Ode to Wellie (Part Two)

The days that followed the unfortunate hearing-aid incident (as it became known at the barn) were filled with ladders and ropes and tree climbing and metal detectors and hours and hours of walking around the area between the barn and walnut tree staring at the ground.

Photo by Jacqueline
I learned a lot in those few days, like, metal detectors usually detect lots of useless metal garbage.

I also learned that there are many places in a walnut tree for a bird to hide a hearing aid, and that oak leaves look just like flesh-colored hearing aids.

During the many hours Jacqueline and her family climbed trees, searched trees, shook trees, walked carefully round and round and round in circles staring at oak leaves and listened to the incessant beeping and buzzing of the metal detector.

Photo by Jacqueline
Wellie sat on their shoulders or climbed on their backs or sat in the next branch squawking loudly as if to say, “You guys are wasting your time. You’ll never find that hearing aid.”

As is turns out, Wellie was right. The hearing aid never turned up.

Wellie seemed to get sassier by the day.

I would take my dogs for walks past the barn and before she would hop on my shoulder and say hello, she would wait for me and dive past my head screeching her scrub jay cry as she flew past. She would also dive bomb the dogs and the cats and anything else that moved or breathed.

I started to warn people in the neighborhood about Wellie, especially people who were afraid of birds. The last thing I wanted was to have some unsuspecting human to take a swipe at Wellie out of shock or surprise.

I never realized that fear of birds was so common. It turns out I have three girlfriends with ornithophobia. The day after I told Jodi about Wellie, she called me and said that a scrub jay was sitting on her hot tub cover pestering her three little girls for food. She lived 1/8 of a mile from Jacqueline’s house.

Jacqueline and her family were gone for the day and Wellie must have been looking for them.

Or maybe she was just looking for a handout.

Photo by Jacqueline
I knew it had to be Wellie, and I knew that my friend was probably freaking out having the bird hovering over her and her daughters, so I walked over. She lives right around the corner.

My sons and I went over to Jodi’s house and there sat Wellie screaming, “Feed me. Feed me!” at her three young daughters. My son and I lured her back to our house.

I kept Wellie at our house as long as I could, and then off she went to find her human family.

After Wellie’s big adventure up to my part of the neighborhood, Jacqueline sent out an email warning the other unsuspecting souls who lived near this cheeky little bird.

Jacqueline started to receive calls as soon as the email went out from people sharing their “Wellie experiences.”

It seemed that Wellie had no fear of humans at all.

Wellie was giving our neighborhood sculptor, whose studio is located three doors away from Jacqueline’s house, regular visits. She would buzz around the sculptor and his assistants while they were welding and while engaged in other similarly dangerous activities.

Wellie would regularly fly into the some of the nearby neighbor’s houses and steal small trinkets.

Who knew that a little 3 oz. bird could wreak so much havoc on a whole neighborhood.

No one really seemed to mind. She could be so clever and fun and impudent and saucy and full of life.

But what made her so enjoyable would eventually be her downfall.

Comments

[Jacqueline]

"...clever and fun and impudent and saucy and full of life." Very, very well-said. Thank you so much for chronicling her life.
xo

[chigiy]

Hey Jacqueline,
Thanks for the photos. I need to go back and give you credit. I hope you don't mind that I'm writing mostly from my point of view. I'm sure there are many wonderful little anecdotes that you are dying to add. The embarrassing part comes next. xo