"Back in! Back in!"

[Deleted]

Further to my attempt at training the flock to return to their cage on command    I'm thrilled to report, if they're co-operative , under 5 minutes is now the norm.
I realise I'll never attain the 30 seconds of budgie-return-to-cagerer-extraordinaire, Marianne Marlow, who obviously has The Pex Factor!  One of my buds tweeted to me that, according to the global avian interchirp, she only has to raise an eyebrow at her flock & they march back into their cage giving her a wing salute as they go in.  
With my 5 it's either "C'mon chaps, GAME ON!!" or "Let's co-operate this time & lull her into a false sense of security..."

[birdguhl]

Good going! That is a result!

Love the idea of the interchirp! Marianne must be very famous and fabled!

[Marianne Marlow]

It's all just routine and practice I'm afraid!

I do the same things every night in the same order and they realise it's going to be bedtime soon.

If you can get one really co-operative budgie to go in and they have a best friend that follows then it's usually pretty easy to get the rest to go in too

The four newest additions were the most difficult to train, they'd go round and round the room looking for somewhere to land. For the first week we had to grab them in the dark, but the second week, they started to get it. It only took Iris to go in and then Billy to follow and they realised that no grabbing was necessary!

[Deleted]

I'm fortunate that Indie prefers in to out and Yuki wants to be with Indie. So I offer the taxi stick to Indie with an 'up', he steps up, we get halfway across the room and Yuki suddenly flies over and lands beside him. Then in through the door and wait for them to disembark.

Now I hear from the lady that has Munchy and Peri that Munchy STILL won't go back in easily and she has to resort to netting him.

[Deleted]

Thanks Marianne Marlow, routine & practice applied = success.
The buds have to return to their cage mid afternoon as both of us go to work.
Siri's co-operative so first, then Max, Trevor & Anakin & lastly flock leader Jesse.
Jesse sat on my shoulder while the others went in then flew to a high picture frame.
I've been recall training him to fly to a waggled forefinger.
Today he just watched my finger & cooed at it.
He did comply when commanded "Gerron this beeping finger ya li'l toerag," in a cheerful, quiet voice & got taxied into their cage without protest.
Awesome.