Found the next day

Joey is a two year old Yellowsided Green cheek that I bought from a breeder I had purchased my Black Capped Conure from three years prior. Both were 12-16 weeks old when I ‘liberated’ them. Both have been trained to ‘Come’ and have been fully flighted.

I had put Joey in his day cage and walked out back to retrieve a feed bottle for my bees…Yeah~ Birds and Bees…8 ) anyway, I was refilling the bottle when Joey flew to my shoulder much to my surprise. I returned him to his cage and found the top open. I recall closing it. I then went about bringing the feed bottle outside and just as I opened the back door, Joey lighted on me and then burst out the door.

For the next 6 hours he flew around in the trees out back taunting us and watching us. When we moved to an area he couldn’t see us, he would fly and gave us a chance to spot him again. He twice flew down to my fiancee’ whom he LOVES, and then teasingly flew away before getting within 10 feet.

A flock of Blue jays went after him, intent on killing him and I shot one with a pellet rifle and the other flew off, only to return an hour later. This time Joey took off, flying around three backyards and thru the trees until he circled around behind them and lost sight of us.

We went to the neighborhood behind us looking for him and didn’t hear nor see him as the sun set.

I put his cage outside and started calling for him early this morning after a sleepless night, then at 4:30, after running an errand I thought to try my luck in the neighborhood behind us again. The second cul-de-sac I stopped in was directly behind my property and at the end of the street, I heard him cry out to me in that distinct conure searching call. I couldn’t see him but narrowed down my search to two very thick trees with dense foliage. He only called one again to me and I crossed the street away from the trees, he burst out of the trees, flying up and down the street, circling the cul-de-sac, in a very wide open area.

As he circled back towards me, I threw my hands in the air and gave him the ‘COME’ command and he flew directly to me.

This sort of homecoming can only be understood by one that has lived with avians~!

Thank you Saint Francis~!