Buddie's origin was a mystery. He was a rescue bird in every sense of the word; a neighbor who was aware we owned a little yellow bird actually found one in his backyard one day in 2005 - and thought it was our Chippie. Knowing this was someone's pet, he tried to capture him and succeeded by trapping him with a laundry basket, but when he called me over I saw it wasn't Chippie but a little yellow fancy budgie instead, who had flown onto their deck looking desperately for water. Knowing we could look after birds and knowing we had a spare cage, he asked if I could take him, and hoping his owner could be found, I said yes.



He was young but in rough shape - the vet could not be sure but figured he was a few months to a year old and had been in the wild for a couple of weeks, and was a mere day or two from death had we not found him. Starving and dehydrated, he needed treatments for beak mites and infections, and after providing these (and paying a big bill) we nursed him back to health. Only 2 calls came from our ads but neither could provide a photo or described him correctly. He became our 2nd bird and we named him Buddie, for his foreseen role as a companion for Chippie.



Buddie was very quiet at first, timid and shy and apparently not hand raised. Although he never came around to accepting contact with human hands, eventually he became a vivacious and active bird, full of song and - surprisingly - speech, mimicking all the words Yuri (our 3rd bird) had learned, and then some. He did become Chippie's companion, and Yuri's too, but their aggressive natures (lovebird and ringneck, respectively) meant Buddie, while longing for companionship, was always weary of getting too close. It was evident that Buddie sought avian companionship, while Chippie and Yuri preferred us humans. Buddie was undeterred, however, and his skillful flying, quickness and instinct mostly kept him safe when they were all out of their cages together. He grew to be bold and fearless, and would tease Chippie, and later Quinn, and would even try to steal some of Yuri's treats right from Yuri's claw. He eventually lost parts of two toes for getting too close, becoming the victim once again. And yet he recovered and carried on anyway, missing a talon from each foot. He was always a fighter, always wanting to belong to the avian flock and never relenting to accept human handling. He was, in his mind, still a wild and free creature, returning to his cage only when he felt he had flown enough laps around the house.



In recent years his darkening cere was a concern and the vet declared that this was likely related to common afflictions seen amongst fancy budgies (due to inbreeding) that eventually affected the functions of vital internal organs. Last year we were told he might live another 6-12 months, but always the fighter he broke through that milestone and continued in his active ways. Only when he started to hobble a little this September did his worsening condition start to affect his active nature. Within 2 weeks an infection he developed worsened to the point where he could no longer balance on his one good leg and he labored in pain at the bottom of his cage. He had developed gout and liver and kidney failure had started to set in. He had beaten the odds so many times but he could no longer fight on this time. 



Buddie died September 21st, 2012 after being in our family for over 7 years. He had outlived Chippie, who died suddenly and tragically in 2009. Buddie's song, chatter and talking was as impressive as his fearlessness and his nimble flying, and the house just seems so quiet now without him. Yuri cried for him when he was sick and after he was gone, and Quinn greatly misses his little companion. Buddie inspired me with his bravery, defiance, resilience and strength. Although we are grateful for the time he spent living with us, we are left heartbroken in the end, wishing we could have done more for him. His death has left a void in our hearts and in our house that will never be filled, but his life was a wonderful testament to God's work, and to God's ways. Buddie was our "miracle bird", and I'm hoping he's now at the end of the Rainbow Bridge with Chippie, chatting away. God bless you Buddie, may you rest in peace and bask in our love for eternity.