Both lost and found

[GG]

Four days ago my sister rushed out of the house forgetting her budgie was on her shoulder. It was a windy day, and he took off. We spent the rest of that day and much of every day since searching and calling.

We've posted ads everywhere - social media, print media, rescue organizations, and plastered the area with flyers. Today we got a response a budgie was found drinking at an outdoor yard fountain. They were able to catch him, had seen our ads, and could we come get our guy. We rushed over and - not my sister's budgie!

They are not equipped to keep this little one, so we took him home. Now we've posted found budgie in all the places we found when posting lost budgie.

We're still holding out hope Willis, my sister's little guy, will find his way home or to someone who can help him get home. Most of you are not near us here in the desert southwest in Tucson, Arizona, US, but for anyone who is near, I’m attaching a photo of Willis, the lost (exhibition type) and of no-name, the found (wild type).

[jellybean]

I hope someone gets in touch to say they have found your little guy.
If no one claims this other little beauty are you planning to keep her.

[Marianne Marlow]

I'm so sorry that your sister had this accident. I'm sure it's pretty common. My husband had a budgie a long time ago and his sister did the same thing.

They did find him 3 days later, he was in a garden I think, scrabbling around in the dirt.

He lived to the grand age of 17.

I hope you find Willis. Also hope that the budgie you found finds it's owner or you look after him/her.

[starlingqueen]

i did the exact same thing when I was about 12. Devastated me, we never found him sadly.

[Marianne Marlow]

Two of my rehomes are birds that were found outside, Custard and Pete. Custard was found in a churchyard and Pete on a balcony in London.

So there is hope that someone will find and look after birds that are lost.

[GG]

Thanks everyone. Still no sign of Willis and no word of sightings. It's encouraging, Marianne, to hear about Custard and Pete. Our hope is someone has Willis and is caring for him.

We still have Butterball - ironically named as he's stick skinny from his wildlife adventures. He's also recovering from several foot and facial scratches we believe came from trying to eat cactus in our harsh desert environment.

Butterball is a boy. The picture I posted was taken just as we got him home. Now that he's eaten and had lots of water to drink, his cere is the very pink/purple color of a red-eyed lutino male.

If there's still no word from his owners, he'll live the rest of his life with us. He's warming up and coming out of his shell (no pun intended) every day.