Falconer John Pitson ended up out of pocket when he reunited Holly the missing parrot with her owner.

He paid £50 to buy the bird and provide her with protection and shelter.

He was reimbursed the £50 when owner Des Smith arrived to collect her but gave Mr Smith £10 for his petrol.

Mr Pitson, of Clifton Hampden, near Abingdon, said: "I wasn't worried about the money.

"I was more concerned about the bird's safety. It was being carried around Oxford city centre on someone's shoulder and anything could have happened to her."

Mr Smith, who lives on a narrowboat on the Oxford Canal, spent hours searching after Holly went missing in Magdalen Road, east Oxford, on May 18.

Mr Pitson said a friend telephoned him to say that a group of homeless people in Oxford were trying to sell a parrot for £50.

He agreed to purchase the bird while the owner was traced.

Mr Smith later made contact and picked up the bird.

**A story in Saturday's Oxford Mail might have given the impression that Mr Pitson had charged £75 to return the bird to Mr Smith. We are happy to set the record straight.