Merlot

I first met Merlot when my aunt told me that her friend had a little cockatiel that was missing a few claws and needed a good home. Well, Merlot *is* missing a few claws. Actually, she is missing all the toes on one foot, and all the claws on the other. She fell out of the nest box as a baby, and lost her toes to frostbite. When I met her, she tried to scrabble her way up to my shoulder, and instead scrabbled her way into my heart.

Merlot was born approximately December of 1992. She is a grey (split to pied) cockatiel hen. She is bonded to Chablis, a pied (split to pearl) cockatiel cock, and together they have given me over twenty perfect babies, including Beaujolais and Fume, who still live with me.

Because of Merlot's handicap, she usually sleeps inside her food dish, so she won't lose her balance and fall. She has taught all her babies to do the same, and even Chablis will sometimes climb into a dish for the night.

Merlot is the perfect mother hen. She is sweet-tempered and matronly in her actions. She is the only bird with whom Fume (her daughter) will share the coveted veggie dish.

Merlot loves to sit on the globes over the light bulbs in the livingroom chandelier (where no other bird can sit because their claws make for a slippery foothold); she loves millet spray and hard-boiled egg yolk mixed with cottage cheese, then warmed just until the cheese melts. She likes spray baths, but will also climb into a dish of warm water and soak herself. Although she is bonded to Chablis, she will occasionally leave his side to fly to me. Often, she just wants to sit on me and observe what I'm doing, but sometimes she begs a head scratch.

Merlot thinks multi-grain Cheerios are proof that there is a God.

The Spector Flock
Merlot - 3 year old normal gray, mother of Beau & Fume	Chablis - 3 year old male pied bonded to Merlot	Chenin - cinnamon pearl hen, bonded to Beau	Beau - 1 year old male pied, bonded to Chenin
Fume - 10 month old pearl hen, bonded to Spector	Froggy - 8 month old yellow- collared macaw	Kenya - 7 month old congo african grey

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Last revised 5/22/97