This is the crew that makes up the household fur and feather population 2022
Now: Moby is currently turning 12! He’s become quite an old guy in the past year with lots of lumps and bumps and joints that are not working all too well.
Then: Moby joined our household back in April 2011. He is a very young German Wirehaired Pointer (about 75lbs. of muscle) in need of LOTS of training. Maybe someday we will be having fun in the Agility ring! We are his THIRD home since the breeders in Washington. Poor guy. Needless to say he has plenty of fear aggression issues. He pops up quite frequently in blog entries due to his naughty behavior….
Hazelnut aka Hazel is our constantly intense Terrier. We adopted her from the local shelter. She was originally from New Mexico and was deposited at a kill shelter at a young age. She has been with us for now 6 years and a great companion for Moby. Maybe someday/year she will stop jumping on the dining room table. Her lineage is 50% mini Schnauzer and the remaining is a mashup of other terriers/mixes.
MeMe the sumo kitty passed away on December 31, 2020. She had joined our house in 2008 and was easily 5 years old at that time. She lived a very good life.
Before MeMe passed away we adopted two kittens from the same litter. Fiona and Pippin are now turning 4 in 2022! These gals provide so much energy in our house. Did I mention cats love wool? You can imagine what antics they get up to in the studio.
Barnaby the cockatoo. He is by far the oldest feathered/furry critter in the bunch. He arrived to Oregon back in the 1990’s from Dave’s sister from Shreveport Louisiana. As a wild caught bird, he has certainly traveled the world to end up in Oregon. We don’t know squat about his previous life before Shreveport, but he does have strong opinions on kids, household pets, and the evil hawks and vultures that fly by the house.
Sticks, Stones, and Paper Stew Blog 
So seeing Quigley’s dot makes me wonder about the dots on many seagull beaks… any connection? They sorta look like a TARGET, and don’t most animals want to camouflage?? Or is the dot something to get insects to think they’re a flower and fly right in???
I’m not certain why ‘tiels have the cheek patch. With sea gulls, it acts as a target point for chicks to peck and then the adults will regurgitate a little lunch. Not all gulls have the dot, so which came first? One of those Darwinian/Mendelian questions. Cockatiels also live in large groups, so it might aid in confusing predators. 😀