THE owner of a parrot which escaped from a county cottage has thanked the community which helped reunite them after days of panic-stricken searching.

Sarah Davies, from Yatton, said it was 'love at first sight' when she met and took home four-year-old African grey parrot Rupert from the RSPCA in April.

Since then, he has spent little time in his cage at Mrs Davies' North Herefordshire home and has amused his new family with his love of buttered toast, by dancing to Bob Marley and his playful chatter.

But disaster struck when he flew out of an upstairs window which the family did not know was open one Friday night.

Mrs Davies said: "He flew around the garden and took to the trees. He went up to 60ft ash tree, sat right at the top looking very pleased with himself and wouldn't come down despite our best efforts to coax him down.

"Within the next hour the weather changed – the wind was blowing and the rain was coming in. The bracken is thick and terrain difficult to navigate. We had everything against us. Then at 9.45pm I lost sight of him.

"I was absolutely gutted and in the depths of despair and panic I guess. I couldn't go after him with torchlight.

"We had to retreat back to the house and hope and pray he would stay somewhere close overnight.”

Mrs Davies, who was joined by her husband Miles, set off to search for Rupert when he did not respond to her calls the following morning.

Over the next few days they would walk mile after mile between Bircher and Croft Castle and the surrounding area in the hope of finding their beloved pet, fearing that birds of prey may get to him first.

On the Monday morning, the couple’s daughter, Imogen, helped to produce posters which were put up at a number of locations in the area including Leintwardine, Wigmore and Croft Castle.

They also enlisted help from the Parrot Society where Rupert was registered online as missing, as well as Animal Search UK and Pets Located.

Having heard nothing, Mrs Davies went around to update the posters the following day and when she got to Croft Castle, a member of staff said they understood a parrot had been found in Orleton.

"It made sense because of the way the wind was blowing," said Mrs Davies, who discovered Rupert had been found by a local farmer.

"He said he had handed the parrot over to the care of The Flying Vet Nurse, Laura Allwright, who is based in Richard's Castle," she said.

"I was absolutely elated. I just couldn't believe it – it was like a hundred Christmasses all at once.

"I owe it to each member of the community. Everybody pulled together in just a matter of a few days.”