Introduction
Nature is beautiful and full of wonderful creatures that make it come alive. Birds are one of nature’s most precious gifts and even the mere sight of a free bird soaring through the air invokes visions of freedom and independence that we, as humans, both admire and are jealous of. A free bird can go where it wants and be there in no time and a free bird can see the land from above in all its beauty which is something humans cannot do. There are many species of birds from the very tiny chickadee to the large eagle, the most free bird of all. There are colorful ones, scavengers, seed eaters, ducks, woodpeckers, sea birds, tree birds, swamp birds and birds who are kept as pets.
History
Sometimes a free bird that is meant to be in the wild is raised in captivity as a pet and sometimes a free bird in the wild gets injured or sick and needs help from humans to get better before they can fly on their own again. There is a huge difference between a bird raised from birth as a pet and a free bird who is injured and needs to be cared for in captivity. A bird raised in captivity from birth is used to humans and is used to getting hand outs rather than hunting or gathering for its food and it is used to being in a warm, protected environment inside the house where it is safer than outside. A free bird who becomes injured and needs to be kept in captivity for a while will have adjustments to make while in its new environment. It will have to get used to the idea of having less space and not being able to fly wherever it wants and it will have to get used to be handed its food rather than finding it on its own. This is where problems arise when the free bird raised from birth in captivity needs to be set free once it is ready to go back into the wild.
Features
Setting a bird free that has been raised from birth back into the wild is hard because it did not learn to hunt or gather food. A bird who has only been in captivity for a little while will remember everything once it is a free bird again but you will have your work cut out for you when dealing with one who has never been on its own. The best way to make the transition is to start weaning the bird inside the house. Let it outside of its cage a lot and let it wander and be curious about everything around him. Hide seeds and bird food in various places and wait for him to find it so he can get used to seeking his own meals. Once this goes well, graduate him to the outdoors. Make sure there are no cats or wild animals in the area first to make sure there is no danger and always supervise continuously for the first little while. Again, let him explore and try to find his own food and get used to being outdoors and around other free birds.
Tips and comments
Once he is used to the outdoors and is weaned from the handouts, a free bird will know when it is ready to be set free and you will know too. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a bird who was once kept in captivity finally become a free bird who can soar high in the sky and where he is meant to be.
