Written by Chris Biro, all rights
reserved.
(First appeared on Freeflight list)
Hello Cindy,
> I might be marginally more likely to try
outdoor flight if I had a Galah, a Macaw, a 'Too, or even a Congo Grey. Problem
is, as a Timneh, Pepper is REALLY difficult to spot in the woods.
Actually you would be amazed how hard it can be to spot a large bright red or
blue and yellow macaw in the woods. I often mention this aspect of keeping
parrots in my show since it is such an interesting point. how many people
would expect that those bright colors can serve as camouflage? The reason
this is so has to do with how the eye and the brain work together. The eyes sees
all. The subconscious mind sees all also. But the subconscious mind filters what
it sees before sending this info off to the conscious mind. You probably
already know that the image that is projected onto the back of your eyes is
actually upside down, but the subconscious mind "adjusts" this for the
conscious mind. There are other adjustments also, some of which apply to the
issue of visibility in the woods. When you start to visually search for some
object or person the mind immediately filters out a large chunk of data so that
you can more quickly spot your target. This process is sometimes referred to as
"image association". The mind starts by searching for the familiar
outline or shape and only then does it move on to focusing on greater details.
So if searching for a person in the woods, it first looks for the shape of the
man - movement will also key up greater focus, probably since moving items are
more likely to be unfriendly than stationary items. In the army I have been
involved with demonstrations in camouflage where at the end of the talk/lesson a
man would be identified who had been standing out in the open for the entire
talk but no one had noticed him. This is why an army man wears those camouflage
uniforms, not to make the man look the same colors as what is behind him, but
all those little patterns on his cloths break up his outline, thus making his
shape harder to see. It is said that when the white man first landed on the
American shores, the Indians could not at first see the ships out in the
bay because they had no frame of reference for such "floating houses".
I have personally searched for a loose Scarlet macaw named James who spent the
night about 80 up in a tall fir tree in Yelm, Washington. The next morning I was
there before the sun came up and for two hours after the sun came up we searched
for her. And guess where she was when we did find her.... on the same branch as
she was on the night before. We were not certain enough that she was still
up there, and there was even some question about which branch she had been on in
the first place, at least until she finally let out a squawk and confirmed her
presence, then she was instantly visible! This is an amazing aspect of how
complex our minds and bodies are!
Oh and if you think gray is hard to see in a tree, try green! The mitreds are
sometimes quite the challenge to find. Luckily they are rarely still for any
length of time so I have become quite good at spotting them. Practice will
improve your ability to see them since you will also get to know where to expect
to find them and this really helps.
Parrots: More Than Pets, Friends For Life
Chris Biro