Budgie Rescue in Progress

[DonnaBudgie]

Theres an esaped budgie a couple miles from us on the lake here in Maine that's been hanging around one of the homes. They posted pictures of it on Facebook asking if anyone lost their budgie but no responses. My husband and I contacted them about trying to catch him and return him to his owners if they show up or give him a home if not. He won't survive long out there with all the hawks around. They put out some seed and he came down from the trees to eat. They got a few feet from him before he flew back up but clearly he's used to people. We went over last night, talked to the people, and gave them a 16 foot telescoping pole with a large net at the end along with a small cage and some millet sprays to lure him in. I think they'll be able to catch him today.

From the excellent photos they took. I can tell it's a fairly large (possibly English) female, opaline green budgie- a very pretty girl.
We don't need any more budgies but we'll keep her and give her a good home if her owners don't come forward. Here's hoping they can catch her before she panics, flies off, and gets lost again.

If they have difficulty and she's still hanging around late tomorrow we will try to find our pressurized water tank and "shoot" her out of the tree with water and catch her that way (we've done it before).

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

Hopefully, they'll be able to catch her safely!

 

[Corkscr.ew]

I hope that you'll be able to catch her and that she'll be ok. Please keep us updated

 

[Jcas]

I hope they catch her! She’s lucky to have a budgie lover like you nearby to offer her a good home if no one claims her

 

[AprilRobin]

I hope that she has a loving owner(s) who is missing her, or you can give her a good home.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I hope we can catch her. The people at the home are putting seed for her on their boat dock which is the worst place to put it because the only way to approach her would be from the land and she could fly off over the water and get lost or drown if she tires. We're trying to get them to put seed on a table away from the water but they aren't too smart about how to capture a lost budgie. One woman there insists it's possible that the budgie blew up to Maine from Florida in a storm like "other tropical birds". She doesn't seem to understand that captive budgies could never fly that far and that's its most likely a very local escapee.

 

[AprilRobin]

She doesn't seem to understand that captive budgies could never fly that far and that's its most likely a very local escapee.

Yes, this is a huge myth/misconception among non-bird owners. A lot of non-owners also think that our domesticated birds are eager to fly away to their native homeland and join their own kind in the wild. As we know, most of them would have no clue what to do. They would probably starve or be killed by a predator within a month.

 

[GivemeSeedsorgivemeFlesh]

I hope you catch her!! 20 is a nice round number if the owners can't be found...

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Yes, this is a huge myth/misconception among non-bird owners. A lot of non-owners also think that our domesticated birds are eager to fly away to their native homeland and join their own kind in the wild. As we know, most of them would have no clue what to do. They would probably starve or be killed by a predator within a month.

If not sooner! Sure, some "tropical birds" are blown off course by storms during migration and end up in strange places but budgies are not migratory birds (nomadic, but not migratory), and storms would more likely kill them. Plus, captive budgies would tire out after a couple miles.
We haven't heard today from the folks that we gave the net. Cage, and food to who are watching and feeding her.
Speaking of 19 vs 20 budgies, my Rocky laid another egg last night that I think isn't damaged so I put it in my incubator, but this evening I found another egg, freshly laid, on top of the English budgie cage! It couldn't have been Rocky because she just laid one last night or early this morning. So that leaves either Elan or Jane Buffettbird, but I haven't noticed any mating involving either one. Any possible pairing would result in beautiful chicks. Unfortunately the egg was cracked so I tossed it.
What's with my budgies and laying eggs? I have at four or five females now out of nine, two in an all girls cage, who are either laying eggs or would if I let them associate with males. I really wish they would stop this silliness!

 

[bug_n_flock]

My turkey hen sometimes gives me two eggs in a day. And I only have one female adult turkeys so it's definitely her laying two in a day.

 

[bug_n_flock]

That sounds random lol but I just mean it could also have been Rocky. It does happen, especially in younger hens.

Hopefully the at large budgie finds it's way to safe harbors soon

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I really don't think it was Rocky's egg. She's been on an every other day cycle for a couple weeks. Plus, I think it was laid after I put Rocky back in her cage and Elan was a few inches from the egg when I found it, and it was still moist. Doesn't matter too much I guess.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

The people (turns out my husband knows them) caught the budgie this morning! and he is on his way there to get her. I'm so happy she's no longer destined to die out there in some horrible way as all escapes eventually do here in Maine. We will post a "found budgie" notice on facebook. I hope they come forward, but only if they give her a good life.

I have a cage ready for her. I'm going to put her in our bedroom where Joey lives and try to work with her to see how tame she is. When she sees that Joey is all over me maybe she will quickly warm up to me. I think I'll trim her wings a little bit to slow her down because I have very high ceilings and window ledges way out of my reach. A "new" budgie often flies around in a panic, slamming into walls and windows. I really hope she's tame enough to join the free flying flock. I think once she'll adapt quickly when sees how lucky budgies live at my house.

Her new name is Cora. My husband, John, knew the man's grandmother, Cora Skillings, quite well years ago, and he's naming her honor of her. The guy thought that was pretty cool. I'll post pictures of the pretty girl when she arrives and settles in.

 

[AprilRobin]

Wonderful news!

 

[GivemeSeedsorgivemeFlesh]

I'm so glad she is safe! And she couldn't have landed in a better home!

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

YIPPIE! Excellent News! And love her name!

 

[Jcas]

Yay!!! Great news

 

[bug_n_flock]

[eagerly waiting for new baby pics]

 

[AprilRobin]

[eagerly waiting for new baby pics]

I second this.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

We had given him a small cage to put her in, but he told us that she went into the cage herself. There was a small amount of seed and a piece of millet spray in there. I think she had enough of freedom and wanted to be rescued.

When I got her home I put the little cage on the bed and let Joey out. Joey immediately went to greet Cora! I took Cora out with a small towel, trimmed her wings slightly (she can still fly) and let her go in the room wirh Joey. She flew around a bit and ate some seed I put on top of Joeys cage. They're friends already and I'm thrilled! Cora sees Joey flying to me and she must know im harmless. I think she might be pretty tame already. I want them to share a cage but for now Cora gets her own cage.

I know I have to be careful because females can be mean to other females, but so far so good. I really hope this friendship works out because Joey is very clingy and very sociable and I can't be with her all the time, but I can't let her near any males so she's been living alone.

Here's her first pictures, sitting on a perch stand in my windowsill, alone and with Joey.