This is my first time using this site and since I am in the company of other tiel lovers I know I shall be using it often. This is my story on my tiel experience. We got our first tiel in June of 2008. My son loves birds and had been wanting one for a very long time. I was hesitant; I was somewhat cautious around birds as I startle easily and I didn't want to be pecked! Anyway, he had seen pictures of whiteface tiels and really liked them so we looked all over central Illinois and found a wonderful store in Champaign, IL called SAILFIN that had whiteface tiels at that time. We went over there and they had several young whitefaces. They are very careful with their birds; you cannot just buy one and take it home-you spend time with your choice in the store and staff works with you for several weeks to educate you and work on your new relationship. They feel you don't pick the bird-the bird picks you. Anyway, my son (calling himself the actual bird owner) picked a young, unknown gender whiteface and we named the tiel Sydney, not knowing the gender. Sydney had no problems riding home with us 45 miles in the car. We bought a traveling cage and he walked around and chirped several times. To make a long story short, we found out from our avian veterinarian that Sydney was a male as he was quite the whistler and singer. He soon learned "Reveille" from my husband whistling it and with his cage housed in our son's room at night, he would whistle "Reveille" at about 6:30 in the morning to wake up our son. He spent most of his time out of the cage and flew about the house. We chose to let his wings grow out because he loved flying so much. Sydney really bonded to me and spent most of his time perched on me. He was a sweetheart and would gently nibble on my lip and give me kisses. When I would come home he would cry out his greeting. He loved to help me do dishes and laundry and had to inspect everything. We all loved him, but I had the special bond with him. In April, 2010, my husband had Syd with him and walked out into the garage to close th door forgetting Sydney was on his shoulder. Our little whiteface flew right out the garage door and over the roof of our neighbor's home. We immediatley went out looking for him; calling and whistling for him, but it was getting dark and we had no luck. I cried most of the night and got up before dawn and made posters. By dawn I was stapling posters to the telephone poles at the top and bottoms of the streets around us, calling Sydney. He responded on the next street over from us and I saw him flying and circling around. We ran to the area and got around the tree he landed in with me calling him and shaking a goldfish cracker bag as he loved his goldfish crackers. He responded several times, however, we could not see him. After about 30 minutes he suddenly flew from that tree and circled around the area several minutes. At one point he looked like he was flying right at me, but veered off. He was very high and I think he did not know how to come down or land. We searched for days, posting on the web at various sites, distributing posters, walking and walking and calling him for blocks around our neighborhood. We put his cage out and even moved it into the back yard of a house where someone thought they saw him. The last time I heard anyone say they saw him was about a month after he flew off. A woman two streets away thought she saw him sitting on a tree branch at the edge of a wooded area where a bike trail cut through. I have never given up, totally-I still call for Sydney when I take walks. It has been a year and a half and I periodically post ads in the local lost and found classifieds and keep one up constantly on Craigslist and 911parrotalert.com. I grieve for him and cry when I think of what could have happened to him. I hope someone has him; at least he would be in a home, being fed rather than out there with weather issues and predators. A couple of months after we lost Sydney I visited SAILFIN again, wanting another cockatiel as we were planning on getting a second one to keep Sydney company. A young whiteface pearl wolf whistled at me, climbing up and down the bars of his cage. He was quite a bit larger than Sydney and very flashy looking. We brought him home 2 weeks later and named him (Max)imus Squawkus as he was pretty noisy. Max also bonded to me, however, he was much more amorous than Sydney. I had to move him off my arms and hands as he had just one thing in mind! He also loved to strut and was quite the proud male with his chest puffed out and his wings held out from his body. He wanted to ride on our heads, but we would put him down on our arm or shoulder. He also learned songs, however, he would come up with his own version after whistling the first part. He would whistle and then cock his head for you to whistle the same thing back. Then he would repeat the tune, but add to it and want you to copy it. That was his little game. If I took a nap and when I went to bed I would wheel his cage into our room next to the bed and he would quiet down immediately. He was friendly with my husband and son, but very bonded to me. He was a very strong flyer even after his wings were clipped. About one year after we got Max he was in the living room with me and he was playing with a toy on the bookcase at the far end of our living room. My husband was leaving and I had to tell him something so I hesitated, looking at Max and thought he was preoccupied, so ran to the front door and sliding through quickly to shout out to my husband from the front porch. As I slipped back in I heard Max calling out several times. I got in the living room and could not find him. He had flown out the small area of the door as I slipped through. I was hysterical. Again, we went through the same process as 14 months earlier with Sydney. Posters distributed to each home for several blocks around us, lost and found classifieds, web sites, calling shelters and vets, but to no avail. My son saw him twice in the neck 6 weeks right in our yard as I had put out his cage and birdfeed. He had flown off before I got outside. I haven't seen him for several months now, though I continue to look. I grieve for my birds and think of them every day. I pray and pray and call for both of them, but to no avail. Now autumn is here and the trees are shedding their leaves. I think of Sydney and Max and wonder what has happened to them-and I am besieged with guilt and tears as I can't bear to think they are quite probably deceased by now. I cannot quit thinking of them and their endearing ways and how much I love them. I love cockatiels now and have thought of getting one or two more, but then I feel guilty as I don't want to betray my lost boys. I would love to hear from other cockatiel lovers who could respond to my sad story. Could my two birds live through the seasons of central Illinois-do they move off from the area they were lost in? I need support as my husband is impatient with me and tells me to "get over it-they are gone for good"