Barney, we hardly knew ye

Mixed feelings here at the compound right now. This afternoon we gave up our blue front Amazon parrot, Barney. We've had him nearly 4 years, and while he's been adorable as heck at times, and a lot of zany fun, he's also turned even more cranky and unpredictable over the past few months. Back in March he bit MizBubs, badly, right in the face, leaving a scar on her forehead that's just going away now.

We adopted Barney from a shelter called Refuge for Saving Wildlife. MizBubs and the girls used to volunteer there, and when Barney came in we agreed to keep him as foster parents until he could be placed. I kind of fell in love with him and talked Miz into adopting him. Oops. His aggressive behavior improved for a long time--not that he was ever cuddly, it's not in the nature of most Amazons--but after seeing my bride stunned and bleeding from a face wound, enough was enough. RSW said they didn't have room to take him back, but they eventually connected us with an outfit in Wisconsin, the Center for Avian Rehabilitation and Education.

Barney seemed to really enjoy himself meeting the people there, and the birds. He was fascinated by a big-ass Macaw that came in, and was allowing himself to be passed around by various staff. Maybe he turned mean because he was just sick of our bullshit. Who knows...

I do know that I'm relieved, but just a little saddened, to no longer have a screeching, cackling parrot to provide deranged background noise for our everyday life.