I caught a macaw in a tree!

I got a call this evening, just before closing. A desperate homeowner called me with a tale of her escaped bird.

It was perched in a big old walnut tree in the back yard. The fire department had been there, and could not get their truck to the tree, so her 32 year old pet was surely going to escape (to his demise in the coming winter). She assured me that it was a gentle bird, and that it normally never flew anywhere. I asked her how I was supposed to catch a macaw up in a tree, and she assured me that she had a net, and that he was accustomed to being caught in it. I told her that I charged $75 per hour, and she agreed.

Since I have never even tried to catch a bird in a tree, I thought this might be one heck a stunt to remember years from now, if I could pull it off. I grabbed a climbing belt, a rope, a throw ball, some spurs, and away we went in my car. I took my tree salesman, who was the only assistant available at the time. [I am afraid that he doesn't take very good pictures, so this tale will be told more with words than with pics...sorry.]

When I got there, sure enough, that's a macaw up in that walnut tree!



I don't have any good pictures of the whole tree, the bird was about 50' up a large walnut tree, heavily leaning toward the lady's house. It was covered with a thick layer of dead vines, and all the lower branches were long since stripped. No problem, says I, I brought my throw ball! Some time later, after I managed to get up the tree to where I set my line, I discovered that nearly every branch on that tree was showing a dead stump next to the live branch remaining. I began to fear for my safety, as this walnut began looking and feeling very weak. I'm starting to get nervous!

In order to get to where the bird is, I will need to climb above the bird, and then walk out about 15' to the very tips of the branch, suspended from above.



This isn't looking good, because I fear breaking off the limb I'm on, then maybe the one I am roped to.


I ask for the net! It turns out that her net is a butterfly net with a 5' handle.

new plan!

The owner had been spraying the bird with water, in an effort to keep it from flying anywhere. Apparently macaws are not waterproof, and their feathers soak up water like sponge, thereby making them too heavy to fly.

I really don't think I will make it out to the tips of the branch, so I shake the branch a little bit, and "Peanut" (the macaw) weakly flew over to a very large dead elm tree nearby. So much for not being able to fly while wet! Apparently peanut was not wet enough.

Back down out of the walnut, much to my relief!

I decided to try to move the bird with my throw ball and perhaps drag a rope above it and dislodge the bird from that tree, if only to get it to move to another tree that could be climbed.

My first toss ( the bird was about 40 feet up) nearly hit the bird square in the chest. I probably only missed him by 6 inches, but my assistant had not tied the bag onto the string properly, and it flew off across the yard without the string. Toss #2: a great shot, the throw ball went over the bird's head and the line descended right onto his foot ! The owner encouraged me to pull both ends, in order to prevent the bird from flying away. Peanut began attempting to crawl down the branch, but in the process she twisted her foot into the throw line even more. Super! We snagged that bird from 50 feet away! It was a miraculolus shot, I could never hope to do that again.

As I was pulling the bird down out of the tree, it managed to twist loose of the line about 5 feet above our heads (by climbing up the line with it's beak). It flew to a small redbud tree nearby, where I encouraged the owner to really soak that bird good. In another 10 minutes, I had geared up again, climbed the tree, and snagged that bird with the silly butterfly net.

Happy owner! Even the bird seemed relieved to handled, and not chased.




I only asked her for $75, but she paid me 120. I assured her that I had a great lifetime memory, and that she need not pay more. She put the money in my hand, and said "call it a tip".

In the end, we looked at other birds that she had, and I gave her quotes for removing the monstrous dead trees surrounding her house.



By the way, I do not sweat that much. I mostly got wet from water falling out of the red bud tree.

Thats great. Snagged with a throwline, even better.

Great story. Thanks for sharing.

cool story enjoyed I bet it is one that you will always remeber.

I can understand your effort.

We have one ourselves. And they can be sort of pesky to get a hold of even if it just climbing up on top of their tall cages sometimes.

It was worth what she gave you.

Sometimes they will nip at you - even if they like you, merely from the excitement. They can get really wound-up. Rather playful attitudes.

The photo below is playing with a ball on the floor, to give an idea of their energy level. Hopefully the one you got had mellowed out.

Looks like it had a pretty good attitude. You don't look too nervous holding hit.

Good story - I got to 'rescue' an African Grey some years ago, it's much easier with a bucket truck! Took the owner up with me, bird walked right down the limb onto her arm.

Great job! Glad to hear you didnt get beaked!

Cool deal a good for you it was friendly they can tear you up!

The birds were very gentle

The owner assured me that the escaped bird had never bitten anyone, but I was not convinced.

After the bird had been recaptured, I discovered how gentle it really was. It did not offer to bite, and it's grip on my hand had to be re-inforced to keep it from falling/flying off. I think it was hoping for another escape, so I had one hand on top of it's feet, holding it down.

The second bird did offer to nibble on my hand, but I think that is because I was not holding it down like it preferred. It grabbed my left thumb and squeezed just a little, but not enough to be uncomfortable.

The owner told me that her technique for teaching the scarlet macaw not to bite was to grab it by the throat and squeeze while yelling at it until the bird quit trying. When it quit trying, she rewarded the bird with less pressure and talked nice to it. When it struggled, she sqeezed some more!

M.D. Vaden said:

Looks like it had a pretty good attitude. You don't look too nervous holding hit.

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I don't get nervous about too much, especially when it comes to small animals. I worked at an animal hospital for 5 1/2 years. Big animals, like horses or cows can be much more dangerous.

pdqdl said:

I don't get nervous about too much, especially when it comes to small animals. I worked at an animal hospital for 5 1/2 years. Big animals, like horses or cows can be much more dangerous.

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Pigs are very dangerous!

You are definately right. I should not have left them off the list.

Pigs have probably killed more people than all other animals since time began.

1. They are a bit inclined to bite and eat people, especially the wild ones. At least the cows & horses don't eat you after they tromp you down.

2. They REALLY get even with us when we put them on the dinner plate. Ribs, bacon, ham hocks... Can anyone spell coronary artery disease with three letters ? ...pig

3. Then there are all the diseases they spread, not the least of which is trichinosis. Then there are all those roundworm and flatworm parasites.

Yep. Rope, you're right again. Pigs certainly belong on my list of animals to be feared.

A really great story, and well told! You are a born writer!

pdqdl said:

Pigs have probably killed more people than all other animals since time began.

1. They are a bit inclined to bite and eat people, especially the wild ones. At least the cows & horses don't eat you after they tromp you down.

2. They REALLY get even with us when we put them on the dinner plate. Ribs, bacon, ham hocks... Can anyone spell coronary artery disease with three letters ? ...pig

3. Then there are all the diseases they spread, not the least of which is trichinosis. Then there are all those roundworm and flatworm parasites.

Yep. Rope, you're right again. Pigs certainly belong on my list of animals to be feared.

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Pigs also are the proven incubators of new flu strains in Asia that make it here.

Hogs are a force to be reckoned with. I know of a guy down in Suffolk who had a heart attack in a hog pen and supposedly they started to feast on him. Kind of scary. Whether thats true or not, I don't know, but I keep my eye on them!

Pigs are notorious for feeding on their owners if they go down. It probably doesn't happen that often, but often enough to be well known. I never heard of a horse or a cow doing that, though.

I knew an old pig farmer a while back, he was the salt of the earth. One of the finest men I have ever met. I could not find any aspect of his life or behavior that I would ever criticize. He took his hogs to slaughter as soon as they showed ANY sign of aggression.

Happy landings buddy. Way to hang in there, sounds like a hairy climb, that walnut, that walnut. I got lucky , mine was in strong sycamore with a codom right next to the bird. Pegged the tip on the first shot, missed the bird completely cause that would have realy sucked, you schumck, if you hit the poor bird. Come on, who aims a shot bag at a parrot? Here is the @#$@! I bagged and she bit the living %&*^%#@ outta me!




I think if I had to do it again I would use the Daisy, its sawed off you know.

You're right. That would have sucked if I nailed the bird with the bag. I wasn't trying to hit the bird at all. Oddly, the owner seemed pleased when I almost hit the bird. She told me to hit it next time!

I guess she figured killing it by accident was better than letting it get away. Despite her tough statements, she sure seemed to melt down with gentle talk and kisses once she got her bird back.

pdqdl said:

You're right. That would have sucked if I nailed the bird with the bag. I wasn't trying to hit the bird at all. Oddly, the owner seemed pleased when I almost hit the bird. She told me to hit it next time!

I guess she figured killing it by accident was better than letting it get away. Despite her tough statements, she sure seemed to melt down with gentle talk and kisses once she got her bird back.

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Like I said, mine was a piece of cake, a hole in one if you will. I actually didn't think it would be possible. I thought the bird would keep moving. Yours was quite the job, good scrapbooking to you.