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Google Earth map of where Brutus was lost and where he was found. I wish this map had a scale. Wild!

Good to know Sterling. I know Brutus makes a police siren sound when I leave. How he ever figured out that that sound means danger I have no idea. He hears police sirens around our home as we live in a fairly urban environment. How does he know? Really freaky.

"because just the sight of your thread upset me" Hi Acappella, I understand your comment because i felt the same way when Murphy went missing. I am sorry he was never found. Back then, I was anxious to get on the forum every day to see if Murphy had made it back. I am glad Brutus is back, and I am glad that his return gives relief to you too.

A little update. Brutus has been silent the last couple of days, but i can tell he is feeling better today. He started talking this afternoon! He made up this thing he has been saying lately and it cracks him up! He says, "I'm okay-o. Are you okay-o?" He added the extra "o's" and he thinks its funny. I went up to the home under construction where Brutus was found and thanked the workers for helping Brutus out. Apparently Brutus landed on the roof and Jerry, the contractor, brought him a cup of water which he eagerly drank from. The neighbor, Vivienne, brought a strawberry out and Brutus flew down to her. She got him in a carrier and took him home. He was sleeping on their ceiling fan when I found him, Friday night. He was exhausted and traumatized and so was I. I think we are both feeling better today.

I think what helped were all the posters i had tacked up all over the neighborhood. I probably posted about 50. Seeing one of the posters helped the couple that found Brutus contact me. They had called while I was out on the deck calling for Brutus, and because I didn't answer they called the police to relay the message. The police knew about it too because I had contacted the Chief of Police, one of the Captains, and the Chief Detective. The La Mesa Police Department rocks! They have an amazing group of officers who are kind and compassionate. I wrote them all thank you letters and compliments to their bosses. I am not sure if it helped directly, but my online neighborhood group was so supportive and helpful, as were a great number of people, and most were complete strangers! I emailed a large number of organizations, and individuals over the course of several days (rescue groups, Humane Societies, bird breeders, bird stores, pet stores, veterinarians, boy and girl scout groups, various police departments, animal control, Facebook, SDSU graduate students in biology and ecology, all of my neighbors, and more. I felt that if they could pass on Brutus' information to just a couple of friends then I could spread the word and increase the number of eyes looking for Brutus. If I didn't believe it before, I do know now that there are many kind people. I got hugs, advice, shoulders to cry on, sympathy, empathy, and time, from so many people, most of whom I had never met before. You guys on the forum are always outstanding especially since you understand what non-parrot owners struggle to imagine. Thank you for your hope and encouragement. While the experience was horrible, and one I never wish to repeat, being that vulnerable and feeling a heart-to-heart connection with a big slice of humanity was profoundly and incredibly touching. I am kind of a shy person, and I connected on such a basic level that it felt like a spiritual connection which is rare and really special.

So glad that Roxy is improving. I will keep her in my thoughts.

I am so sorry that Bogart died. What a beautiful story about the song. I bet it is no coincidence and Maalik is doing what he can.

Inara, The grey, Carly Lu, in the article is well known at the beach where she flies. I hope she gets her back. Unfortunately, i think someone took her.

He flew out of the window at 8pm on Tuesday and I got him back Friday night around 9:30 pm, so almost exactly 72 hours later. Thank you for your support! I am looking at him today and it looks like he got into a scuffle with another bird and he has a puncture that bled on his cheek and bite marks around his right eye. His eye appears to be fine. He does not act like it is irritated in any way. I probably should take him to the vet to make sure he is okay. I worry about avian diseases. He is sleeping right now. I guess he is understandably exhausted because he never sleeps during the day.

If this isn't coherent I apologize. It was after dark and I just got a knock on the door and it was a police officer with a hand written name and phone number. He said, "Steve and Vivian have your bird." They live probably ½ to a mile away. I immediately went to get him. They found him today on the roof of a house under construction on Glen. The workers tried for two hours to get him, but when Vivian, the little blonde lady came by he flew to her. He has good taste! Anyway I picked him up at their home. He was sitting on the ceiling fan. They were the sweetest couple. The woman was so very sweet. Brutus made a good choice! Seriously! He is banged up around his eye. I may need to take him to the vet tomorrow. He is exhausted! I just gave him a nice piece of swiss cheese, not good for him, but good for me right now. OMG! I am so happy! I have no idea what he has gone through. Thought you should know asap! Best, Sharon

I wish I had better news. Just like the last couple of days, today I have sat on my large deck calling for Brutus and playing Andy Griffith's Theme Song (on repeat) from before the sun came up until about noon, and again in the late afternoon, until it is too dark to see. I have seen and heard nothing from Brutus, and neither has anyone I have talked to or emailed. Today I went walking around the neighborhood knocking on doors, in case, they hadn't seen the numerous posters about Brutus already. Did I give you a flyer to post? I am so discombobulated I don't know, so here is another one.I am afraid now I have to rely on the goodness of strangers to find him or for them to be honest enough to look for a previous owner. Either that, or he was killed when he left. I asked people to look for red feathers and to call me if they find them. I need to know either way. Brutus has always been my bright spot, and since my husband left a year ago on the 1st of August, Brutus became the best thing in my world. I often told my best friends that if it wasn't for Brutus I don't know if I could have made it through this last year. Brutus is my color, my light, my music, my comedian, and my best buddy. All the good things. I know he loves me with all his heart and I am the person that lights up his world too. I hope i don't have to make these statements past tense, but I am prepared to now. Hope is cruel. However this turns out, I am thankful for the full heart of love that I have for him. Sometimes my heart seems to burst and overflow from the joy he gives me. I am grateful and I will be always. Belly laughs and a full heart--it doesn't get much better than that!

Hi Steve, Yes, I am a burbling wreck, BUT, I keep busy to get my mind off of it. If it wasn't for hope I don't know what I would do. Today is the third day, if i don't see or hear from him or from someone who has seen him by tonight I think I will despair. i would like to bike around with my tape player, playing Andy Griffith's Theme song, but it is so hilly and steep here that i would be walking my bike most of the time. Tomorrow I will expand my search, although I can't cover much ground by walking.

Nancy, Today i added to the contacts I have already made. At your suggestion, i contacted all the the Girl and Boy Scout groups in the area. I also contacted bird breeders, and every pet store that had an email. I also contacted various people in the Police Department and the Police Departments of adjacent municipalities. So now I have contacted rescue groups, alert groups, the Humane Society, Craigslist, Recycler, Animal Control, NextDoor neighborhood households, bird breeders, pet stores, my friends, this forum, and more. Please post this flyer to your Facebook even if you don't live in CA because your friends might live there.

I went out before dawn and called for him. I also talked to a bunch of neighbors and workers in the neighborhood. I told them if they see him to call me because he is scared, hungry, thirsty, and tired. I put out another 25 flyers. I never really whistled to him because i can't whistle. He does know the Andy Griffith Theme Song. I put up a new ad on Craigslist. The trees in the neighborhood are largely pruned and smaller and discontinuous. I have a forest behind my house and the tallest widest tree in the neighborhood. You can see this tree from a long way away. I hope he is here. My other two parrots are out on the deck. All his food stands and play areas are outside too.

I was reading that Zandir's story is like Brutus'. They both crashed out of a loose screened window. Zandir was found close to her home, this is what leads me to believe that Brutus is nearby too. Maybe he is not hungry or thirsty enough to make noise yet? If you find him call me at (619) 701-3105 Please, oh please let him come home safely!

I finally slept two hours in two days (from 9:30-11:30pm). I keep replaying the screen being loose in my head. I know I am meticulous about keeping screen and other doors closed. This is just the weirdest thing. I don't think I am irresponsible I just think this was a freak thing. I work so hard to keep them safe. I just think that window screen gave way at a point in time where he had to progress out because nothing held him in. This (Wed.)evening I was out on the deck playing familiar music, I had all the cages and play stands out, and my two other parrots were out until it got too dark. I called to him periodically. He left just the day before as it was getting dark. I don't think he went far. I have the biggest, (and most) trees in the neighborhood, so i think he is here. I have contacted every group, online group, Craigslist, pet store, vet, and a neighborhood group of 236 households. I posted 35 signs around the neighborhood. I can't sleep I keep replaying it in my head. He is microchipped. It is not even midnight yet and I am awake again. I have to be out before sunrise. The play stands are still outside and a cage he is familiar with is out there too. What else can I do? I recorded my voice, and I am afraid I sound desperate and scared. I don't think that is good for him to hear. How often do people get their greys back? My friend said she got hers back because he got hungry after three days and came down. He was only one block away. I wonder if finding them closer is more typical than farther away (like Sterling at 3 miles away?) I just don't think he flew that far at dusk. And i don't think he moved much further because he is scared. He is trying to be still and not call attention to himself. At least that is what I think. There are hawks in the neighborhood too. I just think he cannot figure out how to fly almost straight down from a really tall tree to the deck. This must freak him out. I tell him "he is a good boy"and a "a good flyer" and he can do it. What if I'm wrong, what if he is far away? He can't be though, other people don't have the trees I have here. This location makes perfect sense with dense tall tree cover. What do you think?

I can't sleep obviously. I have posted on Craigslist, Facebook (multiple), Bird Rescues, 911 Parrot Alert, Recycler, and Humane Society. As soon as it is light I will roll the other birds out in their cages. It was dusk so he couldn't have gone far.

This evening at dusk I went up to my neighbor's house for dinner. When I came home Brutus was gone. I finally found the screen knocked out of the kitchen window. He must have hit it and it tipped open and he flew out. This is so unlike him as he usually sits and waits for me on the rail. Please help me figure out what he is likely to do. There are many tall trees just around my house. It was dusk so I don't think he went far. He is microchipped. Today, I had registered him with additional microchip registries, so at least if he is scanned my information will turn up. Do you have any suggestions for me? I will be up before dawn looking for him. I have already talked to the police. I am making flyers and putting together an ad for posting. I belong to a neighborhood group and will be posting his information there too.

When Brutus was a baby his vet talked me into getting a microchip for him. I have been reading this could lead to an increased risk of cancer. I don't like the idea of a foreign object in him, and I am not convinced that chipping is useful at all. Have any of you had a microchip removed from your Grey? I am thinking about it, but anesthesia carries a risk too. I think I will look into removal.

Amazons give off a fruity aroma when they are alarmed. Pancho used to when i first got him, but he barely does now. I love the way Brutus smells! I do bury my nose in his feathers quite a bit. I bury my nose in Jimpster the Quaker's feathers too. I like the way they all smell. They are my kids after all...

I am confused. What got clipped, his wings? Just a thought, If you took him outside with you that would help the wood chewing problem. Glad you are feeling better. My guy's twos lasted about one year, so not forever, and not really that bad.

Brutus doesn't poop in his water probably because he is never in his cage or on it. But, my quaker does. I fixed this by taping a cardboard ceiling right above his bowl inside his cage. Now I don't know how active your bird is and that may not last very long, but something like that might work. Or you could try slats from Venetian blinds woven above the water bowl. Brain storm for solutions because changing the water all the time is a drag. Could you switch out a different bowl to be the water dish?

So cool! Do they make more husbands like yours?

Chili has been adopted.

My neighbors are tenting their house for termites. Should I close my windows and doors? They are up the hill about 100 feet. I am probably just being paranoid.