Ace the Cockatiel ::: 1984 - 2006
In the spring of 1984, as I was a senior in high school in Chugiak Alaska, a woman came into the store I worked at with a cockatiel on her shoulder. It began a converstaion that led to my finding out that she was a local breeder of these colorful birds. One thing led to another and soon my parents were in the posession of a recently weaned baby cockatiel named Ace.
Ace became my father's good friend. Having been hand fed since hatching, he loved hanging out with people and spent the majority of his time on the top of his cage. Early on, he learned to whistle for the dogs and got great joy out of calling the dogs into his room.
After spending the first 20 years of his life in Alaska, ace moved to our home in Utah in 2004. With my parents splitting their time between Alaska and Arizona, they felt that Ace would be better off in a stable environment. He joined our two cockatiels (Sunshine and Mattie) and quickly took over the senior status of the flock. It was exciting to see that after spending his whole life alone, Ace and Sunshine began a May / November romance.
Sadly, yesterday Ace passed away. He had just turned 22 years old. The average lifespan for a cockatiel is 12-15 years, so Ace defied the odds. My daughters created a nice wooden box for him and he is now buried in the backyard.
He will be missed.
11 Comments:
Sorry to hear of your loss. Pets are a special gift in our lives and I'm sure we will see them again after we leave this life. Memories are important and that is why photography is such an important art and skill -- it helps us recall past people/places/events/and friends. Take care!
Ace will most definitely be missed by all that knew him.
Nice photography of your blog, keep it up. I got your url from world top blogs, you're top 1. Congratulations.
That was one old bird. Sorry for your loss.
A friend of ours had a cockatiel. It was a smart and personable little bird, and it loved its owner dearly.
Sorry to hear about your loss. 22 years is very impressive!
Sorry to hear that ace has gone to the great beyond, we have heard about him for years. I guess you got him when grandma was still living in Alaska. Your Aunt Shirley
Thank you for the nice box to bury Ace in. He was a very important part of our lives for 20 years. Thank you for making his last two years so good,and especially thanks to Sunshine for being his lady.
As Ace's human cousin I know that he will be missed by our family. I personally was always a little afraid of him, but he was really a gentle bird and didn't bite to awfully hard. Ace you are right up there with Peanuts and the other birds that have been a part of our lives. Ace lives on in our hearts forever. Fly free my feathered friend.
What a gorgeous bird! So sorry for your loss. I empathize with you. I have wonderful 19 year old cinnamon 'tiel myself & I cherish & tell him I love him everyday. We recently got ayounger pied 'tiel to join the family. Please check out my new blog site so you can see my boys. They are todays feature. And there's plenty of other fun bird stuff your whole family can enjoy. Hope it might bring some cheer & inspiration to your day. Sincerely, Bluebird
www.skymarshall.blogspot.com
owo that is so cool, i ahve a female cockatail she is 6 years old. she already ahd 3 husbands and next summer i am buying her a new mate because all of her mate died, i call her the black widow. lol but her real name is yellow since she is a pied split to a lutino.
Post a Comment
<< Home