A few considerations before pursuing free flight…
Some people, when interested in free flight, ask questions like “Do I really need a mentor?” or “What else do I have to do besides recall training?” I have written out as many free-flight-related variables and considerations I could think of, but I know there are even more than the ones listed below. (If you think this is too much to read, free flight is probably not a good fit for you.)
What species do you plan on flying? What is their natural behaviour like in the wild, and what is their general ability for establishing a social relationship with humans? Do you have a species of bird known for being less social towards humans, such as an IRN or Alexandrine? Are you going to be implementing pair/flock-flying and food management to offset this? Is your bird a budgie, who would flock with hundreds of other birds in the wild, and may fly off in a panic when you try to fly it alone despite prior extensive outdoor desensitisation? Is your bird a cockatiel, who requires a specific kind of naturalistic location away from any neighbourhoods, suburbs, or “built-up” areas? Is your bird an eclectus male who will be driven beyond any interest in you, a human, to find a bird mate when he nears/reaches sexual maturity? How well do you know the natural inclinations of your species of choice? Have you discussed their candidacy and strengths/weaknesses with other free-flyers?
Would your species of choice be relatively safe flying solo, or would it be a much better idea for that species to fly with a flock for safety against predators? If you are training more than one bird, how are you going about it? Are you making sure to train and build a relationship with each one individually? Do you understand that flock dynamics can be complex and that you cannot expect to suddenly begin flying a handful of birds together successfully outdoors, regardless of how well they do indoors? Are you flying these birds at liberty from a familiar outdoor aviary/home-based location, or are you taking these birds to a flight location? Do you understand what can be different about these two situations?
What is your bird’s developmental background like? Was it clipped and/or kept in a tiny cage during crucial stages of brain development? Did it learn how to fly at the natural age in an appropriately stimulating environment for the cultivation of both physical and mental abilities? What is its age? How far past the natural fledging age is it? Was your bird reared in a household where it learned to trust and be close to cats/dogs, which can present as entirely dangerous predators outdoors? Has your bird developed any maladaptive behaviours or phobias as a result of previous negative treatment that may suddenly manifest given certain stimuli they experience outdoors? Is the bird healthy? Does it have any medical issues which may expose it to a higher level of risk outdoors? Is it albino or lutino? Do you know how either of these mutations can affect vision?
What is your bird’s physical fitness level? Has it practised all it could indoors? What about in an outdoor enclosure? Does it respond to you with contact calls when you’re out of sight? Does it demonstrate some basic understanding of locating you by sound? Does it know recall? How solid is it? Is the bird’s recall a little off, but it intensely follows you everywhere? Does it lose interest in you as soon as it is full on treats? Are you using food management? Do you understand the difference between food management and weight management as well as why the latter is not recommended? If you are using food management, does it create motivation and reliability to a sufficient extent? Is your method of food management appropriate for the dietary needs and caloric expenditure of your species?
What is your bird’s comfort level with the outdoors? Has it practised at least a little bit of flying in some type of outdoor enclosure such as an aviary or batting cage, if possible? Can it handle blinding sunshine as well as cloudy skies? Wind? What level of wind? Rain? What amount of rain? Has it seen all the common birds it is likely to encounter once outdoors, such as songbirds, seagulls, crows, geese, and vultures? Has it heard their calls? What about airplanes flying directly overhead? Has it heard the sound of cars and trucks rumbling and honking? What about lawnmowers and power tools? If not these, what other strange sights and sounds might it encounter at the place you intend to fly it? Is it sufficiently confident so as not to panic if it sees a novel object or stranger? Is it a little too socialised and willing to land on and go home with everyone?
What is your game plan for when you take the bird outdoors? Does it have a strong social bond with you, have you implemented food management, or both? Are you just taking the bird out and hoping for the best, or do you have a routine to follow? How long will you take it out for each session? Where will you take it to fly? Do you know, based on the type of bird you have, how it will most likely react when spooked? Do you need a mile-wide open field or something with trees? Do you have binoculars to better aid you in tracking the bird if it flies far? Will you be able to follow after the bird if it does fly off, or are you going to be restricted by private property, fences, or other obstacles? Are there power lines, turbines, busy roads, or other dangerous man-made structures present at that location?
What is the weather forecast like for the next several days, should something go wrong? What will the temperature be during that time? What temperature range is your bird acclimated to? What are the predicted wind speeds? What wind speed are you comfortable flying a beginner bird of that size in? Will your bird be exposed to weather conditions it is not yet comfortable with? Will your bird not want to or not be able to leave a tree due to the weather? Will it have trouble finding its way back due to the weather should it be out all night? Could it become totally lost or die overnight due to inclement weather conditions?
What birds are native to where you plan to fly–not just of your state or town, but of THAT flight location in particular? Have you been there? Did you notice it’s very heavy on seagulls, crows, or raptors, which your bird may not be ready for? What sorts of raptors are native to your area, and are they a concern? What do they eat? Do they even eat birds? If they do eat birds, would your bird be too small, too big, or just right–and to which ones? How do the raptors that pose more of a risk to your bird hunt? Can you visually identify native raptors and other birds? What about aurally? What birds may prove to be allies, whether by issuing alarm calls or chasing off raptors directly?
What time are you going out? What time does the sun set? How many hours of daylight do you have if the bird sits in a tree or flies off? What if the bird ends up in a tree? Are you prepared to wait hours and try various methods of enticing it down for that first big descent it has never before experienced? Do you know what methods to NOT try, as they may frighten the bird completely out of the area when it is already feeling insecure? Are you prepared to come back before sunrise if it doesn’t come down that day?
What if the bird flies off? What is your plan, then? Are you, once again, prepared to wait the entire rest of the day for it to come back AND to return before sunrise the next morning if it doesn’t? Are you prepared to recruit people to help you search, call, and wait where the bird was last seen? Are you ready to make and put up posters in the surrounding areas if the bird is gone longer than a day? Are you ready to post on 911 Parrot Alert, Craigslist, and Facebook groups? Are you ready to call pet stores, animal shelters, and veterinarians? Is your bird banded and wearing contact information? Is it microchipped (if possible)?
Have you thought about all of this? Are you ready to subscribe to the motto “Better safe than sorry”, to apply critical judgement in the face of what you want to do or think would be fun? Are you ready to view your bird as an entity capable of exercising complete autonomy and freedom where, once unrestricted outdoors, its choices are the final determination in whether it comes home with you or not–and is that decision best for the bird in question?
YOU CANNOT CONTEND WITH ALL OF THIS ALONE AS A BEGINNER.