Last o the flight articles by Pam Clark and its a goodie.
Part Six: Ensuring the Safety of Your Flighted Parrot – Pamela Clark, CPBC
Part Six: Ensuring the Safety of Your Flighted Parrot – Pamela Clark, CPBC
Another great article.
All 6 parts were very interesting.
I would like to add. My birds have excellent flight skills and don´t startle easily like some budgies and Tiels do. Sometimes I don´t close the curtains because they know the window is there. When they were growing and learning to fly, I would take them up to the window and let them tap it with their beaks.
Also, my vet has a theory, that if you show your bird your neighbourhood, he won´t get lost. So take him down the street, around the block etc. He also says to show the bird different points of reference. Eg, take him to the apartments over the road, and show him my boyfriend standing down on our balcony. Then the same view from another place. That way he will be able to find his way home.
Also, while thinking of the double door system, remember if you do not live alone, that someone else has to stick to the system. If you have a partner as careless as mine, it can be quite tricky. I remember one day I had Sydney, Jaime and Aldora all with me in the kitchen, with the door closed the hallway leads to the living room, again, the door closed. My man was in there working, it is awfully hot here so I said, I´ll take the birds for a bath, I´ll call you to close the patio doors before we come back in the living room.
So we´re having a good time, the birds bathing, Sydney was almost dry at this point. My man walks in and opens the fridge leaving the kitchen door open. In that split second I thought... it´s ok, we have a double door system... but no. He had left BOTH doors open and Sydney shot off. He flies so quick! I shook the birds off me and closed them into the kitchen, racing into the living room, sure enough the doors were WIDE open. I went out on the balcony to look out, my heart had sank. Next thing ¨pi-pew!¨ Sydney was sat on my mans chair. In my panic I had ran past him.
I´ll never forget that day. And now even when it is so hot I don´t allow any doors open like that.
I liked what they said about birds & shoulders. We both talked about no shoulders w/ Buddy. I guess we got complacent, because Buddy lives on us. I rarely take him through door barrier area. One day I went down thru door one, opened door 2 & stopped (I realized that Buddy was on my shoulder & I was a screen door & 1 step to walking out)