Emily Robinson (originally Robinson Crusoe, until we realized he was a she) was hatched from Kris and Confetti's second clutch. They hatched two months after Trix and Chex's clutch was laid: about four months earlier than is healthy!

The rest of the clutch died for various reasons; my personal belief is that they didn't have all the nutrients they could have, due to being hatched so close to the first clutch, and didn't have as much of a shot. One baby, Titania was born premature and died, Bilbo Baggins was to small and trampled by the older chicks, another, Lady Chatterly, developed sour-crop and died, a fourth never hatched (though you could see cracks in the egg), a fifth died for reasons unknown, and the sixth egg was infertile. Em was the only survivor.

She was raised entirely by Kris; I was busy taking care of the sour-crop baby, so didn't touch her at all, and she was pretty wild when she came out of the nesting box!

There are physical oddities about her, though I can never decide if they're in the range of normal or not. Her beak is a bit flat, and her nails oddly clear. I have no idea what it means.

Em is probably one of my smartest cockatiels, though she's not terribly interested in people. She plays with toys I put in places I think she won't be able to get to, and she loves her swing. She gets on, grabs hold of something nearby, and swings it! She tamed down okay, though she's a bit odd. I think there was something wrong with the clutch as a whole. She's also pied, like her father, and getting more so daily. But her head has a slightly odd shape, and her beak and toenails are almost clear. She's the only bird I own whose nails I actually have to clip!

Despite this, Em is stunningly smart. She plays with toys I don't think she can even reach, and loves to swing the cockatiel swing. Really. She grabs anything nearby, pulls herself close, and lets go. It's hilarious.

Em makes friends in unexpected places. She was good friends with Chex, before he died, and Loiosh as well. Now, her and Sapphire seem to be getting along, and she's tamed down really well. She's an absolute suck when it comes to getting her neck scratched--she actually head-butts me. Pretty impressive for a bird who was totally wild!

She's also really good with her leash and strangers, so I use her when I have bird demos. She doesn't seem to mind kids, and will put up with a remarkable amount.

Until she was about two years old, she still did her best to make baby bird noises. Who am I kidding? In the middle of a really good neck scratch, she'll still make them! She seems happy when she's out and looking around, though I don't really think she cares for being petted! She likes loves fresh food (a rarity for a cockatiel!), which makes feeding her easy! She's also becoming more of a typical cockatiel. Once, I was totally unable to predict her; she attacked Loiosh when all the other 'tiels ran away, which I didn't expect. Just for example! Now, I'm better able to tell what she's likely to do. Maybe I'm just getting used to her!

Em is mine, and will stay mine for a good long time. Unless the perfect situation comes along... but I think this is it!