Call for help to find missing parrot

Members of the public across Cavan are being asked to keep their eyes peeled for a flash of red the could help locate a missing family pet.

“It's like looking for a needle in a haystack. It's very disheartening to be without him,” Margaret Gavin of Burnia, Virginia , tells the Celt as the hunt for her missing African Grey Parrot is now in its ninth day.

“The back door was left open and he just flew out like a rocket,” she says of the moment Boycee took flight. The bird has never been outside before so it is a traumatic time for Margaret.

She has the feathered friend for a little over a year and a half. In that time the bond betweens he two has grown strong and Margaret is understandably heartbroken: “I know the bird inside out and he knows me the same. When you are on your own for hours on end he's great company.

“He talks, he sings, he dances. He is usually out to the cage for about three hours a day. He goes in for a little sleep. He's mainly on my shoulder, or on top of a door or a chair,” she said.

The African Grey owner is still optimistic that the mild weather will keep Boycee safe: “I have scanned every field in the vicinity. I had a lovely man on to me. He has a gift for finding lost animals. I think he has a sixth sense. He gave me a little bit of hope. He told me exactly where the bird went. He described everything to a T. I combed the area.”

The man, Denis, assisted in the initial search by describing where he believed the bird had flown to: “It was amazing. He described my back yard perfectly. I never met him, I don't know him. It's a big area to cover. I've had one sighting from a farmer two fields away. That was exactly where this man told me he would be. The farmer went too close and Boycee flew off. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack. It's very disheartening to be without him.”

Margaret placed an ad in The Anglo-Celt newspaper last week, she has been on Joe Duffy's Liveline and on Northernsound in a bid to get the message out to as many people s possible about her missing parrot: “I have had every child in the area looking for him. He could be perched on a branch somewhere and too scared to speak. It is literally a matter of going out there and finding him,” she says of the ongoing efforts.

Margaret hopes the distinctive red tail will catch someone's eye. Any glimpse could help her reunite with the missing parrot. Boycee is 22 years of age, but the breed can live up to 70 years: “I have him in my will,” Margaret says in a moment of levity.

The Virginia lady is hoping for her bird's safe return: “I do miss him so much. I have four dogs and three cats at home, all are rescue. You would be amazed how well they all get on. He understands every word I say. He fits in so well. He is constantly on my shoulder. I just miss his company so much.”