Oh! This is the first time I actually meet a macaw in person.
Hello parrot lovers! It's Florin from Discover PARROTS. I'm at the Think Parrots 2019.
Most of the birds are inside, but as you can see some macaws are behind me and in a
few minutes I'm going on the other side of the building here at Kempton Park to
film the free flight session with Craig Young. See you soon!
Large parrots, small parrots, in a cage, harnessed or free to fly, Think Parrots
is the place where you can see them with your own eyes, up close and even touch
all sorts of parrots. I have counted 20 species and two hybrids at the 2019 edition.
What is this? This is a hybrid, right? Okay. So between a galah and the... Sulfur-crested cockatoo.
Fantastic! It's the first time I see one. Wonderful! Are you trying to decide which type of
parrot is best for you? Spend a few hours comparing their size, temperament and
noise level, and talking to their keepers. Visit all the exhibitors and talk to
them about cages, food, toys and services like insurance and medical care your
bbird will need. Think about what conditions you can offer realistically
to your pet. Think about the time you must spend with it. Think about the
space in your home you can set aside for it.
Think of your family and neighbours and their level of tolerance. Plan for
a parrot sitter during your holidays. Think parrots!
There’s no other place like Think Parrots where you can find so much information
in the same place straight from real life keepers and experts. There are
various companies offering services like veterinary care, pet insurance,
microchipping, grooming, boarding and even painting a portrait of your beloved
bird. You can take home a wealth of information by subscribing to Parrots
Magazine, the organiser of the event. I’ve been a subscriber for more than ten years
and I am still learning new things about parrots from the pages of this excellent
magazine. My favourite stand was of course Rosemary Low’s, because it was loaded with
books that can teach you about caring for your parrots or take you on distant
voyages to see parrots in the wild. If you prefer to go there in person, just
book a parrot watching holiday with Steve Brookes, at Wild Parrots Up Close.
There are plenty of things to discover if you visit Think Parrots for the first time.
There are even free masterclasses and mini classes for parrot keepers. So put it
in your calendar for 2020 if you missed the 2019 edition! For repeat visitors, Think Parrots
is a chance to meet fellow parrot lovers, many with their pets, and spend
a few hours in a friendly and happy atmosphere. Even shy people like me relax
and talk to strangers and online friends they’re meeting for the first time in person.
Thanks to all parrot lovers who came to
say hello to me and made me feel so welcome! Now let’s go fly a kite!
I’m sorry, I meant parrot. Let’s see Craig Young and his free flying parrots.
Craig works hard to train a variety of parrots for free flying. He demonstrated what can
be done with positive reinforcement. He asked small and large parrots to fly on cue
or come back to him, and even fly through loops. The blue-throated macaw flying
through loops belongs to Richard Strudwick, who was busy filming. Check out
his video in the card above and in the description below.
There were some tense moments while flying two large macaws. Craig took them out for
flying Saturday and they didn’t come back to him.
Luckily, someone found them in the morning and reunited them with their
keeper. But Craig felt uneasy about this, as the birds were tired, or ‘knackered’ as he put it.
And as we feared, one of the parrots did not come back from flying.
Just look at how it happened. Both macaws take off,
turn around gaining altitude, then the military macaw turns left, coming back
to the trainer, while the scarlet macaw, Aurora is her name, keeps going ahead behind the
building and lands in some trees. And that’s where she remained until Craig
finished his flying demonstration with the other parrots and went to pick her up.
All was fine in the end, but just to show anyone interested in free-flying parrots
that there are difficulties and risks involved, and it’s best to train a lot
indoors before letting the birds out in the open. It’s also good to have friends
with their parrots as they can help you, and their birds can help yours fly
safely and come back to you. Don’t do this without expert supervision.
Hello again. I'm back home from Think Parrots. It was awesome, it was beautif.ul
Lots of free-flying parrots and don't forget that Rosemary Low is launching her
new book Parrot Conservation. So I'm looking forward to reviewing this book
in autumn. I'll see you next time. Bye bye!