Parrot reunited with owner

11:48am Friday 28th July 2006

A missing parrot has been reunited with its owner thanks to the Independent.

Poppy the parrot was safely returned to owner Melissa Diamond on Friday, after she was spotted in a garden in Merryhills Drive, Oakwood.

The Independent reported last week how Melissa was left heartbroken when Poppy, an orange winged amazon, disappeared from her mum's back garden in Rownatree Road, Winchmore Hill.

Poppy, who is worth more than £450, was staying at the house while Melissa holidayed in Florida. She had been missing for up to a month.

Melissa, who is from Hackney, said: "Poppy was found about eight minutes away from my mum's house. The woman who found her said she had been sat in a tree in her garden for up to three days.

"I am just so happy she is back - I really couldn't believe it, I thought I had lost her for good and I was worried she would not be able to survive."

Meanwhile the Independent has been inundated with calls from readers who believed they had spotted Poppy.

Sightings of parrots were reported in Winchmore Hill, Edmonton, Oakwood and Enfield Lock.

Les Rance, secretary of The Parrot Society UK, said many escaped parrots are living quite happily in the wild in the UK.

He said: "Parrots tend to go missing when they are put outside in cages during the summer. The cage can get knocked over, or its door comes loose and they are able to get out."

"Parrots can live for quite a long time in the wild, even in colder months, and are not at risk to predators, who would prefer to go for a less threatening pigeon.

"They will live in trees and eat almost anything, including grass, seeds, apples and bread, and more and more people are feeding these wild birds.

Anyone who finds a parrot living in the wild is advised to contact the National Theft Register for Lost and Found Parrots run by John Hayward, who collates a register of all lost and found parrots in the UK, in an aim to reunite them with their owners.

Call the register on 01869 325699.