Dunedin artist Jo Robertson has been reunited with her cherished pet, a magpie named Hey Baby.
Miss Robertson said she was distressed to discover Hey Baby had escaped from a window left open at her city studio earlier this month while she was in the care of a minder.
A frantic search in nearby parks and buildings failed to find the juvenile magpie, so Miss Robertson decided to ask about Hey Baby at "the tallest place" near her studio, the 13-storeyed Otago House.
"I told them I had a bit of a strange question."
Construction workers confirmed a magpie had recently taken a bird's eye perch near the top of the building and she was welcome to remove the bird.
Miss Robertson overcame her fear of heights and climbed to the 12th floor of the building, one of the top three floors being added to what was a 10-storey building, to rescue Hey Baby.
"She recognised me and started squawking," Miss Robertson said.
The unorthodox pet was rescued from a farm near Oamaru, and was regularly taken for trips to the country so she could "spread her wings".
Despite the occasional minor cut from her pet, and the odd unwelcome deposit on her art works, Miss Robertson, who had a magpie as a child, said she preferred magpies over any other pet.
