Friday, September 23, 2005

There's an alien in my backyard

This little little critter showed up in our backyard yesterday. He made a repeat appearance today. He's a bit of a ham for the camera. He stopped eating long enough to turn sideways and pose for this picture.

ground

He's not very comfortable around people. My dear wife tried to slowly approach him to see how close he would let her get. He split when she got within about 15 feet of him.

OK, so he may not be an actual alien. But he definately isn't your typical native desert dweller.

2 comments:

annika said...

Must be an escaped pet, because i can't find him in my peterson guide.

Anonymous said...

I recognize your alien! That is a Dutch Blue Lovebird and was likely somebody's pet.

I have raised lovebirds for the past 10 years and also have a budgie, whose story is similar to this fellow's.

I saw the budgie flying outside in mid-November of 2001 and knew that he would not make it through the winter if someone did not intervene. I hung a cage in a tree and managed to entice him into it with some food. He had clearly been somebody's pet as he made himself quite comfortable in the bird cage. I have had him ever since and he has learned to mimic many of my lovebirds' calls and whistles.

Here is a link with more information about these beautiful birds. Please let us know if you happen to see him again! :)