A kestrel who has spent nearly her entire life relying on human carers is now alone somewhere above Fig Tree Pocket, and the team who raised her is hoping her neighbours will help bring her safely home.
Sparrow, a nankeen kestrel cared for at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, vanished mid-flight on Wednesday, September 23. Staff went public with the search the following afternoon, September 24, hoping locals across western Brisbane would keep their eyes on the sky.
A Familiar Face With An Old Injury
Eighteen months ago, Sparrow arrived at Lone Pine from Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary on the Gold Coast. She is 3.5 years old. Small too — about the size of a lorikeet, according to assistant wildlife curator Andrew Bryant, which makes her one of the more compact birds of prey on site.
Her foot tells an older story. As a young bird, she came into care with a break, one caused, staff believe, by a zip tie wrapped around it. The injury never fully resolved. She still cannot close that foot the way a healthy kestrel would, and that alone ruled her out of ever being released back into the wild. Instead, Lone Pine kept her for education work and regular flight training.
Twice a week, Sparrow flew unrestrained between open ground and a handler. Wednesday’s session looked routine, right up until it wasn’t. An updraught caught her mid-flight and sent her climbing fast, so fast that staff struggled to keep sight of her before she veered off and disappeared entirely.
One precaution may still make the difference. Sparrow had been fitted with a small radio telemetry tracker before the session began, standard practice for free-flight exercises where things can go wrong.
Community Asked To Become Spotters
What should residents actually look for? Bryant pointed to her equipment rather than her size. A leather leg strap. A small tracking unit with an aerial attached. That gear is what separates Sparrow from any other small bird someone might glance at and dismiss.
Size works against her here. Without knowing to check for that equipment, most people would simply mistake her for a wild kestrel and move on. Lone Pine is asking anyone with a possible sighting to snap a photo, note the time and location, and call the sanctuary directly. The business-hours line is (07) 3378 1366, while sightings outside office hours can be reported to 0437 876 759.
Underneath the search is a simpler worry. Sparrow has known almost nothing but human care. Fending for herself outside the sanctuary is not something she has much practice doing, and that, more than anything, is what has staff concerned.
Not the First Runaway
This isn’t new territory for Queensland wildlife parks. Earlier this year, a Tasmanian devil named Mary cleared a 1.4-metre fence at Paradise Country on the Gold Coast and stayed missing for weeks. She was eventually found, treated, and returned to her enclosure, where she remains today.
Could Sparrow’s story end the same way? Lone Pine is banking on it — and on a community willing to look up.
Published Date 27-September-2026
