When traveling with the raptors, I feel like I need a "Bird on Board" sticker on the van's rear bumper. Especially on twisting, winding roads like County Highway OO out of Seeley, I channel my inner "grandma driver" to provide the smoothest ride possible for the birds.
When standing on a bus, most people will orient their feet to face one side of the bus (as opposed to feet facing straight forward). That gives you better balance when the bus brakes or accelerates. Similarly, when loading the birds into the van, I always place the crate so the perch is parallel with the direction of travel (i.e. one end of the perch is pointed toward the windshield). That means the bird is facing the side of the van, which orients their feet so they can balance when the van changes speed.
If a bus makes a turn, you might adjust your feet or hold onto the bar in front of you to keep your balance. Our birds can't do either of those when the van leans into a corner. A hard turn could cause them to fall flat on their face! To help them maintain their balance, I make sure to go around corners at the posted speeds - or even a little slower - so they can have a comfortable ride.
Comments