Very interesting read! Thank you for sharing!
I agree birds should be flighted and I definitely want my tiel to be flighted too. You will get no argument from me there.
The article seems to suggest that she has her birds flying around most of the day. That sounds amazing but unfortunately that will not work in my household and here is why.
I have a dog who incidently likes to chase flying things (bees, toy helicopters etc). I have never seen him try to chase a bird but I suspect that is because he can't get anywhere near them anyway. I will be working on desensitization training with the dog but obviously I also don't want to take ANY chances. I am keenly aware that just one small slip up by my dog could be fatal for the bird.
For this reason the bird will need to have structured flying time where the dog is not in the room at all, which means at a certain point the bird will have to either go back into his cage or will have to wear a harness and hang out with me when it's time to allow the dog back inside. I am hoping this will just become routine and in no way a negative thing for the bird. But if he's fully flighted straight from the beginning, before he's tame I wonder how that will work getting him back into the cage?
That is partly why it was so important for me that the bird I get is already pretty tame, so we can get him flighted sooner, and part of the reason it concerns me so much the fear I am seeing right now.
I can see I need to do some more research on this matter. The cockatiels I had when I was young were always clipped so it was never a concern. (So many things I did wrong with them and had no clue!) But I'm sure I am not the first person with these kinds of circumstances so I would guess thetr has to be a way.
I will say this, to create a bond with a flighted bird, will be a stronger bond than that of a clipped bird. It is less forced, the bird has a choice, and if the bird chooses you, it is a true bond. To create a true bond with a clipped bird is very difficult, not impossible but it requires much more skill and knowledge, and a deeper understanding of birds to achieve.
You make a good point about developing a stronger bond with a fully flighted bird. I am happy to be patient with him and allow that bond to build. I want this bird to be truly spoiled silly, happy, HAPPY as well as healthy. I am hoping he will live well into his twenties so taking it slow now, even if it takes months to establish a solid bond is a small "price" to pay.
But I also have to be realistic. There will be times daily when the bird absolutely has to go back into his cage. If he doesn't trust me I will end up chasing him all over the house and that to me seems more traumatic than him getting a little mad at me for picking him up and him not being able to get away. Am I wrong for thinking like that?
Like I said, I'll have to do more research. Maybe someone has already come up with a technique for that sort of situation?