The bird got me in trouble ...

[Pepper]

As many of you know, I am mommy to an extremely large, EXTREMELY LOUD Blue and Gold Macaw. Large birds will immitate almost any sound they hear, and the previous owners of this particular bird must have screamed at each other a lot, because it's one of her favorite sounds. They also said "HUH?" and "WHAT?" very emphatically, loudly and often as well. Sadly, she seems to enjoy these sounds and words immensely, as they comprise her daily vocabulary of vocalizations.

So bearing that in mind, and with the knowledge that my 89 year old mother-in-law lives with us, imagine this ...

About half an hour ago the Laconia Police Department dispatches an officer to my house. I answer the door and the kind officer says "I'm looking for Mrs. so-and-so." I say, "She's here, come on inside".

He proceeds to tell me that they received a call from an insurance company (whom my mother-in-law had been speaking to on the phone a short while earlier). The caller indicated that as they were finishing their conversation Mrs. so-and-so screamed and then the line went dead!

Imagine this poor officer's face when I cracked up laughing at this statement. I then introduced him to the cause of the screaming sound, and needless to say he was amused. I can't imagine what in the world the poor guy will write on the report for this call!

Meanwhile, my mother-in-law is in her bedroom still trying to resolve the original issue with the insurance company. When she finally finished, and I told her what happened she laughed so hard I though I was going to have to call the ambulance!

What next?

[idigtractors]

Originally Posted by Pepper

As many of you know, I am mommy to an extremely large, EXTREMELY LOUD Blue and Gold Macaw. Large birds will immitate almost any sound they hear, and the previous owners of this particular bird must have screamed at each other a lot, because it's one of her favorite sounds. They also said "HUH?" and "WHAT?" very emphatically, loudly and often as well. Sadly, she seems to enjoy these sounds and words immensely, as they comprise her daily vocabulary of vocalizations.

So bearing that in mind, and with the knowledge that my 89 year old mother-in-law lives with us, imagine this ...

About half an hour ago the Laconia Police Department dispatches an officer to my house. I answer the door and the kind officer says "I'm looking for Mrs. so-and-so." I say, "She's here, come on inside".

He proceeds to tell me that they received a call from an insurance company (whom my mother-in-law had been speaking to on the phone a short while earlier). The caller indicated that as they were finishing their conversation Mrs. so-and-so screamed and then the line went dead!

Imagine this poor officer's face when I cracked up laughing at this statement. I then introduced him to the cause of the screaming sound, and needless to say he was amused. I can't imagine what in the world the poor guy will write on the report for this call!

Meanwhile, my mother-in-law is in her bedroom still trying to resolve the original issue with the insurance company. When she finally finished, and I told her what happened she laughed so hard I though I was going to have to call the ambulance!

What next?

OK, which one is going to go. The bird or the mother-in-law???

[Lexxi]

Only things like that could happen to you Pepper !!!!! I hope all is going well and can't wait to see you and the gang at your new place !!!!!

[twoplustwo]

oh man, I bet the dispatchers are all cracking up sharing that story today! Maybe you need some more pacifying input for her, like Oprah or some Grateful Dead albums

[Newbiesaukee]

Very funny....In Florida where we live (when we are not really living at the Lake) there are a few breeding flocks (4-6 birds) of yellow and blue macaws. Even flying, they make a racket, I can only imagine what they sound like indoors.

[Pepper]

Originally Posted by idigtractors

OK, which one is going to go. The bird or the mother-in-law???

I must refrain from answering, as it may get me in further trouble.

[Pepper]

Originally Posted by twoplustwo

oh man, I bet the dispatchers are all cracking up sharing that story today! Maybe you need some more pacifying input for her, like Oprah or some Grateful Dead albums

I'm considering psychotherapy ... for me!

Originally Posted by Newbiesaukee

Very funny....In Florida where we live (when we are not really living at the Lake) there are a few breeding flocks (4-6 birds) of yellow and blue macaws. Even flying, they make a racket, I can only imagine what they sound like indoors.

Imagine it with high ceilings, hardwood and tile floors! Hence, the statement above~

[brk-lnt]

Funny story.

Macaws are great birds, lots of personality. I still have some scars on my fingers from Macaws that I tamed many years ago...

[riverat]

Great story Pepper, I have a lifelong buddy named Nikko who is an African Grey with a vast vocabulary and not all of it proper, who can open his yak and come out with some whoppers when you least want him too. It is too funny, atleast I think so.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by Newbiesaukee

"...I can only imagine what they sound like indoors..."

New to my South Florida neighborhood, I asked my neighbor, "Who in our neighborhood who has the very bad dog a few blocks away?"

My neighbor, accustomed to long, daily bike rides, couldn't guess.

So I said, "Surely you've heard them saying loudly, 'Bad Dog, Bad, Bad, Dog.'"

He laughed, and recalled, "Yes that would be the Millers—they have a dog—and a macaw".

So even as outdoor pets, they are loud (and embarrassing).

[donnamatrix]

In case you don't know, ROTFLOL means "rolling on the floor, laughing out loud"--and that's about what happened when I read this, Pepper. Too funny. We have pals in Florida who have an African Grey, and Macaw (their son is licensed to raise rare birds and has a Hyacinth Macaw). They also have dog and cats. The birds are always mimicking their calls to the dog "Here, Neo" and calls to the cats "GET DOWN"... etc. Parrots are so smart, and they live for like 70 years, no matter their size, so Pepper is in for it!

[Pepper]

Indeed parrots and macaws are very smart birds, and mine is no exception. Every morning, as soon as she hears me moving around (and she can tell the difference in footsteps from one person to another!) she'll immediately say "C'mon Fritz, wanna go out?" because she knows the first thing I'm going to do is walk the dog.

Apparently her previous owners took a strong dislike to a particularly loud screeching noise she likes to make (ya, who wouldn't dislike that). One day shortly after I adopted her she went on a long rant of that screeching noise, and then suddenly stopped and hollered "Stop it! STOP THAT! Bad Bird! Bad!" I was immediately ROTFLMAO!

When someone comes through the front door she says Hello. However as soon as the phone reaches it's third ring, she also says Hello, but in a completely different tone, just like humans do. It's really astounding how they mimic so precisely, and based upon the circumstance. She even has complete gibberish conversations with herself, in two different voices!

In the warmer months she loves to go outside and have a shower from the hose - it has a dial that allows a really misty spray. The entire neighborhood seems to have some sort of a hotline letting them know Ricah is getting a shower, because they stream out to come visit her. She never fails to delight them with her antics.

Now if only I could figure out how to get her to stop screaming like a woman being attacked ...

[Lin]

Pepper, that story made me laugh. My uncle used to live in Belmont, NH before moving back to Laconia, on some hilly road, didn't have too many houses on it but they were kind of clustered nearby. He had one of those cocotails? the white birds. Anyways we'd visit him in the summer and could hear the bird singing the cucaracha song before we even made it to his house. I really don't think the neighbors were ever happy with him. Course at the time he also had two huge Newfondland dogs that looked like small bears. Many people may have seen him walking the Weirs pier and boardwalk years ago with his cowboy hat, boots and the "little black bears". Thanks for the morning walk.

[dpg]

Originally Posted by brk-lnt

Funny story.

Macaws are great birds, lots of personality. I still have some scars on my fingers from Macaws that I tamed many years ago...

Just who tamed who??

[chipj29]

This thread is too funny. It reminded me of the time about 13 years ago, my wife and I went to Florida to visit her aunt. She had a big bird (macaw I guess?) that was kept in her bedroom. One morning I woke up and heard a conversation in her bedroom. I thought it was strange, as her aunt had told us she had to get up early in the morning to go to work. All morning I thought her aunt was in there. Then she came home from work. I was pretty confused. Evidentally the bird (Barney) was having a 2-sided conversation with himself. It was seriously 2 different voices.

[Pepper]

Originally Posted by dpg

Just who tamed who??

Indeed!

Anyone who's ever read "The Parrot Who Owns Me" knows the answer to this question.

Lin, I cracked up imagining the "La Cucaracha"! There's no doubt these birds respond to music. Anything with a good strong beat and she's on her perch dancing up a storm! It's hilarious!

Chipj29 - I can totally understand your confusion because they indeed can perfectly mimic voices, right down to tone, inflection, cadence, etc. When a door is closed it's often difficult to tell if it's a human or a bird.

[ghfromaltonbay]

Pepper,

When you mentioned the bird dancing to a beat it reminded of a parakeet that gtxrider had many years ago. I'll be dating him and me, but the bird's cage hung almost directly over the TV in our family room. Every Saturday night my parents would have the Lawrence Welk show on. When Myron Florin played the accordion (especially polkas) "Peanuts" would chatter and keep time on his perch to the music. It was a riot. Around that time my brothers had small battery operated army tanks (approx. 12 inches long) and Peanuts would ride around the room using the cannon as a perch.

[riverat]

Nikko my African grey keeps the beat making the (snapping fingers noise) while Cutie my Cockatiel whistle the Andy Griffith tune, they are great together. Their cages are side by side and keep us entertained all the time, Nikko has a large vocabulary and says "good morning to us in the morning to "goodnight" when I cover them for the night. He is near the tv and has his favorite shows that he loves to watch. He barks at our toy fox terrier Lucy and tells her to "shut up", & " stop it" . He imatates the coffee pot in the morning and the telephones ringing and a hundred other things. Life would not be the same without him but no worry there he will probably outlive both of us.
"Nikko is a Pretty Boy"
[IMG][/IMG]

[Pepper]

GH and Riverrat - I guess the dancing, tapping, singing thing is a universal theme with birds!

Thanks for more great laughs!