from time to time.If anyone speaks a few words of German to Archie, he acts excited, he fans his tail and, pins his eyes and sways on his perch. He is often ready to dance along with you swaying back and forth. Sadly, I sing out of tune, but Archie doesn’t seem to mind. I’m always flattered and slightly apprehensive when he lands on my shoulder. In the afternoon, if I’ve not visited the aviary, Archie begins squawking. ‘What’s that fearful noise?’ non-parrot friends ask. ‘Only Archie asking for his nut treat,’


I explain. As soon as the kitchen door opens, he stops, although I have 50 metres to walk across to him.


The accident


A flock of Buff Orpington hens live on the lower level and eat up what the parrots drop; rodent problems can occur. I knew we had a rat and was putting down poison in bird-safe traps. James Luck (good name for his job) our local pest officer was delighted with the large dead rat he found who must have eaten the poison from the trap left in Lena’s flight. Problem solved – or so we thought. One bitterly cold March morning last year, I went out to feed the aviary birds. In the old Amazons’ flight, a horrific sight, Lena crouched on her table, her back dripping blood, Archie


36 BIRD SCENE


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