Pack of Wotsits used to rescue missing parrot

A care home's parrot that flew away when it was spooked in a storm has been reunited with its owner after being coaxed down from a tree with a pack of Wotsits.

Mango the macaw flew out of a window at the site in Great Barr, Sandwell, following a clap of thunder on Sunday.

The missing bird failed to respond to calls from worried Karen Godwin who said she was left distraught.

But Mango was eventually recovered with the help of a local tree surgeon.

Initially, though, the pushy pet refused to come quietly after being spotted on Tuesday about 50ft (15m) up a pine.

Rescuers then realised that along with climbing equipment, Wotsits were needed - the lunchbox staple to which the peckish parrot was partial.

Ms Godwin, the manager of the Newton Road facility from which Mango flew away, said she had been out through the night on Sunday to put up posters appealing for help.

Ms Godwin explained: "So all day Monday we were out there driving around, looking for her and I have to say the people of Great Barr and beyond have been absolutely amazing - they really came together to help look for her.

"I then got up [on Tuesday] and burst into tears thinking she was gone and 'it's been three days now and I just need to accept that'."

But the bird was located later in the day in a tree on nearby Danford Way.

Local bin men had stopped to help and tried to coax down the pet, Ms Godwin said, adding "the local fire brigade had been desperate to help but their ladders weren't high enough".

"In the meantime," she explained, "we had put it all on Facebook that we had found her again, and we had roofers and tree specialists and everyone contacting us offering help. And the amazing thing was it was such a beautiful ending."

Local tree surgeon Nathan McKane said he started getting alerts on social media on Tuesday morning asking whether he could assist using his specialist gear.

"It was only two streets away from me - I could see the tree from my house; I knew exactly which one it was," he said.

Mr McKane said when he arrived at the scene the parrot was sitting in the tree "squawking away".

"I was told it was quite friendly but when I got up there it didn't seem to want to come down nicely at all," he explained.

But using Wotsits, he eventually managed to get the bird close enough to reach.

"I managed to grab the back of its feathers and put it up against my t-shirt," Mr McKane said, "but I've been pecked to death. I've had to superglue my finger back together."

Ms Godwin told the BBC: "I can't even begin to thank Nathan enough or explain how I felt when he handed [Mango] across to me.

"When we walked in the door at the home with Mango earlier it was such a lovely surprise for all the staff and everybody - it's such a wonderful ending."

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]