Back home after flying visit to RSPCA

Sam’s mother Helen Brown, 30, of York was feeding two-year-old Bert, right, when he sneaked out of a tiny gap in his cage to the dismay of his cage-mate Lola.

But six days after his disappearance, Mrs Brown was amazed to receive a call that Bert had been found safe and well after flying into an RSPCA centre a mile away.

He is now back home with his family and once again sharing his cage with Lola – who the Browns say was “lost” without him.

Mrs Brown’s husband Martin said: “It was a nice day so we put the bird cage out in the back garden for them to enjoy the sun. Helen went to change their food and water but when she came back Bert was gone. He had somehow managed to squeeze out of a two-inch gap where his bottle is and was in a tree.

“He must have been desperate to go on his summer holidays. We spotted him in this tree but he was so high up there was nothing we could do. He swooped down and landed on a neighbour’s porch. I went to catch him but he flew off again quickly and that was the last we saw of him.”