SassyByrd Disappeared

PickleMeDickles

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SassyByrd (DYH Amazon) JoJo (GCC) Betty (GCC) DEARLY LOVED fids lost to Ć¢ā‚¬Å“Teflon DisasterĆ¢ā‚¬ļæ½ 12/17 RIP Pickles (GC),RIP Winston (Sun), RIP Lady PLEASE TAKE 5 MINUTES &TOSS OUT ALL YOUR TEFLON NOW!
Yesterday started off like any other. About 9 am I had SassyByrd on her play tree and I had turned around to go jerryrig a toy for her in the laundry room. Well in there my husband called for assistance in another room. I left the laundry room to help him, walked by Sass, helped hubby, and returned to the laundry room. I quickly put the toy together and turned around to give it to her and she was gone. While putting the toy together I had noted that the tiny laundry room window was open with the screen off. Our housekeeper must have opened it and forgot to shut it (this is so atypical of her, she is normally the most careful person I know). I swiped it shut and didnā€™t even think about it at that second.

As soon as I saw the empty perch my stomach just dropped, somehow I just knew she was gone. But the only way she could have awolā€™d is through this very tiny window. When I call her she ALWAYS answers and the only answer we got was devastating silence. And she would have had to tuck and roll to get out the window. Could it really be! I felt like I was wading the thick soupy fog of a nightmare!

We are on 3 acres of heavily treed property with trees surrounding us. I was outside all hysterical trying to stay calm so I wouldnā€™t scare her. The only thing I could picture was how scared she must be. I have only been that upset and helpless on 2 other occasions. Hubby was so incredulous he was still searching the house, thinking she must have hit the window and been knocked unconscious. She is not a strong flier (and even worse at steering) and the window so tiny. She couldnā€™t have gotten out without really tucking her wings. He finally came outside to help look for her. We were notifying the neighbors, wheeling all her stuff out so she could see it, searching everywhere, calling for her.

Now, Iā€™m not a big supernatural fan. Weird stuff happens but there is usually a rational reason. But, like on the other 2 occasions, a little voice spoke to me. I had told my hubby I was going to place alerts on the neighborhood app and animal control and I was briskly walking towards the house when it felt like someone physically stopped me and told me to go look at the trees along the street. Hubby was even asking what I was doing (I had made a sharp u turn) and I couldnā€™t even find the words to explain it to him. I arrived at the tree line and called her by name. Nothing. Then the same ā€˜forceā€™ compelled me to call ā€œHazelā€ in SassyByrdā€™s voice (Hazel is our Kelpie dog who Sass loves). I was so calm and not at all surprised when I heard ā€˜HAZELā€ at the very top of my little birds lungs. And she wasnā€™t 5 feet from me sitting on a tree like the stupid branch was her throne.

Hubby kept her company while I went to get her transfer stick, she stepped up like a pro, but ran down the stick to cuddle under my chin and told me all about her adventure, making sure to express her displeasure at being left out for a whole hour! I can not describe how unexpected this whole situation was. How fast it happened. How very very lucky we all were. To all those who have lost a bird in a similar manner, my heart breaks for you! Just one hour of her missing and the pain, and guilt, were just all encompassing. And that weird feeling? The last time I had it was 18 years ago when my 2 year old daughter swiped my keys, opened my truck to get her teddy bear & passed out from the heat (it was over 100 degrees). She was fine but the ambulance guys said a few more minutes and there could have been possible brain damage. The truck was the last place I ā€˜shouldā€™ have looked but that little voice told me exactly where she was.

Funny thing is, we went to hubbyā€™s amputee support group later in the day. They gave each person one ticket and threw all 50 tickets in a bowl and shook them up. Then ended up drawing all 50, hubby drew up 49th and I was 50th. We had a good laugh at it knowing we had used up every spare piece of luck earlier that day in the most special of ways. Iā€™m holding my baby just a little tighter tonight.
 

LeaKP

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Wow so thankful for you all.[emoji177][emoji177][emoji177]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Jen5200

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Gosh my heart just dropped at the subject line - so glad sheā€™s back at home with you!
 

chris-md

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Wow...wow...wow....what a devastating story with an amazing ending. Iā€™m holding PARKER a little tighter after this. Iā€™m SO glad you got sassybird back! Hugs to you all tonight!
 

bug_n_flock

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Wow wow WOW! My heart also dropped at the title. SO glad all is right and well with Sass home where she belongs! yay!
 

Scott

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RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
Magnificent save, thank you for sharing a story that might assist others in a horrible time of need So glad this has a happy ending!!
 

wrench13

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My dear, you and Sassy have now experienced 1 of the 2 worst parrot owners nightmares, bu have found the lucko the IRISH. I was not so fortunate many many years ago,with my Skylar. It still hurts. We are so glad Sassy talks back !!
 

BIRDIGIRL

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OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I was praying as I was reading ...so glad you were reunited with Sassy...I can't even begin to imagine how you felt but thankfully it all soon turned to joy.
So glad Sassy Byrd was found safe and sound <3
 

charmedbyekkie

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Goodness! I was dreading reading this thread based on its title. What a relief to see your instincts managed to find her!!

Just curious - how does your transfer perch look like and when do you use it? I'm trying to keep Cairo trained to step up onto perches, even though he's recall trained (the perch helps when he's trying to bully my partner into giving him treats). We've a tiny little perch, but nothing that could reach into a tree!
 

LaManuka

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Oh thank heavens this story had a happy ending!

That ā€œvoiceā€ that led you to Sass was the same one that told me to go have one more look for my Lilly Pilly when she got away on me not so long ago. The last Iā€™d seen of her she was zooming off over the neighbourā€™s fence with a noisy miner and a butcherbird in hot pursuit - and butcherbirds are every bit as lethal as the name suggests! Iā€™d gone back inside to put out all the usual online alerts and call my vet just in case someone handed her in when that little voice told me to pop outside to have another look, and i was led with almost laser-guided accuracy to where Lilly had buried herself in the leaf litter under a tree to evade that butcherbird. She was definitely being watched over by what I like to call the ā€œGod Of Small Things With Wingsā€ that day, just like your SassyByrd!
 

Laurasea

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I'm am so happy this has a happy ending!!! I'm glad you listened to that voice. Wow so scary!!
 
OP
PickleMeDickles

PickleMeDickles

New member
May 17, 2015
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Southern California
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SassyByrd (DYH Amazon) JoJo (GCC) Betty (GCC) DEARLY LOVED fids lost to Ć¢ā‚¬Å“Teflon DisasterĆ¢ā‚¬ļæ½ 12/17 RIP Pickles (GC),RIP Winston (Sun), RIP Lady PLEASE TAKE 5 MINUTES &TOSS OUT ALL YOUR TEFLON NOW!
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Thank you everyone for your kind words and warm thoughts. It was truly a horrific experience and I still feel unsteady on my feet which is odd because I usually bounce back from things quite well. Itā€™s like my world was turned a little cockeyed and hasnā€™t evened out again yet.

Wrench, yes, Iā€™m so thankful Sass talks back. Although she was so close to me I know I never would have seen her if she hadnā€™t spoken up. Just too much green and the Santa Anaā€™s are kicking in so lots of movement too. Hearing her say ā€œHAZELā€ was about the best sound in the world.

Ekkie, I purchased a wooden play gym for the top of SassyByrds cage quite awhile ago. Since her cage is about 6 feet tall, with the play gym attached she is almost at the top of the ceiling while on her gym. Since Iā€™m just about 5ā€™4ā€ it is quite a reach to get her down. So I started using a really long (30-36ā€) wood dowel I had from another project. It has gotten to the point that I can hold the dowel straight up and she will grab the end and kind of slide down the pole a bit (picture a stripper pole) until I bring it horizontally level. This little trick sure did pay off when getting her out of the tree. She was out of reach and we had to go through some creative trial and error to reach the tip of the branch, pull it down and then maneuver the tip of the dowel to Sass. But she grabbed it with her beak and slid all the way down to tuck herself under my chin.

Although she is youngish (around 5ish) she never fledged and is just learning to fly. This makes flight training almost impossible as her flights are 1-2 x a day. But it is something we are going to work on. She needs to increase her confidence and learn to glide down.

Nothing in life is certain. You can plan, and check and double check. And still experience the unexpected. Hold your fids close everyone. Cherish them and make sure to live and love in the moment!
 

AmyMyBlueFront

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And a Normal Grey Cockatiel named BB who came home with me on 5/20/2016.
I hate it when they go AWOL! :eek: Even when they didn't go outside! Amy hid under BB's house cover one night and I went nuts! If I didn't see his rudder sticking out from under the cover...:11: SO happy to read your little Sassy is home safe and sound!




Jim
 

Anita1250

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So glad you got her back. My Rocky OWA got out of his travel cage while being transported back in 1983. It was February in New York, and 20 degrees. He was lost for 5 days. Everyone in the neighborhood was looking for him, some even had cages on their porch roof's. Someone called us to tell us he was in the tree outside their house, and we rushed over. I shook his food can and he flew to us. I couldn't believe we got him back. He lived until age 48 and passed away about 5 years ago. I understand why some want their birds to fly, but after that experience, Sam the BFA has always had his wings clipped. He is so happy that I have never looked back on the flying issue.
 
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PickleMeDickles

PickleMeDickles

New member
May 17, 2015
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Southern California
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SassyByrd (DYH Amazon) JoJo (GCC) Betty (GCC) DEARLY LOVED fids lost to Ć¢ā‚¬Å“Teflon DisasterĆ¢ā‚¬ļæ½ 12/17 RIP Pickles (GC),RIP Winston (Sun), RIP Lady PLEASE TAKE 5 MINUTES &TOSS OUT ALL YOUR TEFLON NOW!
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Anita, during the hour SassyByrd was missing I berated myself repeatedly for not clipping SassyByrds wings. This is the first time clipping has even been any more than a fleeting thought. It has always been my wish for SassyByrd to fly but Iā€™ve also always respected the decision of others who do choose to clip. But for that one hour I felt so GUILTY that I chose not to.

At this point I am still choosing flight, but it is with such a heavy heart. I actually had a dream last night that I built a huge dome aviary out of no climb fence panels. The whole thing must be weighing really heavy for weird dreams like that, lol. And in no way do I want to start the clipping debate, itā€™s just a recognition that not clipping has life changing (or ending) risks no matter how cautious you are. My mind has always known this but now that my heart has felt it, itā€™s a whole different viewpoint. And 3 days rather than one hour? Iā€™d never look back either. Btw, if it werenā€™t for the flying GCC, I may have jumped fences before this point even. SassyByrd watches everything the GCCs Do and tries to copy them. I even found her on her back on one of the ledges I installed recently. It had to be from the GCCs. And now that their cages are close she absolutely examines them taking off and landing and has become much bolder herself, Always interesting, never easy!
 

Anita1250

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I would love to have an aviary. It is too cold here in NY however. Sam is going on 37 years old. He has never really tried to fly, and I no longer feel guilty about not letting him. Having Rocky missing for 5 days really took its toll on me.
 

AmyMyBlueFront

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Jonesy a Goffins 'Too who had to be rehomed :-(

And a Normal Grey Cockatiel named BB who came home with me on 5/20/2016.
I would love to have an aviary. It is too cold here in NY however. Sam is going on 37 years old. He has never really tried to fly, and I no longer feel guilty about not letting him. Having Rocky missing for 5 days really took its toll on me.
ā€¦.

ā€¦.And Amy will be thirty in a few months. He never fledged ( that was my mistake for always having his sleeves shortened) and even though we do flapflap lessons he shows no desire to learn to fly...but he likes the lessons.

Call me a fool or idiot or worse for taking him outside fully clothed. He has been spooked a couple times in the house but just hits the floor even waving his arms.:eek:
We have/had a member who lost her BFA (Kizzy I think was the fid's name) and she made it out the door,never to be found ( as far as I know) and it devastated the poor woman. Am I looking for trouble? Maybe..a harness? He would NOT accept one,that I know for sure. Conflicting indeed. Sighhhh...what to do...what to do...:confused:
Stories like these scare the crap out of me! SOOOO glad you got your Sass back!

Jim
 

Tami2

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DOH-4/2/2016
WOW is right! As I initially started reading, I thought she was hiding in a strange location and you'd eventually find her. And it would be a real funny story. I guess I was in denial.... The way you described the small window opening, I'm thinking no way, she's in the house.
To my horror, she did get out. I am so happy it was only an hour & you got her back, oh my goodness. Thank God!
I can't believe she responded to your call. That's awesome!
I've read that once they get out, the stay quiet to keep hidden from danger.

Such a happy ending. :heart: Hopefully, that experience has also shaken her up a bit and she's learned her lesson? Fingers Crossed!!
 

Laurasea

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An article I read , and I think I posted on ornithology, says more birds that are flighted survive and are recovered from escapes. No flighted birds that escape are more likely to be lost to dogs, cats, ECT..

Excerpt: Learning to fly well is the most complicated and important task a parrot can learn. Flighted parrots are healthier, more active, more coordinated, and have much better vision. Flying promotes higher intelligence, self-confidence, self-esteem and ultimately makes a more social long-term companion.
Importance of fledging!!!!
https://www.windycityparrot.com/blog/2010/04/13/flight-important-parrots/#ixzz62HloSvKV
And this one
https://www.parrots.org/ask-an-expert/wing-clipping-vs-flighted-companion-parrots
 
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