On our way out to an afternoon barbeque, my boyfriend and I noticed a small, bright yellow bird (my first guess is that this is a parakeet) sitting in the gutter of my driveway. It was too pretty and colorful to be an average wild bird so we both concluded that it was surely someone’s pet that had somehow escaped. After snapping a few photos, we figured the wings were clipped and tried an approach but the bird promptly fluttered up and out of our reach. It landed rather perfunctorily in our neighbor’s driveway and nibbled at nearby seeds. Despite our efforts to lure it with bread crumbs and trap it with an umbrella, it perched itself on a rooftop and was decidedly ready to die in the massive suburban ecosystem. After a few moments, we decided our attempts to recapture the escapee were futile. So long, sucker. I would’ve treated you like a king.

The episode rekindled my persistent desire to own a bird and I am now determined to purchase one. I’ve never had a bird before so Googling for just the right breed is important. I recieved mixed results on the best breeds and the level of maintenance involved in caring for a bird. But the majority of bird owners irk me, particularly those who allow birds to peck at their teeth, eat seeds off their heads or create web pages completely decorated in prayers for animals (I would think the novelty of a bird in a shirt pocket would have worn off by now but people seem to think this is a neat new trick). I’m narrowing my interests to the cockatiel and the adorably bright lovebirds. I probably won’t actually make a purchase until sometime in my fall semester when I’ve managed to pay off all my credit card bills and long after I’ve grown sick and tired of my DS Lite (which, by the way, should come in tomorrow). If only they had a pet bird simulation game on the DS Lite, I would be set.

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