Free Flight...

[Larry, Baby and Me]

A Sentinel emailed me the first vid that she found on another board. And then I looked at related vids on YouTube.

Some have done this with success and others have not. My lack of bird training experience and preditors here in Central Florida will not permit me to put my Baby in such a risk. The flying preditors here are Hawks and Falcons. And did you know that Falcons can hit 120 miles per hour? I didn't until I did some research.

So - enjoy the vids. Watch the third vid very carefully and tell me what you see in the last few frames.

http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=X0wvxes-GHw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtDkoa06b3w&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez-cYk03z7Q&feature=related

[too&me]

Frightening isn't it! Could never do that here in Texas either, we have Hawks,Eagles, Falcons, Osprey & Caracas's, all predator birds. I hope that bird is ok and does not get another close encounter with death. It also reminds me that people who not only peel & scrub natural branches they have cut for their caging but oven bake them are some times the same people who have pictures of their birds outside in trees & shrubbery that other birds use daily. Go figure...

[Dot]

Larry, is it safe for me to watch those? Remember, I am the board wimp. I am so bad that if I take a bird out in his cage and I see a "big bird," be it hawk, eagle, or buzzard, start circling closer and closer, I take them back in.

[Larry, Baby and Me]

They are safe to watch dear. I would tell you otherwise if they were not.

[Julie]

Why people put thier birds in danger like that is beyond me!

[Don]

There is nothing more beautiful than a parrot in flight -

unless it's your pet flying away.....

[birdie]

Beautiful to watch! but it would scare me to death if it were my baby!, and was he NOT watching the sky??!!! I hope the bird is ok.

[EasySpirit]

People do free flight with their birds. I know it is scarey. Not my thing. For those though that want to do it, it is not done by just taking your bird out. There is a lot more to it and there are internet sights that discuss free flight. Good Bird Inc magazine usually has something about free flight as well.

[Larry, Baby and Me]

There is nothing more beautiful than a parrot in flight -

unless it's your pet flying away.....

Another Donism.

[Dot]

Twice before the half way mark I had seen the shadow of a second bird. Maybe it was the one in the last few frames.

[Dot]

Another Donism.

Let's start a collection of them. I'll contribute these:

I've never seen a pellet tree.
Don't cry until you are sure you are hurt.

[Uncle]

Real Food For Real Birds

People that sell it swear by it.

[Sashagirl]

No matter how much training they have for our birds to free flight.There's no way to predict what the preditors will do.There's no way I would put any of my babies at risk.:sadeyes:

That was scary!:eek:

[Don]

And then there is the guy who likes to free flight his Eclectus parrots at the local park - 2 of them have been killed while flying across the streets, he blamed the birds.

What is the value of greasing ones own ego ?

[birdie]

And then there is the guy who likes to free flight his Eclectus parrots at the local park - 2 of them have been killed while flying across the streets, he blamed the birds.

What is the value of greasing ones own ego ?

sounds like someone should push him infront of a car and blame him for falling. jerk.

**I'm sorry, I tried to stop myself, but couldn't**

[Jamieleigh]

That's really unfortunate that that man had his parrots die by flying them at his local park. Surprisingly, that type of thing happens in places like Australia where cockatoos find it fun to play "chicken" with oncoming cars. However, I free fly my African Grey parrot and through proper training you can help the birds learn of all the dangers in the outdoor world (such as hawks, dogs, cars).

It's really amazing to watch these parrots live and enjoy an environment much like you would find them in the wild as they zoom by your head. With proper training, they can out-maneuver hawks, falcons and various other predators and still have the precision to fly by your face at top speeds with their wing tips just inches from your nose!

There are several free flight training experts out there who have done this with much success (Steve Martin (http://www.naturalencounters.com), Chris Biro (http://www.youtube.com/chrisbiro1)) and I think it gives a pet parrot an amazing experience at really living its life. Obviously, there are serious risks but the benefits of having free flighted parrots way out-weigh the risks in my opinion. You're giving the bird a life it would enjoy in the wild while still being able to keep it as a pet.

Here are some videos of Cressi freeflighting. She has now flown in Orlando, Florida (where we call home), Seattle, Washington, Las Vegas, Nevada and Moab, Utah.

Her latest flights in Moab, Utah: http://youtube.com/watch?v=WapCpNigQGs


We have been fortunate enough not to have encountered any hawks yet, but have encountered curious vultures in Florida (we state in one of the videos that hawks were around but they were vultures we later learned). In Utah we encountered ravens which can sometimes be territorial. The raven had an affect on one macaw and intimidated it into lengthening the duration of its flight back to us, however, it did not effect the other six macaws or Cressi.

I just wanted to share a different side to outdoor freeflight, which I hope most of you can enjoy watching.

[Dot]

That's really unfortunate that that man had his parrots die by flying them at his local park. Surprisingly, that type of thing happens in places like Australia where cockatoos find it fun to play "chicken" with oncoming cars. However, I free fly my African Grey parrot and through proper training you can help the birds learn of all the dangers in the outdoor world (such as hawks, dogs, cars).

It's really amazing to watch these parrots live and enjoy an environment much like you would find them in the wild as they zoom by your head. With proper training, they can out-maneuver hawks, falcons and various other predators and still have the precision to fly by your face at top speeds with their wing tips just inches from your nose!

There are several free flight training experts out there who have done this with much success (Steve Martin (http://www.naturalencounters.com), Chris Biro (http://www.youtube.com/chrisbiro1)) and I think it gives a pet parrot an amazing experience at really living its life. Obviously, there are serious risks but the benefits of having free flighted parrots way out-weigh the risks in my opinion. You're giving the bird a life it would enjoy in the wild while still being able to keep it as a pet.

Here are some videos of Cressi freeflighting. She has now flown in Orlando, Florida (where we call home), Seattle, Washington, Las Vegas, Nevada and Moab, Utah.

Her latest flights in Moab, Utah: http://youtube.com/watch?v=WapCpNigQGs


We have been fortunate enough not to have encountered any hawks yet, but have encountered curious vultures in Florida (we state in one of the videos that hawks were around but they were vultures we later learned). In Utah we encountered ravens which can sometimes be territorial. The raven had an affect on one macaw and intimidated it into lengthening the duration of its flight back to us, however, it did not effect the other six macaws or Cressi.

I just wanted to share a different side to outdoor freeflight, which I hope most of you can enjoy watching.

And the key word in that post is "yet."

[Uncle]

Hi JamieLeigh,

Welcome to HappyBirdy.

I do have a few questions - and please keep in mind that these are curious questions and not attacks in any way.

I live about an hour north of you. I am near Ocala, Florida in an area that is a bit woodsy but not out in the country. It is a place similar to most of Florida. While out in my back yard I have seen on many occasions Eagles, Barred Owls, Turkey Buzzards, Hawks, and Falcons. All except the Turkey Buzzards are skilled predators. The Turkey Buzzard or Vulture that you mentioned is not a predator at all - but is a scavenger and feeds almost exclusively on carrion (animals that are already dead). So it is not surprising that they were only curious as you stated.

Hawks are fast birds that fly in a glide at 30 or 40 miles per hour. In general, small prey birds fly even slower. Birds as small as sparrows probably fly less than 20 miles per hour while Hawks fly as fast as 50 to 60 miles per hour while in an attack dive.

Falcons on the other hand are extremely fast. Although the speed at which a Falcon can fly depends greatly on the species, they can fly at speeds of 55 mph horizontally, and when flying downwards they reach speeds of over 120 mph. This speed can not be match by any other animal in the world, be it on land, sea or sky.

Falcons feed almost exclusively on medium-sized birds, but will on occasion hunt small mammals such as rabbits and squirrels. They require open space in order to hunt, and therefore often hunt over open water, marshes, valleys, and fields. They strike and capture their prey in mid-air, with a clenched foot, stunning or killing it, then turns to catch it in mid-air. If their prey is too heavy to carry they will then drop it to the ground and eat it there. I also might add - they pluck their prey before ripping and tearing its flesh for consumption.

You like many of us do try our best to duplicate an environment for our companion birds as close to the wild as possible. But we are not in the wild - so no duplication is possible. We only can provide the best possible world for these captive ones.

One of my questions is -- how can you train a prey bird that can physically fly at a top speed of 40 miles per hour to avoid a Falcon flying at 120 miles per hour. Is that possible? I don't think there can be any amount training that can enable a prey bird to out-maneuver a Hawk let alone a Falcon. Predators fly faster than their prey - that is how they eat.

By watching your video I know you must have trained your birds to be in top shape - the best physical shape that any companion parrot can be. But are your birds not a bit on the weak side as compared to a bird in the wild? I would think a bird in the wild would be much stronger than any captive bird because they are flying and feeding all day long. So my second question is - how can a companion bird be as physically fit as a bird in the wild? I know my Umbie hasn't had any real good exercise since Lincoln was shot.

My last question is - do you sometimes get that gut-cramp feeling thinking about the possibility a Falcon might swoop down and snatch one of your birds? I know I couldn't get that off my mind. How do you keep your emotions under control when your birds are in free flight?

Okay - one more question... Have there been occasions when your birds were "almost" attacked by a predator.

Curious minds need to know.

Oh – I almost forgot. You have to see this video. It’s about a man hunting with his bird. Is shows what a preditor bird can do.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ea8JiD-iI8M (http://youtube.com/watch?v=ea8JiD-iI8M)

Thanks,

Larry

[Uncle]

Hi JamieLeigh,

I hope you took my above post as I intended it. I am facinated by free flight. I know my heart would stop the first time I took my Umbie out for her first flight. I guess I am the faint of heart.

Please share with us your first time you did a free flight with your bird. What went through your mind? Tell us what you did to train your birds in preparation for their first flights.

[Jamieleigh]

Hello Larry,

Thanks for your interest and I did take your posts well. I'm happy to share my experiences with everyone and I understand everyone's concerns and reservations for outdoor freeflight whole-heartedly because I've felt them myself.

I'd like to start off by saying that my Congo African Grey, Cressi, is the only bird I have ever freeflighted. The other macaws in the videos (http://youtube.com/birdtricks) belong to Chris Biro (http://www.youtube.com/chrisbiro1) and Susan Hilliard. These two people have been outdoor free flighting birds for over 18 years and are who we considered our "mentors" through this entire process.

So when you ask about how to train predator avoidence, I want you to know that Cressi had not yet learned this. Parrots will do what is referred to as "jinking (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=jinking&r=66)" once they feel comfortable in outdoor flight. Cressi is just starting to experiement with playing in the wind and other elements of flight.

You can see the macaws jinking in this video (http://youtube.com/watch?v=WapCpNigQGs). These tactics and skills are learned and executed more skillfully with the more experience the bird gets. Also, flying in a flock makes it so that they learn to avoid other fliers. Other less harmful birds such as crows, ravens, sparrows, cranes, or what have you in your environment, also prepare your bird for predators. Some birds may become territorial while others are simply curious and want to check your bird out. Your bird learns how to deal with all of these situations to better prepare him for a real predator.

I know some people have had their birds be pursued by a hawk or other large bird. For this reason, it is safest to freeflight a flock of birds instead of just one (something we learned in the process).

There are fun training techniques you can do indoors with your parrot to get them used to avoiding objects or being in a controlled flight during spooking. Really, it's all things you learn along the way and how you go about them depends on your bird.

Their recall can also play a very important role in getting away from a hawk. We're always watching the skies for predators and if we see them off in the distance, we can simply recall our bird down and wait it out, call it a day or find a new location. We try to vary up where we fly Cressi. I once heard that Disney used to release pigeons at a specific part in a show and after about a week of doing so, hawks would sit and wait for the 4pm release of their dinner. So it is very important not vary up times and locations when flying your bird outside.

I've heard stories of smaller birds such as mitred conures (http://images.google.com/images?q=mitred+conure&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi) being caught by a hawk and putting up a good enough fight to break free and arrive back safely. Obviously, this isn't every case and hawks are skillful predators. I guess it is comparable to a cheetah chasing an a gazelle - although the cheetah can run much faster, the gazelle can manuever in ways to tire the cheetah out before being captured. A cheetah can only keep up their speed for so long while darting and dashing can wear out the cheetah's attempt.

I'm not saying you can train your pet bird to avoid 100% of attacks made upon it. I'm merely pointing out there is a lot you can train to help slim down the chances and precaustions you may take as well. Things like not flying your bird when it's already tired, not forcing your bird to fly or throwing it (if you notice, Cressi takes off on her own in all of our videos (http://http://www.youtube.com/davewomach)). Also, not flying your bird after a big rain storm because that is when the predators are out hunting. Some birds love the natural rain and if flown in it, will want to sit in a tree and stay in it. The closest we have come to this is flying Cressi in the snow (http://youtube.com/watch?v=imE6STMEC70) in Seattle.

As far as how fit your bird is is concerned... I would agree and say that a wild bird would definitely be in better shape as they are most likely flying much more than your pet bird would be. Your bird learns to build up its stamina. Chris Biro has a large outdoor aviary for his birds so they had an easy time out-flying Cressi. It was also Cressi's first time in the desert and as you may notice from the videos, she flies circles around us while the macaws go for miles. The duration of their flights build as well as the length, depth and so forth. We keep all our birds fully-flighted and fly them as often as we can because of how much we can tell they truly enjoy it (except for our toucan, I swear she'd rather hop everywhere!) this includes indoors. An outdoor aviary is ideal for keeping your bird in the best shape possible so it's able to fly whenever it wants and uses flight as a means of transportation rather than climbing or walking.

As for being nervous about predators - always!

We are always searching the skies before, after and during flights. Sometimes they can come into the picture so fast and it can be nerve-wracking. You know it's a possibility every time you take your bird out and it's scary because it's real.

Your emotions come in check as you get more confident in your bird's abilities. Also, in Utah we were much more at ease knowing Cressi was flocking with seven huge macaws (three Calicos, one scarlet and two blue throats). None of the surrounding birds wanted anything to do with our giant flock stretching over the valleys and it was nice to see ravens wanting nothing more than to get away from where we were flying.

The first time Cressi disappeared behind a tree, my stomach dropped! I started yelling for her to come back when Chris Biro looked at me and said, "It's alright. She knows where you are. She's coming back."

Doing this with someone like Chris or Susan helped us so much. They have been through it all and knew what to expect and how to handle certain situations. It was nice because they kind of kept us at ease. Our stomachs still drop every once in a while and will continue to. You never want to become overly confident in your bird and niave enough to think nothing will ever go wrong.

However, it is the happiest feeling to watch Cressi fly. She does these amazing circles around us and calls to us from her flights. She has a cute call she copied from our galah and we love communicating back and forth with her as she flies. It's just amazing to see how full of life she is while flying and how happy she is out there. She also loves just hanging out with us outside - whether it's on our shoulder during a hike/walk or sitting next to us while we all take a breather. She loves the downtime between flights as well and it's pretty amazing to look at your bird outside without a harness of any kind on it and know it's right where it wants to be.

So far, no, Cressi has never been pursued by a predator. However, if you check out the freeflight list on Yahoo! Groups (http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Freeflight/?v=1&t=search&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=group&slk=1), you can ask people who have experienced that first-hand.

The first time we took Cressi outdoors for her very first flights was like throwing $1,200 into the wind and hoping it didn't go anywhere. We did simple A to B flights between myself and Dave. And honestly, it was a lot more simple than I had thought. We were nervous and anxious all at the same time and when it went well, we couldn't help with jump around with excitment.

Here is a video of her very first flight outside in Las Vegas, Nevada: http://youtube.com/watch?v=s6R_FM_keyc

Her second flight was to me: http://youtube.com/watch?v=qhc1n5VvXEQ

We have an entire detailed blog (http://www.birdtricks.com/AfricanGreyParrots/congo-free-flight.html) about how we went about training Cressi for outdoor freeflight.

Hope this information helps and is what you were looking for!

[phonelady61]

Oh my god thank you so much guys !! I also live in florida and Have arnold and also have the chihuahuas which are also suspetible to predators such as the falcons and hawks . That is one reason I never let my dogs outside without me . And I would certainly never carry arnold outside . falcons usually kill they prey first and then eat it . I have heard alot of ppl losing their pet birds and their pet chihuahuas to predators . so no thank you I dont want to chance that .:susp:

[Uncle]

I don't want to chance it either - especially here in Florida where we have over 200 avian species -- and a ton of them are preditors.

A few months ago I was standing on my back deck when a Falcon swooped down out of nowhere and nearly hit my head. It was like a speeding bullet. I didn't hear it coming and I didn't see it until it was inches from my head. It was one of those jaw-dropping moments. I only knew it was a Falcon when it did a U-turn a few inches from my head to fly back up. I did not have Baby with me at the time... thank goodness.

A little local story. My wife and I moved here in 1990. And the very week we moved in - what was on the local news???

An elderly lady was walking her dog along a lake front in the Spring time when an aligator ran out of the water and ate her dog right in front of her. All she had left was the leash.

I do NOT go in the waters here in Florida --- no matter what the tourist board says.

[Chrissy and Flock]

Hey Larry about 3 years ago we had a black bear roaming our neighborhood... it took about 3 days for the wildlife people to catch... there has actually been 3 such incidents since we moved to Florida in 1998... just the one 3 yrs ago the bear was in the next street ....

[Debz_Crew]

Oh wow! It's awesome and scary at the same time. It must be a wonderful feeling to know they are out doing what birds do, flying, and that they will come back to you, but to have to worry about predators at the same time has to put a knot in the tummy.

I wish I had a big fenced in place for mine to fly. :)

[Jamieleigh]

Dave just put together this wonderful slideshow from our trip to Moab, Utah where we flew Cressi with a large flock of macaws. I wanted to share the gorgeous images we captured while there; http://www.slide.com/r/G-GH5pDj4j9ViINblg2pBDGb6QYIhNxV?previous_view=lt_em bedded_url.

In case that link doesn't work, here are others that should; http://www.slide.com/r/HAiJeRZN4D8UpkHEk-qdqKcIQVDzu5_B?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original and http://www.slide.com/r/MOuKiPBv4j9iRGsESymGicueKSu23oa_.

Enjoy!