In August 2002, a budgie owner asked me for help. Since many years, she was a bird owner and she loved her budgies. Regrettably, her young daughter became ill because of the birds in their household. Despite all efforts of her mother, her health status didn't improve, so the hard decision was made that the two budgies had to be given away because of the daughter's asthma.

It was about two years before that time when the charming Max had been adopted. He was a solitairy kept budgie who was living in a cage full of toys and he was crazy for his bell and mirror. Immediately after moving into his new home, he started to courtship Eule who became his wife.

It would have been no problem to find a fondly new home for the lovely Max because he was tame and remarkably beautiful. But his beloved Eule was blind what made things more complicated when the mother and her daughter were looking for a new home for their budgies. When I heard of the birds, I decided to give them a new home in my little flock. My bird room is safe even for disabled budgies what made it a good place to stay for Max's wife. On 08/16/2002, they became official members of my flock and moved in.

Since Max was so friendly and lively, he soon made new friends in my bird room. That was the best thing that could happen to him because a few weeks after the couple moved in, poor Eule died. In summer 2003, Max became a very close friend of my male Barred Parakeet Merlin and their wonderful friendship lasted until Max died some years later. And in November 2004, Max fell in love again and became the husband of Niobe for several months. In spring 2005 she left him for another, so Max became single again. But this didn't mean that he was lonely. Still Merlin and his wife Bianca, too, were always there for him. The three birds often caressed each other for hours and hours. I have never seen anything so sweet before.

The colour mutation of Max was called "Opaline Spangle" in sky blue. Even though Max lived together with so many other birds, he remained very tame and loved to sit on my hand - especially when I carried food like a piece of sweet apple. Max liked all the other budgies and he often perched right next to his "choir fellow" Nik. They often sang their songs together. There was only one thing Max didn't like at all: In the evening he climbed on his swing on which he slept each night. He hated to be disturbed by any other bird when he was sitting on this swing and he started to scream like a mad chicken when another bird approached him. This sound was so funny that it made me laugh each time I heard it.

Regrettably I will never hear this funny sound again because Max died much too early. In the end of October 2006 he became seriously ill. His kidneys have stopped working propperly. I did everything to try and save his live, but nothing worked. The vet said we should try it but there would be only little hope he would survive it. As he claimed, most probably a tomour grew inside the tiny body because his kindneys were enormously enlarged. Max leaves behind two very sad Lineolated Parakeets and a sad owner. My heart broke when I found him dead in the early morning of 10/29/2006. I will never forget this charming little guy who brought so much fun and joy in my live.

When Max moved into my bird room he was about seven to nine years old. I didn't rename him because he was used to the sound of his name he carried for so long.