Thomas was reading a magazine and I asked him to grab Beeps off of the stand to protect him from Max. Max then flew to the table and stared at Beeps. Thomas said to Max, "The nerve of you trying to intimidate him when he's under my protection!" Of course this made me laugh.
By the time I grabbed the camera, Max had stepped up on Thomas and he was giving her a lecture (no doubt ignored) about being part of a family and not attacking Beeps.Beeps loves hearing his name, so when Thomas was telling Max not to attack him, he heard the repetition of his name and started dancing. We just love it when he dances, so Thomas started singing his name, setting him off even more. Max, who dances frequently, especially when there's music on that she likes, stubbornly refuses to dance when we sing Beeps's name.
9 comments:
So much fun! Did Beeps live with a cockatiel or do caiques always make that noise?
I have listened a few times, but I'm not entirely sure what sound you're referring to :) There is so much going on. Beeps is actually making this low sound that you can't hear on the video (poor quality) that he always makes when he dances. In fact, if we're not looking at him, it's the way we know he's dancing because he only makes this sound when he dances.
The chirping sounds are being made by the greys and my other caique, Calypso. The greys are almost doing it in unison, but it's hard to tell because of the background noise.
The constant repeating of the word "Beeps" is my husband getting him to dance.
And then Vampire Weekend is going loudly on the CD player :)
I don't know much about their backgrounds or what birds they lived with before coming to live with me. I know Stella came from a pet store originally, so was probably around some tiels.
I do love tiel sounds, though. So soothing!
Also, the more I think about it, Rocky spent about 4 months at the rescue, Calypso spent about 3 months there, and Stella spent a week there before they came to live with us, so they definitely could have picked up sounds of other birds, including tiels.
It took Stella less than a week to perfect a (loud) imitation of our budgie. That cracks me up every time -- hearing a budgie sound coming so loudly out of a grey!
They are so cute, Mary!
Thanks, BP. They really are something else!
Anonymous, here. The sound at 6 seconds, sounds just like a cockatiel contact call to me. But, then, I live with cockatiels and have never met a caique.
I really love Beeps' dance. My cockatiels sway in rythmn when we sing to them. Sadly, they don't do anything as dramatic as dancing, but you can tell that they like the songs.
Elizabeth,
Thanks for clarifying the time; although I should have realized that's what you were talking about :) From what I can tell, that's the sound my greys do when they want something. Stella's in the living room in her cage (because the stove was on) and when she makes the noise, the others often do it also. She very well could have stolen it from a tiel :)
My parents' tiels don't dance either, but the males whistle when you sing to them and the female looks interested, like it sounds yours do.
Thanks for sharing different stories of your tiels in the comments -- let me know if you ever start a blog! I love hearing stories showcasing the personalities of the smaller guys since they are so often overlooked in favor of the big ones, but the little ones, when allowed to reach their potential, are absolutely amazing! And often better able to integrate in our homes, as well!
I'm so glad you like my comments! I was starting to worry that it might look like I was trying to draw all the attention to me.
;-)
I agree with you about the blogs, and my guys are so funny, I could write at least one story a week.
I love your blog. You and your husband are so wonderfully dedicated. We had an African grey when I was growing up (he passed away from natural causes). I would love to have another, but I could never give one the level of attention that you guys give and that they require.
Such a melodious voice Thomas has!
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