Bird Freedom

[honda03842]

The following is from this month's Escapee magazine, from an article by Kay Petersen. (The Escapees have a very good magazine.)

In a NC bird sanctuary birds are kept in cages that are completely open on the viewing side.

When the birds are captured they are put in a cage with glass in the viewing side. There are air jets blowing inside the cage in front of the glass. Initially the birds try to escape and crash into the glass. They quickly associate the jets of air with the glass and stop flying into the glass.

When the glass is removed, the air jets are sufficient to remind the birds of the now non-existent glass. A learned behavior has robbed them of freedom.

The message of the article is how much are we trapped by glass, the glass of the two car garage, the swimming pool,.... things that may prevent us from a fuller RV lifestyle.

Just some thoughts,,,and a hearty thanks to Kay Petersen, one of the founders of Escapees who wrapped her husband's lunch sandwiches in road maps to remind him that she wanted to full time and leave the everyday world.

[blodn1]

That reminded me of a Wayback. When Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC opened, they had open aviaries. I visited one time, and a shore tern hadn't learned the lesson. We watched him "visiting" each habitat - a tern in the mountains, in the desert, etc. He did look out of place, and made for a wonderful memory.

[Darrell in Al]

That is great timing for you to post it... I had a "planned" vacation, That just went out of the window yesterday , and became a un-planned with no destination 3 days from departure. I'm just going to stop planning and just go I think.