Wally was only a juvenile and it was obvious from his feathers coated in sticky goo that someone had been handraising him. He was also very tame and sooky. Wether he escaped and flew away or was released too prematurely we will never know.

We bathed Wally washing off all the food on his feathers until he was looking like a normal bird again.

At this point in time we doubted he would ever be releasable as he would fly onto our shoulders and talk to us everytime we entered the aviary. This being so we thought that he would be a good companion for other Wattle Birds that needed company whilst undergoing rehabilitation  prior to release.

Over time other Wattle Birds shared the aviary with Wally but he always remained semi tame. That was until another Wattle Bird came into our care and it was just the two of them sharing the aviary.

We could see over time that Wally was distancing himself from us and becoming rather protective of his new partner.

As his character was slowly changing and taking on the character of the wild Wattle Bird he was sharing the aviary with we decided to keep the newer Wattle Bird in care for longer than normal to see if Wally would turn completely wild.

Over the next few weeks Wally became wilder and wilder and each time we entered the aviary to feed them he would try to dive bomb and attack us. We would have to enter the aviary carrying a piece of  watermelon with us as that was Wally’s passion and he would do anything for a piece.

He no longer wanted us and would become very flighty if any of us went near the aviary. This was all the sign we needed to give him a second chance at being free.

We opened the aviary door one fine morning and out they both flew and settle happily in the big gum tree next to their aviary. We continued to place food on top of the avairy for them which they came back to when they were hungry. We observed them catching insects in the garden as they did in the aviary and they were also licking the blossom on the trees.

Two days later I was in the kitchen when I heard tap.tap. tap on my kitchen window. There was Wally looking very indignant and trying to get my attention. I raced out there thinking he had gotten into trouble but he flew off. I came back inside and he was back again. Tapping away.

Then it suddenly clicked. I cut some watermelon and took it out there. He flew away from me and perched on the fence. I placed the watermelon on the window sill and came back inside. As soon as I had closed the door down he came and grabbed the watermelon then flew off up into some trees on the other side of the creek.

This became a daily ritual. He would never allow me to get near him but he came in for his daily treat. We saw no sign of his partner but suspected she was waiting in the trees for him to bring back her piece as he would fly away then fly back less than a minute later for another piece.

Slowly over the months his visits became less frequent. Then he stopped coming all together. We were upset that something may have happened to him but at least he had by this time been a free bird for six months.

Xmas time was approaching and we hadn’t seen Wally for 3 months. Two days before xmas I heard that familiar tap. tap. tap on the window again. It was Wally waiting for some watermelon. As usual he waited for me to reenter the house before he came in to collect his free feed. We got the binoculars out and we watched him fly up into a gum tree on the creek line  where he began to share the watermelon with another Wattle Bird sitting on a nest.

He had remembered where to come for a free hand out and maybe he was trying to impress his partner with some delicious treats. Wally continued to come in daily for several weeks until one day he came in and sat on the window sill and on the fence behind him was his partner and two baby Wattle Birds.

This was five years ago now and each and every xmas time this same scenario happens. He comes in and collects his watermelon for the time that his partner is on the nest. Then he brings all the family in to say goodbye and we don’t see him till the next December.

So now every December we make sure we have watermelon in the fridge ready for his arrival.

Releasing of already imprinted birds can be reversed. Not all birds can be rehabilitated but this story goes to show that given time and patience and the right environment anything is possible. It makes us very happy to see him free and at last count Wally is  a proud father to 9 baby Wattlebirds.

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