Deer Park Man’s Parrot Missing

Jeff Talley is searching for his lost friend, a cool bird with a gift for gab. He’s been with Talley for seven years, through thick and thin, through pigs, cockatiels and even a magpie.

Last Thursday, Captain the parrot flew the coop. Talley wants his bird back. The description fits a typical runaway Amazon parrot: Captain has a yellow head, a green body and stands 15 inches tall.

Captain’s missing two toes - one was bitten off by another parrot - but he’s got no other distinguishing marks.

“I’d like to find him,” Talley said. “We’ve been friends a long time.”

Talley lives in a mobile home on five acres near Eloika Lake with many of his friends: three people, seven cockatiels, five dogs, three pigs, two peacocks, an iguana, a magpie and a kitten.

But Captain’s an old bird, and he’s been with Talley the longest. At 25, Captain should know better than to fly off like this.

At his home, he had it pretty cushy. He ate apples. He stole meat from the magpie. Although Captain had a cage, he rarely stayed in it.

“He’d sit out here and sit on an armchair and watch TV,” Talley said.

Captain liked to watch cartoons. But there was more to his life than being a couch parrot. He’d sit on the window sill and stare out an open window for hours. He even went outside, but he never flew away.

A week ago, that changed. When Talley got home from work about 5:30 p.m., his bird was missing. He thinks that somebody left the door open, and Captain made his escape.

Since then, he’s placed a classified ad asking people to call him at 276-7989 if they see his bird. No one’s called.

“I’m so mad about that,” Talley said.

If you spot the parrot, listen closely. He says, “Hello, Captain,” “Come here,” and “Here, kitty, kitty.”

Talley’s not alone in wanting Captain back home. His other birds - most of them, anyway - also miss the parrot.

“They mope around,” Talley said. “My magpie, he’s the only one who acts like he’s glad about it.”

, DataTimes