BIRDS - Injured; Rescued; Displaced; Surrendered

29/05/2026

I had an urgent call recently. A woman had been at a local park then driven home only to come out to her garage later that day to hear a strange noise coming from her car. On inspection she realised that there was a noisy miner bird trapped behind the grill that was unable it appeared to get itself out. It was assumed it had got into her car whilst she was at the park.

She phoned her local mobile Roadside Assistance who came out but gave up after attempting to free the bird saying it was too difficult as they didn’t have the appropriate tools and would need a specialist mechanic for her type of luxury vehicle.

There was an urgency now as the woman needed to leave in around an hour to go pick up her daughter and didn’t want to risk the life of the poor little bird by driving with it still trapped. It may die a horrible death.

So she called for a wildlife rescuer and I attended along with a colleague of mine.

Armed with screw drivers and a crow bar the woman became a little nervous voicing her concerns that we may damage her car, so we put the tools down. The bird had managed to get itself in, so it was a matter of working out where and somehow getting it back out the same way.

After crawling underneath and opening the bonnet to look down we soon saw that the car was very well sealed and there was no way we were going to be getting it out any other way than the front through the grill. The largest gap was at the bottom though it didn’t seem big enough for the bird. It must have squeezed in sideways and now in its panicked state couldn’t work out how to squeeze back out in exactly the same angle. We would have to help it.

On our first attempt the miner managed to jump up to the top of the grill which was in two sections. We would need to get it back to the bottom section if we were to have any chance of helping it.

Finally thank goodness it jumped back down to the bottom half and after couple of goes with my finger tips through the bottom of the grill, I was able to grasp the bird in one hand.

He was not happy clearly thinking I meant him harm, so struggled and screeched loudly in protest.

I gently closed my finger around his body to contain him feeling to ensure his wings were close to his body and not flapping around then started to try to ease him out at various angles.

The gap just seemed too small. The bird didn’t seem to fit and I was worried about injuring it and breaking bones if I tried to force it through.

After several attempts of pulling it out moving my hand up and down to see if any sections were slightly wider at one point accidentally letting the bird slip out of my fingers but luckily catching it again, suddenly I could feel my hand come out at the correct angle with the bird safely inside. He was free and after an initial check over he appeared to be injury free!

We had freed him in time for the woman to be able to go pick up her daughter! She was very grateful not just because of this, but because she didn’t want it to be injured or worse.

We made a note of the park where it was believed he had climbed onboard, and after an overnight stay and check with a carer, we were thrilled to be able to release him back there the next day.

16/05/2026

This week I have been called out to two locations to rescue sulphur crested cockatoos in tricky situations.

One had its toe caught in gutter netting on a roof and the other had been hit by a car then witnesses observed him climbing up a tree and sitting up high with an obviously badly injured wing.

The one on the roof was a quick rescue simply needing to climb up a ladder to reach the cockatoo, wrap him in a towel then gently free his toe. A quick check over confirmed his only injury was to his dignity with his flock all waiting loudly in nearby trees. So without further ado I released him back to them.

The one up the tree was a bit more of a challenge. He was around 5 metres up the tree next to a busy road and it was evening peak hour with cars zooming past. He had been there since he was hit by a car during the morning peak hour so had been there nearly 12 hours already. I decided it would be safer to return a little later once traffic had died down. He looked like he had settled himself for the night on a branch in the tree anyway so wasn’t likely to be moving anywhere. His wing was at a horribly awkward angle so doubt he was able to fly.

When I returned around an hour later I had with me my ladder plus 4 metre extension pole with wooden perch on top. Positioning the ladder underneath him I climbed up with a headlamp on then lifted the extended perch towards him pushing it gently against his chest to encourage him to step onto it. After a few goes he finally did and once I was confident he was standing firmly with both feet on my perch I then slowly lowered it down towards the ground. I had earlier contacted the wonderful member of public who had witnessed him getting injured that morning to let him know I was going to attempt the rescue and he had come out offering assistance which I was grateful of. I now asked him to grab my long welding gloves that I had placed nearby and put them on for protection so that he could help me grab the cockatoo as we got him near the ground and quickly place him into my waiting carrier which we were able to do.

This one definitely would need assessing and treatment by a vet as was clearly badly injured, but at least he was now down out a tree that he would have been unable to fly out of.

Thank you to both members of the public for not only noticing these two cockatoos in distress but doing something about it and calling for help.

14/05/2026

So true ###

💚

08/05/2026

This sweet and friendly cockatoo was spotted sitting on a pallet outside a factory in Lynbrook then when approached ended up following staff into the factory where he enjoyed cuddles and a snack of crackers and water.

Clearly a well loved pet, now in our care, we would love to help get him back home to his family.

If you recognise him and can provide proof of ownership, we look forward to hearing from you.

03/05/2026

REUNITED thanks to the power of Facebook!

Handed into a vet in Narre Warren, this gorgeous Indian Ringneck has had a bit of a rough time out in the wild and we are sure would love nothing more than to be back home. Now in our care, we would love to help get it there.

If you recognise this little one please let us know.

01/05/2026

Feeling frustrated.

I had a gorgeous but very skinny and exhausted pigeon come into care this week that had been found and handed into an emergency vet. I was relieved to see that it had legbands on with one indicating that it belonged to a club. Would mean I would just need to make a phone call to the club and the owner would be alerted that their pigeon had been found and they could be reunited.

But when I attempted to look up which club it was from my search came up with the American Racing Pigeon Union. Could this bird have actually flown here from America ?? Would explain its weakened state. For a moment I believed it could have. After making some more enquiries I was disappointed to find out that the leg bands were fakes. Copies. Apparently a few birds have been found previously with similar bands. For some reason people put fake bands on their birds to make them look like racing pigeons but they aren’t. The bands don’t have contact details on them. Just meaningless numbers and letters indicating they are members of a club that they aren’t actually members of. A club that isn’t even based in this country.

So we just need to hope that someone contacts us who has lost their bird and can tell us the numbers on the bands. And hopefully they can answer the question I will pose to them at the same time. “Why??”

25/04/2026

We met a beautiful sulphur crested cockatoo today with the saddest story.

Bought from a pet store in Werribee just over a year ago, his new owners were assured by staff that he was healthy with vet checks having been done and that he had come from a reputable breeder. When they asked for details of the breeder and for copies of the vet report they were refused being given various excuses including that it was store policy as potential customers may then just go straight to the breeder and buy from them, and also due to privacy laws they couldn’t pass on this information.

Although they felt a little uneasy at this, they had already fallen in love with ‘Metoo’ and wanted to give him a home and get him out of the pet shop, so they paid their money and did just that.

At home they found that although wary of stepping up onto their hands or shoulders he was an affectionate bird enjoying scratches and giving kisses and soon learnt to say his name as well as various other words including the names of some of the members of his new family.

Being the only pet in the household, he was doted on and would spend a good part of each day out of his cage roaming the house as well as time outside in their garden.

After a little while they noticed Metoo’s beak and claws needed trimming plus his body condition was not looking quite as good as when he first arrived so they took him to their local vet for a check up. Blood tests were done whilst there with the results showing that he had tested positive for PBFD (beak and feather disease).

He would have already had PBFD when they obtained him. If the pet shop had actually done the vet check they claimed they did then they would have known this. It’s a horrible terminal and contagious condition with no cure. Birds affected deteriorate over time losing feathers and accelerated beak and claw growth. In the wild they would usually die from starvation when their overgrown beaks prevent them from being able to eat, or hyperthermia from their featherless bodies not being able to keep them warm.

Metoo’s family continued to care for him as best they could despite receiving this heartbreaking news that was delivered with the recommendation to euthanise him. Beak and claw trims at the vet became a regular visit becoming more and more frequent as the disease progressed. The visits were expensive as the vet felt the need to sedate him each time, then at the last one around a month ago they refused to trim the bottom one nor much of the top beak as they said the beak was now too fragile with the risk of bleeding too great and once again recommended euthanasia.

With the bottom beak now long and reaching up past the top beak, Metoo was no longer able to crack seeds or eat hard food. His owners were doing their best to hand feed him as he was still a happy bird, but it was getting too much for them and they felt he still had more life left in him and he wasn’t ready quite yet to give up. So they contacted us for help.

Once we assessed the situation we discovered that Metoo actually had a silver trappers ring on one leg. So the Pet Shop lied about that too. He did not come from a breeder but was caught from the wild then sold to them by the trapper. Which they would have known. As well as that he likely had PBFD. Unfortunately there is nothing legally that can be done as what they have done, although unethical, is not illegal. And when looking up the pet store in question, turns out they closed down in March so no longer exist.

What a sad life this beautiful bird had had so far. Thank goodness he had ended up with a family who wanted to ensure that the rest of his short life would be as comfortable as they could make it, allowing him to pass on when he was ready. We decided that we would assist them in whatever way we could.

This afternoon we gave him a much needed beak trim so now he can eat properly and we will monitor his condition and wellbeing should it deteriorate. Right now he appears to be a happy outgoing bird, if this changes we will ensure that he is treated with the dignity he deserves when the time comes.

22/04/2026

22/04/2026

I had a call yesterday regarding an owl appearing to be trapped inside a warehouse not far from me in Nunawading. Suspecting it may in fact be a tawny frogmouth which are fairly common around here whereas I have not seen an owl here before , I headed straight there to assess the situation.

Upon walking into the warehouse which had 10 plus metre high ceilings, I spotted her immediately up near the roof on the highest beam. A stunningly beautiful young Boobook owl. They had only noticed her there that day and had no idea how she had gotten in, though did mention that they had recently had someone come in to repair some holes and gaps that were in the roof, so perhaps had sealed up an entrance /exit she was using.

They had left the roller door open all day but she had not flown out. They had also tried approaching her using their forklift but had only scared her making her fly around in circles around the warehouse before coming to rest on another beam up as high as she could get.

I asked if they could perhaps leave the door open until at least dusk as being nocturnal she would more likely leave then than during the day. But apparently the warehouse shut at 4.30pm and alarms came on and they weren’t prepared to stay open beyond that time as would mean having to pay someone overtime to stay back.

It was now 3.30pm so I had an hour to somehow catch her and get her out safely.

Armed with my large net I got into a safety caged bucket that they then picked up with a forklift and had them lift me up towards the owl which as I got closer could see was now sleeping. I got my net ready but as I got quite close I thought perhaps I might have more luck just grabbing her as long as she stayed asleep. Just as I got ready to reach up she opened one eye and stared at me then both eyes opened in alarm and she flew off and around, eventually settling on a beam at the back of the warehouse but still up high near the ceiling. I had an idea.

We waited a little while for her to calm down then I asked if they could lift me up again but directly underneath her with the large beam hopefully concealing me a little from her. As I was lifted up towards her just behind her I motioned to one of the workers to stand in front of her line of sight down on the ground and jump up and down waving his arms around to distract her. As she stared at him trying to work out who this crazy person was and what he was doing, I quietly reached up to her back and grabbed her, securing her in my hands. They then brought us both down to the ground and I carefully put her safely into my carrier.

I had already contacted Boobook Wildlife Shelter when I had first arrived and confirmed it was an owl, so now called her again to let her know that I had safely caught the bird and arranged to meet her at a nearby vet so that she could be assessed.

I was pleased to later hear that she did not appear ill or injured but was very underweight indicating she may have been in the warehouse without food for several days or more. Apparently she came into care just in time.

I look forward to hopefully seeing her again once she is back to a healthy weight and ready to be released back home.

05/04/2026

Never give up.

Back in November a friendly galah landed on a surprised man’s shoulder outside his workplace. Clearly a lost pet bird he took it to a nearby vet and handed it in hoping they could reunite it with its family.

Unfortunately he had neither an identifying legband or was microchipped so they couldn’t make contact with anyone and had to wait in the hope he would be claimed. When nobody claimed him, the vet contacted us to take into care and continue the search which we did.

We posted about the found bird ourselves which was shared in numerous lost bird and pet pages on Facebook plus we searched for any recent posts of people looking for their lost galahs. We couldn’t find a match and nobody came forward looking for him .

As the weeks turned into months we continued looking after him. We noticed that whenever we would go into the aviary he would excitedly approach interested in what we were doing or bringing, sometimes giving friendly nips, and if we wore shoes that exposed our toes he would be on the ground trying to grab our toes (so we learnt to always wear covered shoes around him). He spoke but not usually when we were nearby, we would hear indistinct words as we walked past or away making out some such as ‘hello’ and ‘whatcha doing’ and sometimes a sentence would come out but when we turned our heads to try to make out what it was he wouldn’t repeat it.

Then last week when Deb our amazing volunteer was cleaning out the water dishes he said very clearly “Hello Cookie”. She excitedly rushed to tell me. ‘We now know his name! ‘ she said. ‘We have something to go on to finally reunite him!’. I wasn’t confident that was enough but was glad we now knew what to call him by.

When I awoke early the next morning Deb had been busy through the night searching online and had come up with two posts by someone named Stacey searching for a galah named Cookie who liked to bite toes! One post though was from 6 years ago. The other from 11 years ago! Apparently he had been stolen from their family many years prior and she had not given up of one day finding him. Could it be the same bird? I immediately messaged her and she responded almost straight away.

The suburb he was found was very close to where he was lost. Cookie had been her father’s companion that he had raised from a baby and they had a strong bond. When her father became injured Cookie had been his constant companion giving him the motivation to get back on his feet again. He would dance and as a young child she learnt quickly to always wear shoes around him otherwise he would try to bite her toes!

Her father had built a huge outdoor aviary for him to spend the day in and at night he would be brought inside to a large custom made cage that Stacey remembers took up a whole corner of their lounge room. When it was time to come inside her father would say ‘Dinner!’ and Cookie would jump onto his arm and be carried lovingly against his chest indoors. The bond between the two was unbreakable and Cookie was very protective of his human. Stacey’s poor mum was often flown at angrily if she got too close to her husband when Cookie was nearby and the children knew from a young age to be wary of him with the pampered Cookie having the run of the house and he knew it! Her father hand made toys for him from wood and pine cones and love.

The family went out for the day one day and when they returned Cookie’s aviary had been forcibly opened and he was gone. Stacey’s father was distraught and went out searching and calling for him every day. She has memories of most of her childhood from then onwards of her dad regularly stopping the car abruptly when out on a drive and jumping out calling Cookie’s name because he had spotted some galahs in a tree or on the ground foraging for food. He would then return to the car disappointed when none turned out to be his beloved bird.

Several years later sadly her father passed away and Stacey decided to continue his search. She had only been around 8 years old when Cookie was stolen but her memories of the close bond her father had with the galah and how devastated he was at the loss of him were etched in her memory. So she started posting on Facebook in the hope that someone would see it who knew where Cookie was, even if to just be reassured he was safe and well.

By the time we discovered that we had a galah called Cookie in our care and found two of her posts (she apparently did many more) around 25 years had passed since his disappearance and Stacey now had a family of her own.

As we both realised that this was most likely the same galah we were both crying. We arranged for Stacey to come over and Deb and I excitedly awaited for her arrival and to see Cookie’s reaction.

In one of Stacey’s posts she had said that Cookie danced and bit toes and said ‘hello Cookie’. I personally had never noticed Cookie dancing but as Stacey approached the aviary that’s exactly what Cookie started doing. He excitedly started to dance then within seconds had flown to where she was standing and was up against the wire with his beak poking through desperate to reach her. There was no doubt. We were both crying again. Their reunion was beautiful. With relief and emotion we put Cookie into a carrier for him to go back home with Stacey. As we walked to the car she was telling me about her father’s routine with the bird and when she mentioned him saying ‘Dinner’ to bring him inside, Cookie got very excited raising his crest and calling out enthusiastically. He remembered.

Back at home Stacey had bought toys for Cookie similar to the ones her father had handmade for him and when he saw them he was like a kid on Christmas Day. So happy and excited.

The next day Stacy’s mother came over to see him. She was skeptical that this could possibly be the same Cookie but was curious to see for herself. As she approached the aviary the galah flew straight at her repeating over and over again ‘Hello Cookie, Hello Cookie’. We had only heard it once in 4 months but when he saw one of his family members again he was calling it out in memory of his old life. She was convinced this was her husbands beloved bird and looked at Stacey with tears in her eyes. Stacey was also teary. They had done it. 7 years too late for their poor dad to have been here to witness it, but they had found Cookie for him. He was home.