About two weeks ago, my husband and I were talking about our parrot (Black-capped conure names Pippin).  We adopted Pippin over a year ago.  I must admit, this may have been one of my biggest pet mistakes…. (no, getting a male and female hamster was…)  Though he is adorable, smart and beautiful, he loves to bite toes (or anything else he can get his beak on) and deposits the contents of his digestive tract whenever (often) and wherever (everywhere) he wishes.  The fact of the matter is that my daughter and husband adore him.  Pippin is actually my husband’s almost constant companion.  Brooks (my husband) has trained him so well that when he goes outside where Pippin can fly around, he actually comes back, landing on your shoulder when he is hungry.  It’s been a bit rough for him this winter, though he does get out on some of the warmer days.

 So, the other night, Brooks (my husband) was saying, “Well at least Pippin can fly around outside 3 seasons of the year.”  I replied that I feared that one day he would get taken by a hawk.  Brooks concurred, but we both agreed that a short life with freedom was much better than being stuck in a cage.  (hmm… and interesting subject for later) 

 The next day, Brooks called me on my cell phone and told me that Pippin had just be “taken” by a hawk….  Sarah, our neice, saw it happen…. The hawk actually grabbed him from a tree and flew off.   It was horrible to think of the fear our poor little bird had to endure.  We hoped that his demise was a quick one.  I said, I guess in an attempt to make my husband feel better, that “if any bird could ever escape from a hawk, Pippin could!”  Well, I was proven right, when about 6 hours later in the dark, he flew back down to my husband’s shoulder while he was outside. 

Darwin’s theory in action?    hmm….