Bye-bye birdie

COEUR d'ALENE - Heard any unusual squawking lately?

What about strange whistling?

If you have, Crystal Partenselder wants to hear from you.

And soon.

"Some days are really depressing and I have no hope," she said Friday as she walked up an alley near Fifth and Elm. "Then somebody calls and said they saw him."

Her prey is an African grey parrot that took flight from Partenselder's Coeur d'Alene home when a door was accidentally left open on Aug. 6.

Since, Partenselder has posted fliers and taken out ads for the precious parrot. She spends hours each morning, afternoon and evening patrolling streets and alleys, tossing crumbs from a bag of popcorn, hoping to catch a glimpse of the beloved family pet. She has knocked on doors. She's offering a "large reward."

There have been sightings in trees, the most recent on Thursday by Partenselder herself. Some have heard the call of "Tuii," pronounced "Twoee," including one who said the parrot's shrill squawking woke him at 5:30 a.m. Others have seen the gray and white parrot with a distinctive red tail, described as "a little bigger than a pigeon," in the Midtown area.

Partenselder has been overwhelmed by the response from people who want to help.

One resident let her put Tuii's play station atop a shed in an alley.

Another gave the OK for Tuii's cage to be stationed in her backyard.

One man put food in a dog crate with hopes of trapping the feisty feathered friend.

"I had a woman call me because she found a feather in her yard," Partenselder said.

"It's been amazing how people are helping me. If it wasn't for people around here watching and listening I would have never known where he was at."

Repeated reports have placed the bird anywhere from Harrison to Mullan, Fourth to 15th.

It has proven quite elusive, though, and doesn't seem anxious to return home and into the confines of its cage. Food, for now, is plentiful thanks to backyard birdfeeders.

"He thinks he's a wild bird now. I've got news for him," Partenselder said, laughing. "Once his supply gets less, weather gets colder, he's going to get a little uncomfortable. He'll search out human help at that point. I just want to get him back before it gets too cold."

Partenselder's son, Nathan, bought the bird two years ago from a Spokane pet store for $1,000 when it was 10 weeks old.

At the time, its wings were clipped, but the procedure had been done incorrectly.

"They clipped every single feather. You're supposed to do every other feather," she said.

As a result, the parrot kept falling and hurting itself. The family let its feathers grow back and for three weeks, when they were home, let it out of its cage so it could fly around the house.

On Aug. 6, a door was left slightly open and Tuii flew the coop.

"Next thing we know, he's 75 feet up in the air," she said.

Now, they want to bring him back down because the parrot is part of their family.

"This bird can talk like you won't believe," she said, with a shake of her head and a big smile.

It barks like their dog, Buster, calls Nathan by his name and bobs his head while singing, "Who Let the Dogs Out?"

"It's like having a kid in the house. He's pretty amazing," she said.

And she misses him. A lot.

"I'd give my left arm to have him back. If I could be out there eight hours a day, I would be," said Partenselder, who paints and landscapes.

The parrot can fly up to 50 miles a day, but seems to be sticking within a mile of its home at Virginia and A streets.

She hopes someone will see it in a tree one evening, where it will likely settle for the night, and call her. Then, she plans to climb that tree, flashlight in hand.

"Hopefully, I won't fall," she said.

One caution.

Partenselder urged people to remain calm if Tuii draws near or even lands on their shoulder, which she said he could very well do.

"If that happens, don't freak out," she said, adding the parrot could bite if startled.

Instead, walk slowly to a house or a car, somewhere enclosed, so he can't soar away.

But don't fear. She said Tuii won't be anything like Hitchcock's, "The Birds."

"He won't be in full attack mode," she said with a laugh.

Oh, and by the way, if Tuii is tracked down, he'll find life at home has changed: No more flying free in the living room or kitchen.

"I won't do that again, now that I know," Partenselder said.

Until then, anyone who sees or hears the parrot in the trees of Coeur d'Alene is asked to call 964-1570.

"I can be there in minutes," Partenselder said.