Scary Experience - few years ago

[Tishrei]

I was reading here about someone's bird that was flying around and the door happened to be open and thank the Lord that the bird did not fly away. It was called a "freebie."

It reminded me of my experience with Ducky a couple of years ago. This was a BIG BIG freebie.

I left my back sliding glass door open one evening and went to take a shower. After my shower, I shut the sliding glass door and sat down to read. I wasn't thinking about Ducky, I just figured he was off someplace doing what birds do. I then heard a tapping and started looking around. Could not figure out what that tapping was. It was coming from the sliding glass door so I went to that.

OH MY GOSH ... Ducky was outside and was tapping on the door. It was dark outside -- my heart still stops when I think about that incident. OH MY GOSH ... I could have lost him.

[birdlady49]

Whew.

[Star]

WOAH! That is a big freebie. Poor you and poor Ducky! Glad he is okay though, he is a smart birdy if he did not fly away. I know my brat would have.

[jimpierce7]

really scary stuff for sure.

[Busguy]

I had that happen with my cats about a year ago... My girlfriend had somehow left the slider open thinking the screen was closed (it wasnt) and fell asleep on the couch. Sometime during the night, all three cats snuck out into the back yard and then in the wee hours my girlfriend woke up with a chill so got up in the dark, shut the slider and went back to sleep.....

About 530am I hear her yelling for me to come help because she woke up hearing a cat crying and found one of the three at the back door. I jumped up and expected to find the other two long gone but one was around on the side of the house huddled into the far corner against the fence terrified. After the longest 3 minutes of my life I heard the third cat crying and found her on the other side of the fence from where the second was found huddling.. I guess she managed to jump over the fence but couldnt find her way back.

All three are perma indoor kitties and that was the first (and last) time they had ever been out without a leash.

Having experienced that, I still cannot imagine having one of our birds lost outside. Much scarier I am sure.

[Tishrei]

Originally Posted by Star

he is a smart birdy if he did not fly away. I know my brat would have.

I typically keep his wings clipped so I don't think he could fly away. It was scary to me because he likes to explore and who knows where he could have wandered off to and I do have cats that wander the neighborhood. He was outside for quite a while.

Even though his wings are clipped, he can glide so any wind that came along could have helped him fly.

Boy, every time I think of that incident, my heart just stops --

[swanwillow]

Originally Posted by Tishrei

I typically keep his wings clipped so I don't think he could fly away.

This is the WAY wrong attitude, as over half the birds lost have clipped wings. It makes no difference if the clip was short, bad, it even makes it more dangerous as they can't get as much and as fast of flight.. when they get outside with clipped wings, the neighborhood cat, dog, racoon, or what have you, can get to them that much easier.

I had a conure that was a brat. When she had clipped wings was when she got into the MOST trouble with going outside on flights.. a conure can fly two lengths of a trailer house before stopping. When she was fully flighted, she could land with ease, and never went for flights... Most of her outside flights WERE unintentional, it was because her feathers were clipped, she couldn't control where she was flying to as well. The first time, she TRIED to land on my shoulder, but overshot and the front door was being opened. She TRIED to fly back inside, but ended up taking too big of a loop and going into the back yard.

She was killed by a cat when her wings WERE clipped. She had gotten especially bratty over the course of a year, the cat was a kitten, 9 months old. Not anyones fault, the cat was being a cat, the bird couldn't get the lift to fly away.

[Tishrei]

Originally Posted by swanwillow

This is the WAY wrong attitude, as over half the birds lost have clipped wings. It makes no difference if the clip was short, bad, it even makes it more dangerous as they can't get as much and as fast of flight.. when they get outside with clipped wings, the neighborhood cat, dog, racoon, or what have you, can get to them that much easier.

Hi,

I did not let him go outside because I figured he could not fly. I was inattentive and he went out on his own -- doesn't happen anymore. Ever since that happened, I have made sure it won't ever happen again. I was given a freebie and I learned a very good lesson from that.

Thanks,

[ROYJOY]

a member in germany has a bird that knocks on the window when she wants in.