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Treats and Tweets

© Anne Watkins

Treats and Tweets

I have been fascinated by birds for as long as I can remember. When I was very small, someone told me that if you salted a bird's tail feathers, you could catch the bird. Well, I wanted to touch a bird more than anything in the world. So, armed with a salt shaker, I headed to the yard, my sights firmly set on the fat robins pecking around in the grass. But try as I might, I never succeeded in getting close enough to a bird to sprinkle salt on any part of its body, much less the tail feathers. I despaired of ever getting close to anything wearing feathers.

One special Halloween my dream of meeting one of those sweet feathered creatures came true. Mother dressed my younger brother and me up as skeletons and on that cool October afternoon, we set off around the block. After ringing a few doorbells and shrieking, "Trick or Treat!" we each amassed a nice bag of goodies. All too soon, Mother decided we'd collected more than we could ever eat and that after one last stop, we'd head home. That last stop was one I have never forgotten, though more than forty years have passed.

While Mother and the lady of the house enjoyed a cup of tea, my brother and I sat on the floor nearby. A sweet picnic of treats was doled out to us and we were instructed to sit quietly and nibble our goodies. The candy was wonderful, but what pleased me more than the sweets was a brightly colored parakeet perched in a cage over our heads. From time to time, the bird chirped or whistled. I was captivated!

"Be quiet and don't jump around," the lady instructed. "That way he won't be afraid and maybe he will talk for you."

The budgie finally uttered a few garbled sentences, and I didn't understand one word. But that didn't matter at all to me. I was actually close to a real, live bird, and it was more wonderful than I'd imagined. That was the best Halloween treat I ever got! And from that time forward, I knew birds were going to be a major part of my life.

Tips for the Season

I don't know what made the lady decide to let us sit so close to her bird, but I am eternally grateful that she did. And while my brother and I were privileged to be there in our skeleton outfits, I don't recommend that you expose your companion birds to Halloween visitors. Here are a few tips to help your bird safely enjoy Halloween: