Dicky Bird. White-fronted Amazon. Amazona Albifrons. Taken in November 5th 2011

Shot down with a sling shot

November 2010 I was living in Corozal Town, in northern Belize and a guy turned up at the gate with an Amazon for sale. He had shot it down with a sling shot, with the intention of selling it. Unfortunately, he had hit him right in the eye and blinded him and instead of asking the usual $12.50 USD that a healthy one sells for, he was prepared to accept $5 USD, but when I saw the state he was in, I said I'll take him but I'm not paying you anything because he's unlikely to survive.  I was living with friends, Jenni & Nigel and fortunately Jenni had been a nurse, so she took Oli under her wing and did everything she could to help him make it. She administered medicine and gave him sunflower seeds to get him eating.  I went to take him out of his cage and although a wild bird, he stepped straight up for me and let me kiss him and cuddle him and even give him food from my mouth! Jenni was amazed and I fell for him there and then, so told Jenni I wanted to keep him, which she was ok with.  Within a few days he improved greatly and regained his strength. I couldn't decide what to call him, but I'd been calling him Dicky Bird, which in the UK is a name children use for birds, however some of my US friends online felt it had bad connotations, so I came up with the name Oli Oli Oli, or just Oli for short, to use for him online, however, I do still always call him Dicky Bird.

March 2011 Oli did his first squawk since getting him. Up until now, he had been totally silent.

May 2011 On March 1st, we moved to San Ignacio in the Cayo district and at the time of writing this, I am renting a house, but am in the process of buying a house in Santa Elena, the town next to San Ignacio. Oli has fully regained his strength, but with it a little aggression. He tries to bite me when I want him to step up, but once on my finger, still lets me kiss and cuddle him. His age I don't know. I don't think he's very old and it may even be that he's a little aggressive because he's hormonal at the moment. It is the season for it. Although he has a cage, he never goes in it, other than to eat or drink, instead he lives on a tree branch I cut down for him. Jenni clipped his wings as soon as we got him to save him from further injury until he is used to living with one eye. He just got back his first flight feather this month and should be fully flighted again, within a few months. Whether its Oli that has attracted them, I don't know, but of late a small flock of WFA's comes and hangs around the house every morning from about 5:30 am to 6:30 am and Oli squawks back at them daily. He has also started ever so quietly muttering away to himself this month.  Incase you're interested, Here in Belize, a White-fronted Amazon sells for $12.50 USD, a Yellow-headed or Red-lored Amazon for $25 USD and a Keel-billed Toucan for $50 USD. The capture and trade in them is totally illegal, but it goes on all the time and many Belizians have Amazons in their homes. Fortunately very few have the Toucan as its Belize's national bird and is a prison sentence for having one of those. Technically it is for the Amazons too, but its overlooked. I have already decided that if I should get offered a healthy bird (which is very likely because everyone knows I have Dino, so they know I love parrots), I will buy it and immediately release it. At those prices, its not exactly going to break the bank to do some good in my life.

August 7th. 2011 Take care my little sweetheart.  The day finally arrived. We moved into our new home on July 22nd and as I had done at the last place, I left Oli to roam free around the house. Since the day we moved in, I have left him out while the front and back doors were open and although he took flight often, he never headed for the open doors, that is until August 7th at 9am. I figure he was determining his flying capabilities and was preparing for the day we both knew was inevitable. Well, it seems he finally decided he was up to full strength and in perfect flight and while I was in the front garden, he snuck out the back door. Its odd though, that on that very morning, he was calling out louder than ever and my first thought was that there was probably a potential mate out there calling him.  I can't deny that I am very upset that he has gone. We did after all spend every day for 9 months together, so although I intentionally never got too close to him, we did build a bond. He knew his name perfectly, he let me scritch the back of his neck. He'd step up onto my finger without a problem and he loved me to spritz him with water. But of course I am also very happy for him. He is back where he belongs. Back with his friends, back in the wild and hopefully making moves on a life time partner. August 9th. 2011 I was woken up at 6am by very loud squawking of a White-fronted Amazon. I went out the door, and sitting high in a tree in the neigbour's garden was a sole WFA. Unfortunately it was a little too far off to make out any detail and I didn't want to run back indoors for the camera with the zoom, just incase he moved and I lost sight of him altogether. I did call out "Dicky bird" several times and every time I did, it was returned with a sqwalk, so I like to think it was Dicky Bird, popping back to let me know all's well in the great outdoors. Whether there will be a continuation to this story, only time will tell. As I write this on August 11th, I haven't had another visit that I think may be him.

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