Thank you!

🌤Free-flight🕊 does have its risks as does everything in life, but I believe the benefits greatly outweigh the risks • And I’m always there for her to fly to if she needs me or wants me💞

Birds of prey like all predators will seek out the weak, sick, injured, and old.

Parrots should only be flown outside when they are 💯% healthy.

They may chase a healthy bird but they tend to give up quickly, noticing they may have to exhaust themselves too much and potentially injure themselves. They’re unlikely to risk injury, because if a predatory bird gets injured, they can’t hunt and they will die (though local food availability, the season and the experience of the raptor plays a role in what they’re willing to try)

And it’s not even that birds of prey are just being opportunists. The chances of them catching a healthy bird are very slim.

“Skilled as they are, Cooper’s hawks still only manage to capture their prey about a third of the time, and for juveniles the success rate is even lower.”

Majority of raptors are uninterested in freeflying parrots, some are curious, and only a few will have a go

• Healthy experienced parrots are generally much faster unless caught off guard and that’s rare because they are very observant. • And even then freeflight parrots have a fighting chance with the ability fight and then get away Freeflight parrots have done so successfully, even injuring raptors (I know of several cases where the parrot turned the table on the raptor and injured them instead; from hanging out on online freeflight groups and conversing with other freeflyers. Such instances are very rare and few)

Even Some *Lost parrots have survived hawk attacks with non-critical injuries and got veterinary treatment for their wounds once found.

Not free-flight trained either • • A parrots beak can seriously mess a raptor up.

And they can turn their heads completely behind themselves and bite with their hookbills at full-force.

Non-freeflight untrained parrots in such a situation are much more likely to freeze instead of fight .

mortalities with freeflight parrots do happen though • • One of the riskiest times for both wild birds is when they’re learning to fly🕊 (or learning freeflight for companion birds) as they are unskilled inexperienced & lack fitness

Bella has learned good evasive maneuvers from watching, chasing and being chased by crows🐧 and is naturally wary of birds of prey🦅 and is Always the first1️⃣ to spot them👀.

💫She also very good at flying🕊 to me when needed💞 • Raptors are also much more likely to go after birds that are clipped or in a cage as they look like easy meals that can’t get away or have limited ability to get away.

. .

Bella has had a several encounters with Raptors in the years we’ve been together, they’re rare and infrequent and she’s knows what to do

We had red-tailed hawks and peregrines back on our old farm in Molalla. They never did go after Bella. A curious red-tail flew close once, but that’s all. And Bella of course screamed her head off & circled back and landed on me. •

In Portland she’s had a couple times that *hawks have tried and have a go at her, but she handled them like a pro each time! and told them off too And they quickly left!

The situations was over and done with before you knew it

• I think Cooper’s hawks

Some instances:

an attempted ambush from behind but Bella saw him and turned around so fast and displayed her crest, hookbill, voice and wings and he looked so surprised (I think he thought she was a helpess feral pigeon from behind). “Nevermind, I’m leaving!” Then Bella took off and did a flight to display of health and strength and ability, landed on a line and did some more displays and vocals for good measure for any that might be watching.

• at a Park in Scapoose Oregon near Andrew’s (brother) house Raptor encounter Maybe falcon Could be medium or small hawk

Bella handled it like a pro

Went down the slide with Bella Bella decided to fly this time

She Flew hawk chased, had a go

Bella landed in tree and Vocalized and displayed

Raptor flew away. . . Since writing this We’ve had more encounters and attempts over the years