An Unexpected Guest
At TBD Coffee Co, we’re known for our small-batch, thoughtfully roasted coffee — shipped straight to your door. But behind every bag is a story. And this one involves a feathered surprise, a whole lot of personality, and the newest member of our family: Pedro Pascal the Parrot.
I (Ashley) had just hopped out of the shower when Zach ran inside like a mad man yelling, "come look at this!!!" I grabbed a towel, ran into our backyard with him, and saw this majestic green parrot tentatively walking around under our avocado tree. Zach had been pruning the lemon tree and didn't realize this little guy was hanging out in it. He got startled and fluttered out of the tree, past Zach, and into our yard. We frantically snapped a couple videos and photos to show our friends, because we figured he would take flight and leave at any moment. That was 6 months ago. He hasn't left.
The Transformation of Pedro into Pedro Pascal
He used his little beak to climb up a ladder we had in the yard. He looked like he was getting comfy and had no intention of moving on anytime soon, but we had to leave for a party. We had grapes in the fridge and after a Google search, found out Parrots love grapes! We cut some up for him, put out a dish of water, and said our farewells.
We came back 5 hours later and he was still there, but now it was dark. At first we figured that was fine, he was a bird and birds are outdoor creatures, right? Then we glanced up and saw tons of tiny little eyes staring at him. The tree above him was full - I mean FULL - of possums. They looked hungry, and he looked like a snack.
I told Zach that I'd be devastated if we came out in the morning to a pile of green feathers and he agreed that we should take him inside. We weren't sure if he was one of LA's wild parrots or someone's pet, and I've always heard that a good rule of thumb is to not take strange birds into your house, but we did it anyway. I thought he might freak out and peck out my eyes or scratch me up, so I put on an oversized hoodie and the largest sunglasses I could find. I held out my arm to him and he stepped right on. He was unphased and very casual about it. I was terrified and stopped breathing for the few minutes it took to transport him to the guest bedroom (where he was obviously staying, since he was a guest).
Three full days later - days filled with us googling things like "is his tongue supposed to be black?" and "am I supposed to build my parrot a nest?", our neighbor knocked on the door, asking if we'd seen her bird. We invited her inside and she saw Pedro hanging out with us, hopping from me to Zach, nuzzling our hair, preening Zach's beard, and being generally cuddly. She was shocked at how happy he was and started crying. She was actually planning to move soon and had been looking for someone to adopt him for awhile. She asked if we wanted to keep him. We didn't even discuss it, just looked at each other and knew.
We found out that his name was Pedro, he was 23, and he had lived in the yard next door to ours for the past 10 years. He had never before climbed into this yard, and had a reputation for being a bit of a jerk. He had never had his wings clipped, but had never learned how to fly.
We decided to give him a second name to christen his adoption, and since we could tell that he was a gentleman, handsome, charismatic, and an advocate for LGBTQ and trans rights, we naturally renamed him Pedro Pascal.
And that's how we got our little guy.
Marlee Is Pranking Us From The Afterlife
When Marlee, our dachshund and TBD Coffee Co Royalty, left my life after 17 years, I was - and still am - heartbroken. My world will never be the same without her. Pedro showed up two months after she died, and part of me wonders if he heard us out back, crying at her grave, and thought maybe we needed him as much as he needed someone.
There's also a chance that Marlee's just pranking us. This feels like her sense of humor.
I offhandedly said I missed the sound of tiny nails on the floor. And that was like making a genie wish but not wording it correctly and BAM now there's a flightless bird living in my house with literally the TINIEST nails, always tip-toeing around.
A few hauntingly fun facts:
- Zach's used to sing to 'Close To You' by the Carpenters to Marlee alllll the time. The lyrics are ➡️ Why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near? Just like me, they long to be close to you.
- We had an ongoing joke for years about Marlee's snoot and how no matter where we were, she would somehow get feathers stuck to it. Even when there were no feathers. It was her trademark look. She was a magnet for feathers that appeared out of thin air.
- Marlee's birthday was September 21st. Pedro's original owner doesn't know his exact birthday, but she said it was "sometime a week or two after the twin towers fell" which puts us right around... September 21st. We've decided to reverse it and celebrate his birthday every year on September 12th.
- When Marlee died, a stranger on Instagram told me that when she lost a loved one, she looked for a sign, and one day she saw a beautiful bird in her yard and felt at peace. Her exact words were "Maybe Marlee will send you a bird." I thought she meant temporarily. Like a fleeting, majestic moment. That woman cursed me.
From Our Home to Yours (Feathers and All)
Pedro’s arrival was unplanned, chaotic, and absolutely perfect. We found ourselves recounting the story frequently to our friends, so we figured we'd just make a few videos about it and share his story that way. We didn't expect it to take off, but apparently he's more popular than us. People have been flooding TikTok and Instagram with Pedro love, and have gone out of their way to share advice, recipes, toy recommendations, and personal stories. As two people who knew zero things about caring for a bird, we are so appreciative.
After Pedros's flock starting growing and we were sharing all the things we were buying for him (cage, perches, organic food, every vegetable on earth, toys, exotic veterinary care, misters, training sessions from Weird Rescue etc etc) people started asking if they could donate to his care 🥹. I can barely type this without crying. It was possibly the most beautiful example of the internet I've ever seen. The outpouring of kindness and love...I can't. I'm gonna cry.
So, we decided it was time for Pedro to 1. get a job and 2. get his own coffee label. Thus, the Parrot Pedro Pascal's Pick-Me-Up-Coffee was born. All proceeds go toward...well, us. Him. Our little family.
With Love,
Zach, Ashley, Ghost Marlee 👻 (who absolutely 100% still works here) and Parrot Pedro Pascal 🦜
Following along with Pedro's adventures on TikTok and watch his dramatic origin story on The Dodo’s Instagram.
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