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Happy Endings~Tell us how you recovered your escaped bird~

brandy2103

Sprinting down the street
Joined
7/5/10
Messages
350
Location
Salem, AL
Real Name
Brandy
Oh boy....what did I not do to get Rio back. My B&G "Rio" flew out my garage this past Sunday. I was right beside him, but I hit his perch with a box and he took off. Rio still has three or so flight feathers that aren't even in yet. He had never flown more than a few feet in the house, and yet he ended up about 80 foot up in a tree. This was at noon Sunday. I chased him around probably a three mile radius as he flew from tree to tree. At one point I had to walk across a dam over a creek to find him. I ran through three neighbors yards and lost him at dark Sunday night, I spot lighted the trees, but I went home and cried myself to sleep believing I would never see him again. I was back out at dawn Monday morning and when I called him I heard "Mama come here". I watched him in the top of an 80 foot Sweet Gum Tree from 6 am to about 12:30, then I noticed hawks. I had already called 911, the Volunteer fire dept., animal control, people that help catch wild animals, and the Raptor Center at Auburn University, plus the vet. I was told it would be a miracle and all I could do was wait him out. I knew I had to do something before a hawk or eagle carried him away. I called a Tree Surgeon with a bucket truck, and I begged to go up with him, but he went alone and when he was within a few inches of Rio he got out a net and of course Rio flew away. I started screaming and crying (again) as I watched a hawk right on Rio's tail. He flew in a tall pine and so did the hawk. He flew even higher and dipped behind some trees with the hawk following and although I was running as fast as I could I had no idea where he went. I live in a wooded area and all the land behind the houses is owned by Mead Paper Company and so it's like a huge Pine Tree forest. I called my family and friends back, and was told "it's over, just go home, maybe he will come home." But I knew Rio was lost and afraid and I had to find him. I went through woods and briers calling for him and finally heard him. I ran to the direction it came from, I kept calling and he kept answering. I finally found him under some brush on a tiny tree about two feet off the ground, that was the biggest miracle! I went over and he stepped right up, we hiked out of the woods together and I got him home. He has a few scratches on his bald cheek, I call it his "kissy Spot". This can happen to you, there is no tamer bird alive. I raised him from four weeks old, I can hold him upside down, he talks, does tricks, and calls me "mama". I don't think he knew how to come down, or he would have. I am so lucky he is alive! Please don't let this happen to your bird! Clip their wings or get a harness. I was warned, but I didn't think he could fly like that and he does not like the harness. Well, his wings are now clipped. I never want to go through that again! I got Rio back through perseverance and luck, I would not give up on him!
 

southernbirds

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
11/8/09
Messages
2,777
Location
USA
What an amazing story. Rio and you are so fortunate that happy endings do occur.
 

Butters Mom

Walking the driveway
Joined
9/24/11
Messages
215
Location
Maryland
Real Name
Elise
MY HORROR STORY (A LORIKEET OWNER'S STUPIDITY & GREAT LUCK)
I came home from work & I suppose the door didn't latch closed (that's the only thing I can figure).
I always go to Butters (our lorikeet) first thing & let her out for playtime while I clean her cage, change nectar out, etc. Butters is free-flighted.
When she didn't check in with me for a few minutes, I went looking & saw the door WIDE OPEN!
I checked the house first & then started going around it outside calling & whistling for her. I must've gone around about 100 times & no answer back from my sweet girl. I did notice a cat next door take off from the bushes, but I figured it was me who disturbed him.
I live in a wooded area with a big pond down the hill. I had a lot of wild birds calling back to me, but no little Butters voice (I was doing our contact call- the call we use to let each other know that we are there, just not visible).
I thought of the hawks, owls & falcons we have as neighbors; it broke my heart to think of what was in store for my sweet, little, innocent girl.
My son came home & helped me look to no avail.
It was getting dark & I told my son I was going around once more. He went left & I went right. When we met, we stood talking & low and behold! Butters flew right in front of us!!
She was up in a tree & we called, cajoled & begged for 1/2 hour but she would not come down. She would always come when asked in the house...outdoors was a totally different story. She was hanging upside down & having the time of her life (Lori style)!
My son went inside & brought out the plastic coffee creamer jar she sleeps in, full of her balls & toys (no one & I mean NO ONE is allowed to play with her things!).
He started shaking them & she flew right down to his shoulder & proceeded to nip him for having the audacity to touch her things!
I have never scooped a bird up so fast in my life (while she was latched onto his face, God bless him for not swiping her away!).
The 2 hours she was free outdoors were a nightmare for me & I am now OCD about the doors & my bird. But I am ever so grateful to have her back!
I know it was a miracle & I thank my son's ingenuity for thinking of the one thing that would make a Lory forget about playing!
Never lose hope!
 

Sparky04

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Joined
5/15/11
Messages
1,595
Location
Virginia
Real Name
Kiersten
Years ago, when I was about 7, we had just gotten another budgie (her name was Whitey). Like, a day after we got her, she escaped through a whole in the screen door. At that time, we lived on the first floor of an apartment complex. We got our neighbors to help and we were wandering around looking for her. It was during the summer and all of the kids were out of school and looking for something to do. Our search attracted attention and soon, we had almost everyone who lived there searching for Whitey. We finally found her high up in a pine tree. A teenage girl climbed up the tree, grabbed Whitey and we brought her home.

Oh and another story:
Before we knew better, we used to take Afie outside without any sort of harness or carrier. We thought since she was clipped, it'd be okay. :o: We took her almost everywhere. And she did very well and didn't fly away, but it only takes once for a bird to be gone forever. One time, we went to Captiva Island, Florida. We took Afie with us. My dad took her to the beach (the island was very secluded, so we were the only ones who were there on that part of the beach) and the waves scared her. She took off and my dad was running behind her, trying to catch her. She landed in a bush, we took her back to the house we were renting and have never taken her outside again.
 

Welshanne

Ripping up the road
Celebirdy of the Month
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Joined
10/16/09
Messages
1,000,000
Location
Pembrokeshire. South Wales, Britain.
Real Name
Ann Burdett
We had budgies years ago and the children were small. I worked part time night duty and one bird flew out over the top of one of our young daughters head when he landed on a bunch of wild flowers she had picked and was coming in through our back door. She shook the flowers with nerves and he flew off over her head. Weeks later a fisheman saw a blue bundle in the bushes on the river bank and caught our budgie and put it in a spare cage he had until he could find its owner. John brought it into the ward to show me and find out if it was our bird. It was upside down on its perch eating at the time and its face was covered in pollen off the bushes it had been surviving on. He looked up long enough to answer me and carried on eating! We had him for years after and were so lucky.
Second one used to talk like no other and walked up under my hairline to walk around with me most of the time. Forgot he was there and he took off over my head and off. Found next day on the yellow line on the busy roadway by a chap making for work early in the morning. He seemed to be nearly dead so all he could do was place him on his back window of the car in the sunshine until he could get him home after his shift. He had revived in the warmth of the sun and so he asked his sister to take it on. She sat up all night and gave it whisky off a spoon and kept it warm I had a phone call a few weeks later asking if it was ours and to collect it as soon as possible as her little five yr old had bonded with it and was starting school the very next day. She did not want him to be too upset. I had cried buckets and grieved for the budgie but could not put that little boy through the same pain as that and so young. Had it not been for his mum my blue would have surely died anyway. So told her to keep him for her son and enjoy. We visited to see him and say our goodbyes but he had a good home and the little boy was over the moon.
It is so easy to lose our birds but clipped or not they can still be carried by a thermal of warm air and get away, so do not think out there that clipping the wings is infallable it is not.
 

waterfaller1

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/16/09
Messages
26,782
Real Name
carole
Many of you remember my ordeal with Gryphon!!:eek:
It was last year, but yesterday's date!!!{wow}
Here are excerpts from the thread~
Birdiemarie~"Just got off the phone with Carole. She was going outside to clear her head over the deaths of her beloved fish and forgot Gryphon was on her shoulder. He has been moving around in the trees in her yard for about an hour hour now. Please pray she gets him back very soon."
Greycloud~
"Was just on the phone with Carole. A bird chased Gryphon and he hit the ground. She had to run and get him. I do not know if he is OK."

"Everyone, I just got off the phone with Carole. She is a mess. She is pretty sure a hawk got Gryphon. She has looked everywhere she saw him fall and the hawk followed him down. She cannot find him. I told her to keep looking. He may be quiet so the hawk cannot hear him. This was her biggest fear when he escaped. "

Me~"OH my goodness..it has been a day from HE double hockey sticks!!!:eek: I have been so distraught at losing my fish. I was in the birdroom cleaning Gryphon's cage, and he attached to the back of my shirt and I did not know it! I went outside to throw out the trash, and he flew off into the oak trees. I spent two hours with him high above calling and calling to me. I got a small cage and his favorite foods. He would get farther away, then come closer.Troy came home in his big truck, and tried to help by climbing a tree, but Gryphon just went higher and away. Then he spent about fifteen minutes eating leaves and chewing on branches. Then he started getting closer and closer.Judy was on the phone with me. Then all of the sudden a hawk took chase after him. I screamed..nononnonononoo!!! They both hit the ground and I thought the hawk flew off without him, but I could not find him! I was looking and looking in the bushes, trees and plants in the neighbor's yard across the street. I even went back to the house, figuring the hawk must have gotten him. But something told me to keep looking! I went back to where I saw him go down and there he was, hiding and quiet! It's a miracle I got him back unscathed. I cannot take many days like this one!!!:faint::faint::faint:
Thanks again everyone. As always, your good thoughts and prayers are what told me in my head not to give up looking, I am certain. What an adventure Gryphon had. But you see, even a bird totally handraised has instincts. He flew in a zigzag pattern, and he knew to hide and be still and quiet. Thank the Lord his mommy found him. He was very hungry and thirsty, and not much more than a feather out of place, and I think that was from me squeezing him so hard so he could not get away.:eek:"


That was the scariest experience I never want to repeat!
:hug8:
 

Welshanne

Ripping up the road
Celebirdy of the Month
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Joined
10/16/09
Messages
1,000,000
Location
Pembrokeshire. South Wales, Britain.
Real Name
Ann Burdett
oh Carole what a scare!It is my living nightmare that it might happen one day with one of mine, and is easily done. It only takes a second and then goodness knows how it is going to pan out. so happy that Griphon is home safe and well and you did not have a heart attack!:hug8:
 

Yoshi&Reza

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
1/30/13
Messages
2,337
Location
Houston, TX
Real Name
Alyssa
So, I had the worst Sunday (yesterday) ever... First the truck breaks down, my puppy jumps off the couch and we have to go to the e-vet, and in all that drama I made a crucial mistake and Kiwi flew out the door (all in one day). When it rains it pours and things do happen in three's. I tried to make a thread several times about Kiwi flying out but it was just too difficult and the guilt became unbearable. The first thing I did was go searching for her and I never heard or saw her. We came back home and I went to make ads on CL and ParrotAlert too. Well, my internet was down. We finally got the issue resolved and I finally made the ads and alerts. Last night was horrible. I can't even describe the feeling of knowing your heart (parrot) is out there and possibly in danger and you have to close the windows and doors to the house. This morning I went out and made 100 flyers and took them to as many stores as possible within a 2 mile radius. I realized our landlord is a business owner and has a huge network of people so I had her post on Facebook and any other services she knew of. This afternoon as I was checking my email for any responses I kept getting this feeling of Kiwi is so close, so my two boys and I went walking around calling her. No luck. Fast forward to 7:30 this evening and my husband calls me and while we are on the phone a private number calls and I miss it. I check the voicemail and it is a lady saying they found Kiwi!!!! The happiness and the rush I got was enough to make me dizzy. Kiwi flew into their window earlier this evening but was okay, alert, and chowing down on Cheerios. Thankfully, we got there in just a few minutes and there was Kiwi! She was about a half mile away from our neighborhood. To see her was the most amazing feeling. I gave her a Nutriberry and she ate it up. We got home and she was very happy to be on her cage and have a really late dinner of her favorite foods. She fell asleep within 15 minutes, the poor baby. Our home feels full and happy again....there was such a huge void in this time that Kiwi was gone.

To lose a parrot is one of the most hopeless feelings ever. The worst part of it was while I was putting up flyers, people would actually say, how do you expect to ever find a parrot? Really?! People pick the worst times to speak their mind.... :facepalm:

As hard as it is, stay positive and keep thinking of ways to get the word out. Today I was actually going to email my son's teachers the flyer so they could pass it along. Think of how many people they know....My desperation was even telling me to email the news stations.

Kiwi and my family are extremely fortunate and we definitely had someone watching over us and keeping her safe.

:hug8: :hug8: :hug8: Hugs to all who still have lost parrots - I pray they make their way home....
 

Saemma

Ripping up the road
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
11/7/09
Messages
27,187
@Deej - thought it might help to read some of this. Danita thought of starting it when Emma escaped:hug8:
 

keikoasmom

Walking the driveway
Avenue Veteran
Joined
8/24/11
Messages
188
Location
Aurora, CO
Real Name
Linda
Did I post Little Bird's Story?

I was so traumatized that he have never taken him out of the bird room again, but I am freaky-paranoid about
taking the rest out now. I don't know if I scare my hubby or if he thinks I am just a freak, but I am forever asking if they have
flight feathers when Jim takes one out. We finished our aviary, so that is a blessing, but I need to make tapes in case of an incident again.

Little Bird's Story:

Story Bird: Little Bird
 

RadhaVallabhi

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
8/19/13
Messages
1,003
The two things that helped me the most were using a recording of the parrotlets voice for them to follow back to me and having Vrindarika practice flight recall. She knew how to come back. Oh.. and keeping calm the more you panic the more the bird panics!
 

Glacier313

Jogging around the block
Avenue Veteran
Joined
2/22/15
Messages
909
Location
Missouri, USA
Real Name
Liana
I've never had an experience like that, though GG has escaped multiple times, causing me to chase her like a madman around the house, but I do know a story about one. A woman's budgie had escaped it's cage and flew outside, so the woman brought out the budgie's cage and put her other two budgies into it. Within an hour the budgie was back!
 

ladydi

Meeting neighbors
Joined
7/15/14
Messages
36
Location
Dubai, UAE
Real Name
Diane Colette
our story:

we had just gotten Bowie, baby African Grey, maybe 2weeks home it was my birthday
so 7Nov 2014, a day I'll never forget....

Our green ringneck was on balcony as he has plucking, feathers issues, also was poorly clipped so no flight
feathers either.

...As I was taking Gilmour back inside, the vacuum scared Bowie who was in living area on back of chair, she
flew up up above my head as I had opened just slightly the door, there was nothing to do but watch her
amazingly soar further and further away her red bottom getting smaller in distance... I paniced, placed Gilmour on his
cage, and ran to where i could last see her we live in area with 4-7 story building as 4 quads, lots tree, etc

I was screaming crying yelling, people were coming out asking whats wrong from their balconies, i was distraught
I had only been bird owned about a 1.2 yrs with lil Gilmour so I had no idea what to do plus we live in Dubai......

I just kept calling for her running up and down where I last thought I saw her in view, nothing, I called security he hleped search
around took our info, after 5 hours with my husband who could barley walk after motorcycle accident, he suggested we go home
have some water, calm, make flyers, and try to hope......

As we walked away from teh area I was suspecting she was nearby, we got a call from Security, he said I think you will be happy, so we
turned around............and saw our baby Bowie with a wonderful lady Eileen that I could never thank enough, she was visiting
the area looking to rent when she saw Bowie by the elevator in the other building, she went to view apartment, came back down and
Bowie was still by elevator so she walked up to Bowie, and Bowie went on her arm, she was trying to figure what to do for 30mins
Bowie was on her arm when she spotted teh security and since he had been searching with us called...........

She saved my baby!

Now I try to pay forward, Im on every Facebook group I can think so whenever anyone is in similar situation, I try after reading learning more
what to do in this event, cage outside, keep calling, favorites toy or treat, the alerts (which cannot here but other countries can) microchip,
flyers, ads, etc and above all hope....

Now we try harness or pack when going outside, as I wont take her flight away, she is flighted inside doors windows closed and locked, when out
she hasn't tried flying but we take in the world and sun, we'll take each day as it comes...

Thank you
Diane Bowie and Gilmour
 

Attachments

Birdiemarie

Feather Snuggler
Celebirdy of the Month
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/14/09
Messages
42,502
Location
Ohio
Real Name
Marie
What am amazing happy ending, Diane!
 

ladydi

Meeting neighbors
Joined
7/15/14
Messages
36
Location
Dubai, UAE
Real Name
Diane Colette
yes indeed birdiemarie <3 we were very lucky!!! :heart:
 

Jess&Kiki

Meeting neighbors
Joined
6/27/16
Messages
43
We've always tried to do our absolute best for our bird, Kiki.
I carefully researched her species needs, the best foods (ingredients, combinations, ratios), got a brand new cage that was the biggest and best style I could afford, and spent a couple months making toys I imagined she'd like- essentially, "nesting."
Kiki had been living with us for a number of months, and had settled right in to our sometimes crazy lifestyle. (We travel with our jobs, so every couple of months we pack up and change locations. We also live in our rv, so the house stays the same, it's just the scenery outside that occasionally changes. And we all seem to like it that way!) Anyway, we had only been in our current location for a few weeks and were pretty settled in to the area when, one evening, as I was taking Kiki from her outside play cage back inside the house (as we had done a thousand times), something behind me scared her and she spread those beautiful little wings full of brand new flight feathers (because molting, of course!) and shot off into the very open space in front of our house.
Now, before I get the tongue lashing I'm sure I deserve, let me say that she had just finished molting her old, trimmed feathers, we had done the same procedure countless times before, and the hand that had been holding on to her over her wings had only just reached for the door to go inside. Trust me, I've beaten myself up for my mistakes more times than I care to recount..... But back to the story...
So she flies off in front, vears off to the right, gaining lots of altitude the whole time, and pops over the treetops, calling the whole way. We are surrounded by deep woods here, and are neighbors by an orchard on one side. So screaming and crying, my boyfriend and I take off into the woods in opposite directions, desperate to find this tiny green and yellow bird in a sea of green leaves and 80 foot tall trees.
We called and ran and climbed and jumped and listened and called some more until dark, when we knew, wherever she was, she was tucked in for the night. As we cleaned up our scratched legs and checked for ticks, we talked about tomorrow and how we would do everything we could to find her. Both her cages were now set up in the yard, in clear view and as enticing as could be, in the off chance she was close by and might find her way back in the morning. And with that, we succumbed to our grief and fell asleep as fast as we could, hoping to look out the window in the morning and see her little green and yellow butt hanging out of a food dish....
Morning came, but not after a string of vivid dreams, all different variations of looking for and, in some cases, finding Kiki. In the last one, it ended just as if managed to catch her and hold her to myself and I opened my eyes, only to look out the window at those two still empty cages.
We got up, and the house was horribly quiet. The morning routine was exponentially shorter than usual, what with no bowls to clean, veggies to chop, or papers to clear. And so we rose, dressed and left for work in near perfect silence. On the way in, we were stopped by some friends who had heard about her escape, and even though they were offering their condolences and telling us we'd find her, it was still a sad, tearful time.
We worked for the first half of the day, but come lunch time my boyfriend said enough was enough and requested the rest of the day off. So we packed a bag full of her favorite things, and got to work. We made flyers, called everywhere we could think of, and left word that she was missing with anyone who would listen. Everywhere we went, we were told "good luck," and "don't give up!"
Our next step was to retrace our steps from the night before. My boyfriend was almost positive he heard and saw her double back on that first flight, so off into the woods we went, bushwhacking through the brush, calling up into the trees, and trying not to sink into swamp. We came out on the other side into a cemetery, then into a local park, where we hung signs all over in case she made it that way in search of food, water, or people.
Like I said, we were going everywhere we could think of. After we made it back home, we hopped in the car and went into town to hang more posters. We hit the post office, grocery store, the local pet store, and went a bit further to the nearest vet clinic and animal shelter. It was getting late in the evening at that point (the walk in the woods alone took a few hours), and our last stop was going to be at the orchard next door, just to tell them what had happened and leave a flyer if possible.
When we arrived, we just happened to pull up next to the owners daughter, unbeknownst to us; we told her our story, and with a cheerful "sure, just follow me!," she led us right to the spot closest to home. She wished us luck, took a flyer, and left us to our bird finding business.
We hadn't been there much more than a few minutes, calling and listening, listening and calling, when a bird called back that I was SURE was her! I ran off in the direction I thought it was coming from, called again, and held still. I was sure that had been one of her calls, I was sure of it! I called her another time, but this time, no response. But I was so sure we might be close, I sat down, opened up my bag of toys and treats, and started playing with them just in case she was nearby watching. My boyfriend opted to keep walking the fence line while I waited, and I could hear him moving off into the distance, calling for Kiki. Maybe 10 minutes later, my phone rings, and it's him saying he wasn't sure, but he thinks he just heard her say, "Ready!"
I can't remember ever running so fast. I even left my bag of tricks! When I caught up with him, he was standing at the top of a little hill, looking into the woods in the other side of a 10 foot fence. The trees there were some of the tallest I'd seen in a long time, and as full and lush with leaves as they could possibly be. We called, "come here, keek!" again, and this time, it WAS her that answered back!!! Her eager little voice came through the trees proclaiming "Kiki! Come here! Ready!!" We couldn't see her yet, but I've never been so happy to hear that little voice.
She sounded so far off and high up, we had no way of knowing where she was. I ran back, grabbed my stuff and booked it back. We called and called, and as our excitement increased, we could hear her get more and more hyped up, too. It wasn't until I dropped one of her favorite treats in her metal bowl and rattled it around, though, that she finally got amped up enough to fly out and get her eyes on us (and vice versa). When she did, she made an arch out over us, over the orchard a little ways, then turned back and landed in one of those monstrously tall trees. She'd call to us, we'd call to her, and back and forth it would go until she got worked up enough again to try to fly, but every time she did, she wouldn't come down to us, just make a circle or two above us and then back into the tree. (My boyfriend even pulled out his ukelele and played for her: at home, she can't get to him fast enough when he has it, so we figured it was worth a shot!)
We went through this almost a dozen times, but always the sun was getting lower, the time she needed to rest was getting longer, and we were getting more anxious. Having caused a great deal of ruckus in otherwise human-less woods over the past two days, we had both heard and seen no less than two great horned owls in the area, and Nobody liked the idea of her having to spend another night out there. So as our daylight was dwindling, I took off towards home to grab the tallest ladder available, and help if I could find it, while my boyfriend stayed behind to try again.
It's funny that the spot she chose was so relatively close to our home, and yet it took soooo long to reach either by car or on foot. Between the woods, the fences, and the complete lack of clear ways, it took the same time to walk as it did to drive across the whole orchard, out to the main road, double back towards our home, and pull in. We were maybe less than a football fields length away from her, house to tree, and yet it was so difficult to reach! But I digress....
So I grabbed the ladder, tied it to the top of the vehicle, and as I left, I stopped to ask some friends for help. The look on their faces when I told them we'd found the bird is one I will never forget. Just imagine a person you know who has seen tech world and is generally hard to impress. Now picture that you've told them that you FOUND your 6 inch green bird, that she's way up in a tree, you need help holding the ladder while you try to get her down. Now try not to laugh as their jaws hit the ground and they stare at you, utterly dumbstruck. Fortunately, one of their wives popped out the door and said, "I'll go!" and hops in with you.
So off we go, into the sunset, and we're almost there when my phone rings. It's my boyfriend, telling me to forget the ladder because she just made one last attempt to fly down, and she came SO close, within feet of his outstretched hand, she was coming in for the landing when at the last minute she started to wobble then panicked and went back up into an even taller part of the tree, and hasn't said a word since. Ugh. again.
Sure enough, we pulled in to the spot at the orchard a moment later, and that's how it was. My poor boyfriend was heartbroken. (He told me later that night that after I'd left, he told Kiki that she had to come down because if she didn't, I'd be coming back to climb that tree and if anything happened to me, he wouldn't have the bird or me and he'd be all alone. So he used his command voice to get her to fly to him, and it had almost worked, but when she bailed at the last minute, just feet from him, he was just crushed.)
So now that the sun was down, and she was nestled inside a tight cluster of leaves, we could do nothing more than pack up our stuff and go back home. We were sad we couldn't get her, but there was a ray of hope in knowing where she was, and we vowed to be right back there before dawn the next morning to try again. So we went home, set our alarms for 4:30am, and went right to sleep.
It's amazing how fast 4:30am comes around, especially when you're as physically and emotionally drained as we were, but we made it back to that spot by the time the sun came up and she peaked out of those leaves.
It was true what we'd read, that they have one big flight first thing in the morning, but despite it all we were no where closer to getting her then than we had been the evening before. She just wouldn't fly down, which I now understand is a common problem with escaped birds. So we sat, stood, called, walked, and did everything we cod think of for the next several hours, always with the same result...except today, Kiki got company in that tree. Apparently, a local wild bird did not take kindly to the idea of this bizarre colored stranger hanging out and flying around what I ca only assume was the tree with its nest, so every time poor Kiki would get worked up enough to try another flight, out would shoot this little junco or sparrow or other small songbird who would dive bomb her until she had no other choice but to dive for cover right back where - you guessed it- in the tree.
It was around midday, Kiki hadn't said or moved for an hour or more, and we ran home to get more supplies when I got a call from the absolutely wonderful woman at Sunnyskies Bird and Animal rescue, returning my call from yesterday in regards to Kiki. She was very happy to hear that we'd located her, but urged me not to leave the area at all that day because of she decided to make a break for it and we weren't there to see it, we might never see her again. She also suggested standing sideways and facing away from her because even though Kiki knows us, her wild instincts would be waking up and our two forward facing eyes spell "predator" to prey species like birds. She also recommended that when we were calling to her or offering her a place to land when she flew, that we stay calm, be encouraging, and stand in one spot with a steady arm outstretched (as long as that's a normal posture for us and something she's used to). The fact that we'd brought all her favorite things, people, and even a cage Kiki was familiar with made her happy, but she urged me to stay with her, no matter what, and that TODAY was the day!!! I'll never be able to thank her enough for the fire she lit under my butt, because that became my mantra and totally renewed my own inner fire. Today WAS going to be the day, and we were getting her.
We raced back to her, and we were lucky that she hadn't moved from the last spot, and we came ready to wait her out, just as long as it took.
It ended up taking another four or five hours; four or five hours standing in the baking hot sun, calling up in that tree, waiting for the next flight attempt. All the while, I was keeping and eye out for hawks, which Kiki's instincts picked up on also. It amazed me how even though this was the first (and hopefully last) time she had been in a potentially dangerous predator situation, she got quiet and lay low just like the wild birds whenever a hawk would come too close overhead. So we would all just sit quietly until danger had passed, then try again.
Fortunately, the wild bird had his own food to look for, and was away for the most of the day, but even so every time Kiki would fly out, it was just another circle or two and then back to the tree. One tactic I discovered, though, to prompt her to fly was to pretend to be talking on the phone and ignore her. I discovered this when an actual call some through and while I was talking, she flew out and made another pass, this time going out a little farther and just a hair lower! So that gave me the idea to try to psyche her out and see if it did anything. So I had a good, long, fake conversation with myself! I talked about what I was doing, where she was, the weather, the renovations we want to do on the house, the latest drama at work, everything! And while I was having this chat, she'd be trying harder and harder to get my attention! It was a while before she flew again ( you could hear how tired she was in her voice, and it was a hot, hot day), but if anyone reading this and is in this kind of situation, maybe that trick could help!
Back to the tree.
So a few more hours pass, and in the meantime I've rigged a large, 10' version of her normal t stand (basically a normal stand on long lengths of pvc) and staked it into the ground so it wouldn't wobble if/when she landed on it. Her cage is set up with food, water, the works. Various toys, bowls, and items usually on the "do not touch" list are scattered across the ground. We have essentially moved into this particular corner of the orchard. All this, and still no closer to catching Kiki.
It wasn't until we ourselves started moving farther away from that area by the tree that she made one last, BIG circle around the orchard- the farthest she'd gone yet and for a moment I worried she might just take off to some other location- but this time she got enough space to try to line up with us. She started dipping down as she came toward us, and I almost let myself think we might get her this time, but again bailed at the last second and veered into the tree...but this time, it was a different tree, one we hadn't dealt with yet, and one that might possibly be climb able!! (All the others had been too tall even with the ladder and the lowest branches were either dead or just too small to be safe for climbing.) So I scaled the fence, ran inside the tree line, and looked up. The inside was clear almost up the whole height of the tree and had a ton of small but healthy branches! If I could just get up to the top of the ladder, maybe she could climb down to me.... But before I was able to shout all that to my boyfriend on the other side, wouldn't you know it, that little green bird just leaned over to the left and looked down at me, and I could've sworn she said "well, hey down there! Look at you there on the ground, right where I can see you!"
And wouldn't you know it, but a little more coaxing was all it took for that little bird to start climbing down.
Now, she's all of 6 inches long, still 80 feet up in the tree, but you could see she was totally over this flying thing and climbing was just fine by her. She made it down a good 20 feet or so on the first tree before deciding it might be easier on that tree over there! So she coasted over to another one, and climbed down some more. We did this two more times before she finally lands on a young tree and by far the smallest one we'd dealt with this entire time. At the top she was still a good 12-15 feet up, but this was the closest we'd been to her in too long, and boy was the tension high!! You can sit through a four hour movie and not find a tenser moment than the ones we were in under that tree, trying to coax her little green butt down...
So she's making her way down, inch by inch, and we offered her the big t stand, but even though it looks just like her usual one, she wasn't keen on it. So she climbs down another few feet, and she's juuuuust out of reach, when oh! Isn't this just the perfect spot to preen?? Of course it is. So my boyfriend pulls out one of her bowls, some water, and the much beloved treat bowl and starts talking to me about how wonderful the water is! (A little grey eyeball glances over) and this food, how delicious!!! (Now he has her attention) "honey, don't we know any little birdies that might like this? It's just perfect for little green birdies." (I love him.)
So that has her attention, and she is coming down the tree much faster. She got to just about 2 feet above our heads, sat for a second, and then jumped! Right onto the big leafy branch right above us. We reached up, she stepped onto his hand, and as he pulls her in nice and easy he offers her the food bowl and she just DIVES in, head first. He held her wings ever so gently, and for a millisecond she may not have liked it, but then immediately decided she didn't care and her whole world was now in that food bowl.
We covered her up in a shirt and I held her (with the bowl) while e ran for the carrier, and she couldn't have cared less!!! He ran back, tossed it over the fence and I put her in, and I don't think she even noticed.
While my heart broke for how hungry she was, it was all the most full with pure happiness that we'd gotten her back.
We laughed and cried the whole way home, and for the rest of the night and next day as we told and retold the story to all our friends and family who had been worrying and praying with us.
At last, our little family was whole again.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤



I know that this has been a very long, detailed story, and I thank you for sitting through it all. It is my hope that maybe some part of our experience can help the next person who finds themselves looking for their lost pet.
Don't ever give up.
Be patient.
You know your animal, use that knowledge.
And above all,
Don't ever give up.

Today is the day, my friend.
❤
 

AYA

Walking the driveway
Avenue Veteran
Joined
5/18/16
Messages
283
Location
Australia, VIC
Real Name
Gab
This is a really lovely thread!

Thankfully, I've yet to lose a bird of my own, but we did find an escapee once.

There was a sulphur crested cockatoo sitting low in our red gum, which wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but my mum though that maybe our feeders were empty and so went out to fill them. As she headed towards the feeder furthest from the cocky, she heard that gate-screech of a call of theirs and a flurry of wing beats. Next thing she knows is that there is a big white bird on her shoulder with its head shoved under her jaw saying 'hello' again and again. Obviously, this was a pet, so my dad called the vet's to see if anyone had lost their cocky, but no one had. We thought it best to get the poor thing into a cage-- we had a spare largish budgie cage, but we knew that it was way too small, but our new friend had other ideas and hopped off of my mum, who it'd been clinging to, and tried to get into the cage. We ended up taking apart the cage and then building it around the bird again, and while it was horribly cramped, as soon as we were done, the cockatoo fluffed up and started to doze.

It was getting late and my parents were discussing taking the bird to the vet and leaving it with them, as we really weren't equipped to look after it, when we got a call from the vet saying that a man was looking for his cockatoo named Chloe. We got his adress and I went with my dad, and sure enough, we'd found this guy's Chloe.

I'd never seen a bird and a person hug before then, but as soon as Chloe was out of the cage, she was on her owners chest with her head under his chin, telling him 'good girlie' over and over while he wrapped an arm around her. He was crying-- said he'd come home from work to find her outdoor day cage open and his best friend gone, and that he had had little hope in finding her as cockatoos are common as dirt around here and she had nothing to visually identify her as a pet, like a leg band-- and he tried to offer us a reward, but my dad said not to worry about it and that he was just glad that they'd found where she'd come from.

I didn't realise it at the time, but if Chloe hadn't been so tame and adoring of people, no one might have noticed that she wasn't just one of the wild cockies who's learned a few words and is bold as brass, and she would have never gotten back to her very loving home.
 

Nnaime

Meeting neighbors
Joined
11/9/15
Messages
74
Location
Va, USA
Hello all,
I lost my conure, Zazoo, on Thursday around 6PM when we we're getting out of the car the car alarm went off somehow and sent him into a panic and flying under the car and out of sight. I stayed outside until 11 searching for him even though I knew he may be roosting for the night. I even took my laptop outside while I made flyers, and contacted various websites and networks that help find lost birds and pets. That night we put his cage outside of his window with food and water and I stayed up on the couch watching the window and listening.

I had taught Zazoo to recall (to come back when called) in preparation for an emergency like this, I had his information written down (age, band ID, ETC). We also walked him around the yard/neighborhood exclusively and repetitively so much that he knew where home was and got excited to be there.

When the sun rose we were right back outside searching all the streets around us, after two hours without seeing any sign of him we went to print out flyers and posted them at all pet stores and vets and all over town. I came home and my husband went to the mosque with the family(we are Muslim) and I went for a nap on the couch and I suddenly got a phone call from New York! I answered and it was parrot 911 reporting that someone had spotted zazoo on the street over from me! I had others call as well. The woman was mowing her lawn when zazoo landed on her shoulder and scared her! Zazoo landed on the car long enough for her to take a picture and she posted on FB around noon. My husband ran through the traffic when I told him and we went to talk with her. I believe that Zazoo thought that she was me (we had the same kind of build) and he came to her for food.

There was so much relief to know that he was okay! Oh!

She said she flew in the direction towards our home so we searched that area for another two hours and recruited some friends and kept handing out and posting flyers. At 2pm Friday We got another call a few blocks down that a family had zazoo! We ran down the road to the house (They live so close that I can see their backyard from my house departed by a fence on another street) and they let us in to see him He was weak and skinny but in good spirits, my husband and I had some sunflower seeds on us for when we found him so we fed him those on our way home and gave the reward to the family who found him. He ate for two hours straight and napped a lot after! I'm not sure how they caught him exactly I'll try to ask. I think if they hadnt caught him he might have made it to our yard and saw his cage but thank God he wasn't out there another minute!

Bottom line, without seeing the direction he took off in we wouldn't have found him or known where to look if I hadn't set up flyers or contacted Parrot911 and other networks! He doesn't even try to follow us to the door anymore!

I also want to thank everyone here for your well wishes from when he was missing and your congratulations after we found him! I hope my story helps anyone set up any emergency plan or advice on finding a missing loved one. I know the ones I read here gave me a lot hope! Peace!
 
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