Lost budgie's 'miracle' return inspires colouring book
Jazz and Jolly are two budgies who live like lovebirds and inspire their owner to sing.
“They were sitting there kissing each other in the mirror,” David smiles, referring to a video that shows him serenading the smooching Jazz and Jolly. “So I thought, this calls for a song.”
David pulled out his guitar and adjusted a Bob Marley classic to suit the occasion. Instead of the words “don’t worry ‘bout a thing,” he sang “kiss your honey every day.”
David’s wife Junie — who recorded the song on her phone — says Jazz and Jolly were constantly canoodling.
“You couldn’t even get a toothpick between them from the very beginning,” Junie smiles. “They just gravitated to each other.”
The budgies were inseparable. Until the day they suddenly weren’t.
“[Jazz] was gone! Zoom!” David’s recalls, stretching out his arms like the bird’s wings. “She almost flew sideways out the door to get through the crack.”
Jazz was missing. Junie and David were devastated
“Oh my God!” Junie recalls thinking. “How are we going to get her?”
They searched the neighbourhood for Jazz. When the bird didn’t return their calls, they placed a portable speaker on their deck playing a recording of Jolly chirping.
“Jolly was not so jolly,” Junie says. The bird would perch on a window seemingly looking out for his beloved. “Jolly was bereft.”
While Jolly mourned, Junie and David posted missing posters provided by ROAM, a local animal rescue.
“Inside I was going, ‘I don’t think there’s much chance of us seeing this budgie,’” David admits.
Davis was right. After five days, there was no sign of Jazz. And then Junie got a call.
“What? How is that possible?” Junie recalls saying when she was told a budgie had been found that looked similar to Jazz in a different municipality. “I’ll be right there!”
Junie was told a bird was found on the other side of the Victoria harbour from their James Bay home on the ground of the Esquimalt water park. It was Jazz.
“She flew across the ocean! A little bird with all of the predators and inclement weather,” Junie says, adding that after being treated by a vet and convalescing at home, Jazz fully recovered. “It was a miracle.”
“And Jolly was overjoyed,” David smiles. “His sweetheart was back!”
Junie and David were inspired. She started writing and he began drawing.
Now the couple have published a colouring book based on the budgie’s story of getting lost and being found, titled Jazzy’s Miracle Mission.
“I hope it inspires people to keep faith alive,” Junie smiles.
“No matter how things are looking,” David adds. “There’s always hope.”
Which brings us back to that video of the budgies kissing and David singing, “‘Cause every little thing, gonna be alright.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Pearson gold heist suspect arrested after flying into Toronto from India
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Justin and Hailey Bieber are expecting their first child together
Hailey and Justin Bieber are going to be parents. The couple announced the news on Thursday on Instagram, both sharing a video that showcases Hailey Bieber's growing belly.
New analysis of Beethoven's hair reveals possible cause of mysterious ailments, scientists say
High levels of lead detected in authenticated locks of Ludwig van Beethoven's hair suggest that the composer had lead poisoning, which may have contributed to ailments he endured over the course of his life, including deafness, according to new research.
Debate on abortion rights erupts on Parliament Hill, Poilievre vows he won't legislate
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
B.C. man used Bobcat as 'weapon' while chasing away homeless people, judge says
A B.C. man has been convicted of assault with a weapon after using a skid-steer Bobcat to chase two homeless people from his lawn, injuring one of them in the process.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.