RE: [Freeflight] Loaded question.....

["Bart Van Hoyweghen" <bart.van.hoyweghen@HswwHGqFSggN-_xN_aeuNCXMWnm_qVf4zACuCCW2KJWtQRTPMQdvJGWappduTqcBmKe4WbiHB_mEsO3Kjjy1KxppgwS1vUc.yahoo.invalid>]

> So here's the loaded question, how does one know when the "time" has
> arrived to try outdoors?  Do you have to always have to accept the
> risk of loss when outdoors?  I am talking of recall, not necessarily
> predation.

I would do a test to check if the time has come.

You say you fly your bird in different places.  The problem is once a bird
comes a second time to a place, he can get used to it.

So when I feel my birds are ready, I take them once to a large hangar, do
recall training and then let them hang out for 15 to 30 minutes.  I have
access to 2 indoor horseback riding tracks.  In both of them, the birds can
perch high up in the roof.  I wait until they perch high up and give them
some time to get used to the height and environment. After a while I do a
recall. The behaviour you'll see then will give you an idea how he reacts
outside.

Again, a second time, a bird can get already used to the place.  (I never
had to train a second time, the behaviour I saw each time was good enough to
take them outside)

Outside there is a lot more distraction (wind, noise,...)

And like Janet said, with older birds you will need to train harder, get
100% recall.  They don't have the instinct like young birds to stay close to
their "parents"

Bart