Camera Critter #46

During my Air Force career, I was asked if I wanted to go on an adventure. I said yes, and in early 1989, I found myself somewhere in Honduras. My first impression of the area was that it looked a lot like the High Lava Desert of central Oregon.

However, a week after I arrived, I realized it really wasn't anything like central Oregon. In the hootch I lived in, we had an iguana which lived under one of the common room couches. We called him George and he would come out and gobble up the massive number of dead flies we left lying on the floor after a good swat. I kept trying to get a photo of him, but any movement around and he darted back to his hiding place.

However, there were a couple of creatures of the Honduran jungle which weren't as shy.

Early one morning, I was awakened by a loud screeching sound. Puzzled by the sound and realizing it was close to my set wake-up time, I got up and headed to the showers. On the way, I found out what made the screeching sound. It was a Scarlet Macaw. I stood there watching bird for a few minutes, admiring its beauty and then continued on my way to the showers.

A couple of days later, I was returning from the chow hall, eating an apple and the Macaw landed on a rail near me. In a chair nearby, sat our First Sergeant and he fed the bird something. I walked over and was about to ask the First Sergeant about the bird, when it reached down and took what was left of the apple out of my hand. Surprised, I stepped back and the sergeant began laughing. "Paco loves apples," he said.

He then explained to me that Paco was a wild bird who only liked a few a people...and it appeared I was one of them since he didn't fly off when I approached. After that, I would regularly see Paco and would always have an apple and knife with me so we could share the treat. One day, Paco let me take his photo. He was, and probably still is, a majestic bird as you can see.

After a while, I would find Paco waiting for me on the perch above (yes...at the First Sergeant's hootch). And every day, we shared an apple. My only regret was I left Honduras without saying goodbye to Paco.

Then, a couple of weeks before I was due to leave Honduras, I was sitting outside, talking with some friends. The sun was setting and the bugs were out in force. There were several crawling on me and as I would swipe one away, another would take its place somewhere else on my body. As I prepared to swipe a new bug away from my neck area, a Green Parrot appeared out of nowhere, landed on my chest and grabbed the insect. Needless to say, I was a bit startled and a friend of mine was able to snap this image of me as I recovered.

The parrot perched on my chest for a few moments, looking around, spotted another bug on my right arm, walked across my chest and grabbed it also. The bird then looked me over again, and seeing nothing, flew back to where it came from...a nearby tree.

Needless to say, the other three friends of mine were rolling across the ground laughing so hard, I thought they would never stop. After that, I was butt of a lot of jokes.

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