Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Through no plan of my own, I am having a life in Haliburton surrounded by a group of friends who love birds (and all things wild), and my life is so rich because of it. I have friends who go on bird counts in -30 weather every December to record what is in the area each year. I have friends who photograph birds. Some feed the birds all winter. Some lead trips for fellow bird enthusiasts. Some know every birdcall and bird silhouette that fly’s by. Most know an incredible amount of interesting information about birds. Some are hosting the 30 wild turkeys (that live in our subdivision) in their yards and on their decks. My friends all pay attention to the fall migration of the birds, and celebrate the spring return of the birds every year. And some of have had birds as pets. Indigo and Kiwi are 2 budgies that have lived in my friends home for 11 years. Every Saturday morning when we gather to have coffee (and talk about birds and other beings that crawl and hop and fly) Indigo and Kiwi would greet us with their very loud and happy chirping. Those of us that have pets in our lives know how they enrich our lives. We carry their stories and adventures for many years after they are gone. Indigo and Kiwi gave us many stories. When Kiwi first moved into the cage (Indigo came a few years earlier) we called him “hunchy” because he looked hunched over as he sat on his perch (only people who do yoga would notice a bird hunching). I think Kiwi was hunched over because he was nervous and adjusting to his new home, and his new cage – mate. As the years passed he gradually lost the hunch and the 2 birds slowly got used to each other. For the past few months, Indigo has been growing weaker. Eventually she couldn’t leave the cage anymore and would sit on the bottom. Kiwi started to look after her. He would eat his food, regurgitate it and feed it to her. It was beautiful to watch one bird take care of the other. These birds have their own kind of intelligence, their own kind of caring for each other and their own relationship. After Indigo passed last week, Kiwi was hunching once again. He didn’t sing for a few days. I think he was mourning her death in his own way. As I sit to write this article he has started to sing again and he is looking a little taller. I feel so lucky to have friends who pay such close attention and are so passionate about birds and bees and snakes and flowers and butterflies. They have reverence for all of life and are always learning. It is inspiring. Dan Busby is a local photographer who has taken many incredible images of birds in Haliburton and beyond. He has a show of his work that is coming to the Rails End Gallery from April 16 – June 14. The Opening reception takes place on Saturday April 26 from 2-4. Hope to see you there!
If you want to see more of Dan’s work check out his website at