I told a friend at work about my morning adventure--she keeps love birds, and she agreed that this little guy couldn't have fed himself.

I caught the parakeet by putting some sunflower seeds in that butter tub, but the bird would pick them up and toss them out! I reached in and picked up a couple of seeds and crushed them between my fingers then dropped them back in. The bird hopped into the cup and ate the seed out of the husk--he as quite alert to what was going on. My lovebird friend was in stitches when I described the two of us at one point, the bird perched on the cup and me reaching in for seeds, biting them to break them open, and dropping them back into the cup for the bird to hop down and eat. I realized he'd starve before I could bite open enough seeds, so that's when I just put my hand over the cup on his next hop in and took him into the house and went to buy bird food.

Now there's an elegant little dove (almost looks like an Inca dove) hanging around out back next to the house and under the pottery stuff. I wonder if she is looking for her parakeet friend? I guess maybe this is when I go and buy a bird feeder and some seed. . .

SRS