Pictures Does anyone free fly their birds?

[Aviphile]

I have tried my hand at it and we had a few successful flights and then this last one back in February the weekend before Valentine Day, Sunday the 12th of February I almost lost Mandy. We were in the backyard and my husband was working in his shop or up in the front by the garage and our neighbor from across the street came over to talk to him. Mandy took off flying, even with the 2 feathers missing on her one wing that girl can still fly a lot better than you would think, than I thought. I was so proud of her, she was doing so good and I called her to come back and she turned to head back and about that time my husband walked to the backyard the neighbor followed and when Mandy got close to me our neighbor put his hands up in the air and Mandy just kept right on going and kept going. I had to go and hunt her down. My husband and I both thought she went one way but our neighbor tried to say that she went a different way. I took off the way I thought she went and called for her and called for her but she would not respond to me at all. I was behind a neighbors house 4 houses from mine and he asked me which one of my dogs I was looking for. I told him not one of the dogs but one of my birds the littlest one. All the while Mandy was in the tree not 20 feet from me only I stopped short of her to talk to him and then I headed back home for my boots, water and my phone.

I hunted for her through rattlesnake infest canyon, you have to look everywhere you step to make sure that there isn't any snake or a hole then you stop and look around then another step, its just to rugged back there. I didn't see her so I headed back home. I knew when it got close to supper time she would respond to the others making noise. When the gang started talking about supper time my hubby ran in and said he could hear her and when I stepped out of the house I heard her. I jumped in my boots and headed out for her. She was in the tree behind the neighbors house 4 houses down and I found her right away except I forgot my phone! I stood there until hubby came to find me and her. He went home to get a ladder and the first ladder was the wrong ladder so I had to send him back for our big step ladder. She was so high up that I could not reach her while standing almost on the top of a 12 foot tall step ladder. Hubby climbed up for her but she was not having it and took off again and went down a couple more houses. I took off after her calling for her and she responded and I stood with her until my husband was able to get down into the canyon with an over sized ladder. I still couldn't reach her so my husband tried again and this time she stepped up for him and then she started to try and get away so I had him put her under his shirt while he climbed down the ladder. Finally I had her back and we headed for home.

She was only gone a couple of hours but it seemed like a lot longer. Now I am afraid to free fly and of the birds. You always know that there is a risk that something could go wrong but you always seem to think that it won't happen to you, until it does.

As soon as Mandy was back home it was business as usual, it was like it never happened, for her at least.

This picture is of her after we got home and were eating supper.



This is the area behind my house. We keep our land behind the fence mowed in an effort to keep snakes from nesting. Thankfully back in February most of the trees didn't have any leaves.



I have trouble even thinking about not finding her and bring her home.

 

[Shezbug]

Curious- Did you get professional help before free flying?

 

[Aviphile]

Curious- Did you get professional help before free flying?

I took classes with Liberty Wings in Moab Utah years ago.

 

[Shezbug]

I took classes with Liberty Wings in Moab Utah years ago.

Awesome!
I have chatted with Chris a little bit quite some time back.
I asked as I am seeing an increase in people attempting free flying birds once they have mastered recall only or have had lessons from some odd bod they saw on the internet. I am always curious what kind of learning people have done before releasing their birds out in the big open skies. Thank you for answering

 

[Icey]

So happy to hear you got Mandy back safe and sound. She must have been hungry and thirsty, being gone for a couple of hours in the heat.
There are a couple of people I follow on Facebook that do free flying. I will send you a message if you'd like. One is here in the UK and the other is in the states. I love watching them.
Didn't I see you post a video a while back of your hy's doing free flight?

 

[TikiMyn]

I would get private free fly lessons I think where you get help specifically for you and your bird(s). I have a ff course planned in a few weeks and if we ever get to the point our Illigers might be eligible for free flight again we will do private courses and usually our trainer free flies birds in large halls and aviaries before going outside, which I really like as the risk is a lot smaller. Our Illigers was free flown by his previous people as a young bird but wasn’t trained for it, more ‘just winging it’.
There goes a lot of training into desensitising them completely to the outdoors, I think it was the neighbour that scared her? Glad she is okay, she is gorgeous!

 

[Xoetix]

Free flying is incredibly fascinating to me, but it is so terrifying. Kudos to people who can do it successfully, but I don't have the ability to do it. I'd need a Xanax every time

 

[Tyrion]

So glad you got her back ..free flight scares the heck out of me so we just do it in the house

 

[Aviphile]

Awesome!
I have chatted with Chris a little bit quite some time back.
I asked as I am seeing an increase in people attempting free flying birds once they have mastered recall only or have had lessons from some odd bod they saw on the internet. I am always curious what kind of learning people have done before releasing their birds out in the big open skies. Thank you for answering

Yes Chris. Not every bird will make a good free flier and you need to have a extremely close bond with that bird to even attempt it. I think our biggest problem was that she isn't as well socialized as she was before. Not just because of the pandemic but because of how busy I have been working, along with house renovations and all the other stuff I have going on. I just don't take them the kids on outing like I use to. I use to fly 3 of my big birds and they were a sight to behold, I bet there are still some videos on youtube of them flying.

 

[Aviphile]

So happy to hear you got Mandy back safe and sound. She must have been hungry and thirsty, being gone for a couple of hours in the heat.
There are a couple of people I follow on Facebook that do free flying. I will send you a message if you'd like. One is here in the UK and the other is in the states. I love watching them.
Didn't I see you post a video a while back of your hy's doing free flight?

No not me, I am not on any social media sites, who has that kind of time? Not this girl! Levi was the only hyacinth that I have freed flied and he lost one of his wings in a car accident. I had great green and a greenwing that use to free fly with Levi but I don't have them anymore, I miss them everyday! In fact my husband and I were talking about getting a great green baby, I found breeder of great greens here in Texas. Somebody on craigslist was trying to sell a military as a great green, hope nobody fell for it. Pretty bird just not a great green.

 

[Aviphile]

So glad you got her back ..free flight scares the heck out of me so we just do it in the house

Well it kind of scares me now too! I would hunt for her until I found her, believe that! Another reason that ALL of my birds are microchipped. Birds are lost and stolen on a regular and legbands are easy to cut off. Microchipping is the only way I would ever have a chance of getting any one of them back if anything ever did happen.

 

[BrianB]

A family that has one of my red-fronted macaws taught him free flight. He is beautiful in flight and does very well.

 

[Mizzely]

Having lost a bird to the great outdoors when I thought I was being safe (she got our through a tear in the screen door I assumed was too small for her), I cannot bear the thought of taking such a risk! Kudos to those that can do it, but I've had enough heartache related to birds as it is.

 

[Aviphile]

A family that has one of my red-fronted macaws taught him free flight. He is beautiful in flight and does very well.

They are truly a sight to behold when you see them flying and enjoying the life that they would have had if they were wild.

 

[Aviphile]

Having lost a bird to the great outdoors when I thought I was being safe (she got our through a tear in the screen door I assumed was too small for her), I cannot bear the thought of taking such a risk! Kudos to those that can do it, but I've had enough heartache related to birds as it is.

I hear you and trust me I completely understand. I have lost several birds to a car accident and a house fire so believe me I know what it means to lose a bird you love dearly. I remember how it felt to watch Mandy just keep flying off, so I get it but I think we will be back at it.

 

[haze]

I don't think I ever would. I don't know anyone who has done it that hasn't had an "accident," even with birds who had been free flying for years. I'm sure it's very beneficial for the bird but it is still extremely risky and dangerous and it's a risk I will not take.