# Loving cockatoo welcomes home her owner!!!



## jean20057 (May 31, 2013)

proof that all of our animals love us and get excited to see us when we return!!!!


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## nuxi (Oct 28, 2014)

That's so nice! Thanks for sharing!


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## jean20057 (May 31, 2013)

It was so cool to see this outside of my house!!! Every time I visit my parents in ohio, I missed my birds dearly, and always wondered if they missed me, or didn't even know I was gone. Turns out, they missed me all the time according to my hubby. And when I get back, and walk in the house talking to Lonny, They hear me and begin the incessant flock calling that I love so very much!!!


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## MineOfBudgies (Apr 23, 2015)

I remember seeing a video like this about an amazon and their owner came back from a 1 year trip. They are so rewarding to watch!

Thanks for sharing!


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## jean20057 (May 31, 2013)

Just found this one. This poor bird holds no grudge, and I think we could all learn something from that.


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## Kate C (Oct 15, 2007)

It is so true that birds don't forget you. I hand raised my Charlie with her brother Sammy for someone else. Charlie left me for her home when she was 16 weeks old, she went to a household of mainly males, only female the mother and they were going through a very bitter divorce. 3 years later I was visiting a bird shop that I supplied with my lorikeet mix and there was this beautiful Sulfur Crested Cockatoo in a cage near the front door. The owner was busy so I went outside to talk to the Cockatoo. She put her head down for me to scratch and then lifted her wing for a tickle. The owner came out and said 'how come she hasn't bitten you, she doesn't like women'. I laughed it off and said 'Oh she just knows I love birds'. Nearly a year later the owner and I were sitting having a drink after the shop closed and we were talking about Charlie. The description of the man and boy who brought her to the bird shop for sale was the same as the one for the father and son who I had raised Charlie for. I bought her and took her home that night. After 3 years and leaving me as a very young Cockatoo, Charlie had never forgotten the mother who had raised her. That was 11 years ago and my baby has been with me ever since. Every day she shows me just how much she loves me with a welcoming Hello every morning and kisses every day.


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## despoinaki (Aug 4, 2012)

Kristen pretty good videos! Really heart-warming and shows that birds don't forget.. and all they need is love, really. 
Kate, I didn't know about Charlie! What a great story and how loving bird she is! Incredible!


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## Kate C (Oct 15, 2007)

She is quite amazing Despina. She has been involved in many promotions for our parrot club and as an aid to the care of parrots demonstrations. Everybody just loves her. I show her and she has won Best Cockatoo at many parrot shows. She has been featured in newspaper articles promoting our local town Festival and also been used to pick the winner of our Federal Election one year. She successfully selected who would be elected Prime Minister of the country.


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## despoinaki (Aug 4, 2012)

Omg! Surely she is one of a kind! 
I would so love to meet her one day! And I am sure she is a total sweetheart!


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## Kate C (Oct 15, 2007)

She has her moments. Sometimes she gets very protective of her cage and she does get a bit thingy around breeding season, which is now.


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

That cockatoo is so sweet! 

And Kate, what a cool story with your bird  We'd love to see pictures of Charlie!


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## Jonah (Feb 3, 2013)

Thank's for sharing that Kristen. Thank you also for your Charlie story Kate, hard to deny how special our bird friends are...


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## eduardo (Jul 24, 2011)

*Agreed! Lovely story.*


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## Kate C (Oct 15, 2007)

She has had pictures posted here before but here are a couple for you.


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

What a sweetheart she is! Look at those big eyes and beautiful yellow crest  

A sure celebirdy if I've ever seen one


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## jean20057 (May 31, 2013)

I remember these pics, Kate, but I still love seeing her pictures here!!! She is absolutely gorgeous!!!!!:loveeyes: How old is she?


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## Kate C (Oct 15, 2007)

Thank you Kristen and Star. She turned 15 at the beginning of September.


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## despoinaki (Aug 4, 2012)

Omg, she is gorgeous!!  thank you for sharing, Kate!


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## nuxi (Oct 28, 2014)

Kate,what a nice and heartwarming story! Charlie is a beautiful bird!


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## jean20057 (May 31, 2013)

Wow, that's so cool! How old do cockatoos usually live, average I mean? I think 15yrs is still pretty young for them isn't it?


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## Kate C (Oct 15, 2007)

Yeah Kristen she is only a teenager. They can feasibly live for 100 years. I met one years ago that was 94 years of age and had been handed down through 3 generations of the same family. He used to chew up a cardboard box a day and I think at his age he was entitled to destroy a few things. I have had to make provisions in my Will for my Cockatoos.


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## jean20057 (May 31, 2013)

Kate C said:


> Yeah Kristen she is only a teenager. They can feasibly live for 100 years. I met one years ago that was 94 years of age and had been handed down through 3 generations of the same family. He used to chew up a cardboard box a day and I think at his age he was entitled to destroy a few things. I have had to make provisions in my Will for my Cockatoos.


CockatooS?!?! How many do you have? And 100 years is crazy! That's longer than most of us humans. Very cool!!!


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

Charlie is a beautiful bird Kate! What a lovely story. We don't see too many Greaters here in the U.S. I used to have an Eastern Slender Billed, rare species over here... do you see them wild in your area by chance? Beautiful bird, but I couldn't keep her under the circumstances. The ex and I started going away on the weekends and busy with jobs, and he wasn't a bird person, so she has a wonderful home now. I still have 3 medium sized parrots besides the budgies. Are you still a breeder of parrots Kate? If so, what species do you (or did you) breed? Or is it only budgies now? .


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## Kate C (Oct 15, 2007)

Kristen I have 3 Sulfurs, Charlie, George and Jekyll. 5 Short Billed Corella's (Bare Eyed Cockatoo) and 1 Long Billed Corella (which you call the Eastern Slender Bill). The Corella's have a life span of around 50 to 60 years. At one stage I had 14 Sulfurs. Believe it or not my neighbours did not even know I had them, it is usually a lone Cockatoo that will do a lot of screaming and then usually males. Females are much quieter.

Julie I see plenty of Sulfurs around me. They are visiting at the moment a lot as the conifers at the bottom of my yard have cones on them at the moment and the Cockies love them at this time of year when they are still soft. And the Corella's have just been visiting to eat the beans from the Cootamundra Wattle on the side fence line at the front of my neighbours. The Sulfurs also eat the beans but I think the Corella's beat them to them this year. But I do see them all the time when they pass over every morning and night as they live around me permanently.

I have cut right back on my birds. At the moment I am breeding Rainbow Lorikeets, Scaley Breasted Lorikeets, trying to get the Short Billed Corella's to breed but they haven't decided to yet. I also have a Green Cheek Conure, and a Princess Parrot as well as the Long Billed Corella and the 3 Sulfur Crested Cockatoos.


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

Sounds like some bird chores around there Kate ! We in America would love to see wild parrots as Aussies do! Actually where I am on the south west coast of the country, we have several species of feral Amazons and conures. Probably up from Mexico. My mom also has a Princess of Wales keet .


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## jean20057 (May 31, 2013)

*Wow! I didn't realize how many birds you kept, Kate! It must be wonderful to see all the wild parrots as you and our other Aussie members do. I would live to go to Australia on vacation. One of my co workers went and had one heck of a time. She loved it!*


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## Kate C (Oct 15, 2007)

The Princess Parrot is such a lovely placid bird Julie. They really have a sweet temperament. Is your mothers the normal green or a mutation? The one I still have is a Blue. I must say I prefer the normal bird to the mutation. So many different shades of green and that lovely violet over the rump and the shocking pink makes it a very attractive bird.

Kristen there is no better time to come down under for a visit. With our low Aussie Dollar at the moment the American Dollar goes so much further. Oprah will be down here again in December. She really fell in love with the country. You really don't have to travel out of the major cities to see many of our birds. They frequent the parks in the centre of Sydney and other cities. I am about 30 miles out of Sydney and there are plenty of parrots around me as well as many other different types of birds. There is also a fairly large Bird Park not far from me that has most of our bird species on display as well as other Australian animals. You can even get up close and personal with Kangaroos and Koala's and also one of our largest birds the Emu. You can't get up close to the other which is the Cassowary as they are far too aggressive. You can see them from the safety of a very large fence. Neither of them can fly luckily.


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## jean20057 (May 31, 2013)

*I don't know, Kate, lol, emus scare me a little. They look like giant witch birds, lol. I would love to. The only problem is that Lonny would want to go to and that would be wonderful except the fact we don't have a reliable bird sitter. And we've heard way too many horror stories when ur chimes to that. And then there's the small issue of the cost. No way we could afford to go all the way down under. I think at least for the time, I'll just have to enjoy the pictures that you and other Aussie members provide.*


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## Kate C (Oct 15, 2007)

Ha Ha, I used to be a bit intimidated by Emu's too until I realized they were just looking for something to eat. I remember going to a small zoo in Canberra years ago and there were free range emu's there. One big male appeared to fall in love with me and followed me around everywhere making a drumming sound in his throat. Apparently that is a mating call.

Hopefully you will get down here one day Kristen.


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## jean20057 (May 31, 2013)

*Me too! I would love to see Sydney! Talk about picture time, hoto:*


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