Homing Cubans...
Posted: 15 Dec 2011, 20:25
i have just returned form a business trip OS and whilst gone i received some devastating news from my housemate who was caring for my birds. some children of a friend of hers had come over and opened the aviary door (she had forgotten to lock it) and my two cubans had flown the coop.
i sent a rather terse email response and went to bed. and in the morning, after deciding to no longer punish her i logged in to send a "its not you fault" follow up email only to be shocked to discover she had caught them both the next day!
now having returned and heard the full story, it turns out the birds remained in the backyard all afternoon the day they left flittering around form tree to tree despite being chased by a whole BBQ full of people taking turns with the net. eventually it got dark and everyone gave up. however the next day my housemate awoke to discover them still in the yard, looking to get back in the aviary. with a newfound determination, she grabbed the net, coaxed them closer with mealworms and swooped and caught the cock on the aviary wire. she placed the cock inside but the hen flew into the space between the roof and internal aviary roof wire and hopped around looking down at her. so my housemate went into the aviary, unstitched the seam between two sheets of mesh and coaxed her in with a mealworm in hand. only the cock flew out again! so she stitched up the hole again went back outside and caught the cock again in the net!
quite an achievement for one who has never caught a bird in her life!
anyhow i must say im exceptionally appreciative of her devotion to the cause and was totally amazed that my cubans just wanted back in the aviary and spent a night free in my yard!
heard of free range zebs, bengals and ruddies - but homing cubans?!! should try it.
i sent a rather terse email response and went to bed. and in the morning, after deciding to no longer punish her i logged in to send a "its not you fault" follow up email only to be shocked to discover she had caught them both the next day!
now having returned and heard the full story, it turns out the birds remained in the backyard all afternoon the day they left flittering around form tree to tree despite being chased by a whole BBQ full of people taking turns with the net. eventually it got dark and everyone gave up. however the next day my housemate awoke to discover them still in the yard, looking to get back in the aviary. with a newfound determination, she grabbed the net, coaxed them closer with mealworms and swooped and caught the cock on the aviary wire. she placed the cock inside but the hen flew into the space between the roof and internal aviary roof wire and hopped around looking down at her. so my housemate went into the aviary, unstitched the seam between two sheets of mesh and coaxed her in with a mealworm in hand. only the cock flew out again! so she stitched up the hole again went back outside and caught the cock again in the net!
quite an achievement for one who has never caught a bird in her life!
anyhow i must say im exceptionally appreciative of her devotion to the cause and was totally amazed that my cubans just wanted back in the aviary and spent a night free in my yard!
heard of free range zebs, bengals and ruddies - but homing cubans?!! should try it.