My aunt kelly is missing her african grey since may 23rd 2007. She lives in Marietta Georgia, National Battlefeild, John Ward, and Cheatam Hil area.. He is a congo and is about 15 years old approx, names Casey. She is very devastated she has raised from hatch and hes never left her side since until now. He is like her child. He does make beeping and woo sounds a lot lately, the beep is like a microwave beep like your microwave beep is done. Also his favorite whistle is from the Andy Griffith show, and like when you call for a dog. He is a light grey with a light red tail, and no arm bands or anything. If you have any info or can help at all with ideas please contact asap any help appricated!

for information please contact:

kmendez@gables.com.
garenburkus@yahoo.ca

Have you contacted 911 parrot alert? Here's their link in case you need it 911 Parrot Alert - International Lost & Found Parrot Database I hope Casey is found soon!

Garen, I'm so sorry. I hope you are able to locate him. Don't give up hope.

I found some tips that may be helpful;

Tips for Recovering Missing Birds
by Jean Pattison (The African Queen)

If you belong to a bird club, please ask your newsletter editor to publish this. If your club holds a bird fair, please distribute it. If you know of someone who has lost a bird, please send it along. If you have a personal web page, please put this up. If you are a breeder, please include this in your educational packet. Please forward this to other lists. If you know of lost/found web pages, please ask them to put this up.

Birds can live for days-weeks months, and even years after an escape. Never give up.

1. Always look for a grey BEFORE sun-up while it is still dark, and AFTER sundown. They are the most vocal then, and the most active.

2. Day 3 is when they get hungry and try to come in for food, they will go to just about any one at that time if they are tame.

3. ALWAYS have a recording of your grey when he is playing and having the most fun. Play this recording intermittently as you look for him.

4. Throw food on rooftops. Place a small cage on the roof of your house, or anyone's where the Grey has been seen.

5. Tell people to put him in a pillow case, and have friends carrying pillowcases while looking, or small cages. Sometimes greys are caught by inexperienced holders and they don't know what to do with them.

6. If possible contact organizations 50 miles away. Sometimes people find them while traveling and go home with them. Greys can also get that far just flying.

7. Give all the children in the neighborhood a buck and tell them there is more if they can locate your bird. Kids tell on people that are hiding them also. (per Mattie Sue Athan) Police will not help you retrieve a bird from someone else's home. You have to plan that one very carefully if they decide they want to keep your bird.

8. Have someone watch the bird at all times if he is spotted and you need to go for help.

9. If you try to climb the tree, it often times scares them up. A long branch may be better to coax him onto. Use your head here. Raise his cage to where he is.

10. Have friends and family miles away in other cities watch the lost and found ads.

11. If he is roosted near dark, wait until dark before trying to retrieve him. They don't fly well at night, and they don't want to fly, but make sure you don't miss. You may use a high powered flashlight to momentarily blind the bird while another person nets or grabs the bird.

12. If sighted, keep the mobs of people away, and let the owner try and coax him down. Have your helping friends in tall trees or on roof tops to watch where he goes if he takes off. You NEED spotters prepared and willing.

Recovering Missing Birds

What To Do If Your Bird Is Lost
Compiled by Emily Heenan

STAY CALM, confident and positive that you will recover the bird. People tend to give up too easily and way too soon.

FINDING THE LOST BIRD. This is often the hardest part, but once accomplished is half the battle to successfully recovering the bird. Time is of the essence in this phase. As long as you know where the bird is, you can get it down with time - in most cases with enough time it will come down on its own, so long as you can keep track of it long enough. If you already know where the bird is located, skip to 3. RECOVERING THE BIRD.

Listen, listen and listen some more - if the bird is up in a tree or out of sight, chances are that you won''t be able to see it. But, if the bird vocalizes, you will be able to find its location by listening. It will almost always make noises that can be heard, giving direction to look in. Taking another bird out to the area may also help, especially if the other bird is a noisy friend of the lost bird or a mate or cage partner.

If you can't hear or locate the bird:
Make and distribute flyers in the neighborhood. Include a picture!

Notify the Humane Society or Animal Control

3. Enlist the help of neighborhood kids. Children love to help look for lost parrots. They also tell on people that are hiding them.

Call area pet stores and vets. Ask them to keep their ears open for strange telephone calls like people asking "what does a parrot eat?", "what kind of bird looks like this?" etc.

Place classified ads in newspapers.

Put up posters in local convenience stores and post office.

Don't limit your notification activity to the immediate vicinity where the parrot was lost. Frightened birds often fly a long way.

RECOVERING THE BIRD: Chances are that the bird wants to get to you but is too frightened or doesn't know how. Often, the key is getting the bird motivated to get to you on its own. This can take a while. A long while. Continue calling calmly and soothingly to the bird.

DO NOT use a ladder or cherry picker/bucket truck or long sticks. Keep anyone and anything strange away from you that he might be afraid of. These will only frighten the bird away.

Morning and late afternoon/evening are the most likely times that the bird will come to you. It will rest in the afternoons and go to roost at night. If it is nighttime, do not waste your time trying to get the bird to come down. This time is better spent either resting up for the next day or working on flyers and other contacts.

Have someone watch the bird at all times during the day if you need to go for help.

If the bird is in a tree that you can climb, make sure the person climbing is someone the bird is comfortable with. Bring a favorite treat with you.

If you can reach the bird, calmly secure it and stuff it under your shirt so it can't get frightened and fly away again.

Put a familiar cage and food out where it can be seen by the bird.

If you have a second bird that the lost bird will recognize the calls from, put the second bird outside where the bird can hear it.

If the bird has been out for a while pack a picnic and eat right under the tree where the bird is. Make sure it's something decadent and tempting such as French fries. Make a big deal about how delicious it is.

Jealousy (a Significant Other giving the bird's #1 person attention, or another rival bird or pet getting attention from said #1) can work to lure the bird down.

With time and patience, the bird will calm down and relax and become much more easily recovered. Signs of such change of state include preening, playing with leaves/branches, aborted attempts to fly down, etc.

It may take days for the bird to become motivated enough to come down to you. Don't give up!!

What To Do If Your Bird Is Lost

__________________
~Karen

Email: Karen_ParrotChatter@msn.com

Oh I will pray that he returns safely.

You have recieved great advise here. The suggestions that Karen posted and the suggestion of 911 Parrot Alert are all wonderful advise.

Do not give up hope. Keep looking!!!!!!!

I know of someone who recently gave up on looking for a cockatiel. Finally soemone called them from seeing thier ad in the paper and told them that they knew a nieghbor who had recently found a cockatiel and was not going to contact them. They went to the house and confronted the person and it WAS thier bird! They got him back!!!!

Keep looking. Keep posting everywhere about a missing bird. You never know who may have information of his whereabouts.

Please tell your Aunt not to give up hope, many lost birds have been found months later. Post flyers in all the pet shops, and vet clinics, and near any schools in the area. Please keep us posted.

Wishes and prayers for Casey and your aunt Kelly. We all hope he has found his way to safety, and will be reunited with his family. Don't give up!

hes found! my aunt got her baby bac!

Wow!!! That is wonderful!

So how did she find him? We love "recovery" stories so please let us know how her grey was found. And thanks for letting us know!

That is just the best news.

let us know how her grey was found plEASE.
I like happy endings