Brightly coloured Macaw parrots are remarkable pets, but when they leave home or get lost, they can cause major problems. One such parrot halted play at a Cricket match in Hinckley recently while taking a shine to a 67-year-old fielder, Tom Flannery.

Yet another, very similar Macaw got stuck on the roof of her owner’s house in Edmonton, North London, last month. The owners called the local fire brigade to get their pet safely off the roof. However, Jessie the parrot responded to their attempts to save her by hurling expletives at her rescuers.

Macaw stops play at a cricket match

A cricket match was underway at Swallows Green, Hinckley last week when the incident happened. The local team was playing Hathern Old Seconds at the time.

A loud squawking sound was heard from the trees surrounding the pitch shortly before a multi-coloured parrot started flying around the pitch, low to the ground, before spotting fielder Tom Flannery. The bird instantly took a shine to the 67-year-old, landing on his shoulder and giving the poor man the surprise of his life. Meanwhile, the fielder looked for all the world like a pirate with his parrot, and the cricket match was called to a sudden halt.

Tim Davis, Hathern’s cricket captain, told Leicestershire Live that Flannery looked shocked and didn’t seem to appreciate the bird’s attention, but what could he do?

Davis said the parrot remained on his perch for two or three minutes while the team tried to coax him off the poor man.

The bird suddenly took off and the team later saw someone walking off the field with the parrot on his shoulder, who seemed to be the bird’s owner. The game resumed around 10 minutes later. Phil York, chairman of the Hinckley Amateur Cricket Club, said he believes the parrot was collected by its owners, who live close to Swallows Green.

Parrot cusses out firemen in the rescue attempt

Meanwhile, Lad Bible tells the moving tale of firemen, risking life and limb to save a marooned and equally colourful Macau parrot from its perch on its owner’s roof. The parrot had reportedly been stuck up there for three days by the time the owners called the fire brigade for assistance in rescuing their pet.

Everyone knows that firemen have huge ladders and that these are useful in rescuing people or animals stranded on rooftops. However, Jessie, the Macau in question, wasn’t particularly impressed by their attempts to rescue her, yelling expletives at them from her comfortable perch. The oft-used “F-word” featured in her colourful speech.

It happened in Edmonton in North London last month, and even as the bird insisted on repeatedly swearing at them, the trusty firemen kept trying to help the parrot. They even took food up to the roof in an attempt to coax her to the ground.

As Lad Bible points out, Jessie is a bird, which means she has wings, so why didn’t she just fly down herself? She eventually did.

Chris Swallow, LFB Watch Manager said they were concerned that the parrot may be injured, causing her to stay up on the roof for three days. Swallow did say her swearing and foul beak did cause them a lot of amusement. Worst of all, however, once the bird had ceased swearing at the firemen, she decided to fly across to another roof, then swooped into a nearby tree before returning to her rightful owner.

It turns out the Fire Service has often requested members of the public not to call if an animal (or bird) gets stuck on a roof or in a tree.

They stress that people should contact the RSPCA who have experience in dealing with this kind of incident, even if the “rescuee” in question uses foul language. The Fire Brigade did act that if the RSPCA needs their help, they will call them direct.
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