2nd March 2003

Here we are again at the beginning of another breeding season and it seems like yesterday that we were here last year! A few changes to the birds and a few changes to make to the aviaries but let's start at the beginning.
The zebra finches have come through the winter with flying colours and only one fatality. Their cheerful chirping has brightened up many a cold day. I invested in a new pair which are a bit bigger than mine and hopefully will help increase the new stock. I went to a Parrot Society breeders sale at Carlisle and got them as well as a few others but more of that later. The cock is grey and the hen fawn and they seem to have settled in pretty well.
The cockatiels have over wintered in their new, insulated hut with only a biscuit box and bulb as heating. At the same show I bought the spare hen I needed to even the numbers. She is grey pied and absolutely unafraid of anything, much to the horror of the others. The lutino cock has attached himself to her so all would appear to be well. A friend of mine is needing a home for an 18 month old hen so, guess what, I'm on the look out for a cock now. She is a beautiful bird and I'm looking forward to her arrival which won't be until the weather is warmer. The swap for her is a young one to hand rear when the time comes so, watch this space!
The more delicate finches are quite content with their lot in life and seem to be none the worse for the winter. The gold breasts are almost calm now and, as usual, the red ear and orange cheeks are just busy,busy. My precious bichenos are happy and healthy and have even filled a nestbox with fibres and feathers. No eggs but they are really cosy at night. I was a bad girl at that show and bought another pair but they have taken up residence in my dining room where they will have to stay until it is very much warmer and they can join the others. They are happy little things and chirp away all day long.
In the budgie aviary there have been a few changes.My two green hens did not have much success with their eggs, the young hens ended up on the floor and of her mothers' two hatched only and they perished very quickly. Only this week the last of the blue babies have gone on to new homes so I am left with my pairs only. I bought two more hens, one lutino and one green because I am 99% convinced that both Gordon and Custard are cocks. That gives me 5 breeding pairs which is quite enough for now especially in view of the modifications to be done.
I had a birthday recently and on returning from a weekend away was greeted by a pair of canaries sitting in a cage in the kitchen. They are gorgeous but as the weather is still uncertain, they are now in a big breeding box along with the bichenos in the dining room. It is more like a pet shop than a home!! I have a lot of reading up to do to get everything right for them.
The latest plan is to split the area inside the budgie hut with a solid partition and make a hatch out into a new flight at the opposite end from the budgie flight. It should be around 15 feet long by around 3 feet wide and will involve my owing favours to John for ever more I think.
Well that's the news for now. I'm hoping to get more pictures up of all the birds and also the building works involved for the canaries.

6th April 2003

Another month is here and the birds are getting keener to breed by the day. the weather is getting warmer and the danger of frost is almost past so the nest boxes can go up in the outside flights.
The zebra finches have jumped the gun by laying four lots of eggs in the baskets inside the hut so they will be hatching sometime in the next two weeks if all is well. Can't tell the parentage at present but I will eventually.
Today the nest boxes went out for the cockatiels and at this moment (1 hour later) they are investigating furiously. I have put the sawdust in the bottom and that's them set now for this round. The new cockatiel I bought has turned out to be a fine cock, not a fine hen so I have two extra cocks now but to worry, I'll cope. The hen which my friend is giving me should arrive soon now and can have a choice of men!! She has ordered a hand-reared one and so has a young man called Thomas from Fife so I will keep you up to date with the progress.
In the finch aviaries there are eggs in the orange cheek/red ear flight but I don't know who they belong to. My bichenos (the pair) are doing well and spending a lot of time in and out of the nest box but no eggs yet. The pair I had in the dining room had a disaster and I lost the hen so the cock is out with the other two and has settled in quite well. Another disaster is that one of my gold breast cocks has managed to fly into something and looks like it has broken a wing. It is not unduly perturbed but can't fly so I have added a branch to the inside flight so it can get to the food, water and hatch to the outside. He is managing quite well really.
In the budgies we have had a real disaster. I have lost two cock birds in the last week for no apparent reason. Just been reading about a budgie virus but I hope that is not the case. Both were young birds and were dead within days so I have scrubbed out and thoroughly disinfected the entire aviary and am keeping my fingers crossed. Only one bird looks a bit off and that is Gordon but I'll keep you posted.
The canaries have taken over the dining room now as I have a second pair. The original ones were Border canaries I think, and the new are Fife Canaries, all yellow and fluffy. The new flight for them is at a standstill until the wood arrives to make the panels but the base is up and ready and planted up with honeysuckle and cotoneaster and grass.
Spring must be here with a vengence as there are lots of birds nesting around the farm. the ducks are paired up and mating but no eggs yet. I have a wren nesting in a box outside my kitchen window and it's antics are a delight to watch, not to mention the blackbirds, bluetits and sparrows.

11th May 2003

In the last month things have realy started to move in the aviaries. between building works and new birds it is all go.
The zebra finches have five chicks fledged now, three fawn and two grey. The grey ones are from the new pair I got at Carlisle to try to get some more size into my birds. The chicks are certainly bigger than the fawn ones so, hopefully they will find mates and improve the stock. There are also two nests with eggs still to hatch.
In the cockatiel aviary the "new girl" arrived. She is a cinnamon pearl and a lovely girl. Up to now she hasn't chosen a mate but has a choice of two when she does. One pair has three eggs which should be due to hatch next week. Hopefully I should be able to take two of them to hand rear for Thomas and the lady who gave me "Charlie". Both of them want normals so, fingers crossed for the right colours. The white cheeked pair have two eggs at the moment so hopefully they will have young this year. This is the second full breeding year for the hen and I'm afraid that if her eggs are not fertile this year then I'll have to find a new mate for the cock and she will have to be retired.
I am really excited about my bicheno finches. They have three eggs and she is furiously sitting on them. I do hope they hatch as I'd love to have more because they are such beautiful birds and real characters too.
In the other finches, the red ear and orange cheeks are starting to look as if they would like to nest seriously so everything is in place for them to do just that.
The gold breasts are more timid and haven't shown any signs after a solitary egg, abandoned by everyone, appeared in one of the nestboxes. Maybe as it get warmer they will be more enthusiastic.
Budgies are the watchword here just now. Sadly I did lose Gordon but after lots of work and disinfectant I am sure that it is nothing serious so have added to the numbers. I have got birds from a gentleman who shows budgies and they are real characters mainly because they have never been in an outside aviary before and they are like kids in a sweetie shop exploring everything. The colours are varied from white to blue via all shades of green but the biggest pleasure is watching them using their wings fully because they have been mainly in boxes so plummet quite often. One has been christened Budgie Blonde for obvoius reasons but I won't enlarge on it in case I offend anyone. I'll get some pictures up on the Budgie page soon. As they have only been here a couple of days I haven't got the nestboxes out yet but ,soon.
Lastly, the canaries, we finally got the flight finished and yesterday put the Border canary pair out into the hut. Today they are exploring their new domain and seem well pleased. the pair of Fife canaries are still in the dining room because to my delight they are sitting on 7 eggs. I have a feeling that they won't be successful with them all as I had no plastic eggs to substitute so they will hatch at different times but it is a first and unexpected attempt. I will be better organised next time. They will go out when the chicks have fledged.
The new flight loks very smart but I think with seven different aviaries that the time has come to call a halt to further building and concentrate on what I have. It is a lot of work but so satisfying to sit and watch the different birds just enjoying life with plenty of space and all the comforts of home. More next month with, hopefully news of the new arrivals.

17th August 2003

Well, I'm back after a long break for which I apologise. It has been a poor year for breeding in my aviaries except for one but more of that later. I'll try to catch up with all the news from here up to date.
In the finch aviary the red ears have reared three youngsters successfully and they are fledged and the red colouring is starting to be visible now. Don't know their sex any more than I know who their parents are but they are well. The orange cheeks up until now have done nothing but are showing an interest in a particular nest box today so, fingers crossed as this will be a last attempt before winter comes.
The gold breasts had one egg hatch and the chick fledged but for some heartbreaking reason was dead the following day. They are still very timid but look well.
My bichenos have caused me trauma after trauma and none of it good. MY hen sat diligently on her three eggs and then promptly dropped dead! No reason was obvious and the biggest heartbreak was that the chicks were dead in the eggs, all three of them. To have got so far and then all that was devastating. A fried of mine has given me her sole surviving bicheno which we are fairly certain is a hen so she and the two cocks are together until she makes a choice of men. maybe time for a brood this year but I doubt it.
The canaries are the most beautiful of birds and really entertaining. They have got poor John organised to fill their bath every morning whether he is in a hurry to combine or not!! They have laid loads of eggs but none fertile so we have come to the conclusion that they are all hens. Undaunted we acquired a lovely cock bird and he is now out of quarantine and in with them. Some more eggs this week but whether they will be fertile or not remains to be seen. Regardless they are a delight to sit and watch. Mind you the theory that they do not destroy greenery is false as the honeysuckle we planted has been stripped bare and the cotoneaster.
Cockatiels have had a poor year too. My lutino hen has laid somewhere around 12 eggs and not one fertile one. The white cheek pair hatched their two eggs much to my delight because I didn't really want to retire the hen. All was well for about a week then one morning the cock bird was lying dead in the hut(he was a good age) which was bad enough until I looked in the box and the chicks were not being fed by the hen so were hurredly taken into the house and handfed but both died within hours. My feelings towards the hen do not bear writing down!! The cinnamon pearl lady has no liking for any of the cock birds and, although she has finally laid 5 eggs, they will not be fertile.
A friend has given me some new birds so the new additions are, a pied red cheek cock called Bertie who has a lutino partner and a young normal cock. This brings me to 4 pairs of birds always assuming that white cheek and cinnamon take mates.
My ducks have been laying again this year but haven't hatched any as our young collie dog has decided that fresh eggs are very tasty and helps herself.
The budgies are a mixed bunch who have only just settled into pairing off so I'm not too hopeful for this year although there are eggs in the boxes and a lot of mating going on. it would be wonderful to see the offspring because some of the colour combinations are freaky!! Look out for the adventures of Mouldy, Budgie Blonde, Lump, Olive, and the rest of the gang!
The only success story of this year is the zebra finches. They are the rabbits of the bird world and I have somewhere between 24 and a million of them in the flight but they never stay still for long enough to count them properly. Lovely colours and the young pieds are beautiful. I have given a pair to a lady I know and in return I will be getting a cock canary when it is ready. Good swap!
Well for now that is the news but I will try to get some photos of the new additions and budgies to put on the picture page.

27th December 2003

This year has flown by and it is time to reflect on what has happened in the last twelve months and the plans to be made for the next season. Let's go through the various birds in turn.
The cockatiels are now 7 in number and I only need a white cheek cock to make up numbers. This year has been a washout as far as breeding has been concerned so I'll have to devote more time to them next season. Fortunately my friend Emma has bred some lovely birds and has given me a couple as new blood so I'll have to repay the favour.I'm spoiling them too, as this year I've put a thermostatically controlled heater into the hut but set at a low temperature. It makes them very disinclined to come out in cooler weather!
My budgies have settled in and I finally produced three chicks which left for new homes in November and early December. The count is still the same at 5 hens and 7 cocks but I realise now that the last lot of birds I got were not as young as I was led to believe. Still, they seem OK at present and they have loads of space which they didn't have before. In fact they are so settled that I have put the nestboxes back in place only yesterday (Boxing Day)
On the canary front this coming year should be very interesting. I did my swap of a pair of pied zebras for a young cock canary from a lady I know and he is settled in now. Belatedly I realised that I had four hens and no cocks, something about the amount of eggs laid kinda gave it away!! Anyway, now there are two young cocks who seem to have agreed not to fight because they have plenty of space and enough ladies to occupy them. The boys are singing away furiously in competition with each other so the nest pans were put out for them yesterday too. John is still their willing slave when it comes to bath water!
In the finch flights little has changed. I have rehomed 3 pairs of zebras so it gives a bit more space for the rest but I will still part with more before the breeding season.
The red ears and orange cheeks are happy and healthy. I did lose one orange cheek that had a bad leg from the beginning but no more chicks, only the three red ears.
The gold breasted finches are still the timid bunch really but at least they are content as they finally hatched two chicks successfully. Unfortunately one died but the other is colouring up now and thriving. The cock bird which had the broken wing didn't survive, unfortunately but, hopefully, the baby will be a cock. Any bets?
The bichenos are still all together and she has made no decision as to which mate she wants but there is time yet. I see in the Cage and Aviary paper that there is someone close to here selling various finches so I may be able to get a hen there.
That seems to be me up to date for the New Year and a new diary page. While on holiday I visited a zoo which had 90 aviaries so maybe I will have a go at trying some different ideas in the flights that I saw there. I am pleased to report that my birds looked as good as the ones I saw there so I am pleased with myself! I will also be visiting the Scottish National Bird Show in Edinburgh on 1/2 January so I may make a few purchases there, but not birds as I don't have much success with buying them at this time of year (except cockatiels)
Happy New Year to you all and I hope you will join us again next year.