Spring Greetings from Chico the Parrot!

After several faltering starts, more or less continuously pleasant and sunny weather seems to have arrived. My parrot friend Chico is pleased to announce the coming of this year's Spring.

Chico squawks his greetings to you and your family...

Chico the Parrot

Little do you know it, but for every article that I write here on Yahoo, I have a shoulder-side editor sitting right here to assist me.

Bearing literally all the colors of the spectrum, he is a brilliantly colored sun conure parrot - and a continuous source of joy in my life. As I write this article, he rests comfortably within the folds of my night shirt as he watches my hands dance over the keyboard.

I look down at him occasionally, and I see he is content, happy, while he surveys his kingdom (my desk and this apartment) with dozingly half-closed eyes. As I cast my gaze downward at him, I see in his eyes an uncanny look of self-confidence and quietude one would see in a human standing upon the peak of one's prime. No doubt he has seen many things, and shared (aye, endured) more than a few hardships with me.

Through it all, he has been the infinitely patient friend.

GI Joe Parrot

Chico is a do it-all-bird: a little man of pure action wearing a feathered suit. If there's something to be done, he wants in on the action.

For instance, whenever I go for a mountain bike ride, he's hanging on right there on my shoulder. When I was replacing the fuel pump gasket on my car engine, Chico was right there - literally in my face sometimes, looking down at the fuel pump and then up at me as if to ask inquisitively,

"Why is that thing so important? Why aren't we out on a walk or riding the bike? Let's go! Let's go! GO!"

He lets out an ear-deafening squawk - his avian way of sharing an utterly uncontainable felix vidales.

Frequently when I'm out on a bike ride with Chico, I don't get a full workout . Oftentimes people I run across people on the trail will beckon me to stop so they can have a closer look at my feathered friend.

Is That a Real Bird?

It's amazing the things people say when they see a bird perched on your shoulder.

The most common utterance I get is, "Is that a real bird?" Despite having heard this same question hundreds of times, I have to remember this is their first time seeing Chico, and I patiently answer yes. Sometimes, I will answer no, and then explain that Chico is an amazingly lifelike robotic semblance of a parrot. As I say this, I pull out my cell phone and work it like a remote control. As I punch the control keys I then tell my captive audience that Chico's movements are a result of the commands I was entering into the remote in my hands.

Amazingly, some people think I am for real. But when I put my hand up to my shoulder and they see Chico nimbly step hop it, they finally get the idea.

Other times when people see us together, I'll occasionally get more interesting greetings such as, "Where's his eyepatch?" "Are you a retired pirate?" accompanied naturally by a "Har!" or an exclamatory "Wow! Where can I get one of those?" Many times, if a child that makes the remark, I frequently hear, "Hey Mom, can we get one of those?"

If he feels like it, Chico will stand on people shoulders while they snap some photos to send to friends and family elsewhere. And when he does, it brings joy to everyone.

Chico: More Popular Than I

If I run across people I'd seen before while riding or hiking the trails in the mountains, the words I usually hear are, "Oh hey! It's Chico and... and... uh... his Daddy!" Sure, remember the bird's name - but not the human's name!

I swear, Chico has perched on more people's shoulders than I can count.

Kicked Out of Wal-Mart...

Because he's so well-behaved, I am able to take Chico pretty much everywhere I go -except of course to work and inside restaurants. The folks at the bank love it when Chico visits. When I go to Home Depot to get stuff for my new projects, the helpers all gather around and fawn over him.

Of course, they ask me what his name is - and never ask for mine...

There is one dark place within society where Chico is not welcome: Wal-Mart. Upon walking in there with him on my shoulder, more times than not a plainclothes security guard will suddenly approach us and ask us to leave. Once a guard even grabbed me by the arm and toted us both out without prefacing this action with a kindly request to leave. Rather rude, possibly illegal!

The smarter Wal-Mart automatons will ask me whether Chico is a Service Animal - to which I will invariably answer yes. Upon asking me where Chico's service documentation is, I usually say, "He's off-duty today. See, (gesturing to Chico) he's not wearing his mini-badge..." Wal-Mart guards have no sense of humor.

Speaking of badges... Chico disarmed a police officer once. Click the link at the end of this story to read what happened.

Utter Joy

What's cool about Chico is that he brings such joy to others.

Kids love to let him stand on their shoulders. Parents love to take pictures of their kids with Chico on their shoulders. Kids love to take pictures of Chico standing their parents' shoulders. And on and on...

When I went to last year's Dragon Boat Festival, I got about 40 pictures of Chico with other people. He's just a popular feathered guy who brings joy to the hearts of many. Amazing what just a bird can do, huh?

Spring Greetings to You!

Anyway, as Chico and I rode our bike this morning together along the river-path near home, I felt the warming morning breeze in a way I hadn't felt in quite some months. I heard, saw, and sensed the special way of the other animals - ducks, geese, the killdeer, even an occasional beaver or two - that bespoke and welcomed a new Spring to the dawning sky.

As a pedaled along the path, a heightening sense of joy filled my heart, and apparently Chico's, too - for he began to cry out with utter exhilaration - seemingly squawking to the whole world:

Spring is here! Spring is here! Spring is here!

We pedaled faster down the path as the sun warmed the earth anew...

Other Reading:

Parrot Disarms Police Officer - Disrupts Process of Justice

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: John Melendez is a freelance writer reporting on technology, the environment, sustainability, alternative energies and "green" issues. John is the favored pet human of Chico the Parrot.

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