Parakeet Pursuit

Two of our six parakeets, CiCi and Sprite, are less than a week away from becoming first time parents! CiCi, our beautiful turquoise parakeet rescue, laid five eggs a few weeks ago, and it has been fascinating to observe the pair innately adjusting their behavior in preparation of their offspring's arrival.

Since removing the other four parakeets to an alternate cage, CiCi, the Mama bird, spends a large portion of her day and night in the nest box. When she hears one of us walking nearby, she peeks her head out to be sure there is no imminent threat. I speak to her, she looks at me for a few seconds, then pops back into the nest box, moving her eggs around to better position them for incubation.  CiCi is noticeably thinner as the only time I have seen her feeding the last month is when Sprite passes food to her directly. That behavior is excellent practice for when the babies hatch. In addition to feeding the babies himself, Sprite will also pass digested food to CiCi and then CiCi will feed the babies.

While CiCi is busy caring for her eggs, Sprite normally sits on the top perch. This allows him to protect CiCi and the nest from a high viewpoint. The last few days I have noticed an increase in his appetite. I am hopeful this means the time for hatching is near! Sprite's favorite time of day, however, is not when he is eating. Rather, his entire demeanor changes when CiCi leaves her nest for a few minutes and engages with him. They will move from perch to perch, groom and feed one another. Sprite fluffs his feathers, speaks to CiCi, feeds her, and occasionally dances for her. CiCi likewise enjoys picking at his feathers and receiving food from him. They are adorable together.

When CiCi goes back to her duties in the nest box, Sprite quiets down, and I observe a noticeable difference in his mood. On a few occasions, I have looked in the cage and been unable to find either bird. In those moments, Sprite overcomes his dislike of a dark box to keep his mate company in the nest.

It has been so fascinating observing these two lovebirds come together over the past few months and then transition to preparation for parenting. After being the only unpaired birds in our cage for several months, one day the two of them finally showed signs of courting. Mating came a short time later.

As someone who has always had dogs as

pets, becoming a parakeet parent was an interesting transition for me. They are the easiest pets I have ever had and are surprisingly social. Because my children are away from home several weeks in the summer, and last year I didn't have a job or friends in our new town yet, admittedly I bonded with the birds. They talk a lot during the day, so they filled the silence left by my missing children. I have also found that observing them often teaches me something about human life.

Most of my observational time the last year was directed toward CiCi, because prior to bonding with Sprite, she had a difficult life. I have also found her exceptionally

intelligent. We rescued CiCi from a local shelter where she was formerly the companion of another female bird. We chose to introduce her to our sweetest parakeet Bert, since our other four parakeets were paired off. Bert and CiCi successfully paired a few weeks later. The two of them were as in love as two birds could be. She had a special, sweet, high pitched call designed just for Bert. They were so meant for each other, I started calling them Jonathan and Laura! However tragically, last spring, Bert unexpectedly passed away. CiCi instantly became a different bird due to the trauma of losing him. Her sweet personality disappeared as she began snapping and squawking meanly at the other parakeets. Despite our attempts to introduce her to a new parakeet, Sprite, she spent about three months last spring and summer "alone." Ignoring any and all attention from Sprite and clearly mourning Bert's death, my heart broke for her. I sincerely believed she would never recover. Watching her in our kitchen, my tears flowed and prayers were lifted for my sweet CiCi. I also felt bad for Sprite, who continually pursued and was rejected by CiCi.

The day I saw CiCi respond positively to Sprite was a very happy day in our home. Our entire family rejoiced when CiCi finally opened her heart up to Sprite in August and they paired. The rest, as they say, is history.

Observing these precious creatures is a valuable spiritual exercise for me, because I regularly learn lessons from them. CiCi has taught me to persevere and trust God's sovereignty even through painful loss. Animals do mourn. I witnessed her grief every day. It was very real for her, and I doubted Sprite would heal her from the trauma of losing Bert. Week after week, my husband would compassionately say to me, "they will bond, just give her time." He was so right! She did find great love and companionship in Sprite. She chose to reopen her heart. CiCi is a very happy bird because of Sprite, and now she is going to be a mom!  If God could answer my prayers about my parakeet, provide her strength to overcome her obstacles and then bless her with joy, of course He can also be sovereign in my life!

Likewise, I have watched Sprite patiently pursue, care for, and protect CiCi. He waited months for her, never giving up on her even though her heart was cold and closed for a time. He protectively watches over her from above, and he rejoices when she joins him. Sprite's behavior is a beautiful picture of how Christ loves us. We are often God's stubborn and hurting bride. How often do we squawk at God and push Him away because of pride? And yet He just waits, lovingly and tirelessly pursuing us, until we finally decide our need for Him outweighs whatever is keeping us from Him. The sweetest moments in our lives are found when we are in complete fellowship with Him.

One of the things I am most grateful for in this life is how patient - yet persistent - the Holy Spirit is with me. There have been periods in my life when I refused to see the truth and beauty that was right in front of me because I was too stubborn to see past my own selfishness, pain, and fear. Like my Mama bird CiCi, I pushed away the One who loved me the most because wallowing in my grief or staying frozen in fear felt more comfortable than trusting Him. CiCi makes the choice every day now to submit to what is clearly the better life for her - trusting Sprite's love and protection. He is her perfect companion.

Christ can and should be ours.