Felix

Felix was a beautiful little Zebra Finch. His joyful little spirit filled my heart all the time I knew him. When I first met him at a bird rescue he was the only one in the cage of finches who wasn't hopping around. Instead, he was perched on a branch and peering at me intently. He had a blackened toe that later fell off but never slowed him down for a second!

When I brought him home, Felix joined my other Zebra Finch, Oscar. He clearly didn't hold his rough start in life against anyone. He trusted me from the start and used to sit on the top perch and press against the bars of his and Oscar's cage when he wanted me to pet him. I'd put one finger carefully through the bars and stroke his whisper soft feathers.

He was happy, singing and hopping around from the moment he woke until the moment he hopped into his nest for the night. Just looking at him always made me smile and if it's possible for a bird to have a sense of humor, Felix certainly did. When I talked to him, he'd turn his head to the side and look at me with that humor in his tiny, dark eyes.

He met most of my friends and was the most genial of all my birds, always coming out to greet them and singing for them. Nobody could help but smile when they saw him.

Felix was loved and he'll be missed, now and always. I'm grateful for having known him and for having the privilege to call him my friend and companion.

Nicole Ernst