sometimes as a real treat I’ll let him stay under his Blankie all night!

Wild Parrots of San Gabriel Valley

Bill was actually lucky enough to get a couple of photos of the wild parrots that have become residents of the San Gabriel Valley. I say lucky because they usually perch very high up and never, that I have seen, come down to the ground. After reading a few articles it seems there are over 8 different species. This one I think is a Red-Crowned Amazon. Several rumors circulate regarding there presence the most common being that a pet store burned down and the parrots escaped. I have no idea what the truth is but since I'm a parrot/bird lover I think they're great to have around even though they can be a bit noisy.

Mooky of course could care less about them since I don’t believe he considers himself a bird!

Sunday Morning Fun

A few months back Mooky decided that on Sunday morning he was going to make a big mess (for me) by chewing the newspaper I use to line his perch. I’m not sure how he knows it’s Sunday but I think it’s because on Sunday mornings I make breakfast and we all eat together. I even make him his own little breakfast sometimes it’s a boiled egg that I mash up or tiny little pancakes. After he’s had enough to eat he climbs down his perch and turns into a shredding machine. And by the look on his face you can see he takes it very seriously.

Lonely Dove

I have a birdbath in the front yard among my Japanese maple & Gardena bushes. It is frequently visited by Morning Doves, Blue Jays, Starlings & Wild Finches.

Occasionally I have even found the neighbor's big black & white cat perched on it hoping that maybe, just maybe the birds won’t notice that he’s a CAT.

Is Nothing Private Anymore

Little candid moments like this one used to be just between Mooky and myself but now since Mooky's Hood nothings sacred. Last night I was putting Mooky in his cage when he grabbed a hold of his cage cover and flopped over on his back trying to avoid the inevitable. Well needless to say the first thought that popped into to my head was this is a Blog Moment... so I ran & grabbed my camera while he layed there patiently and let me take his photo.

I think he's a ham at heart.

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Where Do All The Peanuts Go?

Each morning I put out 6 peanuts on the railing of our deck for the pair of Blue Jays that have made our yard their home. 6 peanuts a day equals 2,190 peanuts per year... that's a lot of peanuts. Obviously they eat them and I've watched them carefully bury/hide them in the yard and I've also withnessed the squirrels wait for the Jays to fly off before they go and reap the rewards. I also wonder if my neighbors find peanuts in their yards when gardening?

Glamour Shot

We have Mooky's perch near the sliding glass door so he can look out into the backyard and also communicate with Bill when he is up in his art studio working. This shot is from the outside in. I call it a glamour shot because of the way the light hit the screen making it look golden almost romantic, if you will. I know that's a stretch.

Mooky Flying Into Painting

I'm not sure why Mooky does this but it is sort of fun to watch. I know the video is a little slow/long in some spots but hang in there the last shot is the best!

One weekend I was sitting on the sofa wathing TV and I heard Mooky taking brief flights off of his perch. When I turned around he just stood there like he wasn't up to anything. So I waited patiently with camera in hand for him to do it again and of course he couldn't help himself. Maybe he really likes the painting or maybe he thinks it's a portal into another world.

Anyone else out there ever see your bird do something like this?

Blogging

Mooky wasn't happy with me posting pictures of chickens on his blog so he decided to take matters into his own feet.

Chickens

On one of our weekend bike rides we were lucky enough to find a farm not far from our home with these beautiful, fat chickens. At first the chickens were hiding in their barn but the owners were kind enough to throw seed to them so they would come out so we could take pictures. I don't remember what kind of chickens the owners said they were but after a little research online I believe they are Cochin Chickens. If there are any chicken experts out there... please correct me if I'm wrong.

Mooky's Turkey Friend

This picture was taken a few years ago in Big Sur where we rented a cabin off the beaten path. It was very quiet but the best part for me were the wild turkeys & chickens roaming around. This one turkey (you have to look very closely) took a liking to Mooky. He would come up to the window and stare in. We were actually surprised that Mooky wasn't afraid of the turkey... maybe he figured out he was safe behind the window or maybe he liked the turkey too.

The Sack Destroyer

This is an invention we came up with for Mooky that we call "The Sack." It is made out of standard size lunch bags, an empty cardboard paper towel roll cut in half & corks. It's filled with dried pasta & peanuts and then hung from his perch. Unfortunately when he really concentrates on getting the treats out it doesn't take him long to destroy "The Sack." Luckily he hasn't lost interest in it, like he did with store bought parrot toys.

Shower Curtain Rod

Mooky loves to perch on the shower curtain rod... when we don't remember to shut the bathroom door he will fly to it the first chance he gets.

One morning while having my tea outside I was lucky enough to get a good picture of this humming bird enjoying a taste of the Cape Honeysuckles!

Geese

I know these are geese and they weren't really in Mooky's Hood! We took a walk last Sunday around a local park which as you can see had an abundance of geese & ducks and we even saw one swan.

Mooky's Portrait

This is a portrait of Mooky done by Bill Wray. He has a kernel of corn in his foot and the evil eye expression he so often directs towards Bill!

Mooky & His Ducky

In time the duckys are chewed up into little pieces of rubber!

Mooky In His Cage

Mooky reluctantly coming out of his cage.

This is strange because he always reluctantly goes in his cage!

Crazy Bathing Bird

Mooky doesn’t like bathing much. Sometimes I think it’s more to entertain himself or a way to interact with us. He’ll run around his perch as I try to trickle water on his head with my fingers. It’s fun to watch how excited he gets but not fun to clean up the mess that he makes. Water gets everywhere except for on him!