Family pet rescued by Schaumburg fire fighters

The Hall family of Schaumburg had a memorable day with a bird on Thanksgiving -- but it had nothing to do with a turkey.

Instead, their cherished pet Myah, an 18-month-old African Grey parrot valued at $1,500, escaped. And that led to a bird caper involving the Schaumburg Fire Department and its ladder truck, with support by local police.

"I never thought I'd be so caught up by a bird, but she has absolutely won our hearts," says Julie Hall, a mother of five who became frantic at the thought of the bird missing.

African Greys generally are known as being among the most intelligent of birds, able to amass a large vocabulary, but with strong wills and witty personalities.

"They know what to do to get your attention, and then they pick and choose what they want to say back to you," Hall said. "When you look at them, you'd swear they're listening to every word you're saying."

Myah's quirky personality has won her a place in the family. Consequently, she was hovering around as family members prepared to sit down for Thanksgiving dinner. Amid all of the commotion, however, the bird escaped out the back door.

This was not an immediate concern, the Halls said, since they'd taken Myah outdoors in warmer months, even with her flying feathers grown in, and she'd never taken off.

But this time, she flew the coop. To make matters worse, she made her move just as a large flock of crows circled the backyard.

"We were frantic worrying about the crows, and the cold weather," Hall said. "For the next two hours, my husband and I covered the streets, mindful of every bird and every leaf that moved, but found no signs of her."

As darkness set in, they finally spotted her -- on the highest branch of a 75-foot tree, a mile from their home.

After trying in vain for up to two hours to coax her down -- with food, treats, conversation and even a small sports ball -- they resorted to calling in some help.

Schaumburg Fire Capt. Richard Kolomay responded with an engine and aerial ladder able to extend as high as the tree.

"I've saved dogs, cats, geese and ducks," Kolomay said, "but never a valuable bird like this."

Crowds of onlookers gathered as the firefighters secured Hall's husband, Tony, who handles the bird the most in the family, up in the basket.

Another Schaumburg firefighter, Capt. Greg Eck, finessed the ladder past one tree until he reached the tree Myah was in, before slowly raising Hall up.

It took 15 minutes of cautious maneuvering, they say, but he finally was able to rescue the family pet, and quickly wrapped her in a blanket and tucked her in a basket to bring her home.

"It was really great to see the looks on the owners' faces," Kolomay says. "Any time an animal is in trouble, a pet, we're going to help if we can."

The Halls report that after a slow start in rebounding from the ordeal, Myah is back to her normal, chattering ways.

"We're so grateful," Julie Hall says. "They say they live to be 80 years old, so she's going to be part of our family for a long time."