Pogolalia
Pogo is a Blue-fronted Amazon. Her birthday is April 18 1998. We are also taking care of Gris-Gris, who is a an older Congo African Grey, made famous by her long stay at the offices of Wired Magazine. (If I could only get my hands on the old Wired press book! Every article about Wired in the early days featured a photo of Gris-Gris!)
Pogo talks incessantly. Sometimes she's just mimicking (or practicing), but she also responds to us about specific things in specific ways, and asks for things she wants. Gris-Gris doesn't speak in words, but is an accomplished at whistling and sound effects. Read more about parrots and their language abilities.
This is what Pogo says:home aug17 1998
hi, i love you (in the voice of Claudia, the woman who owns the store she was weaned in)soon after
hello10/2/98
hi, hello!, hello?, well hello!, step up, pogo, pogo!, pogo?, hello good bird, hello pretty bird, what a good bird, you're such a good bird, good girl, pretty girl, come here, where ya going, are you a good bird, how are you (muddled), love you (infrequent), wow (infrequent)10/4/98
gimme that, ha ha ha12/17/98
thank you, how are you (not muddled), wow (all the time), hello little bird, yeah!, step up step up STEP UP!, i love you, good morning, caleb (once),12/31/98
hello sweet girl, hello little birdie, ok, good, nooo, oh!, step down, la la la & wooh ooh ooh (singing), what are you doing, whatcha doin, are you my good girl?, hi good baby, you wanna come out? Koo koo bird, kooky girl, hel-eye! (her own creation), goodbye! (once)1/16/99
come on, ok, you're welcome (once), thank you!3/3/99
where ya going?, hi pogo! Hello pogo!, ooh, aww3/17/99
wanna come with me?, is that good?, you like it?, i love you - pogo (singing a song my mom taught her), la la la (singing)3/31/99
yeah! (once), oh sorry (once)4/15/99
how are you - i'm fine (once). Kooky girl. Gimme kiss. Hi baby. I'm sorry baby. Good baby, sweet baby. goodnight, goodbye. Step down. Hellogo. Goodlow. Nooooo. I love you (constantly). Ooooh. Oh!6/14/99
You want some water?, what happened!? (emily). don't do that. would you like a bite? would you like a pea? would you like a beer? (!?) would you like to step down?7/19/99
What do you think? So good. So pretty. Be-YOO-teeful!8/99
would you like to come with me? would you like some water? ready? on! ready? off! where are you going? hello good baby. setup up pretty girl. come on step down. oh, that's good! come here, pogo, come on. OK! OK? That's beautiful!Would you like some more?
8/24/99
Goodbye Caleb!10/14/99
what's that? vegetable (quietly, once). are you my good baby? oh dear! (once). readygo! (whatever that means). whispering (hello pogo, pretty girl). Up! On! Off! (separately), "i'm in love with you, pogo, no one else will..." (this is singing - she hasn't learned to sing the last words, "do, pogo")
11/99
on!off!on!off!, who's that? (said while looking in mirror), are you my sweet baby? would you like some corn? would you like a vegetable? would you like a snack? [beep!] (said when answering machine beeps)12/99
okay. (said especially while someone is on the phone)riiiight. (said especially when caleb and tricia are talking)
6/00
would you like some apple? (constantly!) step up, gris. goooood. [she knows the whole song my mom taught her, though she rarely sings it all the way through in sequence. the song goes: I'm in love with you, pogo. tell me you'll be true, pogo.no one else will do, pogo. say you love me too, pogo. also she is just starting to sing "row your boat". she sings "merrily merrily merrily" and usually throws in an "OH!" at some point.]see you later, ok? want to go back to your cage? later, ok? goodbye - i love you! like a pea? later, ok.
4/01
don'tworryaboutit (once, and mumbled, just like caleb says it). good later (abbreviation of "goodbye, see you later"). come on, gris! (when one of us is getting gris-gris out of her cage). what (once, caleb's voice).5/01
are you all done? (very clear, while having a bath)6/22/01
what's the matter? would you like to come vegetable? oooOOOooo! mmmMMMmmm! (if you are eating something)1/02
Hi you guys! Hi good birds! Hi good guy! (she made this last one up). Ohhh, what a sweet bird. (Sings to the tune of "you are my sunshine"): You are my good bird... You make me hap-PY. Yay! Yay-yay! (said when someone else says "yay")Hi lover, Hi lovey, Hi lovebird. Hey you birds.
10/04
Goodbye sweet vegetable girl.... are you a vegetable?
C'mon Pogo. C'mon Gris. Step up. Good girl!