Parrot discovery in Anoka leads to happy reunion

ANOKA, Minn. (KMSP) - A woman in the north Twin Cities metro area got quite the surprise when a tropical bird showed up in her backyard.

Kelley Koering usually documents the albino squirrels that run in and out of her backyard, but over the weekend she got the shock of her life when an unexpected visitor decided to drop by.

"I couldn't believe my eyes,” said Koering. “I was in complete and utter shock. It was just 'where did you come from?' Wow."

Koering took a cell phone video when a 15-year-old blue-fronted parrot came out from under her roommate's smoker and started walking around her patio. She could tell the tropical bird was cold and scared and fed him peanuts to keep him calm, while she figured out what to do. 

"I've never deal with exotic animals before,” she said. “I didn't want him to die."

Koering posted a picture of the parrot on the "Only in Anoka" Facebook page, while a community service officer took the jailbird to the city's animal containment facility.

Luckily, someone who saw that picture also noticed an alert Maggie Jewell had posted about her missing parrot Skylar on another website and realized they were more than birds of a feather.

"It was a huge relief because we were up all night,” said Jewell. “So when I picked him up that morning, it was amazing."

Jewell says it’s a mystery how Skylar flew the coop, especially because his wings are clipped. But Koering says she's grateful he landed in her backyard and is back where he belongs.

"There's something about birds that I'm just very curious about now and I might just have to get a parrot in the near future," said Koering.

Koering says she considered adopting Skylar if she couldn't find his owner, but she joked Jewell has granted her visitation so she can check up on him.