Free fly thoughts

[Merrick]

What do you think of this thing?

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[Merrick]

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Here is an example

[spiritbird]

Hi Merrick I am not on my home computer now but wanted to respond. I think it is wonderful to see companion birds free fly if it is safe and they return. I notice it is usually the big birds that do this. I guess it takes a lot of training. Is this what you want to do when you get a bird?

[Merrick]

Hi Merrick I am not on my home computer now but wanted to respond. I think it is wonderful to see companion birds free fly if it is safe and they return. I notice it is usually the big birds that do this. I guess it takes a lot of training. Is this what you want to do when you get a bird?

Maybe if i got a big bird i would but other then that i would not i just thought it was a really cool and interesting idea. A lot like falconry to me

[Mr Peepers]

You should check out Precisely Parrots member Mare and see her many posts of her beautiful cockatoo called Amigo. He flies free daily and has an amazing life in and outside his home. :th_smile:

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[Merrick]

You should check out Precisely Parrots member Mare and see her many posts of her beautiful cockatoo called Amigo. He flies free daily and has an amazing life in and outside his home. :th_smile:

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the link doesn't work for me

[Mr Peepers]

the link doesn't work for me


Click on the member Mare's name and it will take you to her profile. You can see under her avatar a link for her latest threads, click it and it will take you to her and Amigo.

[plax]

Search links, including those rendered by executing anything titled "recent" or "latest", are assigned temporary search identifiers that will soon expire. That's why it's never a good practice to post URLs from this site that contain those temporary search identifiers. As Nick suggested, the best option is to go to Mare's profile page and click on the "Find latest started threads" and/or "Find latest posts" links. She has posted plenty of descriptions and photos of Amigo, her free flying Cockatoo.

[Merrick]

i found the sub forum on it

[Mr Peepers]

i found the sub forum on it


Enjoy, the photos of Amigo and Mare's amazing story with him and her other fids is amazing to view and read.

[Mare]

Hi, Merrick! I've heard of these folks before and I think what they do is a wonderful and awesome thing! Although Amigo free flys, I've never done "recall training" on him, he just comes when I call..he's an amazing bird. I have a lot of posts in the free flight section, even one called "Amigo's free flight "training"?" That is how we started our adventure with him :)

Although I've been tempted to fly our Goffins, Sassy, I hesitate because of her personality and size. I always told myself that I would never fly a bird smaller than a U2 because of predators but listening to the video you posted..if you have a healthy strong bird, she may be safe from the hawks!? My thought on that is, it depends on how hungry the hawk may be..or the hawks age, young ones are more prone to chase my Amigo than an older one,,this has happened.

Now, on the other hand..I have a friend up in Washington state that wanted to give me her pineapple conure. She travels a lot and wasn't sure she wanted the hassle of this little bird. She decided to keep her, little Nelly's her name and Nelly flys outside! My friend says she just cuts her loose, she flys like a bullet, super fast! Sometimes she's gone for up to two hours but always comes home. I'm not sure if Nelly comes when she's called but Im positive she's not "recall trained".

Working with your bird to free fly is very stressful, I think more so on the person than the bird but if it works..there are no words to describe the feeling :)

Oh! I wanted to add one thing! Sadly, the flight suit jumper, Graham Hunt, in that video just died, a few months back, jumping in Yosemite. He and Dean Potter, a pioneer to the sport, jumped at the same time and neither one lived :(. So sad. My son knew them both, they are from our area.

[Merrick]

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this person free flew her tiel so i may change my descision

[plax]

I must point out here that allowing one's bird freedom to fly outdoors comes with many risks placed upon the bird. Mare mentioned some of those risks. Free flight of pet birds is a controversial topic, and with good reason. Most of us who have companion parrots in our lives do not live in regions capable of sustaining those birds in the long-term by adequately accommodating their needs. Any bird may become startled and confused while engaging in cage-free activities outdoors and thus travel aimlessly and become lost. This can even happen with birds who are accustomed to flying outdoors - not as likely, but it can occur. Predatory animals capable of killing birds are virtually ubiquitous. And there will always be the potential for other serious accidents, some of which can easily result in fatality for one's beloved pet. But the most likely negative is that a free-flying bird may vanish, never to return, and with no indication of what might have happened to it. I think an important and reasonable question is whether or not it's fair to impose such risk upon our pet birds? I will say that special situations exist... but I will also point out that there are folks who are simply seeking a thrill from having a free flying pet bird, and who thus impose said risks on that bird unnecessarily.

[Mare]

Tony has some excellent points. One thing I need to add and I have very strong feelings about..your bird better be bonded to you, you are his everything, he thinks you are his mate, he wants to know where you are at, all the time. Most people believe recall training is the most important thing and maybe they're right. I'm of a different belief.