Rescued love birds in Mansfield show how ‘birds of a feather’ are best together
A lone peahen was finally rescued by residents and rehomed with her ‘soulmate’ in a wildlife centre.
Lisa Dean, the founder of Beauty's Legacy, a charity that helps reunite lost pets with their owners, first noticed the Penny perched on her roof in Wellow last year.
She said Penny was a familiar sight to residents in the area, with many people sharing sightings of her on Facebook.
In October 2023, Mansfield Chad and Worksop Guardian posted about Penny, who was well-known in the area, as the community was trying to find her owner.
Despite making appeals on social media and in local newspapers, Lisa and other residents were unable to locate Penny's owners.
Lisa said: “Nobody came forward for her and we knew we needed to capture her for her own safety.”
Penny then moved to the Ollerton area, where Lisa and Cheryl Martins, the founder of Mansfield Wildlife Rescue, worked together to safeguard the much-loved bird.
Lisa said they achieved this by monitoring Penny's behaviour and realising that she was lonely, which led to a “lightbulb moment”.
“We noticed Penny was looking for a mate as she often looked at herself in the reflection of windows,” she explained.
Lisa then used a mirror and a dog cage to capture Penny, before taking her to the Pleasley-based centre.
The founder of the Beauty’s Legacy said that her experience with animals such as horses, dogs, and cats had helped her catch Penny, even though working with birds was new for her.
After successfully capturing Penny through her ‘mirror method’ – Lisa said she would like to learn more about birds so that she could help them in the future and continue working closely with Mansfield Wildlife Rescue.
Upon Penny’s arrival at the rescue centre, Penny quickly formed a bond with resident peacock Peter, who was also in need of a mate.
Now, Penny and Peter are a “match made in heaven”, according to Lisa and Cheryl.
A fundraising page launched earlier this year – https://shorturl.at/asI06 – for the wildlife charity to raise funds to save its site.
Lisa added: “It is bitter-sweet. Penny will be missed but thanks to Ollerton and Wellow residents, we have ensured she is safe.
“All those who love her can still visit and support this fantastic wildlife charity.”