Then Came "Bravo Stupendicus," Just A Big Baby

Ain't every day you get a blue and gold macaw dropped in your lap. How that came to be is kinda weird. Kinda great, kinda karmic, kinda wonderful...but also kinda weird.

Lemme tell you a little story.

The year is 2004. I have now had Caribe, my first blue and gold macaw, for almost three years. We get along famously. He is a star on the outreach circuit. We have bonded and although I still bleed from time to time, he's gentled tremendously since I got him late in 2001.

Caribe is the poster bird for "Smart Lookin' Bird You Got There"

Oh, that bird club I was in. Well, I'm now its President, have been for a couple years. We're doin' good things for birds, for our members, and I'd like to think, for the folks that see us out and about.

Lilacene amazon and a black capped lori

We meet monthly in a venue that allows us to bring our birds. That is HARD to find! A real joy for us who really like to take our birds out and into the public eye. Trust me, that's one of the great pleasures of having exotic birds, showing them to "civilians."

Top, male and female eclectus, bottom, hawk-headed parrot, and a plum-headed parakeet

So, we're having our monthly meeting. Sometimes, we bring food...OK, we ALWAYS bring food. There's gonna be a nice spread after we get through all the business.

Parakeet, small conure, baby lovebirds and a gorgeous Ring-Necked parakeet

It's on me to move things along, so we're cruisin' through our various programs, committees, reports and discussions, when the door opens and this couple walks in with this HUGE, gorgeous blue and gold perched on the man's shoulder. About 50 heads turn, mine included.

Bravo is larger than most B&G's, a "variant" macaw called "Brazilian Blue and Gold."

These are members. I know them, but not well. They've got big birds, too. Right off, he says, "We're sorry to be late and interrupt, but we've got a bit of a crisis and we need help." He points to the bird on his shoulder.

WELL, ain't much that'll get bird folk on their feet faster than a bird emergency! Never been big on ole' Robert's Rules of Order, anyway. "What's going on," I ask.

Here it is in a nutshell. Carl and his wife, Gerri, live in one of Tallahassee's gated communities. On a Friday, they were out driving, saw a garage sale. Odd thing is, there's a big bird cage with a LARGE blue and gold in the cage, sittin' in the driveway, with a "For Sale" sign that says, "Bird and Cage."

They stop. They inquire. The price is a thousand dollars. Actually, that's fair for a juvenile, hand reared B&G. The cage is a bonus. Carl had to decline, with a heavy heart. Too much. Wished 'em luck, went on their way.

Come Saturday, the day of our meeting, they go by again. Now, the bird is sitting on a stand, the cage is gone. They stop again, inquire. The market has dropped. They can have the bird for $500. (That's a REAL bargain, by the way.)

They agonize...but buy him. They take him home. Now, they don't have room for another big bird, and the three they have apparently don't take kindly to strangers. There is considerable chaos and confusion. Obviously, this ain't gonna work.

Gerri remembers our meeting date is that day. They load up, come to the meeting, literally bursting in, bird in hand, lookin' for someone to rescue this stunning blue and gold macaw named, I kid you not, "Big Bird."

When Carl said, "All we'd like to get is our $500 back," those same 50 or so heads turned as one, toward ME!

WELL...this is awkward. In the two or three seconds it took me to review my entire financial portfolio, it was intuitively obvious I just couldn't do it. Sad to say, the money was just not there, and wouldn't be, bottom line.

A lot of disappointment, mine the keenest of all. They stay for the rest of the meeting. It wraps up, and we move to the social hour, eating and showin' off our birds. I ain't in too good a mood. I keep watching Big Bird on Carl's shoulder. He's peaceful, calm, alert, friendly...all the things you hope for in a macaw. Did I mention that he's drop dead gorgeous?

I see one of the other members go up to Gerri. They start talkin.' She calls Carl over. They talk some more, glancin' over at me a time or three. Then, all three of them come across the room to me.

Carl says, "If you'll take him, he's yours. Bought and paid for."

I'll call her "Angie." The woman standin' between Gerri and Carl. One of the Founding members. She's smilin' at me, cat caught the mouse kinda smile. She says, "There's no one who can give him a better home, David. He belongs with you. He's a gift, from me to you."

There was more conversatin,' but I don't recall any of it. I put Caribe on his stand and put my arm out for Big Bird. He stepped up like he knew me...heavy bird. BIG all over, a lot heavier than Caribe! I slowly raise my other hand, and he puts his head down for skritches! Well, that pretty much tore it!

Until then, I was doin' pretty good. But, when he did that, my eyes got leaky. I defy anyone to fault me at that moment. There is EMOTION in big birds. They can and do express FEELINGS! Amazingly, he showed his acceptance of me with that first lowering of his head. Absolutely no aggression or suspicion. A far cry from my first days with Caribe. I still have scars.

Birds say profound things if you know how to listen.

Now comes the weird part.

Big Bird has no cage. I have one cage, with one large macaw residing within. It is NOT a good idea to drop in a roommate without proper introductions and a few play dates.

HOWEVER, our club had just completed our big Bird Fair the month before. At that fair, for reasons I didn't understand then, I bought a new cage. A big one. VERY good price, lower than wholesale. Regular vendor for years, knew I was the Prez. Yeah, he scored some points.

It was still in the box, at home. I told Angie, Gerri and Carl of the cage. Told 'em I had no idea why I bought it...not then, anyway. Now, the cage was pretty good evidence of the existence of some kind of "fate" in certain events.

I came to the meeting with one great macaw. I left with two. And, they got along from the git-go! As I was driving home, Caribe was sitting on my right shoulder, Big Bird on my left. It remains that way even now. Always to the same shoulder when I have both.

I got the cage, perches, toys and bowls set up quick like bunny. We bird folk ALWAYS got STUFF layin' around. He was set up well before his bedtime.

Oh, he got a new name that evening, too. I was sittin' with him in my chair. I was talkin' to him, stroking his back. He's rufflin' his feathers, beak resting on my chest, purrin' from time to time. I'm tellin' him what a terrific bird he is. How he'd been incredibly brave to have come through so much turmoil and chaos in such a short time.

"Bravo for you," I said. He raised his head, looked me in the eye. I saw it. He saw it. We agreed.

He became "Bravo Stupendicus" then and there. A great name for a great bird!

That was 13 years ago. And he's still every bit the big beautiful baby he was way back then.

Be talkin' to you.....Web Rydr