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Stretch - 6th Place
Congratulations to Phyllis Martin and her bird Stretch.
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Who would have thought that I could love this little green bird so much? My love bird, Stretch, is so full of himself. He is all about loving!
My husband, Wes, and I leave him in his day cage when we go to work. I think he appreciates the quiet time to preen and sing his sounds. His music clicks and chirps with mellow contentment. I love his sweet noises.
He has a greeting whistle for me when I pull into the garage. He hears the sound of the car engine and starts his greeting when the engine dies. He knows I’m coming for him by the time I get the car unloaded and make sure the cat is out of the house. He is moving right and left so fast, showing me his eagerness. He can’t wait any more to be with me.
When I open his cage door, immediately his posture changes and he stands tall and calm to make his entrance to the outside with a careful pride. He hops to the threshold and carefully steps out to the back of my hand. After three or four steps, he flies up to my shoulder to have a ride. He will fluff his feathers, and then walk close to my cheek. If I’m busy and he doesn’t have my attention, he will pull at my cheek to get me to stop and look at him and kiss. After he has been greeted officially with a kiss, he will either settle on to my shoulder to be with me or fly off to find Wes and go through the same ritual.
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If I get home before Wes, Stretch and I are sitting on the sofa waiting for his homecoming. Stretch hears the bells that hang on the breakfast room door. He’s [Wes is] home. He whistles their special whistle and Wes returns that whistle. Stretch is off and gone to love on Wes a while.
We all eat dinner together with Stretch sampling off of everyone’s plate. Sometimes if he sees me put something in my mouth that he wants he will pull on my cheek to let me know he wants that. I think it’s a bird thing, but he will gently pry through my lips to try to take some of my food.
Here’s a story. Wes and I were hosting a charity dinner party for ten. Bob, the Winthrop professor, brought everything already cooked to serve all the guests. Bob enjoyed Stretch’s presence riding his shoulder but not getting in the way. The other eight guests were as enchanted as Bob was with Stretch’s company. With the table set and excitement building, I put Stretch into our bedroom to keep him out of trouble, but the guests asked for him back. All through dinner he would move around the dinner table visiting with our guests. When the bird settled with one person, in a bit, others would start trying to attract him so they might have his mild-mannered company for a while. Stretch was undoubtedly the hit of the party. He is always a center of attention, and he enjoys the assortment of personalities that he meets here at our home.
Our vet, who boards him when we are traveling, says he knows no other bird that will fly through the house and pass distractions to come when he is called. Is that true? Stretch will fly through five rooms to come when I call him. Is that unusual?
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When I meditate and pray, Stretch will sense my mood and will cuddle into my open palm. It is a favorite place for him. I can rub his neck and back and face all at the same time. He loves to bathe in my hands in the sink. The cute, wet little man can barely fly when his feathers are weighted down with water. It makes his flight sound more difficult.
Many times he has startled our guests by flying unannounced to their shoulders or heads. My hair is short and wavy and he is definitely attracted to that because it is easy to grip. If he sees that curly look on someone else, it invites his presence and surprises our company.
I think the sweetest thing is when Wes kisses me. Stretch will climb on to his broad shoulders and kiss with us—a three-way kiss with sound included. When he wants to cuddle with us, he will make kissing sounds to let us know to do a group kiss.
Stretch is my little indoor rooster. I am an early riser, but if I’m not up by the time the sun is strong, he starts calling. His gentle peeps will stir me to consciousness. Some of the warmest times between us are when I snuggle him close to my face and breathe in his neck feathers. He will gently preen my eyelashes. Then he will push his rounded beak into my lips to kiss.
The soft-spoken little green man is an excellent conversationalist, even without word or volume. His main topic is love and affection. He is a blessing to everyone that knows him. This love bird that is full of love, Stretch.
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