Meet Harry – our bird on the wire! Harry is here for two weeks while his owners are away. He has settled in well and has Mr Controleur wrapped around his … claw?

He is already part of the household and commanding attention. We have our lunch and coffee breaks with him and he always seems to be a topic of conversation.

Harry is not at a loss for words – although not always in context …

He greets us with “Hello Harry” in the morning.

He rocks from side to side, displaying his yellow crest and calling out “Dance cocky? Dance cocky?”

Tonight we asked him, “How are you going?” to which he replied “OK thanks!”

Do you find it interesting the way we anthropomorphise animals? We interpret their actions through our own paradigm and attribute thoughts, desires and emotions to them. We quickly let them become our companions, and don’t worry about taking so long to earn other human concerns like trust. It is a much simpler transaction, reached quite quickly.

That trust conveys a quality to us that pays dividends in other ways. The relationship gets going quickly and easily. The benefits are palpable and loyalty starts to grow.

Oh, if only it could be so simple with humans! Oh – that there would be open and frank transactions! No complications. No politics. No wondering what did they really mean. No long lead time before you can really communicate well. No complications and probably no fascinations with the mystery of it all.

No I don’t want to replace my human friends with cockatoos – or other animals. But sometimes I wonder at the ease of being with others, unencumbered. No obligations. No perturbations. Like a bird on the wire, like a drunk in the midnight choir, to try in my way to be free! (apologies Leonard).

Lyrics from Bird on the wire