Missing pet budgie owner sought in Tecumseh

Staff at the Tecumseh Home Hardware Building Centre are searching for the owner of a missing pet budgie that they say was discovered in the store parking lot earlier this month.

An appeal on social media has yielded little response, with an employee now bird sitting the budgie in the mean time.

“It kinda of found us,” explained assistant manager Denise Pinsonneault.

“It was trying to land on another co-worker but she was very afraid. She kind of ran away,” Pinsonneault recalled. “A gentleman was pulling up to pick up product on the side and the bird landed on his dash. So, I just put my finger out and then it came.”

Pinsonneault explained the blue and white bird is curious and very friendly, noting this was the first time a stray domesticated bird appeared at this store since she began working there.

“I didn’t think it happened that often until people started talking around here,” Pinsonneault said. “Who knows how far it came from?”

Co-worker Patti Price has been keeping a close eye on the store’s new feathered friend, telling CTV News she hopes the rightful owner can be found.

“It's been awesome. It sings. It's happy. At first it was trying to get out because it had no toys and then once I got them the toys and things he's been happy.”

Price admits they aren’t sure of the budgie’s gender saying they’ve since named it “Sky”.

“I was hoping that somebody was going to come in and claim it but now we kind of grew attached to it. So it's kind of fun.”

Price said, “If we get a call then they show me proof that it's theirs, then by all means.”

Escaped pet birds are not uncommon in Ontario according to officials at the Windsor-Essex County Humane Society.

“It's definitely something that happens regularly,” said Melanie Coulter, executive director.

“A lot of domestic birds will do okay especially in the summer months when the weather's not too bad, but a lot of them are not equipped to handle our winter weather. So if you do find a domestic bird, it is really helpful to try to get them back to their owner.”

According to Coulter, 54 stray domestic birds have been brought to the animal shelter so far in 2023. Up from 48 in all of 2022.

“Sometimes people keep birds in a location where they're more acclimatized to changes in weather. But really, if you're seeing birds outside that are domestic, it is something that you should flag,” Coulter said. “One of the best tips to try to capture them is to borrow a bird cage. We're happy to loan people a bird cage for that purpose. Put it down there because a lot of birds, especially domestic ones, will tend to just go into the cage as a habit.”

“There are a lot of sites online where people can post loss birds and birds can travel a fair distance. So it's important to keep your search broad. We've had stray birds come from across the border, so it's not uncommon in this area that that is a possibility.”

Coulter continued, “If you're going to hold on to the bird, just make sure that you're feeding them the appropriate food. Different birds have different nutrition needs and care needs and you want to make sure that you're providing the best care you can.”

She added, “Don't give up keep checking. A lot of birds do look similar but they often do have have markings that will distinguish them so keep looking.”