I have only seen Macaws flying free in Central and South America.
These Macaws fly free regularly over rural Southern California which is an incredible sight.
They often spend hours away, carry no trackers,
like to hang out on this dead tree,
and chose when they want to come home.
They are free as a bird!
They love people and are very curious about new ones,
as you can easily see in these photos.
Please forgive me for posting so many photos,
and breaking my 8 photo maximum rule,
but I can’t resist these guys,
and hope you can’t either.
Cheers to you from the happy Macaws at Avian Behavior International~
For more information see: https://avian-behavior.org/about-us/
What a blessing to see these beautiful birds Cindy, and have them fly over.
It was so amazing. You would love the place. I have never seen such happy and well cared for birds and there is quite a variety of species. I have four year old twin grandsons and I am taking them over to make some new friends, both human and feathered დ
Absolutely wonderful, Cindy. You have outdone yourself with your amazing and technically perfect photographs. The birds are so beautiful!! You must live in an amazing place. Thank you, Cindy, for your astonishing photos.
I am blown away by the kindness of your comments my friend and I am so happy you love the birds. Thank you & be well დ
That will be a wonderful experience for you and your grandchildren
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Simply fabulous! No wonder you broke the rule of 8! Happy Weekend!
So appreciated! Thank you & wonderful weekend to you too დ
It’s impossible for you to post too many pictures. Beauty has no number. I can’t tell you how absolutely wonderful these photographs are. I love all of the and I want to be friends with the birds. So beautiful.
Awww…. You touched my heart Gigi. The birds would absolutely love you as I do my friend დ
Pingback: Free~ — (be sure you scroll down so you don’t miss any of Cindy’s amazing photographs of these gorgeous birds) | Rethinking Life
Beautiful! Spectacular! Thanks for sharing them.
Thank you so much more for appreciating them & cheers to you დ
Fabulous! I’m amazed you got such great close-ups… you must have a pretty robust telephoto lens?
So happy you enjoyed Janis & thank you! And yes my camera has a 1200mm equivalent zoom lens good for the birdies დ
I had no idea that this specie is in California! Very beautiful photos, Cindy, they are beautiful birds. ❤️
They are so beautiful, so smart, and so social. They are not native here, but these guys fly free here which is such a sight to see! დ
Very beautiful!
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Beautiful birds, amazing photography! You are the best, Cindy!
You just humbled and honored me. Thank you sincerely დ
Post as many pics as they let you take!
This is one gorgeous bird. Love the dead tree hang out!
Thanks Cindy!
You are such an awesome person Resa! 😉 დ
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Very pretty. My first thought was about predators. Are they safe?
Yes. I talked about this with the owner. She has been seeing a golden eagle in the skies recently. She is quite knowledgeable and won’t release them when there are eagles in the sky. There were hawks in the sky while we were there and they didn’t bother them. She actively flies a variety of her hawks, eagle owls, and other raptors. So these guys help keep some balance/protective presence in the skies დ
Oh, these photographs are wonderful!! What a gift you’ve given us!
Awww…. Your very kind comment made me smile Liz. Thank you & take good care my friend დ
You’re most welcome, Cindy!
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Beautiful photos. That’ so cool they can fly around hang out together and then go home when they please.
Thanks Timothy. This avian farm is special. I have never seen such well cared for and happy animals დ
I also have a rule that I occasionally break. Typically, I post five images or fewer. But sometimes photos, like in your case today, are too beautiful to be left out.
I hear you! I admire your discipline in staying with five or fewer. It is hard to do, unless the photos do it for you naturally დ
Wonderful captures against that amazing blue sky. What a great share. Thank you Cindy 💐🙏🏼💖
Awww, thank you more for being such a thoughtful friend Val & cheers to you დ
We first saw them in Australia and then in Costa Rica but never in the U.S.
So happy you have experienced this. It is so seriously thrilling to see them flying free anywhere! დ
I am glad you posted more than your 8 photo rule! They are beautiful! Your pictures are amazing! So glad you share them with us all.
Awww…. So kind and so appreciated! Thank you Mary. I am happy you enjoyed them დ
Absolutely stunning, Cindy!
You are hereby authorized by your followers to post as many photos as you have – these are particularly fabulous.
I’ve never seen such expressions.
Smiling…. I love my blogging friends so much! Thank you kind Sheila. Your comments make me happy დ
Please don’t apologise for the number of photos – they are so beautiful and you do such a great job of presenting these intelligent, gorgeous and colourful birds! I’m so happy to hear that they have their freedom to come and go.
Friends like you are why I love blogging Lynette. Thank you დ
You just have so many gorgeous photos!!
Awww…… So very appreciated! Grazie დ
Such beautiful birds! What a treat it must be to see them flying free.
Yes. A rare thrill every time! დ
Not too many photos, Cindy, I love these! Beautiful!!
Happy you do Donna & thanks much my friend დ
Beautiful birds who like to make friends. What could be better than that? These are great photos, Cindy, These birds are certainly worthy of as many pictures you’d like to share!
So nice, and so appreciated! Thank you & take good care დ
Hmm, looks like my comment may have been eaten again. I had written, “I’m so glad that you broke your 8-photos rule because these macaws are a treat to behold! 🧡💛💙”
Oh, dang it, WP…NOW it shows up. So sorry to clutter up your comments section.
Any comment from you is much appreciated Teresa and I well understand frustration with WP gremlins დდ
Awww…. Thank you so much Teresa and I am so sorry the WP gremlins are gremlining again! დ
Wonderful birds!
They are so wonderful! დ
Excellent photos. Such wonderful looking birds.
Merci beaucoup mon Ami Rebecca დ
Wow!! Those are incredible!!!!
So happy you enjoyed & thank you Jessica დ
You’re welcome. How wonderful it must be to just fly. ❤️
Amen!
Hi Cindy! So glad to see your beautiful photos (which can never be too many) after a long break (from my side).
Lovely to hear from you & so happy you enjoyed. Take good care and thank you დ
Beautiful macaws !
Yes. They are such დ
Your purpose & mission here clearly needed no rules for guidance! A wonderful parade of colored feathers. Yea, thanks for sharing. AND makes me wonder if you know of this real story – The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (in San Francisco). Story of parrots who escaped from transit at the airport and made home in a SF neighborhood, and this man who attended them. Amazon has DVD; don’t know who else might.
I do know the story. Incredible and wonderful. Parrots are so intelligent and resourceful. Differednt species of escaped parrots have set up successful colonies in in 23 US States, and a variety of countries across the world. I have seen these colonies in London, Buenos Aires, San Diego, Germany, France and Canada. They are in many more countries. In many cases, species that are endangered in their wild natural habitat, are thriving in their new homes, offering hope for the species. In the UK wild parrots are the most increasing species of wild birds in the country დ
Fantastic photos, Cindy. You can break your 8-photo rule any time with shots like these.
Smiling….. So kind & so appreciated! Cheers to you and thank you დ
Have a great weekend, Cindy.
You too my friend.
Thank you for sharing these wonderful images of birds flying free – especially as I have only seen macaws in cages, which is an awful sight!
All of the birds here are so happy and so well cared for. It was wonderful to visit them. Macaws are so interesting. The ones I have observed in the wild, and these free flying ones, are so curious about people who take the take to stand still and watch them. The often turn upside to examine you for another angle! 😉
These photos are a treat. Thank you, Cindy!
You are so welcome Michele & I am very happy you enjoyed them დ
Their colors contrast so much against the blue, which is a rare image as usually they are seen in middle of lush green. I hope being free in that environment is not that harsh to them : )
Their colors are just sublime aren’t they! They have a home they return to daily where they are protected, fed and cared for. Sometimes they fly out briefly, and other times stay out longer, but they always choose to come home დ
They are incredibly beautiful birds. I’ve never seen one flying free so loved the view from your camera. Thanks.
I understand and agree with you Marlene. Seeing these gorgeous creatures free is a thrill of a lifetime, each time! დ
Rules are meant to be broken… and honestly? Who said eight is enough! That was a weekly show 😉 These are wonderful, Cindy. What a wonderful thing to experience.
Smiling….. That is pretty true about rules isn’t it!!! 😉 😉 Thank you so much Dale დ
Smile away! My pleasure, Cindy 🙂
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It’s good to know about these happy birds. Thanks for sharing the info and your photos!
You are most welcome Audrey & cheers to you დ
How beautiful…😊😊😊
Happy you think so & cheers to you Athira დ
Excellent photography. Thank you for sharing.
You are so welcome & I am pleased you enjoyed! დ
Amazing photos, thank you for sharing.
Thank you more for your kind appreciation დ
These are a treat Cindy! I’ve shared a link on twitter.
So happy you enjoyed & thanks very much for the share my friend დ
Feeling macawsome just looking at these amazing shots. Happy weekend, my friend! (∘❛ั⌔❛ั∘)💜💜💜🌈🌈🌈🌻🌻🌻
You always make my დ smile დ
( ´ ∀ `)ノ～💜🌻💜
These are glorious photos Cindy
So happy you think so Sheree & thank you very much for telling me დ
Pleasure Cindy
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Amazing birds. never too many pictures!
So appreciated Darlene & thank you დ
Hallo Cindy, beautiful photos of these magnificent animals. Wolfgang
Smiling! Thank you very much Wolfgang & cheers to you დ
Fantastic!
Merci beaucoup mon Ami დ
How fabulous! I’m really envious….Such colourful, beautiful creatures and expert photographs. Thanks Cindy! Cheers. x
Thank you Joy. So very happy you enjoyed these beauties დ
You had ‘only seen’? Well, most of us on this side of the ocean have only seen them disconsolately pecking at the bars of a cage or aviary – or in glorious pictures like yours!
I hear you and it is sad. Thankfully you have lots of wild parrots now in the UK. Apparently they are the fastest gowing species of wild birds in Britain. I saw them in St. James Park, but now I hear they are successfully breeding in more places across the UK which is amazing considering how cold it gets in the winter. These are obviously highly adaptive creatures. Interestingly, as parrots become increasingly endangered in their natural habitats, some species are thriving in new habitats they escaped into. In the US, various species have established wild colonies in 23 states! დ
Wow! That’s quite a success story. And yes, parakeets enliven the local scene round my son’s house in London, and I enjoy their busyness.
How wonderful!
Oh Cindy, these guys are beautiful. And yes, would be a delight to chat with too I think. Thank you for sharing your friends 🤣❤️🙏🏽
Thank you for liking my friends my friend 🙂 დ
Wonderful pictures. You san post as many as you like
Smiling…. Thank you very much Derrick დ
Can, of course 🙂
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They are awesome. Thanks Cindy. 🙂
You are so welcome my friend! Hope all is well with you დ
Gorgeous birds! I love their vibrant colors!
So happy you do Lisa & cheers! დ
I fully can understand why you broke your photo-rule. 😉 Those creatures are so lovely and amazing!
Have a fine weekend and stay safe, dear Cindy!
Visa versa 2UX2 Martha. Be well dear friend დ
The colors alone attract the curious eye! My niece in Costa Rica has posted some photos of these awesome birds. I could spend hours watching. Thanks for sharing.
Yes. I am just like you. When I saw them in Costa Rica, I stood there watching them on their nest for hours on end, and they watched me back! დ
Cindy, nature’s creatures fascinate if we only take the time to observe. Do they sing to one another? oxox
They talk endlessly, but it sounds more like squawks than opera 😉
Haha. Squawk right back to them and see if they look at you in a funny way. Better yet, play a recording of them and see if they are confused. A human squawking! oxox 🙂 🙂
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Enjoy!!!
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You are more than forgiven for the extra photos of these absolutely gorgeous and intelligent birds! Are they friendly?
Super friendly, outgoing, and very curious about new people. In short total joys to meet დ
Oh my goodness, Cindy, they’re gorgeous! Such great photos!
Thank you so much Felicia დ
Interesting that they come in multicolors and the photos capture their curiosity. Colors and personality plus.
Thank you David. They are a triple impact bird, physically gorgeous, highly intelligent, curious and friendly დ
Great images! I love the the bird that mostly red!
Isn’t he stunning. I would be so thrilled if one of these beauties flew into The Holler! დ
Beautiful!
Merci beaucoup დ
Beautiful bird photo, Cindy! The details, wow! Incredible… Glad you broke your rule 🙂
Smiling…. Thanks so much Amy დ
I had no idea that these birds flew freely in California. I am so impressed that there is an avian center for them to return home to. I am also very impressed with your photos. Eight wouldn’t have been enough for me. Loved your post, Cindy!
Awww….. Touch by your thoughtfulness. Thank you & cheers დ
They are simply beautiful birds Cindy. I would love to see them close up and flying free!
Yes, for me it was an incredible experience დ
Skip the rules, just follow the feeling.
Works for me დ
The birds have beautiful colors. By the way, when I first saw the title “Free” , I think this is about one of the recent social media platform being freed 🙂
How interesting. I like tweeters more than twitters! 😉
I couldn’t agree more!
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I love the macaws. Such stunning colors 🙂
I love them too! დდ
Oh the more photos the better!
Smiling….. Make me happy Chris. Thank you დ
Beautiful, Cindy. And let me say, given your photography, publish as many photos as you want. Please. 🙂
Ohhh…… So nice of you Curt & so appreciated დ
Beautiful 🤩
Grazie mille დ
Gorgeous birds and gorgeous photos, Cindy! Love their colours and curiousity.
Aren’t they wonderful creatures! I love them too დ
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Cindy – I could feel the air rush above me as I viewed your photos. How wonderful to be able to share these moments with your grandsons!!!
Yes. I am so looking forward to taking them! It is definitely a personal and interactive experience with the birds which is truly special დ
How delightful! What a treat for you and us. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you more for appreciating Eileen & take good care my friend დ
They are beautiful birds and have wonderful personalities, these look very healthy!
My hubby and I were both struck by how happy and healthy all the animals at this farm were დ
Very cool. I wonder how they knew they could free the birds and still have them come home? A nice banquet perch?
The owner of the farm is an animal trainer and yes, she uses a banquet perch on this tree. I think they come home like cats, when they’ve had their adventure, they come home for food and safety დ
Such gorgeous birds! I have never seen one in flight. This was a treat. Thanks so much, Cindy.
You are so welcome Jennie. Seeing them in free flight is indeed thrilling დ
Indeed!
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Trinidad is close enough to South America so you can see them here too, such beautiful birds…
I would love to go!!! დ
Beautiful intelligent birds too wonderful photos..
So happy you enjoyed Sue & yes, these are incredibly intelligent and social creatures დ
I’m glad that your broke your picture rule, Cindy. These pictures of the Macaws are just outstanding! Aaron and I love to go to the wildlife park a couple miles from our house. One of our favorite things to do is to play some fun music as we stand beside the Macaws and watch one in particular dance. He’s hilarious! I don’t know who is more fun to watch – him or Aaron. Thanks for a wonderful look at these beautiful birds!
I have seen this!! So amazing you and Aaron have too! I wittnessed this in a free flight parrot rescue near me run by an exotic bird veternarian. He encourages people to visit the traumatized parrots. The love from the people, and the response from the parrots, is just soul enhancing. This one woman played music on her iphone and the cockatoo danced with abandon. If you click on the link and go 9 photos down, you will see the woman and the cockatoo, dancing on her shoulder. It was so beautiful: https://cindyknoke.com/tag/free-flight-bird-sanctuary/
So much love and admiration to you and Aaron both დდ
Thank you for that link, Cindy. I’m making a note to show this to Aaron. Animals touch our souls so much! Love to you, Cindy!
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They are gorgeous, and you can post as many photos of them as you like!!
Smiling…. Thanks my friend დ
Wow amazing capture, lucky you Cindy, so beautiful and colors are amazing
Very pleased you enjoyed them and thank you for letting me know დ
Love the pics! And it must be so amazing to see the magnificent birds in the wild!
So happy you like them Ann, and yes, seeing macaws in the wild is a thrill of a lifetime დ
Well done, Cindy. What glorious creatures. Their colors speak of jubilation and their expressions bring smiles. Hugs on the wing.
Your lovely comments brought smiles to my დ Teagan. Thank you sincerely my friend & take good care დ
Your photos of the Macaws are beautiful, Cindy. I can only imagine watching them in person. I had no idea these birds lived in Southern California.
Thank you Mary. These guys live on a farm and are cared for by the owner, but they are allowed to fly free and always come home on their own volition დ
Wow, they are sooo brilliant, Cindy!
So happy you think so Pam & thanks very much! დ
Wow, just wow! Their colors are amazing, and I love how clear your photos are, Cindy. Why, I can almost reach out and pet their beautiful feathers, ha!
So appreciated Debbie. You make me happy I posted them. Cheers to you & thank you დ
Ever so colourful birds!
Mother Nature’s palette დ
Oh my goodness – these photos are spectacular! Thank you so much for sharing them – what an absolute joy xxx
Awww…. You make me happy I posted them. They are such joyous creatures! დ
They really are. It is always a joy to watch birds, they are usually the only wild creatures we can watch 😀
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Too many gr8 macaw pix? Impossible!
You and I think alike! დ
Wow! I wonder if they escaped from somewhere or decided they wanted to travel.
Interesting queries…. დ
Great shots as always Cindy, I am just not sure how cool it is that these beauties owned by someone are free as a bird in CA as they are not native never mind what they are worth to breeders.
Thank you Eunice & cheers to you my friend დ
So, they are all like homing pigeons, they come home to roost?
Yes. Exactly.
Nice!
Grazie დ
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Cindy, you have so many models to photograph. They are pretty patient and, it looks, they love this kind of activities. Pictures are beautiful!
Thank you very much Alexander & take good care დ
Splendid shots of these beautiful birds, Cindy!
Thanks so much Sue and have a great week დ
Ondy These are such amazing images. These birds caught my attention. Anita
I am so happy they did Anita! Thanks much for letting me know დ
It’s definitely a bird’s life Cindy <3
Yes indeed!! 😉 დ
Not possible to post too many photos of such beauty. 🥰
Alison
Awww….Thank you kindly Alison დ
Fabulous captures. I’ve never seen them in flight before.
I am so pleased you enjoyed and thank you so much for letting me know! დ
Magnificent!
Merci beaucoup mon Ami Dawn! დ
Oh wow love seeing the close ups! So beautiful
So happy you enjoyed my friend & thank you for letting me know დ
You’re welcome ☺️
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Wow, Cindy! They are incredible and your photos are terrific. We have the green parrots in large numbers, but I’ve never seen these– more inland, I suppose.
Thank you sincerely Jane. It is quite an incredible experience to see them flying free over Southern California skies დ
I keep coming back to these… their amazing see them be free.. my aunt and uncle had these as pets while I grew up and I never liked watching them not be able to fly free in the world.. even though they had a very big house aviary I just wanted them to be free.. these photos show the beauty of that.
I know exactly what you are saying and feeling Kerri. Seeing them free and flying is thrilling beyond words დ
Beautiful. Thankyou for posting so many!
Smiling….. You are most welcome & cheers to you დ
OMW, Cindy! These are fabulous photos!
I am honored you enjoyed them Eugenia & thank you very much დ
My pleasure, Cindy!
Thank you so much for breaking your rule of 8 photos! Your photos are magnifcent! I would love to see more of these majestic birds. We had 4 when we lived in Costa Rica.
❤️carmen
Thanks very much Carmen. How wonderful it must have been to live amongst them! Cheers & take good care my friend დ
Wow! Magnificent. Thanks for sharing with us.
You are more than welcome Tangie & cheers დ
Again, beautiful bird photos! Their colors are vivid and spunky feathers.
Thanks so much! Very pleased you enjoyed & cheers to you დ
The colours on these are just fabulous.
They are incredibly beautiful birds aren’t they! Cheers to you Charlotte დ
I love them. Great job.
Thank you Beverley & take good care my friend დ
No wonder you can’t resist! I can only imagine how wonderful it would be to live in a place where these gorgeous birds enliven one’s sky.
Apparently they regularly land in a nearby residents tree. I hear they are thrilled when it happens. I certainly would be! დ
These are such beautiful and friendly birds. Such amazing photos, Cindy. It would be a real treat to see them flying free like that.
Thank you Carla. They are especially thrilling to see out of a cage დ
Yup! Absolutely irresistible, Cindy! It is wonderful to see them wild and free – I have only seen such birds 🐦or very similar, locked in cages. And they look so full of personality too😀
I just love the parrot species. They are so intelligent and interactive. It is beyond thrilling to see them in the wild. They are even more interactive which they are wild which blows my mind. Check this out: https://cindyknoke.com/2019/03/31/green-winged-scarlet-macaws/
A beautiful arrangement of color on a gray December day! 💖
So pleased you enjoyed & Happy New Year Jules! დ
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Truly a real feast of the eyes. Thanks a lot for sharing. 👌👍😊🥰🙏❤️
Thank you more for your kind appreciation & cheers to you! დ
I can’t imagine what it must be like to see macaws flying free! I’ve only ever seen them in cages or on perches. I will have to check this out when I’m in Southern California again. Where exactly is it? Stunning photos of these beautiful birds.
Yes, it is amazing. Here is a link to their site if you ever are in the area: https://avian-behavior.org/