Raptors vs Parrots Part 1 of 2

IMPORTANT - For more detailed information on training please visit www.adventuresofroku.com/Educational.php

I will pre-emptively get in with as much information as possible to prevent an unnecessary influx of people reacting and posting false info/fear, causing confusion to readers.

I will start by saying that for those that do not understand parrots or free flight processes, the number 1 rule is to never ever compare a pet indoor parrot to a properly trained free flight parrot.
The reason being is that their brain development is significantly different, so fears and assumptions take over simply because you see or imagine your bird flying and not a trained one.

An example would be comparing an office worker to a pilot, they are not the same... one has specifically trained and learned over time to have the necessary knowledge and skill base to not only fly in the air safely but quickly and appropriately deal with varying danger in all kinds of environments.

We live in Australia, this country by comparison has the most aggressive native birds in the world, raptors and troublesome native birds are everywhere and we fly with them daily.
Just as the millions of wild parrots do... every, single, day...

Properly trained free flight parrots need to respond the same way the wild parrots/birds do when danger occurs, Roku, Korra & Pabu do just that :)
They do it almost weekly when and if any danger occurs.
This is part of nature, part of what wild parrots deal with regularly. It is not a reason to assume the worst.

As you can see in the beginning of the video there were no visible raptors, in saying that these particular raptors are not too much of a concern for me as they are not the raptors I see as a real threat, they showed interest simply because Roku & Korra are unfamiliar and loud however would struggle to catch them in the event of a real chase (which did not actually occur) Wedge Tail Eagles are australia's largest eagles and ones I would be concerned with, not these ones.

Roku & Korra have always responded to danger differently and theres pro's and con's... Korra will always without fail utilise a tree and wait until danger has passed to return. I personally like this approach, Roku however refuses from the moment he first got chased/attacked when he was 5months old to use trees.
Instead he has always tried to out manoeuvre and outfly them (which he now does successfully well) he will also make a point of flying higher then danger and returning when it has passed.

Please understand that every single free flight trainer in Australia will have their birds chased by natives or raptors at some point.
This is normal and part of life in Australia, hence why our parrots are old world and very tough :p

At no point was i "freaking out" or worried, again this is because we fly alongside raptors almost daily, yet we did not expect this many to be concentrated in one area which is why we ended up moving down into the valley away from the dam wall.

It's important to know that just because i was not worried about my birds that it does not mean these raptors are harmless.
For example if it was a pet indoor macaw/parrot that flown off instead of Korra, the behaviours of the raptors would be drastically different and more then likely end up in a kill.

This is because of the parrots brain development, being a bird does not automatically mean they know how to fly, they are distinct skills & milestones that need to be met in key stages of development as a young parrot.
Indoor pet parrots have not developed these skills, meaning their behaviour, energy, flight pattern etc highlight weakness and vulnerability. The very thing raptors look for, it ensures a successful kill.

My and other properly trained free flight parrots do not have flight patterns that reflect these qualities, the whole reason why raptors may swoop or show interest in the first place is simply to scare the bird/flock and when they take off quickly assess and identify the weakest link, this is then the bird they go for to kill.

This is why you should never ever take your flighted birds outdoors unrestrained or assume free flight is "recall training".
Recall training does not develop key flight skills to be outdoors, 100% recall indoors for over a year or more can still result in a lost parrot outdoors within 30seconds.

I understand 100% there will be people who will completely panic and think the worst of me and free flight after viewing this video, my point is that kind of reaction is an ignorant one.
It's dismissive of what is really happening, what processes were undertaken to have the birds respond in the appropriate manner, the fact that millions of parrots successfully survive & thrive alongside these raptors daily and what the real risk actually was in this situation.

Видео Raptors vs Parrots Part 1 of 2 канала Adventures of Roku