On Jul 5, 2009, at 10:25 AM, adele_deleon wrote:

> Maybe I should have a new plan that consists of point A to B flights
> and indoor recalls. Since he has not done very many of those, I
> think I will start with only doing 3 at a time and keep the distance
> to 10-15 feet. Before he ever broke any flight feathers he was doing
> quite a few A to B flights up to 50 or 75 feet. The only problem is
> at those longer distances he would miss more than half and either
> circle around or land low in a tree and then fly down.

This is ok. But you need to stay at these distances or less until he
masters the skills involved. He should be able to fly this distance
and make his landings every time before you move on to a longer
distance. Sometimes missing a landing and circling back is just part
of the process of how the bird will learn. Sometimes they do it on
purpose as their confidence builds and they seem to feel like "I can
do that but think I won't this time. I want to do a circle first."
This lets them expand their skills at a pace they feel comfortable
with. Flying point to point (A to B) is a little different then flying
freestyle (boomerang) flights. Making a landing from point to point
flights is fairly controlled, always same direction of approach,
heights are usually the same, and speeds are usually slower. Making a
landing from freestyle flights are less controlled, approach from
various angles, different heights, and different speeds. When you
practice point to point flights and change the locations a bit, you
are altering one or more of those variables so the bird has to adapt
on a controlled basis. It is not just distance that you need to
increase, but also you need to have him fly to and from the perch from
different directions. Once the bird chooses to circle around in a big
arc, all the variables are changed at once and this can be a bit
challenging for the first several times. This is where being a
competent indoor flyer first as well as your varied point to point
flights from different distances and different directions really helps
get him ready for all these variations at once.

> I was probably pushing the distance too quickly (we went from 10 to
> 75 feet within about 5 days). I'll go much more slowly and maybe
> keep these very close flights for a week or so while building up to
> doing more than three. How does that plan sound? Any recommendations?

It sounds like you have the right idea. Your job is to keep him right
at the inside edge of his comfort zone. You want him flying at
distances he can handle. When you expand the distances or change
directions to the perch, it should be done with the expectation that
he can handle this change every time. If he feels he wants more
challenge, he will alter the flight on his own. And that is ok.

> I feel like I am always making new plans, but they don't always work
> or I am not carrying them out correctly!

The plans are not what is important here. It is ok to abandon a plan
and switch to a new plan any time you have new information that
suggests a new plan is needed. In some ways, flight training really is
a winging it process. We are constantly upgrading our "plans" and
adjusting what we are doing based on feedback from the birds behavior.
No two birds will go through the exact same process. Each will require
a little different plan adapted to their particular responses.

Parrots: more than pets, friends for life.

Chris Biro
chrisbiro@...
(206) 618-2610
www.wingsatliberty.com