In the beginning of May 2002, Ares moved into my bird room. Together with his wife Capella and their close friend Dione he was waiting for somebody to take them to a new home after the birds were stranded at the animal shelter of my hometown some weeks before. A friend of their former owner has brought them there, the owner didn't dare to come to the animal shelter himself. The reason for the step to give away the birds was that their owner had become fed up with the budgies - regrettably one could easily notice that from a single look on the pitiable birds and their dirty cage in which they have been living when arriving at the animal shelter. It seemed as if nobody had taken care of them in their former home.

Unlike the two budgie ladies, Ares was a lucky guy, because he left his former home without any handicap. The only thing that was wrong with him was his worn-out plumage. When I got Ares from the animal shelter, he didn't have a name and he was very thin. The best thing about him was that he immediately behaved curiously and trustingly after moving into my bird room. Regrettably he never stopped biting some of his feathers because he had been mistreated for many yearsby his former owner.

Shortly after joining my flock, Ares found out how nice the taste of fresh food is - his favourites were Lamb's lettuce, basil and lovage. But since his arrival he loved to eat every kind of vegetable, fruit or forage plant that comes within reach. When he was new in my flock, especially in the late evening, Ares liked to climb on my hand or perch on my finger. Even though he wasn't loved much by his former owner, he soon began to trust me and we became friends. He used to be one of my tamest birds for the rest of his life and I enjoyed carrying him through the bird room on my shoulder. In June 2003, Ares fell in love and the charming Himalia became his mate then. But in the beginning of 2005 she left him for another. He seemed to be fairly happy as a single because he didn't court any of the other females in my flock. The colour mutation of this wonderful singer - he always performed his songs with virtuosity - is called Opaline in sky blue.

In the end of September 2006 I moved into a new home together with my birds. Immediately, Ares felt at home in the new bird room. He was happy as he used to be and therefore I was shocked to find him weak and with short breath one morning. The sounds he made with every breath he took alarmed me. There was water in his lungs and I wanted to help him by taking him to the avian vet. Regrettably he died before I could do anything for his rescue. Only ten days after he had moved into his new home his little soul left for the final journey. But I will never forget this charming and friendly bird who never argued with his fellows.

Meaning of the name
A friend of mine who accompanied me when I went to the animal shelter to get the three birds chose the name Ares for the lovely blue budgie male. Since I like to name my birds after astronomical objects such as planets, stars or moons we chose a related name. On the planet Mars there is an area that once was flooded by water. This landscape is called Ares Vallis. In the Greek mythology, Ares was the God of war. His Roman equivalent is Mars.