BBC News

Experts have dismissed the claim that a 104-year-old foul-mouthed parrot once belonged to the wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Charlie, a blue and yellow macaw, is spending his twilight years in a garden centre in Surrey and his owner Peter Oram says the bird used to live with Sir Winston Churchill in his heyday.

Mr Oram says his father-in-law Percy Dabner sold Charlie to the former prime minister in 1937 and then took the bird back after his death in 1965.

The Churchill family has questioned Mr Oram's story and historians have said they are unsure if the leader ever owned a parrot.

The bird entertains customers at the Heathfield Nurseries, in Reigate, with a string of obscene anti-Nazi tirades, which Mr Oram says Charlie picked up from Churchill.

Staff at the National Trust's Chartwell property, Churchill's former country home in Kent, said they had conducted a thorough search of records and photographs but could find no evidence of him ever owning a parrot.

Judith Seaward, marketing manager at Chartwell, said: "We really looked and looked and know he had a budgerigar and all sorts of other animals.

"He loved animals, he had dogs, cats, pigs - but there's no record of a parrot.

Standing by the bird

"We have searched what we've got here and spoken to members of the family who I really thought would have known."

Staff at the nurseries were standing by the bird on Tuesday and defending his claim to fame.

Sylvia Martin, Heathfield's nursery manager, said: "He definitely did belong to Churchill.

"My boss Peter Oram's father-in-law sold the parrot to Churchill and when he died they were asked to go back to Chartwell and collect the birds and brought them away."

"When he died they were asked to go and collect some birds and Charlie was one of them."

[quote=Juztiny,Apr 30 2008, 11:52 AM]
My Cockatiel is getting familiar with us each day. It can now demand to come out from its cage, and go back to its cage by itself. It enjoys riding on our shoulder walking around. If I sit down, it will fly towards my table and explore. Now it isn't afraid of my dogs anymore. Very fun pet to play with.

My Magpies very hard working in singing everyday. Very entertaining in deed.

---

Added on April 30, 2008, 10:55 am
What mutation colour are your love birds? The pair I'm buying is Lutino Peachfaced. But I would love to have Peachfaced Opine.

1 is both peach face. one is red head, the male is bright yellow head.
1 baby is like the mom aka red head, the handicap 1 is diff colour, mostly mutated to greenish/blueiss colur, face is light mid grey colour.

u getting a tame pair or wc pair?
saw midvalley got 3 pair of lovebirds sort of pair up dy.
got 2 pair peach face, 1 pair blackmask.
so temp to get 1 or 2 pair just to keep.

think think 1st la.

I'm buying a pair still need handfeed baby love bird.

Now I'm in Sungai Petani, bought a Pekin Robin and a Mata Puteh. The Pekin Robin I bought already can sing and very colourful, saw it sang in the shop and so beautiful, and eventually bought it. Mata Puteh was only RM20, so can't resist the temptation, bought it as well. Over there got 2-3 San Fu bird which can sing as well and only sell at RM180 each. I have to hold my handbreak though, because my car cannot put so many things already.

This post has been edited by Juztiny: May 3 2008, 09:24 PM

hi juztiny,
i can see u r getting more excited with all kind of Soft Bill Birds just like me . but one thing u have to beware with PERHILITAN .
2 days ago i just kena cought by PERHILITAN . bad luck........

You stayed in apartment, right? How come Perhilitan can know what sort of birds you're keeping? Must be your neighbour reported to the Perhilitan, otherwise no one could see from the based of the apartment.

Well...looks like I can only put Magpies outside, will keep the rest inside the house.

This post has been edited by Juztiny: May 4 2008, 05:01 PM

one of the officers said, someone has email to them. u should keep your birds those without license in house. but if someone report to Perhilitan, still they'll search till your toilet, as what they did to me, coz i don't keep any birds out door but still they know.

they took my,
6 shama
2 mata puteh
1 merbah jambul.

Wow...sound like somebody in the forum is monitoring us and track down by registered email address and residential address. Scary....

Didn't know you have so many Sharmas and Mata Puteh! May I know how much was the "saman" given to you? I heard some birds licence itself cost RM500 per bird.

This post has been edited by Juztiny: May 5 2008, 12:39 AM

poor things
hope ur ok there.
oh how much is the saman btw?

Just curious, how much is the market price for a Common Budgie? I saw some labeled as Common Budgie and others as English Budgie?

What's the difference?

Common Budgie is smaller in size than English Budgie. The price range for Common Budgie is RM20-30 per bird depending on which birdshop.

english budgie's head is like an alien,
much more bigger size then normal budgie & lovel birds.

hope can help.

p/s : juztiny : ur magpie with the long tail is call wat? jungle magpie eh?
my dad got 1 who can sing chinese songs. damn cute

That one is called Sharma (Murai Batu). Wah...can sing Chinese songs some more, so geng!

sharma, thanks 4 tellin me.
well can sing some chinese songs like seong hoi tan, choi san tou.
its a gift from my dad's fren.
current he got a baby magpie 2.

I saw from adpost, somebody is selling a 2 months old Macaw for RM5,800 only! Quickly grab! Damn cheap, some more hand fed young Macaw.

http://www.adpost.com/my/pets/14892/

my lovebird's eggs!
enjoy!!


Attached thumbnail(s)

3 eggs? Or one is a fake egg?

wish its fake egg la.
actually got 4 eggs. cant get the shoot all the 4 eggs together in 1 shot.


wow hand fed macau.
good price la btw!!

After reading every single page of this thread, I'm feeling the urge to get a bird, perhaps a budgie since they're stated as a beginner bird on the first page yeah?

Question is, does anyone know of pet shops around PJ that has Common Budgies for sale? Also, I have a couple of questions in mind :

1) How big should the cage be for a single budgie?
2) Where should I situate the cage? Outdoors? (The weather's kinda hot at this time of the year)

Many thanks in advance. =)

If you intend to buy untamed Budgies, then better buy a pair, otherwise it will be very lonely.

You can put outdoor (under shade) or indoor. However must give them some morning sun and bath daily. A 16" metal cage would be just fine.

saman still don't know yet, coz the officer ask me to see him next monday. license only rm10 for each bird per year.