Flying again

Today I finally took Manzi outside flying. It was awfully windy, although I couldn't tell until I went outside with him. Manzi didn't seem to mind the wind. He has been going crazy for peanuts, so I used those as treats. I kept Manzi on a leg leash, but he was so happy to be outside that he didn't pay it any attention. I had Manzi do some short flights (only up to 20'). When the wind picked up, Manzi wobbled more than I've ever seen before, but he still landed every single flight.

I had him flying to me into the wind. Manzi did all his flights from the ground. That is not ideal, but I forgot about my speaker stand.

I am really excited about his flying. Manzi just had a meal too, but he did fantastic. I will increase the flight distance over the next few weeks and then start letting him free fly. I have seen bald eagles in the area, but no hawks, not even red-tail hawks (the most common hawks here). If a bald eagle picked up Manzi, there wouldn't be much I could do. On the other hand, it seems highly unlikely that I would miss a bald eagle (they don't perch in any nearby trees and only twice have I ever spotted them in the area) and I think Manzi would definitely be much more agile and be able to outmaneuver one.