Spooked parrot missing
Heidi Gann is being realistic, but she still hopes her companion will make it home on a wing and a prayer.
It’s been two weeks since Mitzi, the family’s 3½-year-old Jardine parrot, flew away. She hasn’t been seen or heard from since, and things are looking grim.
“I’ve got a really bad feeling,” said Gann, who lives off Maple Street near the buff overlooking Latah Creek. “There are hawks out there. I’ve even seen eagles.”
The day after Mitzi bolted, Gann, an artist and art collector, printed a “lost parrot” flier and posted it throughout her South Hill neighborhood.
“Reward for safe return,” Gann wrote.
“Responds to ‘Hey Birdie,’ ‘Mitzi.’ Will eat crackers or bread or apple. She is sorely missed!!!”
Gann also hired kids to hike around the bluff looking for her bright green pride and joy.
The phone calls generated by the flier have come often, some from friends and others by strangers. However, no one has called to report Mitzi’s rescue.
The great escape occurred when Gann opened the front door to let in company. Something spooked Mitzi, and off she went. Until the unfortunate moment, Gann said there was no need for her parrot to fly because she would talk enough to say what she wanted.
Over the years, Gann also periodically clipped Mitzi’s wings, to stop her from potentially flying.
“She’d hop around a little bit, and she’d get you to go to her,” Gann said.
Mitzi, a California-bred parrot, sounded a lot like Dustin Hoffman in “Rain Man.” Gann said she dearly misses hearing her ask for food in her robotic tone, or as Mitzi used to call food, “really good.”
“They are very complex creatures,” Gann said “For people who don’t know about this, it’s hard to imagine you can have a bond like this to something that’s not even a mammal.”
The Gann household did not remain parrot free for long. Over the weekend, she and her partner, Paul DePalma, bought an African gray parrot they named Simka.
Gann, the proud mama, is happy to report Simka already is babbling like a baby.
Anyone with information on Mitzi’s whereabouts is asked to call Gann at 624-9564.