AN escaped parrot has been causing a bit of a flap in the Salisbury suburbs today.

Colin Read first heard the bird yesterday afternoon while gardening at his home in Netheravon Road.

At first, he thought it was a green woodpecker, but its call was too sharp and and high-pitched.

It was until this morning that Mr Read saw the parrot for the first time.

He said: "I was getting dressed and I noticed this red and blue bird in the tree, and I thought 'that's not a native bird it must be a parrot'.

"I got the binoculars out and had a look at it. It was just sitting in a tree minding its business, so I thought it must be lost as its not the sort that goes wild.

"I rang a neighbour who I know has a parrot, but hers has a broken wing and hadn't escaped.

"I thought I better tell somebody, so I dropped in to the Journal. It would be nice if somebody's missing it to find out who they are so they can get it back.

"When I came home I discovered that two of the neighbours had seen it yesterday. One said to me 'Did you know you've got a red and blue parrot in your garden?'

"It's the first time I've ever had a parrot in my garden. I would hope that it goes home of its own accord, or that whoever owns it sees this and comes to tempt it away."

The bird appears to be a Crimson Rosella, native to Australia and New Zealand. Crimson Rosellas are normally found in small flocks and are easily attracted to garden seed trays. Once familiar with humans, they can be fed by hand.

Natural foods include the seeds of eucalypts, grasses and shrubs, as well as insects and some tree blossoms.

The owner of the bird Mr Hargreaves of Bishopdown Farm, contacted the Journal and said the bird was one half of a breeding pair and that both have escaped.

He offered a £100 reward for safe return of both birds, or £50 each if they're found separately.

He can be contacted on 07717 374 591.