Houdini and BlueBell.

The little yellow and green parakeet that I found in the backyard last year must have escaped from his cage...... we named him Houdini when he flew into a little cage I had put up under the rose arbor.  I just knew he had been someone's pet bird, just because he would stay close to me when I was out in the yard.  So the cage in the arbor, complete with fresh birdseed and water, became his new home.  I brought the cage into the house, of course, and we went to PetCo and bought another parakeet (blue and white) to keep Houdini company.  (My husband was joking last year that the 'free bird' ended up costing us fifty dollars.)

During this past year, both Houdini and BlueBell became the best of friends, chirping and singing and tossing birdseed out of their cage so my 'dust-buster' thing could get some use. 

Being that we were away for a week, I thought the parakeets would like an hour or two on the balcony.... it was a very pretty day, the balcony was in the shade, no breeze, and the birds were used to getting fresh air out there at least two or three times a week.   I put the cage on the little table that I keep out there just for the cage.

Less than an hour later, I went back out to the balcony to bring the cage inside before the sun got to that part of the balcony.  I stood there in total disbelief........... the cage was fine, still on the little table, but the door to the cage was open and of course the birds weren't in there.  I stood there, just staring at the cage, and I could hear both Houdini and BlueBell up in the pecan trees, singing and chirping very happily.  I called out to Houdini, and he chirped back at me, just like he always did when he was in his cage.  I didn't expect him to fly back.......... which would you pick--- a bird cage or a pecan tree?

I paced around the house, telling my husband what happened, and also telling him that I knew that the door to the cage was closed when I put it out there. I checked that little door every time I walked past the cage, so I know the birds didn't open that door.  If they were able to do that, they would have opened it a long time ago.  We left the cage right where it was, with the door open, hoping the parakeets would fly back into it.  My husband started singing "Fly, robin, fly...."

My husband and I had lunch on the front porch that day. Every once in a while, I would hear the parakeets, way up in the pecan trees.  Halfway through lunch, I heard a slight rattling of the cage up on the balcony.  I ran down the front steps and looked up.... and there was a squirrel, with half of his body inside the bird cage, his head probably in the little dish with the birdseed.  I think I screamed out "What the hell?!"  and the squirrel backed out of the cage, jumped on the railing of the balcony, then he jumped up to the roof and ran under an eave.

So there was our answer.... that's how the door to the cage got opened, and that's how the parakeets flew out.  Stupid squirrel.  I was so mad that I told my husband to set up a trap, to shoot the squirrel, to do something to get rid of that stupid squirrel.   I know that squirrels are very clever, and I know how they can get into just about every bird-feeder known to man, but never in a million years would I have thought a squirrel would even try to open up a bird cage.

We kept two cages outside for three days.... one on the balcony, one in the pecan tree.... the little doors were open so the parakeets could fly into them, and I was going up and down the stairs every fifteen minutes, hoping to see either Houdini or BlueBell inside the cages.   Each cage had fresh water and birdseed, but the only creature that was enjoying both was the squirrel.  

I finally gave up. I brought the cages inside.  I haven't heard the parakeets up in the pecan trees since late Sunday afternoon.  My husband thinks they have moved on, and he's probably right.  He offered to go and buy two more parakeets, one green and yellow, one blue and white.  I told him I didn't want to replace the birds.  If they come back, fine. If not, that's fine too.  They're birds, and they're probably having the time of their life.... and I hope they stayed together.

But just in case Houdini does remember the bird feeder out under the rose arbor, I've been filling it up with birdseed every morning.  When I go out into the yard or out by the coop, I look up in the rose arbor to see if his green and yellow feathers are peeking out like they did last year.  If I see him, I will put his cage out under the arbor........ like I did last year when it took him all of three seconds to fly into the cage and jump on the little swing.

It just gets me so mad to know that I was out-smarted by a stupid squirrel. I was always so careful with those birds... never did I think that putting the cage out on the balcony or the porch would be an invitation to a squirrel.  Stupid squirrel.  Stupid me.