FEATURE
with one of them the other has to be taken out and put in a holding cage. This procedure is always carried out as a choice for the bird. The trainer offers the treat concealed in the right hand and offers the left hand as a steady perch, palm flat. If the bird is reluctant to step up, he is put back onto the perch. The trainer offers the treat again and almost invariably, the bird accepts and steps into the holding cage. On this occasion the door flight door was opened to remove Betsey’s macaw companion. Before he stepped up, Betsey pushed her way past through the open flight door and landed on the flight roof. She spent her morning visiting up and down the line of flight cages along the corridor. This was considered acceptable. Betsey was not bothered or chased to come down until she was ready. I tried standing on a step ladder and offering a treat. Betsey showed with her body language of ruffled feathers and flashing eyes that she would be more likely to lunge
Going back to an earlier behaviour if the bird did not respond, working closely with the bird’s body language and using very little verbal encouragement. But I was talking non-stop to Palmer. Said my trainer Rob, ‘It’s only white noise.’ I realised that the constant stream of ‘good boy’s’ ‘come on now’s’ were far more to reassure me than the bird.
and nip than step onto my palm than take a peanut. But an hour later, she stepped onto Steve Martin’s hand and returned to her flight. Because of her walkabout, I missed my morning session of training with her but the afternoon one was the better for it.
Free shaping
In some of his demonstrations Steve used free shaping, that is capturing a behaviour the bird offers and putting it on cue. Prancer the Amazon offered several behaviours. The one Steve captured was a right claw wave. We students with our task birds had to capture behaviour. Betsey offered a lowering of her head and that turned into a bow. The cue was to waggle my right index finger.
Avoiding white noise
By the end of the six day workshop, students had mostly accomplished their tasks using very small increments in asking for the behaviour. Going back to an earlier behaviour if the bird did not respond, working closely with the bird’s body language and using very little verbal encouragement. But I was talking non-stop to Palmer. Said my trainer Rob, ‘It’s only white noise.’ I realised that the constant stream of ‘good boy’s’ ‘come on now’s’ were far more to reassure me than the bird.
BIRD SCENE 33
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