A PARROT found dead on an East Yorkshire beach was a victim of Britain's heatwave, says his distraught owner.
John Morgan had taken his beloved African grey, named Floyd, on a weekend break to Hornsea, when it made a beeline for the beach.
Floyd, whose catchphrases included "Give us a kiss" and "Come on, let's do the washing-up" – was perched on his owner's shoulder as the pair enjoyed a scenic cliff-top cycle ride, but took flight without warning.
John, 66, of Bradford, spent the best part of a week searching high and low for his companion of nine years, who "loved sea air", but received a call from police on Saturday informing him of the sad discovery.
He said: "I've no doubt Floyd would have died from dehydration. Parrots are used to the heat, but they need a good supply of fresh water. Floyd had fresh water twice a day."
Aerial-fitter John had been on one of his regular trips to North Cliff Boating Club and was staying in a caravan overlooking the sea.
He said: "Everyone in the club knows me as the 'Parrot Man'. I went everywhere with Floyd. He loved Hornsea.
"Floyd used to stay put when I put him on my shoulder. He never flew off.
"He was like a child. A companion, night and day."
John says he was not overly concerned when the bird, which he describes as "very tame" first went missing.
He said: "I was cycling along with Floyd on my shoulder, near the club.
"Something spooked him.He made straight for the beach. As far as I could see, nothing could have hurt him, so I wasn't really that concerned at that point.
"I cycled back to the caravan to fetch a lock so I could lock my bike up while I looked for him. I also needed to change into a pair of boots.
"I called his name and Floyd came straight back. I gave him a good talking to and he said, 'Come on, let's do the washing-up' – that was the last thing Floyd said to me.
"For no apparent reason, he just took off again and headed for the cliffs.
"I walked up and down the shore, beneath the cliffs, poking a stick into cavities in case he had crawled in.
"I even climbed down the cliffs on a length of rope, but just couldn't find him."
John says he needed to return to West Yorkshire but came back to Hornsea the next day to resume his search.
"I searched high and low but there was just no sign of him," he said.
Humberside Police delivered the bad news.
Bachelor John said: "They rang me and said a dead parrot had been found on the beach at Hornsea. East Riding Council was going to dispose of him."
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