Poppet Tales

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For those of you who have read my other blogs you will know that Poppet is our little lovebird who is the survivor of an original pair.
Poppet has a nice large cage of his own, (assuming it is a he as it has never laid eggs) with large box for roosting in. This stands outside in the summer with the cage door open so that Poppet can come and go as he pleases.
During the winter this cage and another the same size used to be in the old sunroom. This has now been demolished to make way for the extension which is under way. The other cage contains lots of Zebra Finches which will one day be housed in an avairy, when it gets built!
Poppet has decided that sleeping quarters are now in my ceiling up-lighter, not good but preferable to his last choice which was behind the electricity meter box amongst the wires! With his penchant for chewing things (the meter readers card was shredded) he was quickly turfed out of there and has been roosting outside, probably in the grape vine in the derelict greenhouse, but never really sure where.
We have the window open for him to come and go and visit the two ring-neck parrakeets which live in a huge cage in the living room. He pops in, eats their food, bathes in their water, chases the very nervous male and has sparring matches with the female. Having exhausted the fun in that he pops out again.
He travels at least 1/4 mile up and down the road and I get stories of his doings there!
With him flying free the only danger was the sparrow-hawk. Two weeks ago the ultimate happened!
While sitting in my bed drinking my morning tea I could hear his little voice outside flying about, this changed to squawks and getting up to investigate, found a heap of green and peach feathers under the greengage tree. Rang Hubby at work and said the worst has happened the sparrow-hawk has got Poppet, I don’t think we will see him again!
That evening Poppet appeared in his cage, much the worse for wear, all his chest feathers gone, mark round his neck and completely silent. Moved the cage into the hall and shut him in.
The next day while moving perches so he could get to food easier, out he darted and sat on the outside door, so let him into the living room with the parrakeets. Still silent so thought he might have lost his voice from shock!
In the heat we had the window open and the curtains closed, later forgetting Poppet, I opened the curtains to get some light – and Poppet was gone again.
Now he has started to grow his feather again, found his voice and flies with the swallows, sparrows and doves up and down the road where he fancies.
We did try to keep him shut in but he went frantic, so it seems cruel to confine a bird which is used to flying free. Perhaps a short life, but a happy one is better than a prison cell of a cage. Hopefully he will now be more wary, perhaps he thought he could bully it like he does all the other birds, he is definitely ‘top dog’ with everything else.

Pic. 1 – Poppets cage, perhaps I better put a ‘to let’ sign up!

Pic.s 2 & 3 – Poppet sitting on the outside of the parrakeets cage.

Pic. 4 – Poppet in the act of going outside to fly free.

Pic. 5 – My light fitting, now Poppets new sleeping quarters!

Pic. 6 & 7 – General view of our Norfolk skies, can you blame him for wanting to be flying free?

Just one problem, where is his cage going in the winter, do I want to live with the window open so he can come and go?

• 16 Aug, 2013
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