GrrlScientist is an evolutionary biologist, ornithologist, aviculturist, birder and freelance science and nature writer. A native of the Pacific Northwest, she relocated from Seattle to NYC with her parrots after earning a BS in Microbiology (emphasis in Virology) and PhD in Zoology (Ornithology) from the University of Washington. In NYC, she was the Chapman Postdoctoral Fellow at the American Museum of Natural History for two years, pursuing part of her "dream" research project by reconstructing a molecular phylogeny of the parrots of the South Pacific islands. GrrlScientist and her five parrots are currently relocating to Germany, where she will continue writing her blog while also writing a book and learning German. (Meanwhile, her parrots will continue to nibble on her extensive personal library.) If you appreciate GrrlScientist's writing, you can help pay her living expenses by hiring her to "blog" your conference, speak at your club or write articles for your publication (or by clicking on the Paypal button below). If you read an essay on this blog that you especially enjoyed, please nominate it for inclusion in 
tags: Holidays, companion pets, parrots, humor, funny, gift wrapping
Orpheus.
Male Hawk-headed (red fan) parrot, Deroptyus a. accipitrinus, April 2008.
Image: GrrlScientist 2008 [larger view].
I thought you might find this little essay amusing about wrapping gifts when there is a parrot in the house.
How to Wrap Gifts with a Parrot in the House:
- Clear large space on table for wrapping your special gifts.
- Go to cupboard and collect bag in which gifts are contained, and shut the door.
- Open the door and remove bird from cupboard.
- Go to closet and retrieve rolls of wrapping paper.
- Go back and remove bird from closet.
- Go to drawer, and collect transparent sticky tape, ribbons, scissors,
labels, etc. . . - Lay out gifts and wrapping materials on the table to enable wrapping strategy to be developed.
- Go back to the drawer to get string and remove bird that has been in the drawer since last visit to collect string.
- Remove gifts from bag.
- Remove bird from bag.
- Open box to check gift, remove bird from box, replace gift.
- Lay out paper to enable cutting to size.
- Try to smooth out paper, realize bird is underneath and remove bird.
- Cut the paper to size, keeping the cutting line straight.
- Throw away first sheet as bird chased the scissors, and tore the paper.
- Cut second sheet of paper to size -- by putting bird in the bag the gift came in.
- Place gift on paper.
- Lift up edges of paper to seal in present. Wonder why edges don't reach.
Realize bird is between present and paper. Remove bird. - Place object on paper, to hold in place while tearing transparent sticky tape.
- Spend ten minutes carefully trying to remove transparent sticky tape from bird with pair of small nail scissors.
- Seal paper with sticky tape, making corners as neat as possible.
- Look for roll of ribbon. Chase bird down hall to retrieve ribbon.
- Try to wrap gift with ribbon in a two directional turn.
- Re-roll ribbon and remove paper, which is now torn due to bird's enthusiastic ribbon chase.
- Repeat steps 12-21 until you reach last sheet of wrapping paper.
- Decide to skip steps 13-17 to save time and reduce risk of losing last sheet of paper. Retrieve old cardboard box that is the right size for sheet of wrapping paper.
- Put gift in box, and tie down with string.
- Remove string, open box and remove bird.
- Put all packing materials in bag with gift and head for room with a lock on the door.
- Once inside lockable room, lock the door and start over by laying out wrapping paper and materials.
- Remove bird from box, unlock door, put bird outside door, close and lock again.
- Repeat previous step as often as is necessary (until you can hear bird outside door).
- Lay out last sheet of paper. (This will be difficult in the small area of the toilet, but do your best).
- Discover bird has already chewed the paper. Unlock door go out and hunt through various cupboards, looking for sheet of last year's paper. Remember that you haven't got any left because bird helped you wrap gifts last year, too.
- Return to lockable room, lock door, sit on toilet lid and try to make torn sheet of paper look presentable.
- Seal box, wrap with wrapping paper and repair by very carefully sealing with sticky tape. Tie up with ribbon and decorate with bows to hide worst areas.
- Label. Sit back and admire your handiwork, congratulate yourself on completing a difficult job.
- Unlock door, and go to kitchen to pour yourself a drink and feed bird.
- Spend 15 minutes looking for bird before reaching obvious conclusion.
- Unwrap present, untie box and remove bird.
- Go to store and buy a gift bag.
Happy Holidaze!
Humanities & Social Science
Life Science
Comments
Too funny. Are you sure you ended up with the same number of birds?
Posted by: Carol | December 10, 2008 3:03 PM
Very cute....
Posted by: David Harmon | December 10, 2008 3:39 PM
PS:
It's an escape attempt! :-)
Posted by: David Harmon | December 10, 2008 4:26 PM
Love it. Love it. Thanks for the laugh.
Posted by: Luna_the_cat | December 11, 2008 8:57 PM
My sister came across your post when googling for creative gift wrapping. We're a bird family, and we've had very similar experiences! We've mostly had lovebirds, though.... and you missed a step if you're wrapping with lovebirds. You don't have to do any of the paper cutting yourself. The lovebird will do it all for you! (Of course, s/he'll then try and stick it into her/his feathers to take home for the nest, so you may have to fight over paper ownership, too!)
Anyway, thanks for the laugh :-D
Posted by: Adele | October 18, 2009 9:55 PM
I got the link to your post from a friend, as she knows that I'm owned by a Fischer's Lovebird. You gave me a good laugh with that essay!
Posted by: Kokopelli | October 19, 2009 2:44 AM