archie the irn

[jonny f]

hello my name is jonathan in 2006 my work mate told me that his pair of irn that he had in a shed with a out side aviary the female had become pregnant and did i know of any one who would want to buy one.as he knew my father had bread budgie,s most of my child hood so i knew how to handle birds.i said i would love one but my partner was afraid of birds but i convinced her it will be fine and her mother and father wanted one as well if there was more than one.with in literally 4 weeks he was tame and was so lovely we both fell in love with him 5 years went past and he was happy singing every day eating fine was in perfect health apart from regurgitating every so often on the same mirror.so on tuesday the 5th of july 2011 i was making the dinner and had the window open ever so slightly some thing i have done many times i just close it if he comes in the kitchen but there was something on tv that caught my eye and in a second he was on the window sill looking out of the open window he had just pushed open i called out to him he took one look at me and then flew out of the window.i was in total shock i ran out side calling and whistling to him but heard nothing so i ran to the nearby woods calling out to him then i heard his call and there he was up a 100 foot oak tree.i got all his toys and mirror and tried to coast him down but to him it was a game.i knew this because he was making all the noises he makes when having fun it was by now well after dusk and there was 10 mins of light left it was what i thought at the time to be my last chance.i got his mirror and he flew to wards me then at the last second hit a small branch in the tree and flew away in to the night.i was devastated could not believe it and went home with out him when i got there i was a total mess crying lots and then looked at his cage i was a total wreck but i told myself i wont give up on him and vowed no matter how insane the idea i was going to get him back.that night i got no sleep i was thinking finding him might be the easy part as he had never been held i never did that to him and knew he would not let me do it he will happily sit on my finger but if i ever try to put my hand up to wards him he flies away.so i came up with the idea that if i got him on my finger i would press my thumb on his foot so he could not get away.next morning at 5:20 am me and my father went out looking for him starting in the last place we seen him we called and whistled to him for 2 hours but no reply so i came home for some breakfast and thinking time i realised that he had never flew out side the house before but his wings had never been cut so he could fly in the wind quite far indeed.i went to the last place we seen him then drove in my car about 1 mile down wind got out the car and called out to him and to my absolute joy i heard him i followed his call to another very tall oak tree he was right at the top this was 9 am i phoned my father to go to my house get his cage mirror toys and some of his food he arrived 20 mins later we spent 3 hours then my mother arrived with some other family members with some food for us to eat but i was not hungry and was thinking that the others there did not care as much as me as he was my bird so i sent them all home at 1500 pm as we had spent most of the day trying to get him down but he was having fun he started to try the leaves of the tree but they are not edible to him so i knew he was hungry i had his seed box and was shaking it he flew down to about 10 feet above me then my father came back and it startled him and he flew up another tree but i knew then the chances were good so i did it again and this time i remembered that in the food my mother made me i did not eat there was a tomato in the sandwich this is his most liked food i showed it to him and his eyes lit up he flew to me and landed on my wrist i offered my finger and he hoped on to it
then i did what i had planed pressed my thumb on his foot very hard he made a noise i had not heard before spread out his wings so i quickly got one wing in my other hand being sure not to do to cause harm to him but had to be enough for him to not get away his cage was close by and i rushed to it then he was in the door shut archie was gone for 19 hours over night and people think i was lucky to find him let alone get him to me and get him in his cage but i think good plaining and a well thought out method of how to get him or her in to there cage once you get them greatly increases the chances.


if you loose your bird first dont panic like i did this will make your thinking not as good.birds will naturally fly up wards so think where the nearest trees are take one other person with you when found send them back to get the cage toys and food while you the birds owner and nearest companion talk calmly if you are calm chances are the bird will be to just as if you are in a panic the bird will pic up on this and may do the same. my bird thought this was just a game an adventure and was quite happy where he was thank you but good thinking told me and will you that they wont find food easily and when hungry if you are there they will come to you btw my bird is green with yellow under his wings so it was nearly imposable to see in the tree top amongst the leaves i only found him by his responding to my whistling

i hope my story will help you not loose your bird in the first place but if lost to try to help otheres do what i did and get my archie back

[Melika]

Congrats on getting your buddy back to you safely.