Carly in Big Skies of Wyoming

[carlylu]

Carly and I went on a very unusual vacation a couple weeks ago. We went to far northeastern Wyoming to meet up with friends who have trained their birds for outdoor flight. There were a total of 9 humans and 16 parrots, including Red-fronted Macaws, several different species of Cockatoos, two Eclectus, and ONE GREY!

 

It was a beautiful setting. One day was very very windy, so we practiced doing flying recalls on her harness. But when the weather was nice Carly got to really stretch her wings. These are the biggest flights she's had since graduating from indoors to outdoors last month, and she is doing really well. (In case you can't keep track of all the different birds here, Carly is a 2 1/2 year old who was severely clipped as a baby. We've been doing flight and recall training indoors for about the past year.)

 

Here are some pictures from the trip:

 

The group

http://www.flyweek.org/2007/index.html

 

Carly's flights

http://www.flyweek.org/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=33

 

And here's a preview for fun! (practicing in the wind on her harness)

 

Raz

 

Information on training:

http://likambo.com/flyblog

Do NOT do this without a solid plan and experienced assistance.

 

<br><br>Post edited by: carlylu, at: 2008/05/23 22:04

[carlylu]

And here's the little girl in the big skies.

 

I was so proud of her -- she learned how to glide for the first time and her recall was excellent.

 

[Tari]

wow amazing. I could never do that I would be terrified. But wow. Did I say Wow? {Feel-good-0002006E}

[Guest Monique]

Wow{Feel-good-00020114}

 

That is wonderful!

[Talon]

WOW and Double WOW! That is amazing to see. Thank-you for sharing that with us!{Nature-000200C9}

[judygram]

I got the aviator harness the other day and I am going to try it this weekend so I can say WOW!!!!

{Nature-000200C9}

[Talon]

Great Judy, WHen you get it on Josie, Come to my house and put it on Talon. She says, NO WAY! {Feel-bad-00020072}

[carlylu]

Thanks everyone. I must say, we BOTH had a blast. It's not quite so scary when you've been training for it for almost a year. But it still takes your breath away.

 

judygram wrote:

I got the aviator harness the other day and I am going to try it this weekend so I can say WOW!!!!

That's great! Have you put it on your bird yet? That sometimes take a bit of training and patience, depending on the bird.

 

Also is he/she fully flighted?

 

Good luck! It's fun to get outside with these guys.

 

Raz<br><br>Post edited by: carlylu, at: 2007/06/14 02:34

[dblhelix]

Absolutely Awesome! If they are properly trained for flight recall I think my biggest fear would be the possibility of them getting picked off by a predatory bird like a hawk/falcon/eagle etc...:ohmy:

 

In any case Very Very cool!! B) They are meant to fly!!!

[judygram]

I have not tried to get it on her yet and she has been clipped, but I am letting her fully fledge again so she can soar in the sky.

[carlylu]

Talon wrote:

WHen you get it on Josie, Come to my house and put it on Talon. She says, NO WAY!

 

Some birds do not like the Aviator. It's the loop you have to put over their head. The Feather Tether design has a strap that buckles around, which is easier with some birds. But it also is a little more bulky and complicated to put on. Shanlung has instructions on his site for making a harness also. Carly uses one that me and my bf designed and made. I can post what that looks like if anyone is interested. It is similar to the Feather Tether design, but without the buckles; it uses a system of velcro straps.

 

raz

[carlylu]

dblhelix wrote:

I think my biggest fear would be the possibility of them getting picked off by a predatory bird like a hawk/falcon/eagle etc...

 

That's the nice thing about where we were. It's endless open rolling hills with great visibility and few raptors. We saw two in 4 days (golden eagles) and they were very far away. Only the woman who lived there could even ID them, they were such tiny specs.

 

But you're right, you have to be aware of the environment you fly in for sure.

 

raz

[carlylu]

judygram wrote:

I have not tried to get it on her yet and she has been clipped, but I am letting her fully fledge again so she can soar in the sky.

 

GReat. You might want to use something like clicker training to get her used to the harness (if she has any resistance). It may take a little time, but it will make these excursions much easier in the long run.

 

Are you doing recall training with her indoors now? (Sorry if I might have asked this before and forgot...)

 

raz

[Tricky]

This topic title was especially entertaining to me because Carly is my real name. :laugh: Living in the suburbs of New Jersey doesn't really make outdoor recall training feasible for Jack; so many trees, cars, and quite a few hawks. ^^;<br><br>Post edited by: Tricky, at: 2007/07/14 20:58