Inara is a flying machine

[Inara]

Wow! What a difference a couple of weeks makes. HRH Inara and I had begun practicing recalls a few weeks ago --from her little low play perch, to the ottoman, to my knee, etc. I finally broke down and ponied up for a couple of training perches (frankly, was too lazy to buy the mic stands and build them myself) and the world of flying just opened up for Inara like gangbusters. She L O V E S flying between them at varied heights and distances, or from one of them to my arm or shoulder.

 

The night before last she flew 20 recalls in a row, laughing out loud each time she landed!! If I was too slow in moving a perch or moving to the other perch, she would say, "Let's go!" After each landing, she holds up a little foot for a "high four," and we give each other smooches. Every so many landings, she does a happy dance and sings her "doop doop" song. When she had decided she was done, she rested on one of the perches for a bit, then said, "OK, let's go home." So back to her home for a great night's sleep it was.

 

Her stamina and fitness are really improving rapidly, not to mention her navigational abilities. Last night, she accidently overshot one of the perches, did a sharp bank to the right, circled back low around the first perch in a spiral and then back up to successfully land on the missed perch. Then said a resounding, "Whewww!!!"

 

Now in the mornings, rather than sitting patiently watching for The Squirrel, while I get her water and dry foods prepared, she leaves the kitchen windows and flies over to the counter top to help, or she heads into the living room to one of the training perches and just hangs out until it is time for morning flights. She flies recalls morning and evening, and she calls the shots for how little or how much she feels like doing.

 

I love it when she decides to bypass a perch and come directly to my shoulder, which she always follows up with a smooch. Her joy in flying is palpable. Not to mention how great it is for her respiratory system. Since she is actively flying now, I've increased her somewhat more simple carbs by giving her pureed fruits in the morning and a bit in the evening before flight times so that she has those for the necessary energy and to refill her glycogen stores.

 

Eventually, we'll work on flying just to shoulder or arm -- but I'm in no hurry for that and for now just want Inara to focus on the joy of flying while having some direction and structure so that she can work on maneuvering and flying low to high, high to low, banking, etc. Typical of many mountain homes, we have a huge open floor plan and super high ceilings, so there is a lot of flight room.

 

We've come a looong way since the days of teaching her to use her wings by playing the swing on a rope game back in October/November.

 

Will try to get Joe to help take some videos this next weekend.

Edited May 27, 2014 by Inara

[SRSeedBurners]

Would love to see the videos. Flying is one of the best things for these birds. I'm convinced that good exercise is one of the keys to keeping these birds happy and healthy. I've posted this elsewhere here but we have a routine with Greycie: 10-20 flights around our living room (and into the kitchen) in the mornings and then several rounds at night. Greycie actually thrives on this as it helps her burn excess energy and we all clap and make a huge deal of it when she's zooming around. She's an excellent flier as she's never been clipped and can square off the corners in our living room when she's fresh. After a few flights she'll start rounding off the corners. If I don't start flying her soon enough she'll start flying herself and 'acting out'.

 

I went through a lazy phase where I wasn't flying her and she started to gain weight. When she did fly I was calling her a flying pig because she lost her zip and just seemed to beat her way through the air. My wife and I both noticed she seemed like she was a flying UPS truck instead of the zippy little sports cars.

 

It's good for them - Greycie gets really excited when I'm carrying her over to her launch pad.

[Ray P]

My grey Corky loves to fly and can hit a fast moving target (my shoulder) with no trouble.

Now Cricket my amazon is kind of lazy. When she wants to go someplace she will lift her foot for a step up and look in the direction she wants to go and say giddy-up.

[SRSeedBurners]

My grey Corky loves to fly and can hit a fast moving target (my shoulder) with no trouble.

Now Cricket my amazon is kind of lazy. When she wants to go someplace she will lift her foot for a step up and look in the direction she wants to go and say giddy-up.

 

 

And I always thought Greys were the smarter bird

[Inara]

Sterling, I couldn't agree more. I had afghan hounds for over 28 years (my first one overlapped with my 'zon and CAG) and they too have a need for speed and for running even though in the house they are couch potatoes -- 42 miles an hour couch potatoes. They were happiest and so calm in demeanor when they could run full tilt in open fields at least once a week in addition to their regular outdoor time. Inara reminds me of them in her own need for speed. She so enjoys her flight time (that is not just a short spurt when she is out of her cage) and this week I've been calling her a Thunderbird. The T-birds practice flybys over my house when they are in town for the USAF Academy graduation. When I think of the daily mileage that she would be putting in if she was in the wild, I feel a serious duty to provide her with the motivation and opportunity to log at least a couple of hours daily split into two sessions. Sunshine, flying, and lots of showers -- all, I agree, lead to burning off excess energy and make for a more relaxed, healthy, and content companion. (I know I'm preachin' to the choir on this board )

 

Ray, that cracks me up!! Cricket sounds like such a character. My (R.I.P.) 'zon, Elliot was quite a perch potato. He was terrified of cages (wild caught in the '70s) and so I made him a tree that he lived in in my living room for his lifetime. He just loved to perch up there unless he heard a snack bag rattling somewhere - then he was everyone's best buddy, leaning over, giving the one-eyed look to search the room, and then chirping sweetly to try to entice one of the kids over to give him a bite. Or he loved to come down to perch on my shoulder and just hang out, or to go shower with me. Loved that guy to pieces. Cricket, sounds like she works you like a boss :D

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Ray... how funny but true! I miss dearly Kiki my amazon. She was the tester of all fruits and veggies. While being the best flyer, her goal was always to satisfy her stomache. She was a great role model for the other birds. Nancy