Escaped lovebirds spotted flying across Tadley

Mr Holdaway keeps parrots, cockatiels, parakeets and budgies in his aviaries

Brightly-coloured lovebirds have been spotted across a town after a colony was accidentally released.

The 72 birds escaped from a garden in Tadley, Hampshire, after birdkeeper Drew Holdaway, 64, left the door to one of his aviaries open.

Since they took flight on 9 August, neighbours in Burnham Road had been notifying Mr Holdaway when one of the exotic animals was spotted in the area.

Of the missing birds, 28 have returned home, but 44 are still missing.

Drew Holdaway has kept different species of birds as a hobby for more than 30 years

Mr Holdaway originally had a collection of about 180 birds in his garden.

He had been taking photos of the animals with a view to selling some of them when he accidentally left the cage door ajar.

He said he was "mortified" when he realised his mistake.

"I was standing in my kitchen on the phone talking to a pal looking out the window and suddenly noticed my lovebirds flying around.

"It was totally my fault for leaving the aviary door open," he added.

Mr Holdaway said some of the birds were spotted miles from their home

Mr Holdaway ran outside to try to catch the birds, which were perched around his garden.

In an attempt to entice the escaped birds back, he placed a large feeding tray in the walkway between his aviaries.

Whenever a lovebird flew towards the food, Mr Holdaway said he waved "like a mad man" to encourage the birds further into the walkway so he could catch them in a net.

Mr Holdaway said his neighbours enjoyed listening to the sound of the lovebirds

Mr Holdaway said many of the birds had been spotted around Tadley and even close to Basingstoke, but he believed it was too late to find the remaining 44 missing birds.

"Unfortunately they have flown too far now and are unable to hear the calls from their mates," he said.

Each lovebird was worth between £40 and £50

Many locals had posted photos and reports of bird sightings on Facebook groups, which Mr Holdaway was grateful for.

"The community has been amazing with their help and comments," he said.

He said he was not looking to replace the missing birds, as he was already planning on selling some of his collection.