San Mateo firefighters had to use a 100-foot ladder truck to help a woman catch her parrot, “Cookie,” after it flew the coop Monday afternoon.

The 1 1/2-hour capture operation started about 3:30 p.m. on the 1400 block of Yew Street. Initially, firefighters and Cookie’s owner tried to use a 24-foot ladder to climb up to the bird, but the parrot got spooked and took off for a higher spot, said Acting Deputy Fire Chief John Healy.

“It was a long process,” Healy said. “They had to keep an eye on it as it was flying away to see where it went next. A large crowd had gathered just to watch the whole thing.”

Usually, the fire department does not do this type of rescue, but this case was different, he said. More details here.