We got Duncan shortly after we began dating in 1994 and named "him" after Duncan MacLeod, a character on the Sci-Fi show "Highlander". Fast forward 17 years. Duncan was acting funny, so a trip to the vet was in order. The vet said, "With all this calcium in the blood, this could be a girl bird." I told Ellen, "He's a BOY, he's always been a boy!" Well, one week later, Ellen called 911 and Duncan was laying her first egg! Took us a while to start saying "she". And, Duncan kept calling herself "Duncan" so, THAT was that!
If you've never had a parrot as a family pet, there are some differences. Parrots are very social creatures in the wild, and require a LOT of attention, so we became Duncan's "flock". I understand that cats require less interaction than dogs, but Duncan needed a LOT of interaction, so having a parrot is a commitment!
Our vet says that parrots have the intelligence of a five year old, so they are able to verbally communicate about their surroundings. When Duncan called out for "coffee, HOT coffee" in the morning, we knew she wanted some. One night we were watching an old movie that showed a breakfast coffee scene, and even though the movie didn't say anything, Duncan saw the scene and said, "Hot coffee".
She knew when bedtime was, and would say, "Night night". Calling for some "Banana" was another favorite. OUR favorite word was how she would say "Mama". When Duncan was a baby in 1994, Ellen would take her around the house and repeat, "Mama, mama". One day Ellen went to work and Duncan looked around and said, "Mama"? That was exciting. I called Ellen and said, "Duncan's looking for you!" However, birds can get cranky as well. If Ellen was in the room, Duncan would start with a gentle call, "Mama". But, if Ellen didn't appear quickly enough, we would hear louder and louder cries of "MAMA! - MAMA!" Duncan had a vocabulary of about 20 words and seemed to know what everything meant. If she wanted to come out of her cage (even if the door was open), she would say, "Come on out, Duncan." If she want us to pick her up, she would say, "Step up."
And, talk about personality! Duncan could also be very charming, and loved to dance when Ellen sang songs to her. If we had a party at home, Duncan was everybody's favorite. After she passed, the vet clinic sent a very nice sympathy card signed by TEN staff members ... ALL describing how entertaining Duncan was! She would often fly to our shoulder or head when we were in the kitchen - looking for her next meal! After so many years with us, when we saw old friends, they didn't ask about us; instead they would always say, "How's Duncan?" She was in decent health until the last week. Apparently a birds health can decline quickly, so she was pretty good right up to the end.
Funny thing about technology. Taking photos and especially videos didn't become easy until someone invented the "smart phone", so our picture/video memories didn't accelerate until 2008.
It's interesting to note that the only times Duncan was not with us 24/7 was during our out of state vacations, many of which are on this travel website. Now, she is ALWAYS with us!
This photo is sometime between 1996 and 2005. Duncan used to LOVE sitting on our protected townhouse patio and take a gentle shower from the garden hose. She would just sit there and sit there, closing her eyes as long as we let the water continue to run over her. Here she is after enjoying her "out side bath" (Her fluffed feathers mean she's happy.)
Please scroll to the bottom to see how many of the staff at ABC vet clinic signed Duncan's sympathy card!
In 1998, my big sister Marty sent Duncan her own present, a Beanie Baby parrot! You can see Ellen is excited and Duncan is wondering, "Who is this?"
We kept "Beanie Parrot" all these years and you'll even see photos of them together in the 2019 photo section.
Funny that these are some of the earliest pics!
2006 Baby bath. She wanted us to watch!
Many years ago, Ellen's personal trainer said, "If you eat healthy six days a week, you can cheat one day." Thus began "Pizza Night". In the 1990s we ordered so much Domino's that we got to be on a first name basis with Stan, the delivery guy. Duncan LOVED her bits of pizza crust. We saved enough pieces of crust so she could have some pizza during the next week. Then, a closer look at the ingredient list got us to switch to store bought DeGiorno. THEN I took a closer look at THOSE ingredients and brought home "DeGiorno - light". Ellen glanced at the box and asked, "What's that?" I sheepishly explained the ingredients, and she said, "We'll see." When we gave Duncan HER piece of "light" pizza, she promptly dropped it on the floor. We quickly went back to "regular" pizza. We tried other varieties (always picking something that Duncan would eat), and have used the Paul Newman brand for several years.
All our friends know about our weekly "Pizza night."
PS Duncan also loved Popcorn! "POP-corn" was one of her favorite words.
2008 Duncan on her cage. This one is just a few seconds, but you can hear how Duncan would call
out to us when she wanted us to watch her in the bath. Go figure!
2008 Duncan on the patio. Another very short video. Probably goes with the photo above. You can see
her curiosity.
2009 Duncan valentine dance. Spoiler... I can't sing! BUT Duncan didn't seem to mind. AND you can see
how MUCH she loved Ellen! Duncan loved to dance while Ellen sung to her.
2009 Happy birthday 1. Duncan was in her adolescent phase, and would bite me in particular, so you can see I'm "leaning" away for self protection!
2009 Happy birthday 2. I guess we must have thought the first video didn't take. You can see from our clothing that is a different time of day.
2011 Duncan Christmas. Duncan always had her own Christmas stocking! We would wrap edible treats and believe it or not, she loved empty dental floss boxes (in which we put something like a pea, so it would rattle). This video was taken before we found out Duncan was really a girl bird!
2009 Still at the townhouse
Jan - Good year for Alabama?
2013 Apr Windshield or bug?
Duncan flew on my head on morning while I was in the kitchen; then she flew back to her cage in the den...
2013 Sep Group kiss - ouch "Love hurts"
Another example of how Duncan loved to get between Ellen and anyone else.
2013 Oct - Baby bath
She would always call out to us during her bath.
https://vimeo.com/355903098
2013 Nov - Honey from Hunt, TX
A client brought us some honey from Hunt, TX (west of San Antonio). We shared it with Duncan during breakfast one morning.
Feb 2014 MY corn on the cob!
Mar 2018 Anybody hungry?
2017 March - Kiss Daddy
Ellen made this video while I was at work one day...
2017 June - "morning Art walk with Duncan" I had Duncan on my shoulder while viewing a photo from Fairhope, Alabama my sister Marty took in 1977, and also a poster honoring Carl Lewis for his 1996 Olympic year. https://vimeo.com/362541724
2017 July - Kiss Mama
Ellen taught Duncan how to "throw her a kiss". Fun, fun, fun!
2017 Sep - Salt or Coffee? Fairhope or Carmel
On morning Duncan was choosing between salt and coffee; also whether to chew on photos of Fairhope or Carmel-by-the-Sea.
2017 Dec - Christmas wine
Duncan did ask for a sip of wine sometimes... She would grab the edge of the glass when she was finished.
2018 June - Coffee HOT coffee
Another "people" favorite was sip of our coffee
PS Duncan is drinking out of my "Juan in a Million" bird cup, that sister Marty gave me when I qualified to run the Boston Marathon in 1987.
2018 June - Salty bird
We use Himalayan pink salt which must have some minerals that Duncan wanted. She would jump on the counter most mornings and stare at me until I gave her some salt. Oh, she also enjoyed the saying, "Bite the hand that feeds you!"
2018 Sep Banana bird
Want a bird buddy? Just get some banana ready and Duncan was in heaven!
Duncan knew what was going on! She would usually say, "Night night" when it was close to bedtime. This time, Ellen also go her to throw us a kiss!
Duncan used to "help" me practice the piano! She had favorite tunes during which she would add some extra chirping and squawking. I made her this video for her birthday in 2018
Mar 2019 "Head's up, Duncan!"
By 2019 we knew we were on the "back end" of Duncan's life expectancy. She had a cataract in one eye, and WAS moving slower. In the summer she had a couple of seizures, but bounced back each time. But the doc at abcvet said we were on "borrowed time." By mid-August we could see a definite change and took her in for more testing. The doc was very gently in explaining Duncan only had a few more weeks left, and encouraged us to hold her while they put her to sleep. The staff at abcvet was VERY nice.
Duncan MacLeod - "Best bird ever." (Well, most of the time!)
2019 May - bath, painting and egg
Another bath video, but we also got a picture of my sister Terry's large painting, AND a showing of one of Duncan's eggs (which we have saved since 2012)!
2019 June WE want pizza!
She loved her "pizza bones" all the way up to the end!
2019 May - toast and eggs
Duncan used to LOVE and help us eat our toast and eggs!
Special note: The night before we took Duncan to the vet for the last time, I knew we might be very close to the end, so I made sure she had Toast and Eggs for dinner!
2019 Aug - Last week
Duncan had several "health episodes" in the summer, including not being able to use her right claw in early August, but in this video she was close to normal! She did decline after this video, but appeared to have a nice quality of life until the last few days.
Duncan was a great bird. I know how much Duncan was loved. So very sorry for your loss. - Lynnette
I know just how special Duncan was to you both! You are in my thoughts & if you need anything, please let us know! - Love, Jenny
I'm so sorry for your loss. Duncan was a sweet girl, we're all going to miss her - [heart], Sarah
Deeply sorry for your loss, may you cherish the memories - Jose
May your fond memories of Duncan comfort you during this difficult time. - Audrey
So sorry for the loss of your beloved Duncan. Please know our thoughts are with you. With warmest condolences, Dr. Melissa McNeil
I am so very sorry for you loss! [heart] - Ann
Duncan was a cutie little bird. She lived a long happy life in a loving home. My thoughts are with you. Dr. Janet Fisher
Duncan was a truly special little bird and you gave her the best possible life. She was truly fortunate to have such a wonderful family. Sincerely, Dr. Kimberly Roset
My condolences on your loss. Sincerely, - Dr. Stephen Fronefield
.
Copyright © 2023 TheAdventuresOfJohnAndEllen - All Rights Reserved.
Powered by GoDaddy