| Welcome to Tortuga Villa We would like to introduce you to some of the residents who live here.... |
This is "Woody" our 4 year old African Grey Parrot. We rescued Woody
from living in a very small cage (for his first 3 years). Apparently he
spent a lot of time listening to everything that went on around him &
developed a huge vocabulary, including every sound effect
imaginable. Woody dances when he's happy or hears music he likes.
He picks up songs very quickly and can whistle them much better than
any human. He has a great sense of humor and will deliberately say
something silly, then laugh out loud hysterically..ending with a big
'whooo' (you can't help but laugh with him). When his cage is being
cleaned, he likes to give the impression he is being mistreated by
making a racket with his cage toys while shouting "ouch, oooch, oohh,
ouch"...followed by a frantic "whatta ya doin?" He talks constantly and
everything he says is in the exact voice of the person who said it, so
there's never a dull moment with Woody around.
from living in a very small cage (for his first 3 years). Apparently he
spent a lot of time listening to everything that went on around him &
developed a huge vocabulary, including every sound effect
imaginable. Woody dances when he's happy or hears music he likes.
He picks up songs very quickly and can whistle them much better than
any human. He has a great sense of humor and will deliberately say
something silly, then laugh out loud hysterically..ending with a big
'whooo' (you can't help but laugh with him). When his cage is being
cleaned, he likes to give the impression he is being mistreated by
making a racket with his cage toys while shouting "ouch, oooch, oohh,
ouch"...followed by a frantic "whatta ya doin?" He talks constantly and
everything he says is in the exact voice of the person who said it, so
there's never a dull moment with Woody around.
| "Woody" African Grey Parrot |
| "Tweenkie" Mallard Duck (Female) |
| This is "Tweenkie", a hatchling Mallard duck, lost from its mother & dropped off at the feed store. They asked if we wanted it...and the rest is history. This little girl, immediately adopted Rosilee as her mother, following her everywhere, 'peeping' if she was out of sight. She loved being held, tickling your neck with her beak like a tiny little 'jack-hammer'. Her favorite past-time was sleeping in her glass terrarium with stuffed toys and heat lamp, but on sunny days she loved playing with the tortoises, joining in as they dined on their fresh green vegetables. She was afraid of water unless Rosilee went in first, but soon began swimming and diving in the large tortoise drinking dish. Much too soon, she began a fascination with anything that flew overhead....and the look in her eyes as she followed the movement, told us that in her heart she longed to fly. As her wings began growing feathers, she would flap & run as fast as possible on her tip-toes (as if trying to lift-off a runway) ....& eventually did. At first she returned home every evening. We could always count on seeing her 'quacking' at the door to be let inside, then waddle across the floor to her bed. Our last times together were very memorable as it was easy to see that she was weening herself from us and was torn between 'home' and all the adventure that was waiting for her. So we said our last goodbyes and she never returned. Letting her go was heart breaking and we still miss her everyday, but the wondrous feeling of freedom and flying was something she deserved to experience. About 100 yards from our home is a beautiful reservoir with hundreds of Mallard ducks and we're quite sure she is living there. People say she will return in the Spring. |
| Guess What.... On March 20th, the "first day of Spring" (since flying away on July 1st of last year) Tweenkie returned. She flew into the back yard with a mate and began swimming in the pond. It was absolutely unbelievable. The mate was very cautious, standing guard while Tweenkie played in the water eating algae. It was easy to tell that this was really "Tweenkie". She loudly quacked consistently (even while her head was under- water) an obvious expression of excitement. Slowly approaching the pond while calling her name, Tweenkie just looked for a moment, then returned to eating algae. Her mate remained cautious but continued to stay by Tweenkie (obviously trusting her judgement). They played in the pond in our presence until nightfall then flew away toward the reservoir. |
Tweenkie & her mate return everyday from early
morning until dusk. Some days Tweenkie comes
alone & leaves at dusk when her mate calls &
she quickly flies away. They have made them-
selves at home and show no concern when we
approach to sit on the edge of the pond.
morning until dusk. Some days Tweenkie comes
alone & leaves at dusk when her mate calls &
she quickly flies away. They have made them-
selves at home and show no concern when we
approach to sit on the edge of the pond.
| Tweenkie & her Handsome Mate |
| Tweenkie & her mate have never missed a day. They arrive early morning & remain until dusk (even on rainy days). They are very comfortable now and at times will walk across the patio and up to the door. Today we made a nest of hay in a secluded area beside the pond. If they don't already have a nest, maybe they will stay :) |
| Tweenkie's special surprise.....May 23, 2006 |
| "Tweenkie" |
| With egg-sitting help from her mate, Tweenkie hatched 9 eggs & now has sweet baby ducklings of her very own ... 9 little "Tweenkies" for us to adore. She allowed us to play with them for one day, then took them to the reservoir where they have remained. I'm sure she's teaching them skills to live on their own & care for themselves. |
To meet other residents of Tortuga Villa,
please click this link
We want to introduce you to.......
| Tweenkie flys into our yard occasionally for a quick bite to eat & sits awhile, then quickly leaves to rejoin her family. I'm sure her mate "Malley" is babysitting while she takes a break...... |
| 'Sugar' & 'Spice' |
| UPDATE: "Tweenkie" |
