Angel and Sunshine in Delaware

Angel
Sunshine
Chitra - you know the one who went to Orang - well, she's flown the coop - left her "responsibilities" in Chennai and gone like a migrant winter bird, to Delaware.

No, I'm not envious of her vamoosing like this, and no I'm not drooling at the banana muffins and buttered croissants!!

She is leading a rather interesting life right now, staying with an aunt and uncle who are part of the Tristate Bird Rescue.They look after rescued birds and seem to have several in their own home. Here is a description in Chitra's words:

Its warm in the 70s/80s and you'd think the windows will be open to let in the warmth and breeze, but no, we are couped up in the closed a/coned atmosphere as neither the birds nor the orchids can stand the outside temps! We humans don't count!
There are two parrots, one cockatoo and one parakeet, all flighted and allowed to come out of their cages during the day. Angel, the African grey, can talk, whistle and sing. He is the only one that recognises me, and whistles cheekily when ever he sees me and allows me to feed him. Beaker, the cockatoo and Sunshine the Sengal parrot have so far repulsed all my efforts to befriend them and have gone so far as to bite my fingers!
There is an old age home (a bay window with a net) where a number of old and decrepit finches live along with a bourke's parakeet, and one budgie. Yesterday Angel decided to hang upside down on the net, frightened one poor doddering old finch which escaped from the cage and flew into the kitchen. It took me and my brother the better part of 15 minutes to catch it, but not before we crawled under tables, between legs.... etc! There are two white doves and three more parakeets down in the basement.

Then, the other day they had to bird sit some chimney swifts..... They fell through the chimney (well where else did I expect chimney swifts to be?!), and were thus orphaned.

They have to be fed mealworms every hour. My aunt and I had our first feeding session about 15 minutes back. I think it would be easier to eat the mealworms ourselves even though they are such gross creatures than feed a bunch of stubborn swallows. Unlike their names some of them absolutely refused to open their mouths and here we were holding juicy worms to their mouths and making cajoling sounds.
But the smallest of disturbance to their tranquil clinging and they set up a chorus of (difficult to describe) cries - a bit like the cicadas going of in the Nilgiris - only much closer and ringng in your ears.
I think I am going to dream of mealworms tonight.
They are terrribly soft and cuddly now though they have very sharp claws /nails (I don't think they are called talons!) Swifts can only cling.. swallows can perch too. One jumped out of the basket yesterday and tried to cling to my kurta, didn't get a hold and started to slide down when I caught it. It dug all 8 nails into my palm and wouldn't let go. Had a hard time putting it back into the box.

... More updates as they come.