Free Flying... and its downfalls....

[jessdecutie18]

So I couldn't help but check out some of Youtube's free flight videos... some of them are lovely I love going to a good bird-show and seeing professionals and their birds...

 

Yet I know the scare in free flight, the fact that anything could happen to make your baby fly away, no matter how close they are to you...

 

I came across this video... and thought it served as a sad, unfortunate reminder that even if your bird means the world to you and you want the best for it, this free flying activity can be a disaster.

 

 

(At about 2:30 minutes in he talks about the actual incident, if you are in a rush.)

[ranaz]

This is very sad, he never found Tui and its heart breaking

[neil]

Even I saw the video a couple of days back... the guy is Andrew Dobson. He's written a beautiful and emotional article here on this forum too:

 

http://www.greyforums.net/understanding-your-grey/

 

I really wish he'd have found TUI.

[danmcq]

It was and still is a sad story of an inexperienced person trying to train their Grey for free flight.

 

I would love to free fly my Grey as well. To give him the freedom and joy of experiencing the wonders of this beautiful earth soaring above it.

 

The cold hard facts are. That even professionals lose their birds in the blink of an eye doing it. Not to mention the fact of raptors that are just looking for a meal.

 

I have a harness with extension and thats as much outdoor flying my Grey wil ever experience.

 

I do have to say. If you watched all of Andrews videos, namely the one taped of his Tui flying off. He blatantly had his grey outdoors on a patio unharnessed and not yet even the slightest recall training applied.

 

Your bird will not just stay with you because you think he loves you and wants to be right there with you.<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2009/11/24 13:02

[ramsabi]

I think most of us here have watched this video and Andrew's final emotional statement. Heart-breaking for Andrew but a lesson for all of us. I luckily learnt the lesson when I first took Rishi to the beach and was chastised (rightly) by several members here for not having him on a harness.

 

We MUST always remember that Greys are probably only 2 or 3 generations away from the jungle and are not lile "domesticated pets". I would not even assume to think they are "tame". As Dan says, don't ever assume that they are staying with you because they love you.

 

Read about Shanlung's ordeal with Tinkerbell.<br><br>Post edited by: ramsabi, at: 2009/11/24 13:37

[katana600]

Every post on the forum is helpful for those of us new to greys. There is so much to learn and those who are brave and come forward to warn us when the unexpected happens shores us up to become better at keeping our birds safe while we learn about their unpredictable nature. Every admonishment comes at a heavy price for someone and I really do appreciate the love and concern you all have for my bird as well as your own.

[pearllyn]

katana600 wrote:

I really do appreciate the love and concern you all have for my bird as well as your own.

 

The feeling is mutual Dee, I'm sure for all of us!

 

I followed Tui's videos religiously and was heartbroken when she flew off. I had only had Alfie a week or so and already could appreciate his loss. It was through Andrew that I found greyforums. I still check back regularly to see if she has returned. She was such a star - I loved her tantrum vid!

I would never ever ever let Alfie free fly. I have ambitions tho for a large outdoor aviary for her - sometime down the line, somewhere she can fly with the sun on her back without being harnessed. It's going to be filled with parrot friendly trees and plants, all manner of swings and toys and maybe have a small seating area for her human friends!

 

But I'm afraid that will be as free as she ever gets!

x

[Luvparrots]

A very sad reminder that we must be ever vigilant.

[she]

One of my birds getting free is my greatest nightmare.I just dont think I could cope if it ever happened.I have an outdoor aviary and my birds are taken to it in a carrier and released once safe inside,it has a safety door to prevent escapes and double skin wire.They do love being out side in the nice weather but free flight,never, I am not brave or experianced enough . Leave it to the experts.

[Janfromboone]

Before Tui flew away I used to look forward to each new video post of Tui. I couldn't beleive it when he lost his bird. It was so obvious how important his bird was to him. Doesn't this make you appreciate the great skill and training given to bird skilled at free flight. Andrew was just starting to train Tui when he flew away. He picked a bad place. I can only imagine what the expanse of the high rise appartment would have looked like to Tui after the wind gust blew him away.

[neil]

Sorry for being naive... but as most of you probably know I am kinda new to bird keeping and I would want to know what recall training is!

 

Can anyone please explan?

 

Thanks.

[ecodweeb]

recall training is where you train the bird to fly to you on a certain call, always. It's like step up for flight.

[Christina]

There is some website out there that Pirate parrot or something, the guy who free flys his birds in fairs and stuff. If you read some of his articles on free flying, I believe he says that greys are one of the worst canidates for free flying as they startle very easily. I can see where that has a lot of truth to it for most greys (obviously not all). And given my situation with a macaw and a grey, my macaw will come every time I call him, my grey often looks at me like keep dreaming! She seems to beleive she is quite above the demeaning training BS that the macaw seems to love.

[danmcq]

All "Bird Shows" displaying free flighted parrots are performed by masters in free flighting birds. Also, most use food at stations the birds are targeting and normally do not deviate from that path. If they do, those birds are usually lost forever, even by professionals.

 

Even the most competent flyer can get lost if frightened. The instinct to survive is strong, and if a parrot senses something it cannot immediately understand, it may leave the area. Of course, in the wild this saves many parrots from attacks by predators.

 

However, when our pets escape outdoors, fear-inspired flight usually only makes matters worse. But our home raised birds that encounter even a scary sight like a crow or other non-raptor near them in sky will send them into a flight for survival that will not end until they feel safe. A full-flighted parrot may fly quite a ways before it gathers its wits and settles into a tree.

 

By this time, the bird may be several blocks or even miles away. A wild parrot would be familiar with its surroundings and could easily find its way back. But companion parrots may only have to go a few yards to become disoriented in new surroundings.

 

Add to the equation fear that prompts the bird to fly again at the slightest provocation, and you can see that free-flying a parrot outside, even one you have attempted to train, is a very risky business indeed.

 

If you watch the free flight videos online. You will quickly notice almost all of them are in a huge expanse of flat land that is tree free almost as far as you can see. This gives the bird the ability to keep eye contact on you at all times.

 

However, it also makes them a sitting duck with no chance of survival if a raptor locks sight on them. The bird will be killed and consumes. Then you will go home and broken hearted.

 

I would love to let my birds have that experience. But, not at the cost of their precious lives.

[Greywings]

In Texas we have a great many predatory birds year round and where I live we are on the great flyway for the migratory birds as well. Free flight is a scary thought when you have Hawks, Falcons, Cara Cara's and Eagles all hanging around. Too many chances to have my heart broken couldn't face having one eaten in front of my eyes.