Surprise Visitor to Feeder

I just thought the Rose Breasted Grosbeak was a unique visitor to my feeders, but I really was surprised to see this little dude. He's been here for the past few days and seems content to share the feeders and birdbath with the regulars.
If there are any experts out there would it be better for me to try to catch him and put him in a cage or will he be OK? Any advice is appreciated.

Wow, talk about a surprise visitor! This cutie could be somebody else's pet, maybe capturing and putting on a cage is a good idea. Post pictures in malls or supermarkets in case the owner is looking,

What a beauty, I'm with Jo, it's got to be an escapee. If you happen to have a bird cage, you might could sit it out there and he might get in it on his own. Great catch Tony

Check your local Craigslist for Lost listings and post a Found. I've certainly seen lost bird listings on Craigslist.

When I was a kid, my family had 3 budgerigars. They're very tamed and seemed to like playing with people (or at least the owners). They sometimes lifted the doors and hopped out. When I saw one on top of the cage instead of inside, I just walked slowly towards it and put it back in the cage (again I don't know to what extent the birds could recognize me and cooperated rather than flying off). Probably luring him to a cage with food is not difficult, or see if he is willing to socialize with you. I hope there aren't cats, cooper's hawks, merlins etc around. Wikipedia says there is a feral population in Florida, so, I guess him has some idea how to survive? I miss these birds ...

Shar824 wrote in post #14481733
What a beauty, I'm with Jo, it's got to be an escapee. If you happen to have a bird cage, you might could sit it out there and he might get in it on his own. Great catch Tony

grj_app wrote in post #14481897
Check your local Craigslist for Lost listings and post a Found. I've certainly seen lost bird listings on Craigslist.

wcleung wrote in post #14481931
When I was a kid, my family had 3 budgerigars. They're very tamed and seemed to like playing with people (or at least the owners). They sometimes lifted the doors and hopped out. When I saw one on top of the cage instead of inside, I just walked slowly towards it and put it back in the cage (again I don't know to what extent the birds could recognize me and cooperated rather than flying off). Probably luring him to a cage with food is not difficult, or see if he is willing to socialize with you. I hope there aren't cats, cooper's hawks, merlins etc around. Wikipedia says there is a feral population in Florida, so, I guess him has some idea how to survive? I miss these birds ...

jodelak wrote in post #14481679
Wow, talk about a surprise visitor! This cutie could be somebody else's pet, maybe capturing and putting on a cage is a good idea. Post pictures in malls or supermarkets in case the owner is looking,

Thanks to all who replied. I was kinda leaning toward capturing and caging him. He will let me get almost close enough to catch him, but then flies off. I didn't think about trying to lure him into a cage though.
Great parakeet adventure here I come.

acajun wrote in post #14481519
He's been here for the past few days and seems content to share the feeders and birdbath with the regulars.

Wow.. great shots.

They will come to a cage. It has to be high though, they like flying into something, not down into something. Mom had a canary years ago that got out of the cage( feral cats came in the open door and knocked over the cage)..the poor thing was across a river in a tree. 7 hours later, it flew onto the cage they had on the second floor. Amazing.
If you happen to know of anyone who has a budgie you could "borrow"( in the cage, lol) that would be super. Put it outside and it should work. get a bird net in case.

Most certainly an escapee. This is a male Budgie and though its coloration makes it eye-catching prey they are very fast and agile fliers. A cage with seed in it should be enough to entice it. The trick will be to rig the door so it can fly out when you approach. The feral populations of parrots and parakeets in the US are are greatly a result of escapees during severe weather (i.e.hurricanes in FL) and accidental release. We have many birds at home and while some pet owners prefer not to clip wings, your story is a perfect argument for it. A bird in free flight indoors can cause great harm to itself in the dangers that lurk in our homes and for birds unfamiliar with surviving in the wild, an escape into the wild can spell disaster. Some can survive but a solitary bird that stands out like most pet birds do is much like a goldfish in a bass pond.

Nighthound wrote in post #14483300
Most certainly an escapee. This is a male Budgie and though its coloration makes it eye-catching prey they are very fast and agile fliers. A cage with seed in it should be enough to entice it. The trick will be to rig the door so it can fly out when you approach. The feral populations of parrots and parakeets in the US are are greatly a result of escapees during severe weather (i.e.hurricanes in FL) and accidental release. We have many birds at home and while some pet owners prefer not to clip wings, your story is a perfect argument for it. A bird in free flight in doors can cause great harm to itself in the dangers that lurk in our homes and for birds unfamiliar with surviving in the wild, an escape into the wild can spell disaster. Some can survive but a solitary bird that stands out like most pet birds do is much like a goldfish in a bass pond.

Great info, thanks.
Off to get a cage

Good luck! My mother-in-law, in California, has a spare parakeet that shows up at her feeder with the other birds and seems to be doing fine. It appears to have adopted a local group of House Sparrows, of all things because it shows up with them, regularly.

Snydremark wrote in post #14483525
Good luck! My mother-in-law, in California, has a spare parakeet that shows up at her feeder with the other birds and seems to be doing fine. It appears to have adopted a local group of House Sparrows, of all things because it shows up with them, regularly.

Here in S. Louisiana we don't have real bad winters, but I'm worried he might not be able to survive the ones we have. The net idea is sounding good.

hairy_moth wrote in post #14483229
Wow.. great shots.

Thanks, I don't know why the EXIF is not showing up but,

Canon 7d
Canon 70-200 2.8 L IS
f/3.5
1/400
ISO 100

Great picture! Good luck with your safari. We once found and caught a pure white Cockatiel in our yard, she ended up being an awesome bird, but we gave her to a real bird lover when we moved.

Wow, you just took me back in time about 42 years to when I was 5. My first parakeet was an escapee that I saw up on a power line. My mom coaxed him to fly down to her, and we kept him. I named him Pete.

Nice photo, too!