SINGAPORE – At the count of three, some 100 macaws took to the sky in a mass free-flying session in Lentor Gardens during a gathering to celebrate Chinese New Year on Feb 4.
Free flying occurs when owners let their macaws take to the air, before the birds return to them either by command or naturally.
Before the birds were set free, the 50-strong group, which includes owners and their families, gathered to toss yusheng and celebrate some attendees’ birthdays with cake, food and drinks.
The informal event, which is usually held twice yearly, brings together members of macaw interest groups, such as Freedom Flyer, Singapore Parrot Community and Flight Masters.
“We organise this for leisure and to foster unity, and I feel happy organising this because it’s very difficult to gather a big group to come at the same time,” said event organiser Alan Delon Chua, 48, who skipped part of his family’s Chinese New Year reunion dinner to attend the gathering.
The director of a heavy equipment company and seven friends spent $1,200 on the food and drinks. He said: “If we can make everybody happy, why not?”
Mr Chua said the event helps to foster friendships rather than competitiveness, and lets experienced macaw owners share tips and tricks with newer owners.
According to Mr Chua, owning a macaw can cost anywhere between $3,500 and $40,000 depending on the breed.
Semi-retiree Lim Kim Seng, 64, who brought with him two macaws, Gong Xi and Fa Cai, said: “In the past, I went for paid training lessons and they were useless.
“My friend told me, ‘Lim ah, come, let me teach you’, and invited me to this group, and I learnt everything for free.”
Mr Tim Lam, 38, who attended the event with his three macaws, said: “The event was good because I got to mingle with a lot of people, see different birds and see how they fly and handle their birds. When the birds fly together, they learn together.”
He added: “We all want to fly our birds, and if we fly alone, it’s boring. When you cast one bird, you will feel nothing, but when you fly a few birds and you see them flying together with other birds, you will feel very satisfied.”
Setting more than 100 macaws in flight may seem daunting, but it gives the younger birds the opportunity to socialise and learn from older ones.
Ms Subhashree, 24, had her one-year-old macaw, Simba, with her. She said: “I was a bit scared and nervous when I flew him. But the feeling was good when he flew back because it was the first time he was flying with so many birds.”
She noted that Simba would usually fly for about a minute or two, but at the gathering, it took seven minutes before the macaw returned to her.
Ms Tan Jia Hui, 20, noticed that her three-month-old macaw, Hatsu, flew longer too – and much higher – at gatherings.
Instances where macaws do not return are rare as most owners track their pets with the help of Global Positioning System tags.
Co-organiser Andy Ng, 43, who was at the event with his children aged eight and 13, as well as his five macaws, said he looks forward to such gatherings as he gets to make new friends with those who share his hobby.
“We do it for the friendship, and we can talk about anything we like. And when we organise events like this where children attend, who knows, they might be future trainers.”
