Cash reward offered for lost cockatiel in southern Utah after wind blew him away

WASHINGTON, Washington County — A southern Utah woman is offering several hundred dollars for the safe return of her cockatiel Charlie after a gust of wind blew him away on Wednesday.

The nearly decade-old bird was sitting with his owner Susan Hereford in their home in the Warms Springs community in Washington when suddenly the dishwasher started leaking. The water filled the area fast, and Hereford had to gather rugs to mop up the water while cleanup crews arrived.

"Charlie was just on my shoulder, and as I walked into my bedroom to get his food and water, I noticed my whole room was flooded," she said. "I dropped Charlie so I could start getting the water cleared out and a gust of wind caught him just right."

Hereford explained that even though Charlie's wings were clipped, he was still able to fly — especially with the assist of the wind.

"The wind came up and made a noise, and I think when I dropped the mat, it frightened him, and with the wind, off he went," she said. "I was able to follow him. He went around my garage and then back behind my home. Immediately, I went out looking for him and I haven't been able to find him since.

"Not knowing what way the wind took him, I don't know what direction he went," she added.

Hereford first met Charlie eight years ago at a local pet shop when she was looking to buy a bearded dragon. Getting a new pet was part of her healing process, following the death of her longtime pet dog. Charlie has a grey body, yellow face, and orange cheeks and is the size of a small parrot.

"I went to the pet store and as I walked past the birds, this one particular cockatiel came off the perch alone," she said. "He left his buddies there and followed me. I walked to the other side of the store and he did the same thing."

She knew right away that Charlie was the pet for her, so she brought him home that day.

"I got him into the car and I opened the box when we got home and I said, 'You will never be in a box or cage again,'" she recalled. "He would eat dinner with me every night. Whatever I ate, he was on my plate eating with me. He is just a little character and believe it or not, I have two cats and my cats absolutely adore him."

Hereford has been working in the flooring department at the Home Depot in Washington for 20 years, and she said that there have been times when she has accidentally brought Charlie to work with her, due to the fact that the two have been nearly inseparable.

"He travels with me to Nascar races," she said. "We used to take down my trailer and he would go with us. He'd go to markets with me and kids love him."

She has posted a search poster of Charlie with a $350 cash reward that she says she's in the process of increasing, hoping that someone will return him alive. She also said she has put his favorite fruit outside near her favorite tree, hoping that he will make his way home.

"I've had hundreds of people reach out, and some have said they will donate to the reward fund," she said. "Regardless of if these people come through, I am increasing the award. That's how much I want my Charlie back."

If someone were to find him and decide to give him a new home, Hereford notes several things about her beloved Charlie.

"He eats the best seed available," she wrote in an online post. "He's not so much into fruit or vegetables, but he loves cheese bread, cottage cheese, cookies. ... I do leave him in his room, but not in a cage. He loves to talk and whistle. ... He's very gentle. He does like to play."

Those with information about Charlie are asked to text 435-218-8414.

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