Big Black Bird

This is Kirby our Cockatiel. 

When we are at home, his cage door is open so that he can get out and sit on the top if he wants to.  He doesn't fly all around the room but he has been known to jump off now and then.  This is especially true if there is a loud noise that startles him.

Last Sunday, I was sitting on the couch next to his cage quietly working on my laptop when suddenly he jumped off the cage and ran behind the loveseat towards the front of the room.  Usually when I say "Come Here" and tap the floor, he'll come running back and get on my finger so I can put him back on the cage.  This time he ignored me and kept going climbing up on some baskets so I had to get up and go get him.

I put him back on the cage and no sooner had I sat down than he jumped off again, this time right near my feet, but I wasn't quick enough and he took off across the room again.   

I got up and went to get him again and again he did the same thing.  This was quite peculiar behavior or so I thought until I walked over to get him one more time.  This time, before I picked him up, I took a look out the back of the house and I saw what was causing this behavior.  A BIG black bird was sitting on top of the bird bath.   I realized that Kirby had been running for his life and stupid me, I just kept putting him back right where he could see and be seen by this character. 

I let him stay on the baskets out of sight while I went to get the camera.  By that time the bird had moved to this flowerpot..........

And then he jumped onto the edge of the pool.  I was pretty sure that it was a vulture but it didn't have a red head like the turkey vultures do.  After looking it up, I determined it was a black vulture and I haven't the slightest idea what he was doing in our yard that day.  Usually vultures can be found around dead animals and there wasn't anything dead in the yard that we know of.

When I went outside to try to get a better picture the vulture flew overhead and circled once before flying off.  I came back in and reassured Kirby that the danger was gone before I put him back on the cage.  Poor thing.