Happy Valentine’s Day!

February 14, 2014 • 4:15 am

If you’re lucky enough to have a valentine, buy them some special noms today and show them fusses. Life is short.

Here’s a photo I lifted from reader Pete Moulton’s Facebook page. As he notes:

Rosy-faced Lovebirds [Agapornis roseicollis] at the Gilbert Water Ranch. A golden oldie, but appropriate for Valentine’s Day.

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These birds, from Namibia and Angola, come in a variety of colors, both natural and mutant (the above shows a common coloration). Wikipedia suggests that they’re very lovable:

A loud and constant chirper, these birds are very social animals and often congregate in small groups in the wild. They eat throughout the day and take frequent baths. Coloration can vary widely among populations. Plumage is identical in males and females. Lovebirds are renowned for their sleep position in which they sit side-by-side and turn their faces in towards each other. Also, females are well noted to tear raw materials into long strips, “twisty-tie” them onto their backs, and fly substantial distances back to make a nest.

33 thoughts on “Happy Valentine’s Day!”

    1. Well captured! That’s a classic pose.

      I’ve only been to the Water Ranch a few times, not enough to really get to know the birds. Lovely place; Gilbert should be (and, as I understand, is) proud of it; it’s something every municipality in this area should be doing.

      For those who don’t know, it’s one of the best birding spots in the country, maybe the world, and it’s in the middle of the Phoenix metropolitan area. It’s also a major water treatment facility and a riparian preserve. It’s become not just a permanent home for many birds but also a favorite migratory stopping point.

      Cheers,

      b&

      1. Thanks, Ben! Everything you’ve mentioned about the Water Ranch is true. For such a small tract (about 44ha), surrounded by urbanization, it’s produced an amazing variety of bird observations: more than 270 species in the 14 years it’s been open. It’s a real gold mine for bird photographers, and nearly all of those species have been well documented by excellent photographs.

  4. Happy Valentine’s Day, Jerry, and to all your readers.

    For those who don’t have a partner, hug your kids and spoil them today. For those without kids, hug a friend or a neighbour, and for those without friends or neighbours, hug and treat yourselves! And smile at a stranger. Hell, everybody, hug and treat yourself! 🙂

    My mom and brother used to have a pair of peach-faced lovebirds, for a good number of years. They really were lovable and loving, and became tame in very little time. They were often let out of their cage, to fly around the house, and they loved to chew up my brother’s books! Whenever my mom sat down with a plate of food, they would perch nearby, even on her shoulder or the rim of the plate, for a morsel of rice or lettuce!

    Sadly, my mom forgetfully left the front door ajar whilst unloading groceries, and they to the wide open space in flight, never to return! All efforts to entice them back failed.

    1. That’s too bad, Smokedpaprika, but it’s a pretty common story. The large (and increasing!) feral population in the Phoenix area probably came about in just that way. These lovebirds are desert-dwellers in their native range, and the free-flying escapees do very well around here.

  6. Bah humbug – Valentine’s Day is just society’s way of grabbing hold of single people, stabbing a knife in their chests & then twisting it. But am I bitter???!

        1. … … ‘cept I so quite do “love” Professor Ceiling Cat’s latest / today’s “assignment” — as mamas ( for [ at least] one demographic ) have “completed” since we … … .evolved. = to “show them fusses.”

          What a darling directive, All !
          Blue

    2. Prescribed jolliness. To me on a par with Christmas and Carneval. I’ll smile at strangers when I want to and regardless of the calendar date, thank you very much. Of course, reading your comment, I would like to make YOU smile. Too bad I’m working – the cartoons from Diana et al should do the trick. Happy Grumyness to you too!!!

  10. If you’re lucky enough to have a valentine, buy them some special noms today and show them fusses.

    Wrong, Jerry. On Valentines Day it’s better to NOT show them fusses. Fuss about stuff later.

    Or this may be an error in translation. LOLcat, maybe.

      1. From your link:

        Fusses are scratching and petting about the head and ears.

        Ah, okay. Thanks! Looks like the expression isn’t well-known throughout the entire internet, so it wasn’t like I missed the nightjar or anything.

  11. “Also, females are well noted to tear raw materials into long strips, “twisty-tie” them onto their backs, and fly substantial distances back to make a nest”

    I’ve seen cockatiels, conures and budgies do this. I’m gonna guess most female parrots do this, probably how they nest in the wild.

  13. “If you’re lucky enough to have a valentine, buy them some special noms today and show them fusses. Life is short.”

    Jerry, do you realize that, intentionally or not, in two short sentences you’ve refuted the common religious argument, “what do you atheists have to live for”? Bravo!

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