Conference 7.286::pet_birds

106.0. "Escape and recapture" by MUNCSS::BURKE () Mon Jan 30 1989 15:01

    	Here is a potentially interesting topic for those who have suffered
    the escape/recapture experience.
    
    			Basil's holiday
    			---------------
    	Basil is a large healthy young (6 yrs) male African Grey. He
    is unclipped - the way we prefer him. He originates from the Congo,
    so his diet is limited almost entirely to Sunflower seeds and the
    odd Monkey nut. I have trained him as much as he would allow, but
    I would only rate him 90% trained, and 50% tame.

    This happened about a year ago.....

			Sunday afternoon
			----------------
    	With a *loud* raucous squawk, he took off from the top of his
    cage, flew round me, narrowly squeezed through TWO semi-open doors,
    and freedom !  I reckon (seriously) that he had planned it. He knew
    what he was doing - there was no panic. He would only fly in my
    direction for a good reason, eg. panic or ???
	We immediately got into gear and roused the local kids into
    bike-teams - several (distant) sightings.

			Monday
			------
    	No sightings - not a toot.

    			Tuesday
			-------
    	More sightings and 'hearings'. One woman complained of loud
    'Hawwo's (Basil can't handle 'll') after midnight in her garden.
    
			Wednesday evening
			-----------------
    	Since his diet is so limited, we were getting worried by this 
    time (actually, my wife had hardly slept since Sun).
	Anyway, a kid told us that he had seen something 'funny' flying
    into a large tree about 100 metres from our house. At this point,
    I knew that all was OK. We went to the tree, and called him. I had
    to use binoculars since he was so high up. He obviously recognised
    us (he likes my wife, dislikes but tolerates me). He was squawking
    in reply to each call. Unfortunately, the 20 or so kids of the bike
    squad also took up the call. This, together with passing cars, 
    prevented him from coming any lower down the tree, and he eventually 
    flew off.
    
	    	Thursday evening (at precisely the same time as Wed)
		----------------
    	My wife took his cage, and we went to the tree. Sure enough,
    bang on time, Basil arrives on the top branch. As soon as I walked
    away from my wife (2 metres), he swooped down to the top of his cage 
    and some awaiting grub in my wife's hand. A few beakfuls, onto stick, 
    into cage. No flapping, noise, towels, chasing, fright - all very calm.

			Aftermath
			---------
    	Not a squeek for three days - much grub though. He looked a
    little fatigued, but generally I think that he enjoyed his holiday.
    	I do have confidence in the intelligence of Basil, and I was
    never that worried - I was pretty certain that we could get him
    back. Greys are territorial birds, and hence never wander far from
    their chosen area. He's a big healthy alert bird, so I reckoned that
    he could handle himself with most indigenous animals.
	    After the Wednesday encounter, I was 100%. I think that the
    rural surroundings helped us though (Newbury in England).
	One last observation: have you ever wondered what it would look
    like if you saw your pet flying by you at about 30 metres height?
    It really was quite magnificent to see him 'in his element' like that.

    Jim Burke
    

    I too lost my bird for a few days.  A red headed Conure.  It was
    the old "on your shoulder out the door routine".  Unfortunatley
    it was night time so we lost sight of him immediately and he was
    probably so scared he didn't make any noise.  The next morning I
    heard him out in the swamp in back of our apartment.  I waded out
    to a clump of trees on a high spot and saw him in the top of a pine.
    
    After a half hour of calling him he got real confused and took off,
    flying very erratic, probably didn't know where to go.  That second
    morning we heard him again only on the right side of the swamp and
    down the road.  After work we got permission to stay in the neighbors
    yard to try and grab him. 
    
    He wasn't around so I called him and he answered back...in the swamp
    again!  I called a few more times and he came a flying.  This time
    we were armed with a cage and popcorn.  I stood in the open with
    the bag of micro-wave corn and he kept flying back and forth between
    two trees.  I moved under the one he was in and he climbed all the
    way down to about 15ft.  I showed "Maverick" good old "Orville"
    and he got excited about that and hopped on to my shoulder.  A couple
    of kernals later I put the grip on "Mav" and he was in the cage.
    
    "Maverick" seemed to enjoy his furlough but I think he was ready
    for some home cooking.  "Maverick" eats anything and everything
    except cooked veggies.  When we caught up with him his beak was
    purple, so he must of found some berries to dine on while out.
    
    -Kendall
    excited