A lost cockatiel made itself known to State Police officers and recruits in Guilderland during a training session for academy members on Tuesday, Aug. 14.
Police said members of the 198th training session of the New York State Police Academy were attending firearms training at the Guilderland Range on Grant Hill Road in Guilderland, when a cockatiel flew into the range area and landed on the hat of an academy recruit.
Officers said the bird was `unfazed by gunfire and the recruits wearing bullet-proof vests.` The cockatiel was then taken into custody by the State Police Firearms Instructors.
It was later determined the pet bird, named Rocko, belonged to a family in Schenectady. It was returned home three days after being found.
