By Emily Parsons

Last updated at 11:00, Saturday, 14 July 2012

A little girl is smiling again after two strangers helped reunite her with her missing parrot.

Keelie Pattinson with Baby

Five-year-old Keelie Pattinson was distraught when her beloved blue Quaker parrot flew out of the back door of her home in Bowman Street, Botchergate, on Monday.

Called Baby, the £600 bird had been part of the family for three years.

Mum Jemma Irving said: “I was in tears when she left, and Keelie was devastated – she just couldn’t understand. She had me out every night whistling and calling for her, and kept asking when she was coming back. I was convinced she wasn’t.”

In dramatic scenes, Baby was captured from scaffolding in Carlisle city centre on Thursday afternoon.

Crowds of shoppers lined the pavement to stare at the beautiful blue bird, which was perched on the former Chapmans building, in Victoria Viaduct. As the group wondered what to do, a mystery man stepped out from the crowd and began scaling the scaffolding.

Witnesses reported he clambered over to the bird and held out his arm, and the parrot hopped on to it.

The man carried the bird back down, where he passed it on to a spectator and disappeared.

Jenny Charters, 50, of Wellbank Place, Denton Holme, was shopping in the adjacent Tesco store when she heard the commotion.

Already the owner of an African Grey parrot named Jack, she happily agreed to temporarily house the unruffled bird until its owner could be found.

“She was ever so tame,” she said, “and seemed like she was obviously a much-loved pet.”

While Ms Charters admitted part of her secretly hoped no owner could be found as she had fallen in love with the beautiful bird, she was delighted when the owners were tracked down the same night.

“My daughter put a comment on Facebook about me rescuing this bird,” she added. “One of her friends got in touch to ask if it was blue, as a friend of hers had lost one.”

Miss Irving went straight around to the house that evening, and even without photographs and registration certificates, Ms Charters said it was obviously her pet.

“The bird went wild and obviously recognised her,” she said. “Jemma had to leave to get a pet carrier and the bird got really agitated. We are just so grateful to everyone.”

First published at 10:51, Saturday, 14 July 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk