Couple’s relief as their tame jackdaw’ is rescued from the chimney pot of their

Feathers were well and truly ruffled at the village home of John and Suzie Searle just outside Newmarket last week when their pet jackdaw got stuck down the chimney.

It took firefighters from the town, who arrived with siren blaring and lights flashing after an emergency 999 call, to free the bird who was none the worse for his ordeal.

John and Suzie first met the little jackdaw about a month ago when they think he was pushed out of the nest by his bigger and stronger brothers and sisters and ended up in their garden in Station Road in Dullingham.

“Our son Charlie, who lives next door, noticed he wasn’t flying properly and then he landed on his back,” said John.

“We fed him and as the days went by he spent more and more time with us and would land on our hands.

“To start with we thought he was a crow, so we named him Russell,” he added.

After being fed morning, noon and night for four weeks, the couple were alarmed last Wednesday when he didn’t turn up for any food and their concern grew when he remained missing on Thursday morning

“We called and called but he didn’t come and it wasn’t until I parked my car in the courtyard that I could hear a little croak from the chimney pot,” said John, who climbed on to the roof but was unable to reach Russell.

Suzie rang 999 and the operator said she would dispatch an engine straight away. We could hear its siren as it came through the village,” said John.

“They got up to the chimney and found Russell standing on a ledge just inside it where he’d been for about 36 hours.

“He flew round and round the garden and had a big drink and some food but apart from his wings being a bit stiff where he couldn’t stretch them out, he was back to normal in no time.

“We are extremely grateful to the fire service,” said Suzie. “I don’t know what we would have done if they hadn’t been able to get him out. I was even thinking about having to knock holes in walls to reach the chimney.”

“Russell has become part of the family.” said John. “He is a real character who loves an audience. He comes when we call him, loves children and is partial to a bit of jewellery. He also tries his luck with our neighbours who feed him sometimes.”