The perils of Parker the homeless rooster came to an end Monday night when he was successfully rescued from South Whidbey Community Park.

Pat Buchanan of Langley lifted the rooster from his perch in a fir tree near dusk and took him home to her hen house.

“I knew it was now or never,” Buchanan said about the one-woman rescue. “He didn’t put up much resistance.”

Buchanan speculated that Parker was probably driven out of his previous home by a more dominant rooster. By Monday night, he was apparently tired of living alone and willing to go home with somebody.

Parker, who was named by the park district staff, took up residence in the community park about a week-and-a-half ago.

A recent story and photo in The South Whidbey Record generated concern for the rooster. Several people attempted a rescue, but were foiled by the recalcitrant rascal, who disappeared each time into the thick underbrush near his roost. Buchanan knew the time to capture him was at dusk.

“Chickens settle down at dusk and are almost comatose when they’re roosting,” she said. “He made a little noise and turned his back on me when I walked up to him, but he was relatively easy to catch.”

Parker will now go to live with a bevy of hens in Buchanan’s chicken coop. She said the colorful bird will fit in nicely.

“We are thrilled to have Parker,” she said. “He will be a great addition to our barnyard.”