Valerie's World: CATCHING UP WITH THE CRITTERS

Before I post my next batch of fall photos, I wanted to share some photos and info on Sydney the cockatoo and the cats Aidan and Timothy.

1. Avian report. Happy 18th birthday, Sydney Eugene Miller! Sydney is doing so well at The Gabriel Foundation - he lives with Director Julie Murad in her beautiful home on the grounds of the foundation and shares life there with several other lucky birds. There are 500+ parrots in residence at the foundation aviaries, but owing to his outgoing personality, Sydney was chosen to live with Julie and work PR and education events. He's made so many friends, including a special umbrella cockatoo called Chicken.

Here they are in their outdoor flight aviary. Syd's flight feathers have grown in, but to fly you need wings and chest strength, which he had not developed during his life. So, he's exercising diligently and one day soon he'll fly around with Chicken! Chicken has not gotten along well with others in the past and it's a thrill for everyone to see him sharing space and a bond with Sydney. Sydney has learned to say , "Hi Chicken" in a little Chicken-like voice. A few more shots follow.

I see Sydney at least once a month and I'm always gratified by his wonderful adjustment to his new life. He knows me and greets me and is quite happy to spend time with me - for about 2 hours. Then he starts getting cranky, which I interpret as communicating that he's had enough one-on-one attention and is ready to relax and be a bird again. This is exactly what I wanted for him - to be a well adjusted cockatoo with lots of human and avian interaction. I miss him, sometimes dreadfully, but as we animal people learn, it's not just about us and our needs.

2. Feline report. Aidan Patrick and Timothy Preston are doing well and enjoying the milder weather. Aidan is 2.5 and Timothy 8 months now. Clearly Timothy is the brains of the operation. Here he is explaining the theory of magnetic snaps to Aidan.

Their favorite thing is staring at sparrows, juncos, doves and finches from the patio room. I added this room on to the house thinking it would be extra entertaining space and a pleasant place to enjoy the cooler months, given it has a fireplace. All that is true, but the cats love it so much and once I got the clear decals up, the backyard birds quit hitting the glass and all is well at the bird feeder.