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Interesting article on free flight
- Thread starter Bridgette
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I agree with his thought that birds don't want to fly away. Birds don't fly away in the wild, they stay close to home and go back to their nests/roosts. I think the reason why people end up losing their birds is because their birds 1. have never learned to fly properly, 2. are not used to being outside and thus are spooked by everything, and 3. are not familiar with where home is and its surroundings. If your bird was comfortable with flight, being outside, and knew exactly what your house looked like and where it was located, why wouldn't it come back? That never made sense to me.
Hi Kiwibird,
I saw this post and thought I'd send a greeting. I have two free flighted amazons, and have been doing free flight for 11-12 years. I am assuming, from your foto, that your bird(s) fly outside. I'm not sure if anyone else on this board does free flight. It used to be one volaitile subject.
I tell people that my YN, Haley, grew up in a tree
I think this guy did a good job ( and the responsible thing) emphazising how important, and time consuming train a bird for free flight is. Parent birds spend months working at it with their babies. You can even see our native passerines (song birds) training their offspring. It's a good article, thanks for sharing. -Meg (Haley-YN, and Chit Chat-DYH)
Meg
I saw this post and thought I'd send a greeting. I have two free flighted amazons, and have been doing free flight for 11-12 years. I am assuming, from your foto, that your bird(s) fly outside. I'm not sure if anyone else on this board does free flight. It used to be one volaitile subject.
I tell people that my YN, Haley, grew up in a tree
I think this guy did a good job ( and the responsible thing) emphazising how important, and time consuming train a bird for free flight is. Parent birds spend months working at it with their babies. You can even see our native passerines (song birds) training their offspring. It's a good article, thanks for sharing. -Meg (Haley-YN, and Chit Chat-DYH)Meg
I don't do free flight - Kiwi is harness trained. I would love to do free flight, but I am so scared to try it! We are still working on recall. He doesn't come every time when called - just when he is in the mood. LOLHi Kiwibird,
I saw this post and thought I'd send a greeting. I have two free flighted amazons, and have been doing free flight for 11-12 years. I am assuming, from your foto, that your bird(s) fly outside. I'm not sure if anyone else on this board does free flight. It used to be one volaitile subject.
I tell people that my YN, Haley, grew up in a tree
Meg
Lol! Mine don't come every time they are called either, no where near! They do stay nearby, and they both have an understanding of the outdoor world, so they don't fly wildly away when startled. Chit Chat (rescued DYH) is not comfortable flying, generally, so he just hangs out. I never push him, at all. I recently moved, and had to clip my YN, Haley, just enough to keep her off the neighbors rooftops. I've never known anyone who does any kind of flight training who can claim that their birds come anywhere near every time they are called, so I do understand your caution. Always do what you are comfortable with.
Megan, I'm sorry if this offends, but what you do is not true free flight and allowing clipped birds outdoors is a real huge hazard.
My scarlet macaw was recall trained 100% before I allowed her free flight outdoors. We trained. Trained. Trained some more. And trained. And then did more training until I was certain that Gra was recall trained to the best abilities. And she was. She was fully flighted, LOVED to fly around the 100+ft pine tree or fly to the very top! She also loved to fly into the maple tree when I would climb it and we would perch together. She was and is my soul mate. But if I didn't train her good, and something happened, I would never forgive myself. She was recall trained for six months until heart problems took her life. Atleast I knew she was happy.
Just be careful.
My scarlet macaw was recall trained 100% before I allowed her free flight outdoors. We trained. Trained. Trained some more. And trained. And then did more training until I was certain that Gra was recall trained to the best abilities. And she was. She was fully flighted, LOVED to fly around the 100+ft pine tree or fly to the very top! She also loved to fly into the maple tree when I would climb it and we would perch together. She was and is my soul mate. But if I didn't train her good, and something happened, I would never forgive myself. She was recall trained for six months until heart problems took her life. Atleast I knew she was happy.
Just be careful.
Thanks Mercedez
No offense, taken, but I assure you, what I do is true free flight. Haley was raised in Los Padres National Forest, in southern, Ca. She has not been clipped for 6 years. She has flown outside from the time she was 1 1/2 years old. I did extensive recall and bonding training with her. I started free flying in Omaha NE, in 1998, with the help of a man (whose name escapes me) who was the editor of Amazon Quarterly. He lived in Washington State, and died of cancer a few months after we first connected on the internet.
I was on the AOL Amazon Chat Board at the time, reading everything I could by Chris Shank, of Cockatoo Downs, when I connected with her, and other professional free flight trainers, like Chris Biro, whom, I believe, still writes a free flight teaching forum (he charges a fee for subscription). I started reading clicker training manuals, and followed the first clicker website (I think) that started here in the US (I think operant conditioning is the way to go BTW). Haley is clipped, and supervised when allowed out. Her flight will be restored to full ability when she molts out. It's not uncommon for people who free fly to occasionally clip, or partially clip a bird who is going through a "stage" (my term). Having just moved, Haley is extremely excitable, loving the new neighbors, and the attention they give her. Her recall is/was suffering (to put it mildly). Her clip allows her escape in case of predation, in the house, but does not give her safety. To get her used to the new neighbors, and surroundings, with her great flying abilities, I have to clip her. She needs a time out, so to speak, when she can get her bearings, emotionally, and remember her recall, and her bond with me, etc, etc. I need to have her outside, clipped, or there's no way she will acclimatize, again. When she was a baby, I started her flying outside with a partial clip. She had to flap like mad to make it to my outstretched hand. Once her feathers started growing in we went further and further with it.
I free fly because I think it is generally safer than clipping, and surely healthier, in a safe environment, than clipping. I do have a 8x16 aviary (by Corners Limited, a zoo-quality enclosure, really great company, and economical), where she can spend the day in safety, outside. I do not let my bird (s) be outdoors unattended, and now that Haley has been clipped, I have to be right next to her to let her outside, except in her aviary.
I think you are dead on to post what you did, but I am an experienced free flier, as is Haley. During her first 6 years of life she was outside, unclipped, and flying, more than she was inside. I lived in a remote mountain cabin, in a national wilderness area. She was taken to the ground by an immature Red Tail, and has been chased several times by Coopers hawks. I was standing within 20 feet of her when the Red Tail took her. I am almost positive she bit it. As I ran to her aid, the hawk flew off. She had a red mark just below her nares, and right under her lower mandible. She also had a small, shallow puncture wound under one wing.
She harasses local cats, and squirrels, and talks to crows. She is a blessing in my life, bringing me always closer to the earth. I'm really sorry for the loss of your scarlet. Many thanks again, for the note.
No offense, taken, but I assure you, what I do is true free flight. Haley was raised in Los Padres National Forest, in southern, Ca. She has not been clipped for 6 years. She has flown outside from the time she was 1 1/2 years old. I did extensive recall and bonding training with her. I started free flying in Omaha NE, in 1998, with the help of a man (whose name escapes me) who was the editor of Amazon Quarterly. He lived in Washington State, and died of cancer a few months after we first connected on the internet.
I was on the AOL Amazon Chat Board at the time, reading everything I could by Chris Shank, of Cockatoo Downs, when I connected with her, and other professional free flight trainers, like Chris Biro, whom, I believe, still writes a free flight teaching forum (he charges a fee for subscription). I started reading clicker training manuals, and followed the first clicker website (I think) that started here in the US (I think operant conditioning is the way to go BTW). Haley is clipped, and supervised when allowed out. Her flight will be restored to full ability when she molts out. It's not uncommon for people who free fly to occasionally clip, or partially clip a bird who is going through a "stage" (my term). Having just moved, Haley is extremely excitable, loving the new neighbors, and the attention they give her. Her recall is/was suffering (to put it mildly). Her clip allows her escape in case of predation, in the house, but does not give her safety. To get her used to the new neighbors, and surroundings, with her great flying abilities, I have to clip her. She needs a time out, so to speak, when she can get her bearings, emotionally, and remember her recall, and her bond with me, etc, etc. I need to have her outside, clipped, or there's no way she will acclimatize, again. When she was a baby, I started her flying outside with a partial clip. She had to flap like mad to make it to my outstretched hand. Once her feathers started growing in we went further and further with it.
I free fly because I think it is generally safer than clipping, and surely healthier, in a safe environment, than clipping. I do have a 8x16 aviary (by Corners Limited, a zoo-quality enclosure, really great company, and economical), where she can spend the day in safety, outside. I do not let my bird (s) be outdoors unattended, and now that Haley has been clipped, I have to be right next to her to let her outside, except in her aviary.
I think you are dead on to post what you did, but I am an experienced free flier, as is Haley. During her first 6 years of life she was outside, unclipped, and flying, more than she was inside. I lived in a remote mountain cabin, in a national wilderness area. She was taken to the ground by an immature Red Tail, and has been chased several times by Coopers hawks. I was standing within 20 feet of her when the Red Tail took her. I am almost positive she bit it. As I ran to her aid, the hawk flew off. She had a red mark just below her nares, and right under her lower mandible. She also had a small, shallow puncture wound under one wing.
She harasses local cats, and squirrels, and talks to crows. She is a blessing in my life, bringing me always closer to the earth. I'm really sorry for the loss of your scarlet. Many thanks again, for the note.
Thank you for taking the time to clarify. I haven't heard of any recall flyer who clips. However I hear of a lot of people wanting to try this and they think they are pros and hot stuff and call their clipped birds or newly flighted birds recall trained. It's really sad as they soon find out the truth. It happened to a members Grey. And after that happened people were bashing us folks who do recall. But I see you seem to understand the risks and know what's involved I personally love hearing people's recall stories, and would love to see pics of your guys!
I personally love hearing people's recall stories, and would love to see pics of your guys!Yeah, as the years pass, things change with me, and the birds. There have been times when I can't let them fly. I just moved into a new place, the ground floor of a townhouse apartment. There are cherries and a black locust in the back yard. Both are poisonous, and I may not allow Haley flight again while we live here. She is a really, really good girl, and I want a very healthy bird more than I want anything else.
So, I find for my birds stick training is very handy, getting them out of moderately sized trees. My ex set me up with a telescoping fiberglass pole, with a long piece of Pinon inserted into the end. It was originally made for some kind of pool-cleaning broom, that he removed, and inserted the stick into, instead. Both my birds will step up on the stick when too sleepy, or preoccupied to come when called. Coupled with an eight foot step ladder I can reach to over 20' It's the bomb for flighted outdoor birds. Haley will fly off the stick, and back into the tree once in a great while, but generally not. If you have ever stood under a tree, with a deadline approaching (I want to go to the grocery store before 4pm!), and a stubborn bird, it is great. I try to get my birds to identify one, smaller tree (under 25' tall) as home base. It makes my life a lot easier. I'm on the east coast, and using a dogwood. It's dense and only about 20' tall, so I can get the girl in if she doesn't really want to come. Recall is a practice, as they say of yoga. You're never "done".
I'll try to get some fotos up of the girl in her old mulberry tree. That will be after the 4th I'm sure. I run a dog walking and pet sitting service, and I will likely have 5 dogs in the house this weekend, therefore the need for a longer clip on Haley. The dogs are good, and I separate them, and know them well, but they are dogs. My girl has to be able to get away if something unexpected happens.
I've been on the receiving end of the free flight hate mail, myself. I just walk away now.
That article on imping is great. I've seen demonstrations of it done by falconers.
Thanks for the discussion. I will work on the pictures.
So, I find for my birds stick training is very handy, getting them out of moderately sized trees. My ex set me up with a telescoping fiberglass pole, with a long piece of Pinon inserted into the end. It was originally made for some kind of pool-cleaning broom, that he removed, and inserted the stick into, instead. Both my birds will step up on the stick when too sleepy, or preoccupied to come when called. Coupled with an eight foot step ladder I can reach to over 20' It's the bomb for flighted outdoor birds. Haley will fly off the stick, and back into the tree once in a great while, but generally not. If you have ever stood under a tree, with a deadline approaching (I want to go to the grocery store before 4pm!), and a stubborn bird, it is great. I try to get my birds to identify one, smaller tree (under 25' tall) as home base. It makes my life a lot easier. I'm on the east coast, and using a dogwood. It's dense and only about 20' tall, so I can get the girl in if she doesn't really want to come. Recall is a practice, as they say of yoga. You're never "done".
I'll try to get some fotos up of the girl in her old mulberry tree. That will be after the 4th I'm sure. I run a dog walking and pet sitting service, and I will likely have 5 dogs in the house this weekend, therefore the need for a longer clip on Haley. The dogs are good, and I separate them, and know them well, but they are dogs. My girl has to be able to get away if something unexpected happens.
I've been on the receiving end of the free flight hate mail, myself. I just walk away now.
That article on imping is great. I've seen demonstrations of it done by falconers.
Thanks for the discussion. I will work on the pictures.
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