It’s a wonderful Alaskan Spring day. You have the drapes open to let the sunshine on you and Angel. Angel is perched comfortably on the play stand, preening and vocalizing. There’s a knock on the door. As you answer the door, there is an odd sound and a flash of white goes right out the open door! Your Angel is loose!

The children are in the backyard playing and you open the patio slider to let one of them back inside; forgetting that your cockatoo Mickey is on your shoulder. In a burst of movement and noise, Mickey is off your shoulder and out the door. Mickey is loose!

You’re spending some one-on-one time with your parrot Sassy on his play stand. The wonderful Alaskan Spring day’s gentle breeze and warm sunshine allow you to have the drapes pulled back and the windows open to catch some of the fresh air. The telephone rings and you go to answer it. Hmmm, why didn’t Sassy answer the phone like he always does? You go to the now empty play stand only to find a rip in the window screen and no Sassy!

The neighborhood kids come over to see your macaw MaryAnn. Both you and Mary Ann enjoy the attention and interest the kids have about companion parrots, so you fetch Mary Ann and bring her out to “see the kids.” You’ve done this many times, so you have Mary Ann perched on your right index and middle fingers, holding her toes with your right thumb as security. As you bring Mary Ann outside, one of the kids makes some quick, wild gestures with his hands. Mary Ann bolts from your hand. The last you see of her are the blue and gold colors flying into the distance. Mary Ann is loose!

These scenarios and a multitude of variations occur all too often for bird owners.

What can be done? How do I protect my bird from escaping? That’s the subject of this month’s general membership meeting – The Alaska Bird Club Lost/Found-Rescue Committee Chair, Amber, will provide insights on how to prevent your bird from escaping; or, if your bird has escaped, what you can do to recover them.

Many of the Alaska Bird Club members have worked with Amber and the Lost/Found-Rescue Committee. This open forum section of the monthly meeting will allow members to exchange ideas on how to minimize the potential for your bird to escape; what to do when your bird does escape; and how you can assist the club in retrieving escaped birds.

Join us on April 4th for Amber’s open forum on losing and finding your bird.

Gregory D. Wilkie