The birds that live within our homes have unique perspectives on the sphere of life that they are engaged in. It’s almost always a given that our birds have a love of music, often displaying preferences with style by rapt attention and “gettin’ down with it” to the various kinds of music that they’re exposed to. But when the music they love is a factor in retrieving a lost bird, it only stands to reason that music could be used as a tool to recover wayward birds who make their way outside when a door is open for a second too long. That’s the case for Joel, a pet cockatiel who lives in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, as he took an open door for an invitation to roam.
Joel was adopted by his owner 18 months ago from a rescue adoption facility. In the 18 months that Joel lived with his owner, he learned some of the hits from the catalog of the music of Billy Joel. Obviously, his infatuation with Billy Joel’s music contributed to the naming process. As songs go, it’s “Uptown Girl” that has captured the fancy of the cockatiel becoming its favorite song. With Joel’s escape through an open door, the owner quickly moved to the standard method of discovery by posting “Lost Bird – Reward” flyers. They were posted with the essential help of an international service known as ParrotAlert.com, which uses mapping technologies to help narrow the route to help locate a lost bird.
Nine Days Gone
After nine days with no notices, hope began to wane until a text alerted the owner to the possibility that Joel had been located. An agile worker at the SkyWheel ride (a 200-foot-tall ferris wheel at the beach) heard chirping while 100 feet up on a ladder. It’s there that the worker saw Joel standing on a gondola bar. Being people-aware and trusting, the bird made his way to the worker and perched on his shoulder. Joel was then wrapped in the worker’s hoodie for the descent. Soon, one event led to another, and the flyer eventually sparked a memory that led to the eventual reconnection.
After the connection, the staff played “Piano Man” for the bird, and Joel immediately began grooving to the tune. When that behavior was recognized, they were assured that the lost cockatiel mentioned in the flyer had indeed been found. Pictures of Joel sitting on the shoulder of the office staff were sent, and the recovery was soon completed.
Once the owner and Joel were reunited, a quick visit to the vet was necessary to check him out. After all was deemed well, Joel and his owner were happy to be back with each other once again. Joel had been on an adventure. And it was music that helped to reunite Joel with “Mom.” One of the takeaways from this is that specific familiarity played an important part in identifying who Joel was. The flyers were essential in spreading that information to a wider audience. We’re quite pleased that Joel found his home again.
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