Oscar Wilds Free Flight

Dlong · Jun 12, 2012

Hey Everyone
This is my first post on this forum.

I wanted to share with you guys my experience with free flying my Green Cheek Conure Oscar. Oscar is 4 months old and I have been working with him for around 2 months to be ready for free flight. He has many exercises and situations that we practice every week, and I stick to a timeline I have developed with information I have read from expert bird trainers. I also have Oscar on a pellet diet and give him fruits a few times a week. I don't motivate Oscar with treats during our exercises only positive reinforcement. He has excellent recall skills and that is why I decided to finally take him outside.

Here are a few pictures

And here are a couple videos
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3rzL02aN0E&feature=plcp]Oscar Wild Green Cheek Conure Free Flight At Georgia Tech - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4jLQ2ML9cI&feature=plcp]Green Cheek Conure Oscar Wilds First Free Flight - YouTube[/ame]

Hope You Enjoy

Dlong :green1:

Molcan2 · Jun 12, 2012

I LOVE IT! Thank you sooo much for sharing. I'm not at the point yet where I can free fly either of my birds but I really want to and have been working on the baby steps of recall. The risks are so worth it when you get to see them truly be themselves. I love the first pic of him. Hes got such great color.

Hopefully if more of us do it, maybe Admin will give us a free flight section?

IcyWolf · Jun 12, 2012

Very cool, thanks for sharing! Looks like the both of you are getting some really good exercise :09:

I'm pretty certain I could free fly our one budgie but we have a couple red tailed hawks and tons of vultures on our property and with her being so itty bitty I'm just too afraid something might happen. :31: Luckily our house has huge ceilings and is a pretty open floor plan(with a loft and all) so she still gets plenty of safe flying time indoors.

Lintini · Jun 12, 2012

That is SO cool! Wish I could do that here.....dang hawks.

"Wait for me daaaaaaaaaaad!"

Spiritbird · Jun 12, 2012

How magnificent to have the best of both worlds for him. The freedom of flight and the life with you as a pet friend. He must be very healthy with all that fresh air, sunshine and exercise. All that and he is only 4 months old!! By the way he is totally handsome!!

Dlong · Jun 12, 2012

Thanks for all the support! I try to take him free flying a few times a week. I am working on a video that kind of recaps some of the training I did with Oscar to get him ready for free flight. I will post it here when I finish.

jaimmorr · Jun 12, 2012

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL.

It's awesome that you can do this with Oscar. I am seriously contemplating training my G2 for free flight, but since he's a rehome at 8 years old, it'll probably take a lot more work.

Thanks for sharing

Mare Miller · Jun 12, 2012

Love it! This is what birds were meant to do. Good job with your training!

Dlong · Jun 14, 2012

Well Oscar decided to fly up into a tree for the first time the other day. It was a little scary, but it was what he wanted to do so I let him be. He chewed on a branch for a few minutes and he was finished. He flew back down to my shoulder.

It isn't that I don't want him to fly into trees I just haven't encouraged him to when I train him. Glad he is getting comfortable with the outdoors a little more.

Mare Miller · Jun 14, 2012

Dlong said:
Well Oscar decided to fly up into a tree for the first time the other day. It was a little scary, but it was what he wanted to do so I let him be. He chewed on a branch for a few minutes and he was finished. He flew back down to my shoulder.

It isn't that I don't want him to fly into trees I just haven't encouraged him to when I train him. Glad he is getting comfortable with the outdoors a little more.

Yes, it is scary the first time they fly up into a tree. You're just not sure if they are going to come back to you. What a wonderful feeling when they do, huh?

The first time Amigo went into a tree, he hung out there for a couple hours. We had a ramp for him to walk from his outdoor cage, on our deck, and attached to a large oak tree, next to the deck. He LOVED it! He spent two hours clipping off branches, walking/climbing all over this oak then he finally walked back down the ramp to my waiting hand. That was his introduction to a tree. He now comes and goes as he wants but usually flies there!

Dlong · Jun 14, 2012

Nice! Any concerns with possible things they can get sick from up there, leaves bark, spoiled water or something? Just seeing Oscar in a tree pecking things makes me think of the worst...

Thanks

Rio Mom · Jun 14, 2012

Oscar is gorgeous! I too would be worried here about hawks to take mine outside without some kind of cage or carrier. I've seen a hawk swoop down and snatch a small creature right out of my back yard. It was so fast! Not sure if it was a small rodent of some type or a robin that it took. They have to do their flying in the house.

ConureCrazy · Jun 14, 2012

Wow!! Your green cheek is certainly beautiful! It's nice to see a bird flying and doing something they would do easily in the wild! You must train him pretty well. And all that at four months! Thanks for sharing the amazing pics and video!

Mare Miller · Jun 14, 2012

Hi Dlong, my free flight bird is an umbrella cockatoo, much larger than a conure. I would be concerned with predators if free flying a bird smaller than Amigo, but...free flying any pet bird is a risk, no matter what. The joy, and sense of freedom, they get from it, (to me), is worth the risk. Just be aware of the potential danger.

Mi Amigo has never had any ill effects from anything he has munched on in a tree, we have mostly oaks where we are at, but I know many people are concerned about different types of wood for their birds so you might want to check on that.

Atwee921 · Jun 15, 2012

Very cool! Be verryy careful though, so many birds that have flown away this way!
Oscar is beautiful! I think what you're doing is great for your bird!

Helitorian · Jun 15, 2012

I would LOVE to free fly Con but she still has some feathers to grow in and lots more training to go. Also, we do have a lot of eagles and hawks where I live so I'd rather not risk it. I'll just build my 9f X 12f aviary and they can play in there all day.

Dlong · Jun 15, 2012

I am really glad you guys like the videos and pics. Like I said before, I am almost finished with a video that kind of recaps all the training methods I used for Oscar. Maybe some of you guys will be able to use it.

Also how long does it take for your Avatar to show up?... NVM ha

MaraWentz · Jun 15, 2012

Did you train him yourself? I'm putting my red front into a freeflight class with Chris Brio next summer

She isn't to fond of flying though, so it will be a trying experience. Good luck!

Dlong · Jun 15, 2012

Chris Biro was very helpful and inspirational in my traing process. I did all the training by myself, but it wasn't until after I read every single article on his liberty wings website. I even made a timeline and sent it to Chris Biro based on his articles and he said it was very well done. He is going to publish it with his next article because it illustrates how long each process should take. I would love to go to Utah and take even his 2 day flight class. Let me know how it goes!

Dlong · Jun 16, 2012

This morning was a little scary. I took Oscar out to a Soccer complex near where my parents live, and did a little outdoor recall training. We messed around for 30 minutes or so, and then a vulture flew over us. It spooked Oscar off my shoulder and he flew really fast towards the thick forest about 50 yards away. I started to chase him because he didn't look like he was going to turn around until he landed in a tree. He swooped into the forest and then came right out flew low and landed on me. I quickly put him in his cage and that was the end of todays flying...

I'm getting a little nervous about taking him flying lately. I know he won't ever fly away from me, but it seems he is becoming a little more independent. Example.Going into a tree and taking his time up there even though I am calling him. Though when I am in the house with him, he is a velcro bird. He never wants to leave me, and always comes when I call him. Not sure how I am going to handle this.

Oscar Wilds Free Flight

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