'It's a Miracle:' Missing Parrot Found, Safe!

Penelope, the Haddonfield parrot, was found Friday in Cherry Hill and claimed by its owner Saturday at the Camden County Animal Shelter in Gloucester Township.

The wayward macaw literally flew the coop on Monday, suddenly discovering she could fly. Her clipped wings had grown enough for a solo flight, and what a flight it was.

"She's had her summer vacation; now she's safe at home," said Marion McParland, Penelope's owner, along with her 13-year-old son, Ryan. "She's in her cage, eating and drinking and chirping. It's a miracle, and just in time before the hurricane."

McParland thought the search for Penelope was down to the wire. Her family launched a frantic search shortly after the parrot flew from the patio of the family home, where she often frolicked outside. McParland showered the area with fliers and posted an Internet blast on the website Pet Amber Alert. She worried that the strong winds from Hurricane Irene might carry her 1-pound family member away.  

Penelope was spotted in Cherry Hill Friday near Covered Bridge Road. McParland hadn't seen her since Wednesday, when she was headed toward Grove Street, three blocks from her home. She was found four miles away on Covered Bridge Road. McParland received a call shortly after 9:30 a.m. Saturday from the shelter, which had one of the fliers she distributed.

"She must have been on the ground," McParland said about how Penelope was captured. An effort with a fire-truck ladder in a tree earlier this week in Haddonfield failed.

Penelope knew familiar faces once reunited.

"She jumped on me immediately and chirped and whistled," she said. "She knew me immediately."

And while McParland said earlier this week she can understand how exciting flying must be for a bird that hasn't in a very long time, she said Penelope's excellent adventures are likely over.

"As soon as she rests a little, we're taking her to the vet," she said. "We've learned our lesson."