Are Older Birds Cut Out For Freeflight? | Sam the 17 Year Old Macaw
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ม.ค. 2022
- Meet Sam, a 17 year old blue and gold macaw who has been in the same family since day one. When one day his 14 year old owner decided to train him.
It's important to understand that although many older birds are CAPABLE of learning free flight, the expectation needs to be realistic. Older birds, because of their lack of strength, endurance and skill, make them very vulnerable and until they are up to a higher level of all of those things should be conditioned only in extremely low risk areas outdoors. It could take years to get an older bird to a level 2-3 where a baby bird naturally advances to on their first flight trip. Have patience and be smart about where and when you take your bird outside to get that conditioning.
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This video is made in collaboration with Marshall Radio World. To learn more about how to use GPS and Telemetry on your freeflighted parrot, visit www.birdtricksgps.com
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MY BIRDS (Oldest to Youngest) 🐦❤
BONDI 💗 Galah | hatched 2005
CRESSI 💗 Congo African Grey | hatched 2007
BANDIT 💙 Galah | hatched 2008-2019 💔
JINX 💙 Blue Throat Macaw | hatched 2008
COMET 💙 Yellow-Dominant Camelot Macaw | hatched 2008
TUSA 💙 Blue-Green Dominant Camelot Macaw | hatched 2008
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BirdTricks is a husband-wife team; Dave and Jamieleigh Womach specialize in parrot training and companionship.
#parrots #birds #parrottraining
It's never too late to train new behaviours! Even those as complex as free flying! How lovely seeing him find his wings 😍
It's amazing to see her change the standard of care for the family pet and invest a lot of time and effort into enriching each bird's life! Sam may be old to fledge, but he has many years left to enjoy the skills he is currently learning. :)
Wow Go Sam. Even if Sam never does huge exploratory flights you have made his world so much bigger and so much more interesting and that is amazing.
Health, confidence, patience, conditioning and communication...Sam and Elinor’s journey is inspiring.
Cook was 45 when I was born, he was a wild caught chick taken from a next and sold to my grandad as a 6 month old clipped chick, when I was 4 I cried to try stop a wing clip, my granddad said ok we won’t clip him but don’t come crying to us when he flys away, he couldn’t fly at all, it took 3 years of me holding while jumping on the trampoline to get his muscles strong enough to fly, he flew fro the rest of his life, I lost him when he was 65 I’m guessing due to his died for almost 50 years, but he had an amazing flight that day, n died in his sleep that evening, all macaw can fly given the right help, it took me years to get another, my next is 22 months now and a super little flyer since fledge…I love her, she reminds me of a younger me, as soon as I was born Cook became my bird..looks like the same is he case here..love it..a good idea for anyone not into flying outside for what ever reason is a warehouse or indoor horse riding school if you can find such a place…
So happy for you, Eleanor!
omg its gold
Awww! This video is SO INSPIRATIONAL!!! Thank you for sharing!! You are so wise, patient, and eloquent with your testimony. I hope to see more of your video accounts. You are a true “senior parrot “ whisperer!!! Take care, hope to see another video with you and your birds soon!! God Bless you and your family including feathered family!!
Finally a really "older bird" flight training video! Most I see online are 3-8 years old and that is NOT old.
I'm struggling training a 32 year old and this was very encouraging. I wish I could afford you as trainers 😞🥰
My bird is 37 and as far as I know never flown! I am wanting to teach him to free flight as well I hope it is possible!
Just remember, he’s a macaw. 17 isn’t old for a macaw. It’s old enough for habits to form, and it takes a while to unlearn old habits. He also needed to develop muscle condition and all that just takes time and patience to work thru, which you seem to have a handle on. Good luck for many happy days flying with Sam
I was just going to say this. This is so young for a macaw and he/she definitely has more than enough time to grow and learn !
I believe in my budgie, he's 1 year old and he is SO attached to me. After I'm done with training my new baby I'll continue working with him.
Very inspiring video! This girl has some serious dedication in her young age! :)
Sam is very lucky to have such an amazing owner who sees his potenial and cares about him so much, wishing them the best on their journey!
This brought tears to my eyes! What an inspiration to never give up!
Please tell me she's making a TH-cam channel or you guys will follow along with her. She's so sweet and you can tell she loves birds. I have a feeling she'll always have birds.
Maybe I will make a TH-cam Channel 👀
@@aphandling6315 you better or ill throw a table /j
I IOVE this story. This young lady and her love for her bird is so inspirational! Keep it up. One day he may be soaring!
What a nice story. I hope he will be able to soar the sky's eventually
Just like elderly humans, we shouldn’t give up on elderly birds either! They have so much love and happy moments to give us! That’s awesome how much patience everyone had with Sam. Totally worth it. Beautiful bird. 🦜♥️👏🏼
Elderly? Don’t macaws live to 80? 17 is young still.
I teared up. What an inspiration! Way to go Eleanor and her birds!
I feel like I am in the exact same situation right now, I just received a Blue and Gold Macaw that is 15 years old. He has lived with the same couple his whole life and has never flown before (cut feathers). I and my wife received him and decided that as soon as his feathers grow back in, we would train him to fly. His diet was absolute trash before, with similar fake food and a peanut diet. Now we are trying to switch over to fresh veggie chop and keeping the nuts for treats, and for the first time yesterday, he made some leeway on flying! We just started, so this video is very inspirational as now I know it is possible.
Such a great video!!! Never too old to make a new start on something incredible! You are such excellent owner for both birds. You're going to do magical things.
Smart girl... cool bird
Wow, she is so brave!!❤️
A Very sweet video showing wonderful dedication. Patiently giving him the ability to fly. Beautiful.
So excited for Ellinor and Sam, and hopefully we will get a chance to see Sam flying outdoors in all his glory. In my humble opinion Ellinor and Sam are in the best hands to make this dream come true. Thank you Jamie and Dave for sharing, see you soon!
Couldn’t agree more! 💜
Ah, nice to see old birds can learn new tricks! Great seeing this.
Wow you have such a good heart. The world with young people like you is gonna have a great future. I really enjoyed your video.
17 years he is a youngster yet ! Good mom !
This makes me so happy i should be getting one real soon ive had alexandras and cockatiels my alexandra was almost like this.
This video puts such a smile on my face i may have a macaw finally real soon 3ths old wont be able to reall fly still hand fed but thats where you get the best rewards
This gives me so much hope! We have a blue and gold macaw as well and he is 19 years old. As far as we know he has never flown. We weren't really given a whole lot of info on his background. I would love to see him fly bc he loves to be outside!
Very inspirational video please share the progress 👍👍🇵🇷
Thank you for this video! I have an old conure and he's learning so much but I want him to be able to fly! That's my goal for him. I feel that I, as a human, owe him that chance. He was taken from his natural environment to be a prisoner, basically. Watching this gives me hope that together, he and I, can achieve this. Again, thank you so much 3
Love that the bird was there at the time of her birth!
WOOOO go Eleanor!!!!❤️ So proud!!
hi HONOR
not me being an annoying rat and saying hello to everyone i know here SJSJSJ
@@ParakeetWorld NO I LOVE IT AHAHAH HIII
Beautiful video, can’t wait to see the progress
Love see Birds flying FREE
Goose bumps! Thank you for sharing!
What a beautiful bird.
So proud of and inspired by you and Sam! Ily
I love your free flight videos. Congratulations Sam!
Wonderful wonderful wonderful wonderful wonderful wonderful wonderful wonderful wonderful wonderful wonderful
I love this!
Awesome scenery.
Loved your video showing how much care and time and effort you put into making Sam's life so much more enjoyable.
Fantastic teamwork 🙌 Beautiful to watch ❤
Wow what a great video Eleanor. It's great that your giving Sam the ability to gain the freedom of flight again.
This was so touching to watch. Thank you for sharing this beautiful story ❤️
Well done, Sam!
Great video
I love watching the birds fly! So cool that with a good diet, a person truly dedicated to keep up with conditioning the bird, that even older birds can fly! 🦜
What a heart warming story! Tears...She is such a great girl to be so thoughtful and engage with Sam as she has. Thank you for the nice story. I am sure Sam is a very happy bird, right?
Beautiful 😍
Very nice video
Yay! This is great.
I hope you guys will post update videos on Sam and the 25 year old African Grey. Great Video! 💜
Awesome
Welcome to the freeflight world Sam and Eleanor!
on a side note, your dedication, attitude, application,... are very ..i dont even know any other word..
You are very "mature"/ intelligent/ professional? for a 14 year old, . respect to you
Great cideo
❤️ wow !!!
oh.. I am early! Amazing that he can finally fly :3
in macaw terms old is 40-50 years old with potential of 80-90 years of full life. but if they haven't flown for that time it will be a prolonged process of getting them to confidently fly
Haha we have all been there been frustrated i taught my alexandra to circuit in the room. Was easier than i though but takes time takes time knew many tricks she went everywhere and talked alittle bit.
I wonder if after training mine will these people come out and help me freeflight for the first time im scared of the day with no line id want a professional with me. Im good at training i over worry but i really want this i know that any bird is capable of it.
Ima join i never join youtube groups ima join when i get a macaw.
This story has warmed my heart i havent even had asian coffee with sugar yet i found this straight away
I love birtricks
Thank you for sharing... my greenwing macaw is 11 years old and I been thinking about doing this with her..thank you it is possible
I adore you
By far one of my most favorite videos ever! This girl reminds me so much of myself at her age when I was free flying my birds! ❤️🥹 it’s so amazing to see the younger generation being involved in things like this !
My older rescue lorikeet with FUSED WINGS has decided she wants to fly now. Cute but sad she can't, she'd doing great with climbing confidence though & I just have to watch her, cause she's leaping off stuff trying to fly (and she falls like a rock everytime, cause her wings can't open). Meanwhile my bird who is fully capable of flying refuses to & has started crying if I don't turn the tv on for him to watch every day lol.
Meanwhile, this video's really inspirational. "old" bird, but awesomely young trainer with such a big future!
❤️
Krása👀⭐😊🍀💛💜💚❤️🌞
I love birds and this is cool as H____!
Can I start free flight training a 9 month old cockatiel? He was clipped once while being hand fed but has had his flight feathers back for months now. I got him when he was 4 months old and I never forced him to step up or grabbed him and I’ve given him the correct care. I haven’t trick trained in about two months so I got to get back into it. I bought an aviator harness but never used it. Also I have an un tame budgie I need to work with. I had to rehome my 5 month old morkie puppy because he was too much work and he was taking away time from the birds and my other animals. Anyways I want to work on free flight or harness training with my cockatiel Crosby and maybe eventually harness training my budgie creed with one of the 3 budgie harnesses I have. Anyways I love your channel!!
This is such an inspirational video Thnal you. I have a 17 year old amazon parrot that I have never seen fly. I dont think he can. On the odd occasion he gets startled and tries he just ends up on the floor. Is it possible to teach a parrot to fly if they never have. I have had him 4 years and dont know his history at all so dont know if he ever has flown in the past
The first step should be a wellness exam with an Avian Vet to check if your bird is physically healthy enough to learn flight.
HI thank you very much for your reply. He had one not so long ago although I didnt ask about flying as I didnt think it would be possible, Vet said he is in good health. Bloods good. Vet did say he hasnt got a lot of chest wing muscle so I guess that wont help,
So great I got first comment on exactly great time
My little 3-year old Conure "Kimmi" escape from us allmost one year ago......She was flying a long way across the street and landed on a roof there!!!!Her flight was for about 300 meters and we haven´t trained her to fly down to us 😞
After she was flying over the rooftops one more time I didn´t think that I would see her again!!!!😯😓
But we found her sitting in a place that I was 0,5 meter to reach her!!!!!We manage to get her down from that place with a chair that we borroved from a naybor.That was the only time she escape....She got a good adventure,but we where crying when we where looking for her for two houers or something.She passed away three mounts ago in 9 november after she being struggelin for her life at the vet.hospital!!!I will never forget my little Kimmi!!!!!💖😪We have other birds now......but it´s not the same as she was!!!😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
I am so sorry for your loss 😢
I’m so sorry. I’m sure Kimmi knew she was loved.
Who’s the AG perched to her right (screen left)?
It’s Eleanor’s African grey Squeaker!
yo what are those things that do the click click what are they called
A training clicker, here is a link for you :) birdtricksstore.com/collections/main-store/products/training-clicker
💜💙💚💛🧡❤
Watch out for eagles!!! 😮
رررروعه
Shes my age i am also 14
Hey Jamie!
This may or may not be linked towards the video (which is by the way is the greatest) but i think i saw your husband Dave in one of the cake boss episodes with your fluffy fire chicken (Comet)
Here is the video!: th-cam.com/video/vX1YJ050pCo/w-d-xo.html Also skip to 1:28 in that video to see it!
Love from the UK, Hope to someday meet you when i have the chance with my budgies!
❤
American viewers will need a VPN, as the Cake Boss episode won’t play for us!
First comment
I don't care what anyone says any bird regardless of age who is healthy can free fly I personally would not risk it with my birds which are budgies and they would fly and never come home .
Wait 17 is old for a macaw?
It is not old in comparison to their lifespans, but learning the skill of flight at that age can be challenging.
I want to get a bird so bad but it has to wait until I can afford the care and space for one. :( With this economy I wonder if that is ever.
Maybe start out w a budgie? They do not require huge cages and lots of food. A single batch of chop should keep a budgie a long time.
Indeed, start small!
@@rebeccaburrow7199 Budgies need the same amount of space as many birds. They still need a proper flight cage, and overall there is no beginner bird.
@@ParakeetWorld while i agree that all birds are big committments, you must concede some are easier for beginners than others due to size, temperment type, etc. Budgies are great little birds, as you know. Its not like having a cockatoo, and they do not eat as much as a big macaw (decent food cost consideration is real for many thinking about a bird), so their size and general affability does make them better as a first bird. They are great birds. Also not as intimidating, at least to me. Its kind of like saying a lab is a good first dog, not a mastiff. All dogs are committments, but some are definitely more challenging than others.
@@rebeccaburrow7199 yes, you are correct. i was mainly comparing budgies to cockatiels, conures and such (aside from bar spacing.)
Isn't 17 pretty young for a macaw? I thought they could live as long as humans.
17 year old is a baby... I've seen macaws live over 100 years lol
I’ve said this to many other people. Sam NEVER fledged as a baby which can result in some parts of the body “aging” faster than others. Sam has very low stamina and it’s a battle to keep him in shape. Also not many people choose to fly any parrot over 10 years old because it’s challenging. That’s why it’s called “flying older birds” or “older bird freeflight” because he isn’t young. Also 17 is not a baby. At the age of 17 Sam is sexually mature and very well has more knowledge and capabilities that he has learned since hatched back in 2004. That would be like telling your 17 year old offspring that they are just a baby. He may not be “old” but he is still older than most freeflighted parrots which classifies it as “older parrot freeflight.”
@@aphandling6315 I've adopted a rescued a 32 year old African grey, who wasn't treated well and cage bound, the sanctuary did a good job at rehabilitation nutrition wise... wings are still growing back out, but I've already been working on short recal training with him...
17 is not at all old for a macaw :) . They have a similar life expectancy as humans.
Being captive and out of natural living conditions is his biggest challenge, not his age.
Actually, his age was quite the challenge. Sam had to go through a re-fledging process at 16 years old compared to most young macaws that start at around three months old. Age is a huge factor in freeflight and the training. I'm aware that he is not old, but he is old by the standards of freeflight. Within the community, we do not see many freeflyers with birds over 10 years old. Sam's situation was special in many ways and a huge part of it was his age because of the challenge of teaching a bird that never fledged as a baby to fly. It's like teaching a young adult to walk at 16 years old because they weren’t given the chance to walk. Teaching Sam to even hop to my hand took months of convincing and troubleshooting. It was a constant battle for progress and it still is. When we say he is old we are talking in the terms of freeflight, not lifespan. And replying to being out of his natural living conditions, Sam has never experienced the wild in any sort of way. Sam was hatched from an incubator and hand-reared. He was never taken out of his natural home. All he has ever known is human captivity. The assumption of his biggest challenges is frustrating considering his biggest challenges have been his confidence and his age in the flying. Yes, he came from a bad past, but in the same sense, he also got over that hump of the bad diet and the neglect fairly quick once I took on 100% of his care at the age of seven. Yes, he was still not on the best diet, but as a young child at the time I had no control nor confidence to speak out against it. Sam is currently living his best life, but his challenge was never being taken out of out of the wild because he simply wasn't. His challenges were growing up neglected, clipped, and with a degree of improper care. Most of the neglect was due to misinformation and pure oblivious behaviors from my guardians simply because of the lack of knowledge. Sam is now a very healthy and happy macaw. But out of all people who would know his struggles, it would be his primary caretaker, and as his primary caretaker, I feel that I know very well of the struggles he has faced throughout his life; current and past.
A 17 year old Macaw is a young bird
He’s old for Freeflight. And has a lot of muscle loss. There are certain parts of his body that have aged faster and that’s what makes him considered an “old bird”.
@@aphandling6315 so he is a young Macaw that hasn't been taken care of properly.
Clearly stated in the video I said in the past. I cant control what happened in the past. I can only try to make it better now. He is in a proper diet, with enrichment, socialization, exercise, sunlight, and much more. I wasn’t the one who initiated clipping or locking him in the cage.
He’s also considered an older bird in the freeflight area because if there’s not many parrots out there being taught freeflight at his age. Many think it’s impossible. He’s not necessarily old but he is considered old in some ways like how his body aged improperly (wing muscles and stamina) along with comparing to other freeflight birds that typically he’s much older than.
@@aphandling6315 Oh I wasn't pointing a finger at YOU. I doubt that someone who mistreats animals would suddenly develope a conscious and apply effort in order to try to rehabilitate their animal.
I let my budgies fly out the window.
17 is not old for a macaw considering they can live to be 60 years plus.
Hi there! Yes that isn’t old but considering Sam never fledged as a baby which I mentioned, his body and musclular structure in some parts of his body has aged much faster. I’m aware he will live for a long time. But considering his time of his refledging he is considered a bit “old”.
@@aphandling6315 I wish him a very long, and fully flighted, life😊
17 isn’t even old for a macaw!
No but I think this video is more so about how people tend to have the mindset that you can only train and do these kind of things if you’ve done it with them from a young age. Hopefully this video will help encourage people to see the potential that “older” birds have rather then thinking you would need to have a baby bird to do it
The bird’s older than his trainer tho….
And that didn’t stop me. Only pushed me more and to show myself I have the capabilities to freeflight him myself.