Monthly Archives: October 2017

A Happy Ending

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*photo Leon Cook/Stars and Stripes

This little one was found in a parking lot at the Yokota Air base in Japan. Employees of The Stars and Stripes newspaper launched a social media site to look for the owner. Not long after, Kumi Sato recognized the budgie as belonging to her mother.
Ao-chan had escaped from an open door and flew 15 miles before being found. Ao-chan is a therapy bird for Sato’s mother, who suffers from dementia. The family looked for Ao-chan and posted flyers. The little bird was lucky as many stray cats and crows are in the area.
“When Sato arrived at Yokota to retrieve the lost parakeet she asked: “Ao-chan?” and got an affirmative tweet in reply, prompting a flood of happy tears.”
You can read the entire story here.

Cooper’s Book Report

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This month’s book is Billy and Emma, by Alice Mead.

Billy and Emma are a pair of macaws who live at the Willowby Zoo. Two times a day, the birds put on a show. Billy climbs a ladder and rings a bell, and Emma plays the toy piano. One night a burglar steals Emma away. Billy is crestfallen and with the help of Nancy the crow, decides to find Emma.

Cooper thought this was a great book. She was happy that Billy and Emma were reunited and that the burglar was caught. She wished that the burglar had to spend more than three days in jail, but as Nancy the crow explains, “People aren’t punished much for hurting birds”.
Cooper enjoyed the big colorful illustrations (by Christy Hale), and thought the author’s note, which described the different birds in the book, was informative for young and older readers alike.

Cooper’s Talent Show

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Corienne Pretorius was mystified when a package containing gift boxes arrived from Amazon. Neither she nor anyone in her family had ordered them.

She finally concluded that Buddy, her African Grey parrot activated her smart Amazon Echo device to place the order.

Buddy can mimic her voice (though he doesn’t talk when she’s around). Pretorius heard him talking to Alexa in the next room and put two and two together. You can read more about Buddy and his Amazon order here.
*It’s a good thing my flock doesn’t talk. Millet and toys would arrive at our door nonstop.