THE net is closing on a lost peahen, following weeks of searching by its owners and a bit of help from The Mercury. Following last week's appeal, calls have flooded in to Brenda and Tony Ingham, who believe the large beast is the same one that took flight from their home a matter of months ago.

THE race to rescue a lost peahen is heating up, following weeks of searching by its owners and a bit of help from The Mercury.

Following last week's appeal, calls have flooded in to Brenda and Tony Ingham, who believe the large beast is the same one that took flight from their home a matter of months ago.

And now the Potter Heigham couple have come face to face with the creature their grandchildren named Azure - blithely enjoying its time in Caister having been embraced by the community.

Mrs Ingham said: “We've not had a chance to do anything yet, but we've been to see her with a great big bag of peanuts to feed her.

“They're very difficult to catch and I don't want to frighten her to death.”

It seems Azure, or Azi as she has come to be known by neighbours, has settled down once again in a public spot around a certain estate in the area,

Her new resting place follows on from a week-long stint in Fairisle Drive at the Middletons, who first reported the creature scaring off other birds three weeks ago.

“She just wanders about from house to house, and they all put out water and food for her” said Mrs Ingham. She added that plans were being hatched to bring Azi home to join the seven other peafowl they look after.

One of the eight calls that the Inghams got was from graphic designer Micky Lynne, who reassured the couple that the bird was being treated well by those in the area.

He first encountered the bird last week. The father-of-two said: “I read about her in the paper but didn't think too much about it until I saw her near our house in a quiet area.

“There's a road nearby, but traffic is slow there and has slowed even more because of Azi. However, it seems to be enjoying itself, as it's got a glade nearby, and it's becoming a part of the neighbourhood.”

And Mr Lynne, who started calling Azi's name on the advice of the Inghams a few days ago, said that the peahen is reacting to the calls.

“She respond well to the name, though the local kids, who love her, have started calling her names like Poppy or Billy.

“Even my 19-year-old son, Alex, has grown quite protective of it.”