Indy the military macaw bids everyone a happy World Parrot Day from the top of Macaw Rock. Indy is one of our fastest flyers and even has been caught flying in barrel rolls upside down that you have to see to believe. She is the smallest of our macaw team and can flush her face pink when she is excited. Which is pretty much always.
Military macaws, like many of the 400 or so species of parrots, are threatened in the wild, with ranges in Mexico and South America.
Larue the crested caracara loops over our heads every time we walk up to our rocky point for gorgeous views and breezes. Sometimes when he lands he dramatically throws his head back with that classic caracara call, and other times he curiously watches the birds and the bugs that call this natural space home with us. This is one of our favorite parts of a caracara hike as Larue is free to make his own path and land where he pleases. He loops over our heads waiting for the next opportunity for interaction. It can get pretty gusty up there and he has really developed his flight skills.
Only 3 early bird tickets left for our September Bird of Prey Workshop! Our workshops have hours of guided hands on training each day, and we work with actual problem solving skills that you can take home and put to use. From applying approach retreat methods using distance as a reinforcer to working with vultures that grab at ankles, we offer real world circumstances to help you with your toughest challenges. Get ready to learn!
https://avian-behavior.org/experience/workshops/bird-of-prey-workshop/
Itâs Earth Day 2024 and now more than ever we need different voices from different perspectives to solve the complex solutions around us. In the early 20th century, one of the voices in North American conservation that was talking about creating a scientific profession in wildlife conservation as well as involving the public voice to help these issues was Aldo Leopold. His Sand County Almanac is a still beloved work that explores the need for environmental ethics.Our Great horned owl that came to us a confiscated bird from someone who took him from the wild. We see this a lot here on social media. Sometimes what we think is a good practice is not scientifically based and it takes real work to be a human to understand the world around us. Aldo is named for the importance of recognizing science and scientific practices and professions in a world of democratized information.
Larue the Northern crested caracara is full of Cara-character and often a favorite in our classes and programs. Here is making some huge loops and coming in for a landing on a visitor. Caracaras are a grassland species which, among all the species, birds on grasslands and farmlands have faced the most significant declines. Crested Caracaras arenât considered endangered, but we do have to take care of them. They are can scavenge and hunt, so they come into contact with human activity many different ways.
Larue is one of our most challenging birds to work with, and also one of the more uncommon. Itâs a true joy introducing folks to the world of caracaras.
The opportunity to work with Larue the crested caracara is a unique one! Our Elite Experience offers the chance to work with many birds of prey including this guy, and he has fans! While caracaras are not common in falconry as they are opportunistic predators and scavenge alongside vultures in portions of the southern US down through Central and South America, they are fascinating in their demeanor and curiosity.
San Diego county has recently had some vagrant Northern Crested Caracaras show up, with one in a small park in Oceanside just last week! Vagrancy in migratory birds is when a bird shows up outside of their usual and expected range, like the snowy owl in Orange County last year. Some cross oceans and can even get stuck due to ocean and wind currents. Vagrant birds can excite birders and the general public to see something truly unusual in their area.
There is so much about migration that we are still uncovering. When a vagrant birds does come around, itâs easy to get excited but we can also stress them out more than they might already be. Keeping a distance that allows that bird to continue doing whatever it already was, whether that is sitting and resting or flying, and not paying attention to people will help ensure that bird a proper return to their home territory.
The weather has been đ for our recent experiences and we had a special Valentines Bird of Prey Experience. Oakley the Harrisâs Hawk did not disappoint with powerful flights from the highest vantage from the ranch. The Bird of Prey experience showcases the different ways raptor species hunt in the wild, from the ambush style of the owl, the soaring and searching style of hawks, and the stooping power of the falcon.
You can sign up for a falconry class like this or a slower more relaxed meet and greet with our other birds and get a really special up close encounter https://avian-behavior.org/events
Are you one of those trainers that holds themselves and their birds back by not believing in yourself or your training ability? Working with a new bird or new behavior is uncomfortable unless you take the easy route and donât push yourself to keep progressing. Itâs easy to keep doing the same thing every day, seeking perfection over progress. In most environments, this doesnât work. Not only do we have a goal to accomplish with our avian education ambassadors, but by throttling our growth, we make it harder for us and our birds to handle change. Moving a training session along to achieve the next step can be uncomfortable: What if I fail, what if people see me fail, what if I ruin my birdâs trust in me? Itâs way more comfortable to take our time at each approximation. Being uncomfortable is not usually a place we enjoy, but studies show that there is a part of your brain called the anterior mid-cingulate cortex that grows when you actively engage in activities that you donât want to do. This area is larger in athletes and those that have overcome challenges, and it keeps its size in those people that live a very long time. We could argue that health is impacted by our investment in activities and actions that aren't always the easier choice.Our workshops and this yearâs lineup of live masterclasses in the Avian Behavior Lab are designed to help you feel more comfortable about how and when to push yourself. Our first workshop is sold out, but you can still get in on our Advanced course in March! We show you the steps we take and what we look for in moving forward. We arenât here to train fast, we donât train slow, we move smoothly with purpose. Time to kick your gear up a few levels! đđŚ https://avian-behavior.org/experience/workshops/advanced-animal-behavior-workshop/
Our Harris's Hawk getting warmed up before she takes some bigger stoops during a Bird of Prey Experience! This week is one of our favorite times of the year, with lots of family experiences with festive spirits. Our birds are definitely getting their air time in and are having some fantastic flights! You can join us, too, at https://avian-behavior.org/events or you can reach out and select a custom day!
These blustery days are fun ones for a Hawk Walk with Oakley the Harrisâs Hawk. Looking forward to an awesome holiday season with families and many falconry classes and bird encounters on the farm. Did you see our birds on the Zevely Zone this week?
Part of what helps curious Kipling the male Southern ground Hornbill stay successful on our walks and not search for chaos is his ability to find pockets of enrichment along our path. From dust bathing stations to trees to play in, we keep it interesting and work to change up the route so that he gets to explore something in his territory but still fresh and renewed. This morning he played in his favorite tree and barked at the ravens overhead for a bit before trotting back home. Kipling will be 11 years old this March!
Larue the crested caracara coming in hot. Larue is part of our Ultimate Bird of Prey Experiences, falconry classes and farm tours that showcase a wide range of flight and hunting styles among different birds of prey. Caracaras are in the falcon family, and though they often scavenge alongside vultures, they can get up and go when they need to. Larue has tons of caracharacter and cararisma to go around đ
International Owl Center podcast episode! If you have ever wondered anything about owls, have we got a treat for you 𤊠Karla Bloem of the IRC in Houston, Minnesota dropped some serious owl knowledge in Episode 63 of the Avian Behavior Podcast. We sat entranced for the entire conversation. We were lucky enough to reach out before Jennifer Ackermanâs recent book, What an Owl Knows came out in June and had no idea how much Karla would be featured. She is an incredible wealth of knowledge on owl vocalizations and owl behavior. You will not be disappointed. Find the Avian Behavior Podcast on all major pod outlets or https://avian-behavior.org/63-Karla-bloem You can learn about the owl conference, their fantastic newsletter there too. And donât forget to pick up the book too!
Join the crate training challenge beginning tomorrow. https://avianbehaviorlab.com/crate-caracara-challenge/
Crate training a bird is one of THE most important behaviors to have on hand. In case of emergencies, you might be hurriedly putting your birds in crates and getting them to safety, not relying on voluntary methods. Thatâs understandable! BUT if they have training where they learn to ride comfortably in a crate beforehand, even in emergencies you will drastically reduce their stress when you have to grab and go.
In addition, I like to teach older parrots new tricks by getting them in the crate so we can take field trips and short picnics that helps expand territory and horizon, reducing a lot of problem behaviors we see in sedentary parrots!
Just watering the great horned owl đŚđŚ This little guy just came in a couple of days ago and is settling right in. He came from a confiscation a couple of months earlier of unpermitted animals, which is a federal offense. We donât have a lot of knowledge of his history, so itâs a good opportunity for us to work with him slowly, get to know him, and not make any assumptions.
Imprinted birds like this cannot be released. This is why it is illegal to raise birds that you find out of the nest. It takes a lot of effort to properly develop survival skills and identify as their own species. He was in a release aviary with his own kind and kept trying to be with the people. Without proper training, he doesnât have great skills to communicate with humans without getting frustrated quickly đ this is where our skills as trainers and educators come into effect. It happens more than you might think. Organizations large and small do incredibly important work that they donât always have the opportunity to toot their own horns about or take the time to explain the science behind. Hats off to all of the research and tireless rehabilitation that goes in to the work for wildlife around the world. It takes all kinds! Thank you to OC Bird of Prey Center for entrusting is with his care.
Praise as a secondary reinforcer implies seeking approval, which animals cannot do. They do not think in terms of what is going through your head. Praise is simply an energetic verbal stimulus. So does it work to get the behavior of your animal (partner, sibling or employee) that you want?
Well it depends, but the research points to not usually. The amount of effort the individual puts in generally matches the value they get out, which does vary depending on who they are doing the act for. But some behaviors are just hard! Like flying on a warm day. Not always fun đ running home when you were sniffing something cool or playing with doggie friends. Hmph. Again it depends highly case by case.
But relying on verbal rewards alone for behavior has many fallout issues that can confuse us when we are faced with animal challenges. So let your animal show what they want, what they really really want đśď¸
âSunning or in distressâ is an anxiety filled game birds play on us when the temperatures rise, and they use this time to take care of Number One in a strange way. Last week, the magpie jay fooled Andre, sitting with her wings out and her head cocked in the hot sun. The local ravens will sit right next to her in the exact same pose. Itâs almost uncanny, the hotter the temps, the more likely you are to see the birds sun in one giant splat.
They are not in distress at all, in fact the sun is helping their feathers. Itâs one of many ways they have to keep their feathers in good condition, as they can only molt once a year. It protects against bacteria and ectoparasites. But geez, is it dramatic looking. I consider myself a âyes, andâ person but today alone I was a âFor the love of god, give me a break yall!â
Parrot behavior and training
Finishing up our 5 day training challenge
Secondary and non-food reinforcers can play a huge part in our bird training and yes, even birds of prey! In a positive reinforcement training program, we want to look at all of the reinforcing properties a behavior has, rather than narrow the lens at just one.
Owls value routine, so when they are confident in what they can predict when the behavior happens, the behavior will be more fluent. Relocate an owl to a new territory, and it wonât fare well. Hornbills like Kipling are also territorial, but they do like to keep the party interesting! Kipling does worse with his hikes when he knows what to predict. Itâs no fun!
Recognizing all of the reinforcing properties when a behavior occurs us widen our training programs beyond just food. The less food we have to rely on for each cue, the longer our sessions can be and the more robust our relations are.
Southern ground hornbills are huge, intelligent birds, but they mature slowly over the course of nine years. Their red facial patch reflects this maturation, changing from a gray-beige as chicks to a splotchy orange to eventually a deep carmine red. Looking back over the well documented course of Kiplingâs maturation, I can map the season of my growth to the splotches on his face, from my wild eyed wonder as a budding entrepreneur, the season of change when my father died and my business and birds were what kept me moving, to the aftermath, the hockey stick of growth and learning, wins and fails.
Kipling was the first bird to join ABI, believe it or not and I like to think he helped me embrace the discomfort that would start us off the first few years. Getting through the beginning of ABI as I dug into this weird vision i had created for myself is the hardest thing I have ever had to do.
Through Kiplingâs relentless pursuit of novelty and his unique problem-solving skills, I discovered that the solutions we seek may not always fit into neat boxes. Itâs a lesson that applies not only to training birds but also to lifeâs challenges. And now we look forward to applying that challenge to future conservation endeavors. Support our work and get some great swag on the way! Help us reach our goal! Link in bio
