E.T. and the Nut

by Garry Wallen

An amazing thing happened to me this morning which reminded me of the intelligence in our avian friends.

My Congo African grey, E.T. is housed near my dining room/kitchen. When I am sitting at the kitchen table, E.T. occasionally feels the need to venture from her house to visit me in search of a head-scritch or a yummy handout.

This morning, I was sitting at the table, reading a book after breakfast. E.T. had made several journeys to the table and each time I returned her to her house empty-footed (she already had her breakfast and it wasn't snack time).

On her last trip, she stopped at my feet and stared at me. When I looked down at her, I saw that she had an empty almond shell in her mouth. She wasn't chewing it, she was just holding it ... and staring at me.

I got the message and caved-in.

I set her on the counter and she continued to hold the empty husk, watching my every move. As soon as I grabbed the "almond jar", she knew that the "Silly Monkey-Boy" had figured out the puzzle, so she set the shell on the counter, mission accomplished.

I had mixed feelings afterwards. She had been so patient, as though dealing with an idiot child. She had also been amazingly intelligent in her choice of methods of communication. On one hand, maybe the only thought in her brain was "Nut broken! Nut BROKEN!" On the other hand, I had allowed her to get away with successfully begging for a snack, making me the Big Sucker.

I guess I shouldn't worry until she brings me the car keys or an empty wallet!