Runaway pet discovered 2km from shore on ship in Corio Bay

The crew of a vessel at anchor off Geelong are hoping to reunite a stowaway budgie with its owners after the bird landed on board.

A runaway budgie was discovered by the crew of the Go Sirius, 2km offshore in Corio Bay.

A runaway budgie has landed on a ship docked 2km offshore in Corio Bay.

Steve Cockbain, Master of the Go Sirius, which is anchored off Geelong, said the crew discovered the avian stowaway about 3.30pm Friday.

“We were just doing some routine maintenance on the fast rescue boat,” Mr Cockbain said.

“One of the crew saw the little budgerigar, he sort of just flew up and landed on his shoulder.

“He brought the bird up onto the bridge where it’s just sort of sitting, munching away on an apple.”

Mr Cockbain believes the budgie is a pet and may have been blown downwind from its home in Geelong.

“It’s been hand raised, I’m sure. It’s someone’s pet that’s gotten out” he said.

“I think, in today’s conditions, it got caught in the wind and flown out into the middle of the bay, it may have been fortuitous for him that the boat was in his flight path.

“I don’t think he’s got much of a shot against 30 knot wind.”

The Singaporean vessel is docked in Geelong while working on an oil rig in Port Phillip Bay before it heads to New Zealand.

The crew hopes they’ll be able to find their feathered friend’s family before they set sail.

“We’re just wondering whether we’ll be able to reunite him with his owner, that’d be sensational,” he said.

“A one in a million chance.”

Originally published as Runaway pet discovered 2km from shore on ship in Corio Bay