On Aug. 21 around midnight, Corrie Butler, who runs the Rhode Island Parrot Rescue (RIPR) on West Shore Road and lives in the apartment above it, walked onto her deck to find an unusual visitor: a blue and gold Macaw parrot that had been left on her railing.

A neighbor, Chuck Olsen, later confirmed that the bird had been dropped off by a woman and was left without any note or cage/carrier, and Butler said it appeared to be frightened when she found it on her deck railing.

Erica Collins, the marketing coordinator for the RIPR, said this is the first time ever that someone has left a parrot outside their facility without any carrier or information along with it.

“We’ve heard that is happens at dog or cat rescues,” she said Wednesday. “But this is the first time someone’s left a parrot with us with no shelter, no note.”

She said that the parrot, which they aptly named ‘Midnight’ and believe to be female, has been quarantined in the office area of the facility until their avian veterinarian can come by and test it.

Once quarantine is over, Midnight will be available for adoption along with the more than 60 other parrots that the RIPR shelters and feeds at their West Shore Rd. facility.

Collins said that their facility is filled up right now due to space and funding limitations, as are the other rescues and sanctuaries around the area, she added.

“It’s a difficult position,” she said about having Midnight unexpectedly dropped off to them. “These birds need us to remain open and any extra tax on us, like a bird being dropped off, puts an extra burden on us. It’s another mouth to feed.”

She said that the RIPR, which has been at their current location for the past five years, adopted out 79 birds last year to families in the area, which are found by doing home inspections and “bonding visits” between the bird and families that want to adopt.

Although they’ve been successful in find adopters, an influx of birds in recent years, most notably an emergency intake of 117 birds in 2016 from a facility in Connecticut that was found to be cruel to them, has left the Rescue in a tough spot.

“We survive exclusively on fundraising, donations from supporters, and adoption fees,” said Collins.

Therefore, she said she’s asking the community for donations that can be sent via PayPal to RIparrot@gmail.com, on their website at www.RIparrots.org under the donate tab, or via a check made out to RIPR and sent to 2141 West Shore Rd.