Rover's return

Kim Baker found herself stuck up a tree, high above August Street in front of an unfamiliar house, surrounded by two firetrucks, two police cars and several curious bystanders.

And she couldn't have been happier.

The broad leaves had stained her yellow T-shirt. Adults in the neighborhood were looking at this Jackson woman like she was insane, what with her Twizzler in hand, talking aloud to something wrapped in a pillowcase. But that didn't matter to Kim. Rover was safe and life was good.

This eccentric story took flight at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday with a female African gray parrot named Rover.

Rover is no ordinary parrot. Perhaps no ordinary parrot would have the ability to entice a grown woman into the natural perches of August Street.

In Rover's six years, the bird and human have formed quite a bond. Kim has taught Rover how to say about 150 words, and she says her feathered friend uses them in the correct context.

"Feed Rover. Get grapes. Rover hungry."

The human and bird also like to play a mock-whistle game, a game where Kim whistles in a certain way and Rover whistles back.

When Kim moved to Bahrain for three years with her husband (who works overseas), Rover and Rover's parrot siblings had to get special passports. When the United States gave Kim trouble when she came to live in Jackson to be near her ailing parents, she hired attorneys and got her government representatives involved. The woman had proven before that she would go to great lengths for her birds.

'Go bye-bye'

Kim had lost one parrot in the past, when a house sitter accidentally let the bird go when Rob and Kim were away on a trip.

At about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, she lost another one.

"Go bye-bye," Rover said. "Outside. In the car."

Rover likes to take rides in the car. Kim has a special car perch that straps over a head rest. Car rides are one of their favorite pastimes.

Kim grabbed a towel and placed the bird inside it, as she always does while transporting her outside.

Apparently Kim gripped her pet too tight and the bird bit her hand. Startled, Kim let go and with horror saw Rover fly high off to the north from her house on East Jefferson Street.

Kim was devastated.

Rob and Kim immediately started searching for the animal, which is mostly gray with brilliant red tail feathers.

They searched until past 9 p.m. No Rover in sight. Kim cried and prayed late into the night.

By 5:30 a.m. Thursday, Rob was on the search again. Later in the day, Kim and Rob's daughters joined the bird hunt. They made fliers.

"Lost pet -- flew away," the flyer said. "Name of pet: Rover. Age: 6 Years. TALKS AND UNDERSTANDS WHAT YOU SAY. VERY FRIGHTENED."

The flier listed two telephone numbers and offered a reward for a safe return. And they included a portrait of Rover.

They went to area businesses, dropping off the fliers. The grocery store. The fire station.

Everywhere they went, Kim said, employees responded to the teary-eyed woman. By midmorning 90 fliers had been distributed across town.

The search went on and on, as far north as Fruitland.

At first, Rob stayed home and Kim, who has read numerous books on bird psychology, went out looking. They figured someone should be home waiting in case the bird came back. After a while, they doubled their efforts. Rob drove and Kim whistled out the window, listening, knowing Rover would be in a tree somewhere, a place high where she'd be safe from predators.

The driving went on for hours.

Nothing. Until August Street after Kim whistled yet again.

'My bird! My bird!"

"Stop the truck!" Kim said. "I think I heard something."

She whistled once more. Another distinct whistle came from the south side of the street, about a mile -- as the parrot flies -- from the Baker's house.

Rob spotted Rover in the tree.

Kim went frantic. She pulled out her cell phone and called 911.

"My bird! My bird!" she told the dispatcher, who couldn't understand much of what was happening.

She explained the situation, hung up the phone and looked at the tree. In the meantime, Rover had flown into another tree across the street.

"Calm down, calm down," Rob told his wife. "Let's think about this."

"Think nothing, I'm going up."

And so that's how Kim wound up in a tree in somebody's yard she didn't know.

Kim told Rob to go back home and get some food. They were on a search. They were ill-prepared for a rescue, so Rob had to leave his wife up a tree.

Two curious children had approached the tree, wondering what the talking woman was doing up there. Kim explained and the children fetched a pillowcase.

While up in the tree, her cell phone rang. It was somebody with the post office.

"Yes, I'm calling about your bird," the man said.

"I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me. I'm 30 feet up in a tree right now," she said.

The man laughed, then said, "OK, but you really should've put stamps on those fliers you put in people's mailboxes."

Kim apologized and laughed at the bizarre conversation.

'We have no choice'

By the time Rob got back to the scene, the police officers were already there. Kim had asked the officers to contact the fire department to help her down.

Meanwhile, Rob climbed halfway up to deliver the goodies. As soon as Kim pulled out the Twizzler, Rover came to Kim. Kim scooped up Rover and held the bird to her chest.

Later the firefighters came with their ladder truck. Rover bit fire chief Brad Golden through the pillowcase during the rescue, but Golden didn't let go.

Other than that, everyone escaped injury.

"We generally don't make practice of getting pets out of trees because there is risk involved," fire chief Brad Golden said. "But when the owner's up there too, we have no choice. We have to assist them. We're just glad they recovered the bird and that no one was injured."

Said Rob: "We'd like to say that our heroes right now are the police and fire department. And the community was just great."

bmiller@semissourian.com

243-6635