Loki flew away......happy ending.

[BirdyMomma]

Hi All. I haven't been present for a few weeks. Purely because things are SUPER hectic at work right now, and all of my free time has been spent doing Birdy things. I just wanted to take a minute, to share what happened yesterday, in the hope that I may save someone the heartache of what could happen, if they were not as lucky as I was.

Loki is my 10 month old Yellow Collared Macaw. Of all of our birds, Loki is by far the most intelligent, most amenable to training, and thoroughly bonded to me. As most of you know the feeling, I can freely state, that I am in love with her. She is the closest thing I have to a child (all of my fids are) and her happiness, development and health are of the utmost concern to me, and my Birdy Daddy.

It is our belief, that allowing our birds to fly, will provide them with the fullest life possible. Although all were clipped when we acquired them, we have been letting their feathers grow in. In preparation for the time when they can actually fly, we have been using clicker training, and positive reinforcement, and implementing the techniques used by the renown animal trainers we are all familiar with. Out of all of our birds, Loki is the most advanced in this particular area, she loves to recall to me from her perch. Her flight feathers have been growing in, and until yesterday, I was under the impression, that Loki could only fly a few feet at most...........I was VERY DREADFULLY MISTAKEN.

As previously stated, things have been hectic, and if I was able to squeeze in a little one on one time with a bird, I took the opportunity. A car ride, a shower, a special cuddle before night night etc. Yesterday, I had to follow Birdy Daddy in my car, to drop off a rental van, and pick up his car at the shop. I decided to put Wingnut in the aviary, and take Loki along for the ride. Things are hectic in the morning.....we have to be careful to keep the birds and dogs separated, I was agitated, I was in a hurry, we were going right in to the car, so I didn't need to put her harness on..........I SHOULD HAVE STOPPED AND THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT COULD HAPPEN.

I placed Loki on my shoulder (her favorite place in the entire world), I grabbed my wallet and keys, and walked out the door. There is construction going on in the area (I'm used to it. I wasn't paying attention.) There was a school bus backing up (I was oblivious). I opened the door to the car, and got in, and before I could close the door, she FLEW OFF MY SHOULDER, 12 FEET IN THE AIR, TURNED 180* AND FLEW AWAY........

As horrified as you are right now, it will get worse in a second. Where we live, every fourth block is a canal. We are surrounded by water. If she flew over the canal, i would have to drive 200 feet up our block, another 50 feet and then another 200 feet to get the same distance on the other side.

I have never, and I mean NEVER before moved so fast in my life. I shot out of the car immediately screaming her name......a mistake, as she was probably already as terrified as I was. I ran around our across the street neighbors house to the railing overlooking the water. LOKI!!! I called. SHE CALLED BACK! LOKI!! I called again, and she answered, but I couldn't see her. LOKI!!!! She answered again, and I looked in the direction of where my precious baby's voice was coming from, and to my absolute horror, there she was, perched up on the power lines in the next yard. If there was a world record for climbing fences, I would certainly have won it yesterday. (Later that day, our neighbor looked at me as if I was super human and asked how I got over the fence and on to the roof of her shed so fast).......... The ROOF OF THE SHED.

Obviously terrified at where she found herself, and probably further freaked out by how frantic I was, Loki did not remain on the power line very long. I climbed up to the top of my neighbors shed, and (stupidly) tried to reach Loki with the expandable pool cleaning pole. To my utter terror, she flew off the wire, another 12 feet higher and landed on the roof of the next house, where I could no longer see her, but I could hear her respond to my call.


I HAVE TO PAUSE HERE WILL CONTINUE LATER.......WORK

 

[Birdman666]

UMMM... while I appreciate the frantic nature and panic of the moment, I do need to point out that what you did was inherently unsafe. You were grounded, and you touched a power line with a metal object!

I've been through this many times myself with my own birds, and I know this feeling. BUT you have to survey the scene and be wary of the dangers involved. Hit the wrong spot, and you would have fried both yourself and Loki, and that would be no good!

This is why I am in now in the keep them clipped camp (when I used to be in the let them free fly camp...)

 

[TessieB]

EEEK! You are lucky to be alive!

 

[MrsKay]

WOW! What a story. You are lucky to be alive. Hopefully I will have time to tune in later for part 11 and the happy ending... after these messages from our sponsor

 

[Terry57]

Michelle, anxiously awaiting chapter 2...but am so happy you added Happy Ending to the title...whew

 

[Allee]

Michelle, I was holding my breath! I too am glad to see the words, Happy Ending, in the title of this cliffhanger.

 

[Dinosrawr]

Ugh! I can EXACTLY imagine how that feels and how heart breaking it is - I'm glad this story has a happy ending!

 

[SilverSage]

PLEASE UPDATE! All of your birdy-internet-friends are on edge! You said happy ending???

 

[BirdyMomma]

Hello! Just got off work and heading home. Sorry to have left you all hanging.........um.....I am fully aware of what power lines are, and at no point was I intending on making contact with one.

So. She was so scared. I was pleading with her to not move, and to come down (ridiculous, I know). I could see her chest heaving, her eyes were so wide open. I wanted to just GET to her..... there really was no way. She was at least 12 feet higher than I was. I have never felt so helpless in my entire life. I didn't know what to do. I knew where she was, but I couldn't DO anything. I knew the only positive thing was that I knew where she was, and then I don't know what happened, but..... She took off AGAIN.

I think I started screaming. I saw her take off, over the house, and out of sight. My neighbor who has always been such a good friend, and so helpful in all kinds of difficult situations, was shell shocked as I jumped down from her shed. "She flew over the tree in your yard" she said to me. "Over, or into?" I asked. "It looked like over." ........that meant she was at least, on the next block. I ran to my car. I drove as fast as I could around the corner, to where the house behind ours is. LOKI!, LOKI! , LOKI! Over and over I called her name. No call back. Nothing. People came out of their houses to ask what I had lost. They were all so concerned. They wanted to help. I walked the length of the block, calling for her, and listening.....no little voice answered mine. I drove to the next block (could she have flown this far?) calling, calling calling.......nothing. More neighbors came out to see what the frantic maniac in the street was looking for.

Birdy Daddy called my cell phone. He had gotten on his bike, and was riding up and down, calling for her. He told me to come home and get my bike to do the same. I got my bike, and he said he had an idea. He was going to take Wingnut out to look for her. They talk to each other, and flock call to each other, so his reasoning was, that maybe Wingnut could help find her. I rode off to search, and Wingnut went with his dad, to look for our girl.

I was several blocks away, yelling my head off for her, and hating myself, and cursing myself and praying to gods I don't worship to let me have my baby back. More neighbors, concerned and sympathetic came out to ask what I had lost. I was looking on roofs, in trees, in the many construction sites in our neighborhood. My phone rang.....it was my Mother, who was at home, and who was in the middle of this entire insane episode. "Michele, I hear her. She sounds like she's on the roof of the house behind ours!" she spluttered. I turned around and pedaled as fast as I could, back to our house, through streets busy with the morning garbage trucks, camp busses and normal people headed to work. I called my Birdy Daddy "My mom says she's on the roof behind ours!" "I know!" he said "I can hear her! Wingnut flushed her out!" I raced back on my bike, he rang the doorbell of the house behind ours, to inform them that he needed to walk through their yard, and possibly climb a tree, so please don't call the police if you see a man in the tree by your upstairs windows.
I got home dumped my bike, and flew through the house to the back yard. LOKI!! I called, and my heart almost burst, when I heard her little voice again. LOKI! I could hear her, but it took me a minute to locate her........ and there she was, about 30 feet up, in the top of the tree in our yard.......nibbling on leaves... Instant relief, immediately followed by dread. I knew I was lucky to have located her, but I still could not reach her.

Birdy Daddy handed Wingnut to me, over the fence, then climbed over himself. I gave my boy a kiss, for helping us find his sister, and put him in the aviary. We didn't know what to do. She was too high up for us to reach her, and she could fly off AGAIN. I climbed into the crotch of the tree.....useless. Birdy Daddy climbed into the tree. I passed him up a ladder..... Still at least 10 feet too short. I kept calling to her, and I could see, that she was inching her way down towards him, to get to me....but the descent was too steep. She couldn't climb down. We took a length of dowel, to reach to her, and it scared her. started climbing back up! You simply cannot imagine how terrifying and utterly, devastatingly frustrating this is. Their camouflage is SO freaking good, that I kept losing sight of her, as she climbed higher in the tree. I grabbed the clicker. Clicker training is routine in our home. Each time I called to her, and she responded, I clicked. "Come Loki! Come down! Come to Mommy!"... she inched her way down again, but instead of staying in the tree, she side stepped out onto the power lines behind our house. (here we go again) Although she was lower here, she was still too high for us to reach, and also, more vulnerable, as she was out in the open.
No ladder we had would reach. Anything we put near her to try to give her something to climb on to was a foreign object, and frightening to her. She inched further out onto the wire. She was going closer to where the wire runs, about 10 feet in the air, above the aviary. "I have to get up there!" I told Birdy Daddy. He told me to wait a moment, because not only would I still not be able to reach, but we weren't sure if the aviary would hold me. He ran to the garage and got two pieces of plywood. As I maintained verbal and visual contact with Loki, he slid the wood onto the roof of the aviary. I climbed up on top, and he passed up the ladder to me. I was now about 15 feet in the air.....(I am afraid of heights) and still I was about two and a half feet short of the power lines. She was about ten feet away. How the hell am I going to get her? I'm on a metal ladder, on top of a metal bird cage, next to power lines......... What the?
She wouldn't come closer. She was scared. "TREATS!" I yelled! "get me the treat container, with the pink lid" I figured that all of the birds recognized this object as the source of yumminess, and they all perked up whenever it appeared. He threw the container up to me. I called to her, and shook the container full of seeds......(at this point, someone is considering telling me that seeds are inappropriate to feed to birds.....please just don't) upon seeing the container, she came closer, and I clicked the clicker. I shook it again, and shook some into my palm, which I held extended. Closer. She was almost above me on the line. I begged her to come to me. I held my hand outstretched, as far as I could.......it wasn't going to happen. I was below her. She couldn't fly down to me. She didn't know how. She was two feet above me.....I was so frustrated, so desperate, so close.....so helpless.....and then I realized what might work. HER TRAINING PERCH. Her PVC training perch. "GET THE PERCH!" I said, as calmly as I could..... They handed it up to me. ..I was so nervous. I knew I had to get it as close as possible, without touching any of the wires. If I lost my balance, I was going to get seriously injured, no matter which way I fell.
I had a target stick as well. I held it, outstretched, and asked Loki to please target. She side stepped towards me on the wire, and I clicked, GOOD GIRL! I held the perch above my head, just slightly hire than the wire, and only an inch away from it. I was looking into her eyes....that beautiful little face, that I love so much......thinking "please don't fly... Please don't get scared and fly" I held the perch as close as I could. My hands were shaking, and I heard my own voice tremor.." Come Loki".... And my heart ...... She stepped off that wire, onto her perch, and I lowered it, and she stepped onto my hand ....I drew her into chest, and stepped down the ladder. I sat on top of the aviary, and held her, and cried uncontrollably.
I may never win the lotto, and I have came pretty close to getting struck by lightning, but I have a feeling, that I may never EVER again be as lucky as I was yesterday.

I realize that MY actions are what caused this entire situation. Had I been more careful, my bird would not have been able to get away from me. I am extremely lucky to have been able to locate her, and even luckier to have been able to get her back to safety, without her incurring serious injury, or dying, and without injuring myself or anyone else. I decided to share this story, in the hope that perhaps it will remind folks to take care. To be safer with our birds. No matter how you choose to raise and train your birds, it is unacceptable to not consider their safety at all times. I made a grevious error in judgement, and both Loki and I would have paid dearly, had I not been so lucky. I would also like to add, that I firmly believe that the clicker training, and positive reinforcement which we have used throughout Loki's life made the difference in us being able to get her back. She responded to her teaching in the most critical situation, and I am so very thankful. I urge anyone who does not use the method to implement it with their birds.

Thank you all for reading our story. I wish you and your flock love and happiness
Michele & Loki

 

[Allee]

Michelle, I can't tell you how happy I am to know Loki is safe at home tonight. Thank you for sharing your terrifying experience, nothing like a real life drama to remind us how quickly things can go seriously wrong. You may have panic attacks and nightmares for weeks, but you are both safe. Thank goodness Loki was trained and able to focus on you even though she must have been so scared.

 

[BirdyMomma]

Aww. Thank you Allee. I thought that this would never happen to me. She is so attached to me, and she trusts me so much, that I thought she would never fly away from me. I was very, very mistaken. I have been considerably humbled by this experience, and I am determined to be evermore vigilant with regard to safety.
I am so very lucky to still have my little girl.

 

[RavensGryf]

You were VERY LUCKY. WOW. That is something that I always pray for... Good fortune in what is beyond our control. Although birds are within our control, sometimes people make mistakes, so don't beat yourself up over it.

 

[faeryphoebe1]

I'm so glad to hear that you found her and that Loki is home tonight, safe.♡♡♡

 

[Kiwibird]

I am so glad this story had a happy ending and Loki is safely home.

 

[lilchris_28]

Aww... Yay, Loki! I'm so happy she's safe.

I still am trying to picture how one would climb on a shed.

 

[Anansi]

I'm so glad things worked out well in the end, Michele. So much could have gone terribly, even tragically, wrong.

And thank you for sharing this story so others might learn from your frightening experience. It truly does underscore the importance of training, like you said. Not only with recall training, but also the importance of flight training. This is the exact reason I've always urged people to teach their parrots to fly from a higher level to a lower one. Flying upwards comes naturally to them. But downward? Considerably less so.

So thanks again for sharing, Michele, and please give Loki a scritch from me.

 

[Terry57]

Michele, I am so thrilled that Loki is back home, safe and sound. I can only imagine how frantic you were! How long did it take you to finally get her back? Thank goodness you were training her so well before this. Thank you so much for sharing the story.

 

[IRNMom]

I'm so glad both you and Loki are safe! Hopefully neither of you will ever feel that fear again!

 

[Birdman666]

Aww... Yay, Loki! I'm so happy she's safe.

I still am trying to picture how one would climb on a shed.

You climb the fence, then get on the roof of the shed... Yeah, I've done this a couple of times myself.

Tusk has flown off 4 times. Sweepea twice. Sally once. Lila once. Inca once. Demitre once (fatally). So far, with the exception of Demitre I've gotten them all back. (I would have gotten him back except he decided to make friends with a Great Horned Owl in my neighbor's tree before I could get to him... )

Maggie NEVER! Never had a foster bird fly off on me either.

Scares the crap out of me every time it happens. The good thing is it does seem to scare them a bit too, and they really don't tend to wander off for awhile after it happens.

Glad Loki made it home safe.

Sorry about the electric powerline thing, but I do PI, and I've worked on cases where people thought it was safe because they were touching the insulated portion of the line, only to find out the hard way that electricity arcs when there is something that attracts it...

Several deaths, several severe (greater than 50%) burns... Not to mention having watched a student skydiver fly into them straight and level... [DO NOT TOUCH THE GROUND WHAT EVER YOU DO!]

It leaves an impression!

 

[BirdyMomma]

I would say that from the time she flew off, until I got her back was just about an hour and a half.......scariest hour and a half ever.

Bird man, you mentioned something that I wanted to remark/ask about. Loki was (understandably) quite tired after her 'adventure'. In addition to being exhausted, it seemed that she wanted to be close to me. I have 'checked' my ego here, so it's not my imagination. Mom and boyfriend saw it also. She wanted to be on my chest, and under my chin, even more than usual. Wingnut also wanted to be in my arms, and the other two seemed to be seeking my attention when it was all over. Could it be that they understand what really happened? Were they just feeling my emotions?

Also, no need for anyone to ever apologize. If you met me, in five seconds, you'd realize that I'm not easily offended