A missing Nottinghamshire parrot has enjoyed the "adventure of a lifetime". Bruce, the 17-week-old green cheeked-conure, flew out of his front door on Thursday (February 2) morning and was found on a school child's head in a playground the following day.
Aimee Summers, 42, from Harlequin near Radcliffe-on-Trent, usually has a safety mechanism for when Bruce is flying around the house. Her husband normally texts when he is on the way home to make sure Bruce is back in his cage - but on this occasion he forgot.
Aimee, a practice development midwife at Nottingham University Hospitals, said: "I was distraught, I put loads of posters up around the village and on social media. Everyone was looking for him. Generally with young birds they don't fly very far and they are a prey animal so their instinct is to hide and not to fly. We looked within a half mile radius of the house thinking he could not possibly have crossed the A52."
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The next day, Aimee received a call from a teacher at Radcliffe-on-Trent Infant and Nursery School to say they had found a parrot. She said: "Under no circumstances would I have thought he would have been there. He landed on a little girl's head and they caught him.
"It was magical. We think because it was so windy, it blew him over the A52. How he wasn't hit by a car or a lorry is a miracle. I was absolutely in disbelief. Just complete and utter 'gosh, wow, that's amazing, how can that be true'. How many parrots live in Radcliffe-on-Trent, it was obvious it was Bruce. I was overjoyed - it was like euphoric, just emotionally overwhelming."
Sara Rose, 51, is Aimee's neighbour and helped with the search. She said: "I just thought it was really nice because everyone was rooting for him. The amount of people who were affected by this story was sweet.
"He is very friendly and really sweet. Maybe it was their colourful clothes [that caused Bruce to land on the school playground]. It is just such a funny place to end up." Sara said she was "whooping for joy" when she heard Bruce was found.
Bruce, named after Bruce Willis, was an early Christmas present to Aimee from her husband. She said Bruce has "had the adventure of a lifetime and never going out again".
To celebrate his return, the family had Bruce's favourite food, pizza. Aimee said: "He had a little bit of the crust. He has had toast for breakfast. He has been spoilt rotten ever since. He has come home absolutely starving so just sits and eats in his recovery from his big adventure."
She added: "He is completely and utterly devoted to me and my family. He is nursed to sleep and he gets tucked in every night. He is a proper character, learning how to make kiss noises. He is absolutely wonderful."
Aimee wanted to thank the community for their support. She said: "It feels like such an inclusive community that so many people can look out for a little feathered friend for someone they don't know."
A spokesperson from Radcliffe-on-Trent Infant and Nursery School said: "We feel very lucky and incredibly excited that Bruce decided to join us on the playground on Friday afternoon. The children were amazed at how he sat quietly and calmly and allowed one of the teachers to place him into a box for collection.
"We were so pleased that we could help out a member of our community, with something that must have been very upsetting for them. We are very pleased he has been reunited with his family."
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