Colourful Calypso rescued from live wires

An Ausgrid crew has been left with a tale to tell after rescuing a five-month-old macaw parrot.

The bird, named Calypso, had escaped from her owner’s home at Narwee in Sydney’s south and was spotted perched on powerlines in the adjacent suburb of Riverwood.

Firefighters flagged down the passing Ausgrid crew for assistance to help get the bird down safely from the live wires.

Calypso’s owner Andrew Woolley was on the scene and praised the crew for detouring during their lunch break.

“I’ll be eternally grateful to them for stopping and not just driving by,” he said.

Linesman Nicholas Cameron was tasked with coaxing Calypso down and the crew used an elevated work platform so he could reach the prized parrot.

“At first she didn’t want to move and I was nervous she may fly into nearby high voltage wires,” Nicholas said.

“I gave the bird a biscuit and she took it. I then managed to grab it and hold it to my chest as the crew lowered us back to the ground safely.

“We’ve often been called on to rescue wildlife but I’d never seen a job like this one, it was pretty different.”

Once back down on the ground Calypso was reunited with her very happy and relieved owner.

“It definitely felt good to have her back and I can’t thank the Ausgrid guys enough,” Andrew said.

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