Tails of the City: Mr. Mejiro
He never thought he’d fall in love with a bird—or go on to rescue 10 more.
The tiny green birds with white-ringed eyes—mejiro means “white eye” in Japanese—had never flitted onto Sean Morris’ radar.
SEE ALSO: Tails of the City: “They Are Our Angels”
That changed 14 years ago when the marketing consultant heard tiny peeps while at Ward Centre. On the sidewalk was a wee fluff ball just starting to show its lime-green feathers. Morris watched it for an hour; when its parents didn’t show up, he picked it up and took it to his grandmother’s house.
“Lucky,” as he and his wife, Lena, called the bird, would follow the couple from room to room and fly into their cupped hands for kisses. One time, to lure her into her cage, Morris pretended to scatter her favorite pianono crumbs inside. He still recalls Lucky’s angry shrieks when she realized she’d been tricked. After that, she never went in before making sure the crumbs were there first. “I never realized birds were so intelligent,” Morris says. “She was our baby.”
Lucky lived seven coddled years. Morris estimates he’s since rescued 10 more mejiros, all of which he’s taken to a friend’s aviary in Mānoa for rehabilitation and eventual release. Mira, found as a chick in a planter at Ala Moana Center, is blind and loves oranges and cuddles. She’s their new baby.
