Mo...no more

Not in a bad way - don't worry!
We took Mo to a nearby park this morning and let him go.

I'll be honest - I don't think he wanted to go away from us.
We set a box down on the grass and opened it up.  He flew out...
...and right back again!
We fed him a few more bites of food started to load up.
Well, he was having none of that and the whole situation started to turn into some circus act.
Kids freaking out!
Mom freaking out!
"Get in the car!  Get in the car!"
They made it in, but left me out there alone with the bird NOT letting go!
He finally flew off to a nearby tree and I took my leave!!

So here's how the past few days have been playing out...
Mo started expanding his horizons and instead of us always seeking him out...

...he began to seek us out (insert Jaws soundtrack here).

Very cute - I do realize this.

Anyway, each time we would go outside, for any reason, we were spotted by his sharp eyes and he would fly to us.

Whether we were ready for it or not!

As cool and amazing that I know this is, it had become a nuisance.
He was getting pretty aggressive and once he landed on your arm/shoulder/back/head, he demanded to be fed!
I do mean demanded because he would chirp and chirp and CHIRP loudly until fed!

Hannah and I had no real problem dealing with this...although he has gone after her feet with his beak and I swear he was going to peck my face off a few times while on my shoulder!

The real trouble is that WE weren't the only people he thought would feed him.
It was going to get to a point where Jenelle would never leave the house again!
Our neighbors were starting to mention how Mo was flying down onto them when they were outside.
And when their guests came over, it happened to them too.
Some of their guests are small kids and some of our neighbors are elderly folk.

It came to a point where it was no longer realistic to have a "pet" wild bird.
A bit like a certain Alfred Hitchcock film...except starring ONE bird.

So.
Mo has a new home in a neighborhood park.

There are plenty of trees and grass and areas for birds to make homes and find food.
I am worried a bit about the food part, but he had been pecking at bugs on tree branches and forging for things on the ground, so he should do just fine.
I felt sad when we finally managed to 'escape' into our van and get the h%*# outta there, but it had to be done.

I've no doubt that as handsome as Mo is, he'll soon find a mate and build a nice nest and have a nice life.
We've been given an experience that not many get, so we are grateful for the memories.
But let me just say this...

Never.

Again.