Carly Lu’s Flight Blog

NEI’s new show at the San Diego Zoo, SOAR: A Symphony in Flight, is in the last few days of training before the opening Saturday night.

I’m glad I watched the training last Saturday as well. There were far fewer opportunities to learn from birds who were giving them training challenges with new behaviors, in a new environment, at night. Everyone’s getting their part down. The teamwork of the trainers and staff is equally impressive. There are a lot of birds in this show, and almost all are cued off stage for behaviors they perform on the set or in the amphitheater. Right now there are no mechanized release cages, so all the entries and exits involve trainers as well.

One thing that struck me, which may seem trivial on its face, is how readily the birds enter their carriers. They are never shooed in, never forced in; it’s always a choice to walk in on their own. Clearly lots and lots of positive reinforcement there on a regular basis. Cool to see with such a tightly orchestrated show.

The other thing that’s very noticeable is how little voracity the birds show for their food rewards. With everything synced to music, video, sound and lighting effects, there isn’t much leeway for birds being reluctant to perform or wandering off script. Their diets are carefully designed to keep their weight in a good range for health and training, but when you see the birds working they don’t go after the food rewards all that rapidly when they’re offered, and their attention is definitely not focused on looking for it from the trainers. Many of them seem almost nonchalant about it. Also very cool to see in a show that demands such precise timing and which is on such a tight schedule for the opening. (Some of these birds only arrived from NEI’s Florida base two weeks ago.) It’s a wonderful demonstration of how weight is just one factor, and hunger doesn’t need to be very strong when there is a trusting relationship based on choice and not force.

The Green Winged Macaw at one of his stations on the set:


Pair of macaw butts stretching for treats:


Worker bees swarming the set:


Pair of very tired trainers waiting for Eurasian Eagle Owl to get set up….

Many more photos in the Facebook album.

Sometime last year, I was concerned about times when Carly would fly so fast down the beach that she’d be out of hearing distance before I could call her back. Barbara Heidenreich suggested training an emergency recall. Zoos use this with some animals in case there is an incident with a trainer or an animal has to be moved quickly to another location. The idea is that the cue is different than a normal recall, and the reward is a huge jackpot, so there is a much higher probability of a response, even in the face of external distractions or competing reinforcers. It’s also a very useful behavior to have trained in case of an accidental escape outdoors.

I practice this once daily at home with both Carly and Piper to keep it fresh, using a referee’s whistle as the cue and usually a whole almond in the shell as their jackpot (highly, highly desired by my guys, as both toys and food). I use it at the beach when Carly is getting too far away, but not every time we go. Typically her flights are large loops, but within visual and hearing range. I am careful not to overuse it, otherwise the jackpot isn’t a jackpot any longer, and the emergency recall loses its extra incentive.

Jackpot!

Today I had the first opportunity to test it with Piper. He is about 15 months old, and has never been especially keen on going outdoors. He simply hasn’t shown the curiosity or ease with things and events outdoors that Carly did, even when very young. When he’s outside I try to take it very easy, going to familiar places routinely, doing a little training there, providing lots of opportunity for calm behavior and lots of reinforcement. We use a harness outside because I want to see far fewer startle responses before free-flying. Today he surprised me by flying out to me as I walked out the front door, then landing on the roof next to the entry. He sat there and looked around, and I wondered how this would play out. I called him a couple times and he stayed where he was, looking at the trees around us. Then I remembered the whistle on my key chain. Gave the double-toot that’s our cue and he looked back at me for a second, then flew right down. I took him inside and got an almond pronto! (Carly got one too, for not flying out the door. )

To get started training the emergency recall I shortened our daily recall training sessions a bit, and switched to the ref’s whistle at the end. At first they had no idea what I was asking for (and were a little startled by the loud sound) so I followed the whistle with our usual recall cue. When they came they got the big jackpot. I did this at the end of every recall session for a few days. Next I moved to different positions in the house, while still in sight, before giving the cue, and then out of sight in a different room. When that was working well, I stopped doing it at the end of our usual training sessions and started those steps over (whistle cue close by, then further away, then from another room) at random times. This is how I keep it in practice now. It’s quite funny to see them come racing in from wherever they are to get their jackpot.

The first time I tested it outside with Carly at the beach, I did it when she was not too far away. I had no idea if she’d respond out there. She turned around so quickly it was as if she skidded and made a u-turn in mid air.

It is not a 100% solution by itself. I still have to keep up all the regular training and practice routines or both kinds of recall get unreliable. In environments where there are a multitude of competing reinforcers (seagulls, people, trees, etc) the regular practice is especially important, so that the whistle works even when other reinforcers are present.

I was very pleased with the response from Piper today on his first escape outside ever. And also pleased that he was eager to go outside to begin with. We took a nice walk outside later so he could explore more, and did our usual training out by the pool.

Next up: competing reinforcers!

For more information, Barbara Heidenreich describes training an emergency recall in Good Bird Magazine

Carly Lu’s Flight Blog
http://likambo.com/flyblog

Sheira is 1 year old today (give or take a few days — her previous owner, who she is named after, did not know the exact day).

She was clipped from wingtip to “armpit” when I brought her home, and yet she was a fearless skydiver. She is all grown in now and flies around the house like a flutterbee (butterfly x bumblebee!)

Steve Martin’s Natural Encounters Inc (NEI) is creating a beautiful new nighttime bird show for the San Diego Zoo, with an environmental theme set to music and visuals. The set with full sound and lighting is spectacular (got a brief view during some testing). Here’s a peak at some of the birds being trained for the night show.

Me and my friend-in-forgetfulness Hillary (aka Tex, and NEI’s newest full-time trainer) both managed to forget our good cameras, so only the bigger birds and the ones trained before my iPhone ran out of juice made it in here. Over a very long evening, they also worked with several Eurasian Eagle Owls, two Keas, Blue Headed Macaws, a troop of rats, a pot-bellied pig, a 40-year-old American Fish Eagle, African White-necked Ravens, a flock of chickens, a rooster, and a pair of gorgeous Toucans. These show Steve training the Andean Condor (above) and the Maribou Stork with Wouter Stellard.

Steve and the senior trainers — Cari Clements, Dillon Holger, Lindsey Morse, Wouter — plus the other staff, certainly had their hands full. Some birds worked better than others, and usually the trainers were aware of potential problems before they happened. The level of difficulty and length of the training session appeared to be monitored very, very carefully, and no one was pushed even remotely near the danger zone. (Remember, this is training in a brand new environment, outdoors, at night, in the middle of a large city.) One of the important lessons I’ve learned for flying Carly in an urban area has been to be careful to never, ever knowingly push the safety zone. Knowing when NOT to go flying, or when to call it a day, is a crucial part of good training. So I found watching the training of the more challenging birds of the evening especially interesting. Not recognizing the limits essentially trains the bird for bad behavior by allowing an opportunity for competing reinforcers. (Once a bird settles in a nice tree there are no “do-overs.”)

Observing good trainers can be an education in itself: the ideas for solving problems, teamwork, different personal styles. But what I find most interesting is the clarity of the human-bird interaction when trainers are very focused and experienced in applying scientific training principles. Great opportunity to learn by example. Especially impressive when the trainers still have that focus after the fatigue of an already long day’s work and several intense weeks of preparation.

More fun pictures here. Hopefully some soon with a proper camera!

For more information about the show, see the San Diego Zoo site. There are also two daytime shows, at 2pm and 4pm. Opening is next weekend, June 27th (26th for zoo members).

For more information about NEI, see Natural Encounters, Inc. The “Press Room” area has some excellent articles on training and behavior, by the NEI staff and others. NEI also does week-long intensive training workshops for companion parrot owners once or twice per year.

Parrot “ezines” are not authorized to reprint
content of this blog.   I am not a member or “friend” of any external
sites, with the exception of ones on which this blog link is listed on
their blogroll. Sites who do this without linking to the original site are engaging
in a practice called “scraping” to get traffic to their own site.

Standard procedure is to publish a few lines of a blog’s most recent
post, with a link to the rest directly on the blog’s web site.   If
this is not done, it’s very likely that whoever is reprinting the
content is doing so without the author’s permission.

The real blog is located here:
Carly Lu’s Flight Blog
http://likambo.com/flyblog

I just addressed a question about training the Aviator harness on a forum.

I forget all the details of how the Aviator recommends training, but I know they don’t emphasize how slowly you need to go and don’t break it down into small enough steps. I think if they were honest about that it would probably decrease their sales because people would perceive it as “too difficult”, or at least too time consuming.

Here are some tips for those very first steps.

If you’re seeing visible avoidance reactions, you’re going too fast. Too many of those and it will become a serious aversive and instead of training to wear a harness, you will have trained to hate harnesses.

At each step go only as far as your bird is comfortable with. A big problem with the Aviator is doing the loop over the head in baby steps. Starting with treats through the loop is good, but when it comes to actual contact that’s a huge step. When you approach that part don’t even try to put it all the way on. Just put it over his beak or head as far as he will allow without backing off, then immediately remove it. BIG treat. Repeat it at that level as long as it takes until he’ll allow a little bit more. It may seem like you’re not making any progress, but you’re actually setting up a big history of reinforcement. Repetition is good!

When you get to the point where he’ll allow it all the way over his head, be prepared to remove it immediately at first. You don’t want him to feel trapped. Just over the head and off, then treat. When that’s going well, you can do over the head, treat — BIG treat — then off. Then leave it on a little longer before the treat. Always be prepared to take it off immediately if he wants it off.

Lots of praise and treat at the end of session!

Repetition good!
Repetition good!
Repetition good!

And all are fine. When I start getting mail of the postal kind from people wondering if the the birds and I are OK, I know it’s time to update! May was a very busy month at work and at home so I haven’t been able to write blog posts, which I usually spend a bit of time with.

However, I do have a Facebook account now that I update regularly with tidbits and photos that are often about the birds.

You can find us by clicking on the Facebook profile on the right sidebar —>

Here are a few highlights from the last month.

Hanging out on roof racks (our new wheels!)

hangin on the patio:

hangin at the pub with Henry & Hill:

hangin at the pool, checkin out guys’ butts:

meetin’n'greetin at Starbucks:

helping:

and just being pretty:

GrrlScientist is preparing an Op-Ed piece for the New York Times about HR 669. If you do research or conservation work on exotic species that would be negatively impacted by this bill, she would like to include that in her editorial. She needs, within the next day:

A statement that includes (1) their research species (2) a basic
description of their work and (3) how HR 669 will negatively impact
their work. They can include anything else they wish to say, but their
response MUST have those three details so i can use them in my
writing.

The identities of all who respond will be kept strictly confidential
UNLESS the respondent says otherwise.

Please email me or comment here and I’ll pass her contact info along.

Also, if you are a member of any of these organizations, please consider contacting them. They are part of the National Environmental Coalition on Invasive Species (NECIS) which strongly supports this bill (taken from their web site):

* Center for International Environmental Law
* Defenders of Wildlife
* Ecological Society of America
* Environmental Law Institute
* Great Lakes United
* Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition
* Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
* National Association of Exotic Pest Plant Councils
* National Audubon Society
* National Wildlife Federation
* National Wildlife Refuge Association
* Natural Areas Association
* Natural Resources Defense Council
* The Nature Conservancy
* Union of Concerned Scientists

On her blog Living the Scientific Life, GrrlScientist does a fantastic job of explaining and critiquing HR 669, the Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act. She is a PhD zoologist/ornithologist who has done research on lories.

Some of my work involves studying the transport of invasive marine species, so I’m no stranger to the subject. If there were any kind of rational, sound, scientific merit to the bill I would be the first to point that out. But this bill fails to deal with the most basic problems of invasive exotics, as well as some of the most harmful species, while applying draconian prohibitions on hundreds of animals frequently kept as pets. It would literally be a death sentence for many animals whose species had not gone through the usually lengthy — and in HR 669 undefined — process of exemption.

GrrlScientist lays out some of the most glaring shortcomings and logical inconsistencies, so I’ll let her do the work!

I have found many positions taken by the “anti-animal rights” lobby to be overreactions to sound policies. This one isn’t. I’m actually stunned that many respectable environmental organizations are supporting it.

UPDATE: Look for an Op-Ed piece by GrrlScientist in the New York Times in the coming week.

I’ve been asked a lot about using harnesses: how I use them, what kind I use, how to train a bird to wear one, etc.

I find they’re a great way to allow our birds to go on outings with us, become acclimated to the outdoors, get some fresh air and sunshine, and generally improve their quality of life in captivity. I do not in general use harnesses for flying, except for a limited period when I’m practicing controlled A-B outdoor flights with a newly trained bird. The information here is intended for using harnesses as an alternative to carriers, or for short, controlled flights, not as an alternative for free-flight training.

Piper’s first walk to the beach, Fall 2008.

Training

Training a bird to use a harness involves more than just training to allow it to be put on. Another important component is making sure the bird is trained to remain calm when walking with you on your hand or shoulder, training to come when called, and getting acclimated to the outdoors.

For training to wear a harness, there is a good article by Barbara Heidenreich featuring Stephanie Ernst’s African Grey Dexter. Harness Training Your Bird. Before starting your bird should be hand tame and accepting of having his wings and head touched.

Before or during harness training, you can train your bird to walk around with you calmly and stay on your hand, if he doesn’t already, and also train recall. (See the Parrot Recall Training page for more info.) These are very important skills to have in place before going outside on a leash. If a bird startles outdoors and tries to fly on the harness, he will begin to dislike it and all your hard work training will go back to square one. Training recall is important in order to deal with a startle flight if it does occur, and also for safety in case of an accidental escape. These should be practiced regularly so the bird gains confidence.

Before going outside, you should test the harness indoors and practice there if needed, doing routine things around the house. When going outdoors for the first time, if your bird is not already used to it, it’s a good idea to take it slowly and not bombard him with too much at once. A short walk around the garden, or just sitting quietly with you may be enough for the first few days. Introduce new things at a pace he can handle, and always give lots of reinforcement. Pay attention to your bird’s body language for signs of stress, and call it a day or go to a more familiar location if he seems to be getting uneasy. You want to keep this a positive experience for the bird, since that’s the whole purpose!

What kind of harness is best?

I have used the Aviator, Feather Tether and Kaylor Collar (Fredbird). Each has its advantages and disadvantages, and these will also depend on the preferences of you and your bird. The general consensus about the Aviator and Kaylor Collar is that they are easy to handle and very lightweight, but the head loop is difficult for some birds to accept. Some like the more open buckle style of the Feather Tether, but some find it’s complicated to put on and somewhat bulky. Another product that often comes up in harness discussions is the Flight Suit/Bird Diaper. These are not intended to be used as an outdoor leash system, and I would not trust them to restrain birds larger than a small cockatiel. Even though they sell leashes for them, their main function is as a poop suit for indoor use.

Features that you’ll want to consider when making a choice are

• whether or not there is a loop you have to put over the head (as opposed to buckling it around their neck) and if your bird will allow it
• how heavy the harness is (Aviator and Kaylor are very light and have only one buckle; the Feather Tether is a bit bulkier).
• what style of buckle it uses. Some have metal slide buckles (A, KC) while some have clips (FT)The consideration here is whether your bird can unbuckle or unclip it, as well as how easy it is to put on.
• how the wings fit through it. Some require the wings to be pulled through a loop (KC, A) and some have straps that buckle around the wings (FT).
• what kind of leash is used. Most have nylon web leashes like a small dog leash (FT, KC) which are quite sturdy. The Aviator has a built in elastic leash which is nice in case of a startle flight, but I’d test out it’s sturdiness with larger parrots.
• how the leash is attached. Some parrots are very quick to unclip a dog-leash style clip if it’s nearby. A pear clip is more difficult to undo, though it can be done with a lot of fiddling. With any clip, keep a watch on what your bird is doing with it. Carly never touches any kind of clip, and Piper tries to undo everything.

. . .
Homemade Harnesses

Because I use these so much, and no one harness has all the features I want, I make my own using 3/8″ nylon webbing, D-rings and buckles that can be purchased online. The source I use is Creative Design Works (http://www.cdwplus.com/). They have a wide variety of buckles, clips, and webbing colors to choose from.

This is the design I’m currently using, which has a slide buckle on both the chest strap and neck strap, so there is no loop that goes over the head, and you don’t have to pull the wings through a loop either. But it is still relatively lightweight and not bulky.

A full set of photos showing how it is put on are here.

The harnesses are constructed using superglue and/or sewing machine stitching. The ends can be cut and singed with a match to prevent unraveling, and adding a bit of superglue on the end makes it even sturdier.

If you’re using metal slide buckles, they can be secured better by tying a knot in the end of the strap but you have to plan for an extra long waist strap (see photographs).

Safety Precautions

• Always link the leash to your body (or some other secure object like a chair if you’re staying put.) There are many types of clips that can be used for this (trigger hooks, snap hooks, caribiners). Creative Design Works has a wide variety, and you can find some at local marine supply or hardware stores. Do not rely on a leash loop held in your hand or around your wrist unless it can be tightened enough that it won’t come off without direct effort.
• It takes training to keep the harness experience a positive one. A harness is not a substitute for training. The best way to ensure the harness doesn’t become an aversive, holding the bird back if it tries to fly, is to prevent startle flights as much as possible. This includes training your bird to ride calmly on your hand in a variety of indoor environments; training a reliable recall so the bird is familiar with flying on cue, and can be retrieved more easily if there is an accidental escape; and acclimating gradually to the outdoors. As with any training, repetition and practice create confidence, so the more this is part of your regular routine the better.
• Be aware of your environment. Just as with outdoor free-flying, having a bird outdoors on a harness involves paying very close attention to your surroundings. Keep an eye open for things that might startle your bird, as well as physical dangers such as hawks or unruly dogs. Also, since you’re the anchor, be aware of things that might startle you.
• Use a short leash for the most control. If it is not used for flying, a leash doesn’t need to be any longer than a couple feet. Keeping it short gives you more control if the bird becomes agitated or startles, and prevents a severe jerk if it suddenly flies. I have also put extra loops or hooks on my leashes about a foot from the bird where I can hold on or attach it to me if I think it’s necessary.

. . .
Using harnesses for freeflight training

Although I don’t fly my birds on a harness for recreation, I do use it when introducing a bird to outdoor flight. I like it for acclimating a bird to the outdoors without the barrier of a cage. Also, before free-flying, we do practice sessions of short A-B recalls on on a harness with a 10-15 foot retractable leash. This allows me to test the bird’s focus outdoors without the risk of a fly-off. Once a bird is free-flying, I use it at the very beginning of each session for a week or two to make sure all systems are go (focused, motivated, relaxed). Again, it’s not a substitute for training; it’s just an extra precaution for those first few days when everything is very new to the bird.
. . .
Piper busy acclimating in Balboa Park,



and readying for take-off during some practice at home.


. . .

Some people also do short A-B recalls for fun and exercise when they have their bird on outings. As a final shot, here is Barb Saunders’ Ducorp Cockatoo, Daphne, on vacation in Lake Tahoe (sporting a turquoise blue Aviator). It’s hard not to think that’s a look of joy.

Harness links:

Aviator Harness
Feather Tether (many online and local vendors)
Kaylor Collar
Flight Suits (outdoors for tiny birds only)

Note: Freeflight Warning