20 Bird Scene - October and November 2014

ISSUE TWENTY: OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014
BIRDSCENE
THE MAGAZINE FOR HOBBYIST BREEDERS
AND CONSERVATIONISTS
BREEDING FOR
PLEASURE V
BREEDING FOR
EXHIBITION
SHOW REPORTS
RECEIVED, THE
NATIONAL 2014
MICE, ROOFS
AND BIRD ROOM
CONSTRUCTION
BY ROSEMARY LOW
FREE
ISSUE 21 OUT
6TH JANUARY
2015

STAFFORD
SPRING SHOW
1ST MARCH 2015
www.staffordspringbirdshow.co.uk

ISSUE NINETEEN: OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014
THE MAGAZINE FOR HOBBYIST BREEDERS
AND CONSERVATIONISTS
CONTENTS
BIRD SCENE: OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2014
CONTENTS
DONATE TO OUR
CONSERVATION
FUND…
06 34
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04
INTRODUCTION TO
20TH ISSUE OF BIRD
SCENE
10
06
10
BREEDING FOR
PLEASURE V
BREEDING FOR
EXHIBITION
By Andrew Dutton
MICE, ROOFS AND
BIRD ROOM
CONSTRUCTION
By Rosemary Low
ON THE COVER
22
AN EXPERIMENT
WITH MOUNTAIN
PARAKEETS
By Jerry Fisher
06
BIRDSCENE
BREEDING FOR
PLEASURE V
BREEDING FOR
EXHIBITION
22
34
SHOW REPORTS
RECEIVED, THE
NATIONAL 2014
34
SHOW REPORTS
RECEIVED, THE
NATIONAL 2014
MICE, ROOFS
AND BIRD ROOM
CONSTRUCTION
BY ROSEMARY LOW
FREE
ISSUE 21 OUT
6TH JANUARY
2014
12
BIRD SCENE: Issue Twenty: October / November 2014
BIRD SCENE is run by The Parrot Society UK, 92A High Street, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, HP4 2BL,
England. FOR SALES AND EDITORIAL ENQUIRES Telephone or Fax: 01442 872245
Website: www.theparrotsocietyuk.org E-Mail: les.rance@theparrotsocietyuk.org
BIRD SCENE 3

INTRODUCT
Les Rance, Editor, The Parrot Society UK | www.theparrotsocietyuk.org | les.rance@
Well here we are the twentyith
edition of Bird Scene. What a
cracking National Exhibition we have
just experienced the P.S. Council were
delighted by the 6,500 visitors to the
event and very heartened by the
favourable comments from our trade
supporters many along the lines of ‘the
best sale day ever’. Neil Randle our
resident photographer was busy all day
and managed to take 700 pictures, he
was working very hard and this will
give us plenty of material for future
publications. The clubs associated with
the National Exhibition were full of
praise for the way the exhibition is
developing and with 4137 exhibits they
have every reason to be happy it might
sound very confident but a 21%
increase in birds staged next year would
take us to the magical 5,000 birds a
number not seen at any UK show since
2003 when the last Birmingham NEC
National was held. I am sure it can be
done and it would be great to achieve
this figure in 2015.
The autumn months are always so
busy for the Parrot Society office as no
sooner have we finished The National
Exhibition than we start to build up for
our ‘Help Bird Keepers’ Show also at
Stafford on Sunday 30th November
this year, a full week earlier than in
2013. Tickets and tables can be booked
from the PSUK Shop on our website.
We are really becoming attached to
this publication because it is without
doubt ‘the way to go’ possibly the most
interesting question in relation to ‘New
Technology’ is when will all bird
keepers have both the interest to grasp
this type of publication and when will
they have the hardware to access this
form of offering? Bird keepers already
have a hobby and a very rewarding one
it is; they do not need computers and
all that goes with their purchase,
installation and maintenance.
Currently they can obtain everything
they need via bird related paper
magazines but eventually that will
change and when electronic magazines
become accepted by the majority clubs
will have to take the hard decision as
to whether to continue with the paper
magazine. But may I say that at
present The Parrot Society have no
plans to go down that road.
Regular readers will know that Bird
Scene has been produced to publicise
4 BIRD SCENE

ION
theparrotsocietyuk.org
BY THE
EDITOR
LES RANCE
The National Exhibition held each year
at our October Sale Day/Show and to
promote our Conservation efforts for
threatened parrots in the wild.
Previous editions are still to be found
in an archive at the foot of the Home
Page of our website and if you would
like to see earlier versions then do
please visit the Bird Scene archive.
I do hope you enjoy reading this issue
of Bird Scene as much as I have
putting it together.
BIRD SCENE 5

BY ANDREW DUTTON
06 BIRD SCENE

FEATURE
BREEDING FOR
PLEASURE V
BREEDING FOR
EXHIBITION
By far the most popular choice is
breeding for pleasure. Most of the
members of the JSSUK just keep their
javas for the sole purpose of enjoying
the sight of them in their cages or
aviaries, there is nothing wrong with
this at all, as that is why we all started
keeping birds in the first place !
There are many advantages to
keeping javas just for pleasure. There
is not as much stress involved with the
keeping and breeding of javas if it is
just for your own pleasure. You can
have what ever colour mutations that
you want, you can pair them to which
ever mutation you want and you can
choose to breed throughout the year at
any time and not worry about what
colours you produce and the getting
them ready for the showing season.
It is my view that as well as doing
this it would also be a great benefit to
the hobby if people gave showing a go.
Showing is on the decline and all of us
in the hobby need to try and do as
much as we can to save it as it will
benefit all of us in the future.
Keeping javas is not like keeping
other varieties of birds such as
budgies, canaries and even zebra
finches.
With javas there are no champions,
novice and beginner classes, everyone
is on the same playing field. All you
have is an Adult class and a Current
Year Owner Bred class. Here at the
JSSUK we are trying to keep the javas
the same shape and size that they are
in the wild, that is why we have a
show standard to adhere to. If you look
over the last 10 years of the society
there have been 7 different winners of
the Best Java In Show, there are no
particular exhibitors with outstanding
birds winning every year in year out.
Every show you attend you have a
chance of winning if you just put a
little extra effort in.
BIRD SCENE 07

Keeping javas for pleasure or
exhibition, you practically have to do
the same things anyway.
If breeding for exhibition you
obviously pair the best birds you have
together. You feed them the best foods
you can afford and make sure they
always have access to grit and clean
water, to drink and to bathe in. If
keeping for pleasure, apart from
choosing your best birds to pair
together, you do everything else the
same anyway !
If wanting to show your current year
birds you have to pair up your birds
early on in the year to make sure they
have come through the moult and are
in good condition for the shows which
usually start later on in the year. Also
you have to make sure they have that
current year ring on them, to show
them in that class. In the Adult class
you can show any java you like, rung
or unrung.
For those of you who are thinking of
giving showing a go in the future, you
would be better breeding your birds in
cages rather than flights. Not that you
can not breed great looking birds out
in the flights, it is just if bred in cages
they are usually more calm when you
introduce them to a show cage.
So please if you keep your javas just
for pleasure, why not think of just
giving showing a go. Here at the
JSSUK we will only be to glad to help
you and get you started at giving
showing a go. Get in touch with myself
or any committee member via our
website or our facebook page and we
will be glad to help you.
At the shows you will meet lots of
new friends, who in the future you can
buy or exchange birds with to improve
your own stock. So come on, if you are
breeding just for pleasure at the
moment, why not breed for exhibiting
too ? What have you got to loose ???
The two most common questions
asked when people have purchased
Javas for the first time are what do I
feed them on and can the be housed
with other finches ?
Well first of all regarding the feeding,
I give my birds a good quality foreign
finch mix and it goes without saying as
with all birds, they have access to grit
and fresh water. You can also feed
them a little greenfood, lettuce or
broccoli will be accepted and I also
feed mine a little budgie tonic seed
once or twice a week.
Also to get the birds in condition I
feed a little egg food which they really
enjoy. With Java sparrows, they are a
bird that likes to bathe a lot so I
always have a bath on the cage or in
the flight as they will bathe two or
three times a day, sometimes more.
Another food you can feed your javas,
especially if in a mixed collection with
other finches, are mealworms. Javas
do love mealworms which they will
skin and eat the insides.
Regarding the second question, can
they be kept with other species ? The
answer is yes, but keep an eye on
them, especially if they are kept in
cages ! Some, but not all Javas
sometimes have a tendancy to bully
smaller finches, especially when kept
in cages. In aviaries because there is
08 BIRD SCENE

FEATURE
© Neil Randle
more space and places to escapes to,
they do not seem to do this as much
and you can usually house Javas with
most other species. Just keep an eye
on them, especially when breeding as
javas will not tolerate other birds near
their nest box when eggs or young are
present.
When housing Javas in cages in a
bird room it is advisable to either
house them one pair to one cage or if
not breeding them then house just
cocks together and house hens
together in separate cages. This will
stop the cock birds fighting over the
attention to attract a hen.
In an aviary there is a lot more room
for birds to escape should any
bickering occur so you can obviously
house more birds together.
If anyone requires any more
information onthe keeping of Javas
please take a look at our website or
Facebook page were there is a lot of
information available. Or if you are
attending the sales days at Stafford or
if you go to some of the CBS shows
around the country please look out for
the Java Sparrow Society stand. There
will be a few of the JSSUK committee
members on the stand who will only
be to happy to offer any advise needed
to anyone who is thinking of starting
with Javas or anyone who already has
them and just wants some advise on
anything Java related.
BIRD SCENE 25 09

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MICE,
ROOFS AND BIRD ROOM
CONSTRUCTION
ARTICLE BY: ROSEMARY LOW
12
BIRD SCENE

FEATURE
BIRD SCENE 13

Mice and rats are extremely
resourceful creatures. If there is
a way to get into our aviaries and bird
rooms, they will find it. This means that
waging war on rodents must commence
literally before the foundations of the
building are laid. In fact it should start
with the planning. If you decide to
build a wooden bird room or perhaps
convert a double garage which is partly
constructed from wood, it will be almost
impossible to exclude vermin. Gnawing
through wood is so easy for mice. Once
they enter it will be extremely difficult
to exclude them. If you must use timber,
take the following precautions:
1. Stand the building on a concrete
base.
2. Be aware that insulating the bird
room is asking for trouble. Of course
it helps to prevent heat loss but
it is better to spend a little more
on heating the room (if heat is
necessary) than living with mice
breeding in the cavities between
the two walls. I know because this
happened to me. After two micefree
years, the mice moved in. The
glasswool insulating material was
deemed perfect for mouse nestmaking.
The only solution was to
rip out the inner wall, including the
roof lining, and leave the building
permanently without lining. The
mice moved out. But that was not
the end of the problem. They moved
into the other building which was
lined, and took up residence in the
roof. A nightmare scenario! The
patter of feet which I was hearing
daily were those of mice. There
was no alternative but to take the
roof off and construct an entirely
new one. That was four years ago
and my bird room is now mousefree.
One advantage was that with
the new roof I did away with the
skylight windows. Its inclusion had
been a mistake because it caused
condensation to drip from the roof to
the floor.
3. If you have a wooden building, nail
tin plate or aluminium, inside and
out, to the height of 1ft (31cm). This
precaution will be useless if there
are any holes through which mice
can enter. Check the point where
electricity cables leave the building,
cover ventilator and extractor outlets
with small mesh and ensure that all
doors and windows are tight-fitting.
Also remember that if you have popholes
to allow your birds access to
outdoor flights, mice will enter if they
have access to the flights. Welded
mesh should be buried around the
perimeter of the flights to prevent this.
For preference, don’t build a bird
room from wood. Brick is much
more expensive but if you can afford
it, brick or breeze blocks are ideal
materials. You might also consider
obtaining, second-hand, the kind
of prefabricated cabins which are
used on building sites, for example.
As long as there is no wood in their
construction!
14 BIRD SCENE

FEATURE
Precautions
If you have outdoor aviaries and you feed
your birds in the flight part, mice will
be almost impossible to eliminate. You
might also attract rats. To protect food
and water from vermin, weather and the
droppings of wild birds (increasing the
likelihood of disease being transmitted),
it is essential to have an indoor section,
either an enclosed shelter or a cage
inside a building, where the birds are
fed. This increases the length of time
it will take mice to find a food supply,
although it is not guaranteed to keep
them out if wood is used to construct
shelter or building.
There are other precautions that you
can take to discourage mice from finding
your garden attractive. If you feed the
wild birds, clear up any uneaten food
before nightfall. If you keep rabbits
or other pets that have a dry food,
remove any dry food at night. Finally,
do not discourage your neighbour’s cat
from visiting your garden at nightfall.
Generally speaking, once a cat has
discovered it cannot reach the birds
in your aviaries, it will lose interest in
them - but if there are mice about it will
return night after night. I would strongly
advise that when planning your aviaries,
buy enough welded mesh to double
wire all surfaces that are accessible to
cats and owls. It might seem like an
expensive exercise but this will prevent
deaths from injuries by night marauders.
Also, with the increase in
Sparrowhawks in gardens, it will prevent
BIRD SCENE 15

I would strongly advise that
when planning your aviaries,
buy enough welded mesh to
double wire all surfaces that are
accessible to cats and owls. It
might seem like an expensive
exercise but this will prevent
deaths from injuries by night
marauders.
Also, with the increase in
Sparrowhawks in gardens, it
will prevent these pests from
attacking your birds.
these pests from attacking your birds.
Another tip is to grow climbers such as
passionflower, honeysuckle and clematis
over the top and sides of the flights.
Sparrowhawks are now so numerous,
even in city gardens, that every step
should be taken to prevent them diving
on the aviaries. Even if they cannot
reach the birds, the shock can cause
birds to desert eggs or young.
Eliminating mice
The trap is the most environmentally
friendly form of elimination. But does it
work? At the risk of displeasing mouse
trap manufacturers, I have to say that
I have never caught a single mouse in
the metal traps that catch mice alive.
I am told that wooden ones are more
successful. Obviously traps can be used
only in bird rooms where there are no
birds loose. They can be used in aviaries
only if they can be placed inside a box
and if no small birds are present which
could enter the box.
The traditional type of spring trap,
usually baited with cheese, can be
successful - assuming you are not
16 BIRD SCENE

FEATURE
squeamish about removing victims. Note
also that mice absolutely love chocolate
and this can be the best bait of all. Be
warned that some very cheap wooden
spring traps are almost impossible to
set. I once tried a plastic spring-trap
which was very easy to set. I soon found
it had a major disadvantage. The spring
was not strong enough. The mice would
be trapped but not killed. I found mice
trapped by the tail or the foot and being
too soft-hearted to see any animal suffer,
I would release these victims alive.
Note also that mice absolutely
love chocolate and this can
be the best bait of all. Be
warned that some very cheap
wooden spring traps are almost
impossible to set. I once tried a
plastic spring-trap which was
very easy to set. I soon found it
had a major disadvantage. The
spring was not strong enough.
The mice would be trapped but
not killed.
BIRD SCENE 17

The newspapers often feature
advertisements for ultrasonic mouse
deterrents. I have not tried them since
I have been assured by two people
who have that they are not effective.
Members’ experiences on this method
would be welcome.
The obvious alternative to traps is
poison. I greatly dislike the use of
poison since it can get into the food
chain and because death is not swift.
Presumably it could also poison a cat if
a cat caught a mouse which had eaten
poison. I look on poison as a last resort.
However, to deal with rats and, in some
situations, with mice, there seems to
be no alternative. The mouse poison
which you can buy in a hardware store
is unlikely to be effective over the long
term, since mice will eventually become
immune to it. It is therefore advisable to
contact the vermin control department
of the local council. On one occasion
I saw a rat in my garden and a very
helpful man from the Council arrived
with some blocks of poison placed
inside small cardboard cartons. There
is no charge for this service. If you as
much as catch a glimpse of a rat, call
the council immediately. Do not leave
nest-boxes in position in outdoor aviaries
all year unless you close the entrance by
nailing wood over it. If a rat enters the
aviary and finds a bird roosting inside,
it will kill it and you are likely to find a
headless victim.
If you place mouse poison in your bird
room, don’t think all you have to do is
18 BIRD SCENE

FEATURE
DONATE TO OUR
CONSERVATION
FUND…
to put it in a suitable place and wait for
the mouse population to crash. Now your
work begins. On the first and succeeding
nights of poison use in a bird room,
sweep the floor, clean the cage trays,
etc, and remove every food container. If
they can feed on seed, they will not take
the poison. Mice are so resourceful that
they can learn to feed during the day but
offering them only poison at night will
usually solve the problem.
CLICK THE LINK BELOW:
http://www.theparrotsocietyuk.org/donations.php
BIRD SCENE 19

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AN EXPERIM
MOUNTAIN P
22
BIRD SCENE

ARTICLE BY:
JERRY FISHER
ENT WITH
ARAKEETS
BIRD SCENE 23

NOTES
Dry Seed Mix: “Australian Grass Parakeet and
Lovebird Mix”.
Soft food Mix: 1 part grated carrot
1 part finely chopped spinach
1 part finely chopped chicory
1/3 wheatgerm
1 – 2 parts EMP
1 hardboiled egg
All mixed to a crumbly consistency with a sprinkling
of Birdcare Company Daily Essentials 3.
Grit Mix: 1 part fine mineral grit
1 part fine oyster shell
1 part (or what is available)
crushed baked eggshells.
Cuttlefish bone available
separately
“These mixes from Albert E James & Son Ltd
Country Wide” range of bird mixtures
(Tel: 01275 463496)
Cage Litter: “Easibed” stable litter. Available from
equine and pet supplies stockists.
Sprouted Seed Mix: “Germination/Soak Seed”
Soaked 24 hours in water with Aviciens, Rinsed
thoroughly (do not drain). 12 hours in propagator.
Rinse again. Stir into soft food mix and serve
When I returned to bird keeping
some twelve years ago my
first acquisition was a pair of normal
Lineolated Parakeets. They were new
to me – I had seen some in a pet shop
and been struck by their appearance
and the fact that “I felt I could see
them thinking”. They proved to be a
delight and were featured in the June
2003 issue of this magazine.
My disappointment was that,
although they were visual normals,
none of their offspring was a wildtype
bird. That led me to investigate
related species and I “discovered”
Sierra and Mountain Parakeets. At
that time all three species were in
the genus Bolborhynchus - along
The chicks, eldest 10 days.
24 BIRD SCENE

FEATURE
with the Andean Parakeet and the
Rufous -fronted Parrot - which are not
to my knowledge known in captivity,
certainly not in Europe. Sierras and
Mountains have since been re-classified
in their own genus, Psilopsiagon. Each
species is immediately distinct but with
overlapping features. Mountains and
Sierras have similar shape but Sierras
are “fliers” whereas Mountains and
Lineolated are “scramblers”. Sierras
are by far the most aggressive of the
three. Each species can be kept on a
colony basis but Sierras require space.
I have kept Sierras with small finches
and Diamond Doves without a problem,
however to attempt with Sierras what
I am about to describe would result in
a bloodbath! The over-riding common
factor is that all three species give the
impression
that you are
dealing with
small parrot
intelligence in
small parakeet
body.
When it
comes to
captive
breeding,
Lineolated
can be classed
as “easy”
and Sierras
as “reliable”
(provided
the pair is
compatible).
The 9 x 2 x 2 (2700 x 600 x600) breeding cage with 5
grass parakeet boxes.
Mountains are more tricky. Their great
advantage is that they are dimorphic
and can be sexed in the nest at around
4 weeks of age. Over the last 10 years
I have never been without all three
species. Lineolated I do not breed
because I have not been able to obtain
pure wild-type birds. Sierras I have bred
regularly when I have had compatible
pairs. The Mountains have been
sporadic.
For those unfamiliar with Mountains,
they are – in my experience – delightful
little birds that are simple to maintain
and show a high level of intelligence
and personality for their size. They also
– like Madagascar Lovebirds – have the
advantage of being dimorphic, the sex of
the chicks being obvious by four weeks
of age.
My birds are fed on my standard
soft food mix plus a proprietary grass
parakeet and lovebird mix – details at
the end of this article. They also get
yellow and red millet sprays if taken, but
BIRD SCENE 25

The chicks, eldest 21 days.
mostly these are chewed off at the base
of the stem and left lying on the cage
floor having no further potential as toys.
Being scramblers, they often ignore the
flight option and climb along the cage
front. My next experiment, to get better
space utilization, will be to replace the
standard perches with V-shaped natural
beech ones clamped to the cage front so
that they can run and jump the length of
the cage.
Do not underestimate their intelligence
– everything is examined for its’
entertainment potential. My birds have
escaped by unhooking one side of a bath
– the family were sitting in a row on top
of their external nest box – and regularly
undo one of the four bolt and (external)
wing nut assemblies that retain my cage
fronts. I keep my Sierras in an outside
flight covered in plastic-coated netting.
The Mountains lasted less than a day in
a similar unit having immediately set
about removing the plastic coating.
There are four subspecies of Mountain
recognized (including the typical form)
The eldest at 31 days. Three chicks are clearly cocks.
26 BIRD SCENE

FEATURE
The eldest at 33 days. Six adults also shared this box at night!
but I think this is largely academic
to aviculturists. Firstly, I am unclear
as to how distinct the ranges are in
the wild or whether there are “grey”
areas. Secondly, while the cocks are
distinguished by the extent of yellow on
the front (from hardly any to full frontal)
the hens are virtually identical and
would almost certainly need to be wildcaught
from a known geographic area.
My Mountains arrived with a reputation
similar to that of Madagascar Lovebirds
– “they hide in the nest box, lay lots of
eggs and never hatch anything!” To
some extent I found that to be true,
although they bred irregularly and, if
deprived of a nest box, very quickly
became steady. On two occasions when
I have had a solitary cock bird for a while
it has rapidly come to hanging on the
cage front and nibbling one of my fingers
– with a little patience they would make
excellent pets. I presently have three
youngsters that vie to hang nearest to
the corner of the cage to monitor the
progress of the breakfast trolley.
I read that Mountains were burrownesters
and required a nest box either
with an entrance tube or with two
compartments of which they would
use the inner. Another breeder
also suggested that I fill the inner
compartment with coco fibre for them
to build a nest. With my first Lineolated
this was the trigger that started them
– my Mountains were horrified and
refused to enter the inner compartment.
Always remember that your birds may
BIRD SCENE 27

47 days – only the three youngest left.
not have read the same books you have!
For the past few years I have had
around 3 “breeding” pairs of Mountains
– except that most years only one pair
bred and sometimes none at all. I had
got into a routine where, outside the
breeding season, bonded pairs were
flocked in a 9’ x 2’ x 2’, (2700 x 600 x
600 mm) flight cage and any spare birds
were kept in single-sex groups. The
adult pairs lived together quite amicably
and when resting always sat in their
bonded pairs. Come November I set
each pair up in a 3’ x 2’ x 2’ breeding
28 BIRD SCENE

FEATURE
unit.
In November ’09 I had 3 pairs that
had been together for some months.
Pair 1 was an adult hen that had bred
previously but lost her mate and had a
new one brought from Europe. Pairs 2
and 3 were two birds of my breeding
paired with two also from Europe.
The previous breeding season the
older hen had bred successfully with
her previous mate, as she had done
the year before. Each year she had
reared her first round and failed to
hatch anything from her second. She
herself was bred by a friend who uses
standard grass parakeet boxes for his
Mountains – I gave her the same. The
other two pairs had previously done
nothing with 14” x 7” x 7” double boxes
that had been specially constructed for
Mountains. I have previously bred my
birds in these but now doubt whether
they are necessary – some of my birds
are currently showing equal interest in
standard budgie boxes.
Knowing that the hens of all three
pairs had been reared in grass parakeet
boxes, I resolved to use these for the
’09 –’10 breeding season. The breeding
units would be created by simply subdividing
the flight cage with two sliding
partitions.
Since the cage could be quickly subdivided
in the event of fighting I decided
to set the units up but leave the birds
together and see how they behaved
with nest boxes now available. The only
difference was that I fitted five boxes to
the cage front to give extra choice. The
boxes were all standard grass parakeet
boxes but four were new and one was
that used in previous seasons by the Pair
1 hen.
For the first couple of days I checked
constantly to make sure there were no
territorial fights. There were none – in
fact the opposite happened – all six birds
BIRD SCENE 29

disappeared into one box, the “used”
one. We’ll call it “Box 1”.
After a while it became apparent that
pairs 2 and 3 were unwelcome in box
1. I put it no more strongly than that
since apart from raised voices in the box
no harm was done. Pair 1 effectively
disappeared at this point and I assumed
they were on eggs. Pairs 2 and 3
showed only a passing interest in boxes
2 – 5, sometimes roosting in a box,
sometimes on a perch.
On 25 December I heard a chick calling
in box 1. I disturbed the adults briefly
(they left the box as soon as I touched
the door and returned immediately
I closed it). Inside were one newlyhatched
chick and eight eggs. They
went on to hatch a further seven
chicks. One chick died at a few days
old, the remaining seven were reared to
maturity.
As the chicks progressed I became
aware that pairs 2 and 3 were again
entering box 1 but the muted sounds
indicated that they were again welcome
and appeared to be feeding the chicks.
This continued while the chicks were
in the box. I also realized (I am often
in the birdhouse when the “daylight”
phase lighting comes on) that all 6
adults were again roosting in box 1
– in addition, of course, to 7 chicks.
Surprisingly, all went well and the chicks
avoided suffocation.
The first chick left the nest on 2nd
February, 40 days from first hatch. All
13 birds co-existed amicably until I
removed the chick’s approx six weeks
after they left the box.
A few weeks later pair 1 went down
again. This time I separated Pairs 2 &
3 in two thirds of the flight cage (6’ x 2’
x 2’) with a choice of 3 nest boxes – the
objective being to see if one pair would
be “dominant” and stimulated to breed.
As in previous years, Pair 1 produced
nothing from the second round.
Pair 2 made a false start in box 3 – laid,
produced nothing and subsequently
relocated to box 4 where they did not lay.
Pair 3 went down after pair 2 (I’m not
sure exactly when) in box 2. I knew
nothing of their progress until, on 27
August, I heard a chick calling. They
were less receptive to initial disturbance
than pair 1 and by the time I could
check the box it contained three chicks
approximately ten days old. Two of
these were subsequently reared to
maturity. The loss of the third chick was
unusual – losses generally occur within
two weeks of hatch but this one was at
least three weeks old. There was no
evidence that pair 2 took any interest
in raising the chicks of pair 3 but all 4
adults were entirely amicable in their
now 6’ (1800mm) long flight cage.
As soon as the chicks were out of the
box I removed all the boxes from pairs
2/3 – eggs immediately appeared on the
cage floor, I presume from pair 2.
Meanwhile, pair 1 (still separate) had
gone down for a third time and hatched
and reared a single chick.
At the time of writing I am about to
remove all three chicks and put the three
pairs of adults back together and “rest”
them for a while until I think they’re all
back in condition to receive their nest
30 BIRD SCENE

FEATURE
boxes. I have also set up in an identical
unit six young birds – three hens of my
breeding with three unrelated cocks.
Once these have sorted out their own
pairings I intend to repeat the above
layout of five boxes, but mixing grass
parakeet with budgie to see if they show
any preference.
It is far too early to draw conclusions
from the above but another year with
two groups should give an indication
as to whether this system does in
fact stimulate breeding. Tentatively,
I suggest group dynamics may play a
role – and specialized nest boxes are
unnecessary.
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BIRD SCENE

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BIRD SCENE 33

SHOW REPOR
THE NATIO
34 BIRD SCENE

FEATURE
TS RECEIVED
NAL 2014
BIRD SCENE 35

THE IRISH FANCY INTERNATIONAL
Despite moulting problems The
Irish Fancy Section was fairly well
supported, 215 birds entered, 135 of
those were Champion and 80 Novice
birds. They were judged by Mr Thomas
O’Regan from County Cork Eire. Thomas
Chose a light Variegated Buff Hen owned
By M. O’Connor as Best Champion
Unflighted & Best Champion. The award
for Best Champion Flighted went to a
self Yellow Green Hen, which also owned
by M O Connor.
Bust Novice Unflighted & Best Irish
fancy in Show went to a clear Yellow
Cock owned by Darren Hadley. Darren
also took the award for Best Novice
Flighted with a Variegated Yellow Hen.
Best ladies exhibit went to a Fawn
Variegated White Hen owned by Mrs
Lynn Gill. The overall standard was very
high. This year an award for Best Canary
in Show was presented by The Canary
Council for Great Britain & Northern
Ireland. That award went to a Variegated
Buff Fife Fancy cock.
On behalf of the Irish Fancy
International I would like to thank The
Parrot Society UK Officials for their
continued support staging The National
Exhibition.
Rest assured it is greatly appreciated
Regards
M. O. Connor
36 BIRD SCENE

FEATURE
FIFE FANCY CANARY SHOW
The Fife Fancy Canary section at the
Parrot Society National Exhibition
2014 attracted an entry of 582 exhibits
this year which is excellent considering
the reports of a poor breeding season
across the country, but it is up on the
previous year.
Best Fife in show went to the Herd
and Sommerville partnership with a
variegated green buff cock which led a
class of twenty four exhibits before going
on to take the Best Champion award and
the Best Fife award. This bird displayed
a steady posture and showed good type
and feather quality throughout the
judging. This partnership also claimed
the best champion cinnamon award.
Close on their heels were the Clark
and Gillott partnership winning two of
the champion specials with best clear, a
beautiful clear buff hen and best heavily
variegated, again a beautiful buff hen.
R Knowles won the self green special
with a green buff hen and the Green and
Stillie partnership took the best white
award with a heavily variegated white
cock.
The novice section was won by
G Pepper with a variegated yellow
cinnamon cock, and the runner up was
F McCartney’s clear buff cock. J Cooper
picked up two novice awards with his
self green yellow cock and a self blue
cock. C Twigg took the best variegated
award and G&A Hughes won the best
heavily variegated award with a buff
hen.
Thanks are due to the judges, Steve
Cook, Frank Sanderson and Keith and
Stuart Roberts for placing the awards.
Thanks are also due to the stewards for
the smooth running of the show and for
erecting and dismantling the staging.
The Fife Fancy Federation is extremely
grateful to the Parrot Society for
organising such an event.
BIRD SCENE 37

38 BIRD SCENE

FEATURE
BIRD SCENE 39

BEST UNFLIGHTED CANARY IN SHOW
Fife judge Steve Cook took the
variegated green buff Fife cock up
for the best unflighted canary award to
be contested by all the canary sections
present at the National Exhibition.
Nominated judges were given slips to
place their top six exhibits and then
points awarded to their particular choice
and then all added up.
In a nail biting finish three birds tied
on 24 points, a clear Border, a clear Irish
Fancy and the variegated green buff Fife
cock.
Independent COM OMJ judge, Kevin
McCallum, was called in to determine
the overall winner, and after much
deliberation chose the Herd and
Sommerville’s green buff fife cock as
best unflighted canary in show.
Maurice O’Connor, President of the
Canary Council presented the glass
trophy to Mr Herd and Mr Sommerville.
The Canary Council are proposing to
include a best junior unflighted canary
award at next year’s National Exhibition.
Chris Smith
Secretary Fife Fancy Federation
Secretary Canary Council
40 BIRD SCENE

FEATURE
REPORT FROM KEITH JONES
SECTION
Sandylands & Argyle Halls
EXHIBITS
Canary’s
Irish Canary 215
Fife Canary 582
Gloster Canary 615
Border Canary 370
Old Variety Canary Asso’n & Yorkshire 150
Norwich Canary 120
Canary Colour Breeders Assoc’ 200
Lizard & Blue Lizard Canary 140
British, Native, Mule & Hybrids 140
Foreign Birds
Lovebirds 120
Australian Finches & Waxbills 115
Budgerigars 400
Bengalese Finches 325
Zebra Finches 280
Java Sparrows 140
Keith Jones – National Exhibition Coordinator
BIRD SCENE 41

SHOW REPORT BLUE LIZARD
CANARY CLUB
The Blue Lizard Canary club had
a very successful show with 51
exhibitors benched the highest number
ever.
It was also a very successful show
for the clubs secretary and founder
member David Allen who took best Blue
lizard canary with a Clear Cap Blue Hen
winning the Kevin skinner president
trophy and the newly commissions
boxed rosette.
This bird took best clear cap blue lizard.
Best novice Blue lizard and best broken
cap blue lizard went to the Mandy &
Steve Martin partnership with a Broken
cap blue lizard hen they also took second
best Novice blue lizard with a clear cap
blue hen that was second in the class
with the best blue lizard.
• Best Non cap blue lizard went to Andy
Williamson.
• Best over-year Blue lizard went to Stan
Bolton with a over-year blue lizard
hen.
I would like to thank Brian Hogg for
judging the Blue Lizards.
He said it was so nice to see that the
Blues being shown in good numbers.
The broken cap blue cock was the
biggest class with 15 exhibitors in it, this
class was won by Andy Williamson.
Class winner was as follows.
• Class 1 Clear cap Blue cock --
Stan Bolton
• Class 2 Clear cap blue hen --
DTA lizard stud [aka David Allen]
• Class 3 Broken Cap blue cock --
Andy Williamson
• Class 4 Broken Cap blue hen --
Steve & Mandy Martin
• Class 5 Non Cap blue cock --
Andy Williamson
• Class 6 Non Cap Blue hen --
DTA lizard stud [aka David Allen]
• Class 7 over-year Blue cock --
DTA lizard stud [aka David Allen]
• Class 8 over-year Blue hen --
Stan Bolton.
42 BIRD SCENE

FEATURE
BIRD SCENE 43

OLD VARIETIES CANARY
ASSOCIATION
The total benched entry for the Old
& Rare Varieties Section was 120
exhibits which was down on last years
entry but 1 exhibitor failed to send any
birds this year.
The quality was as ever high.A few
birds could have taken the the top
award.
Best Old Variety was Ian Wrights
unflighted Self Green Crested Hen .A
worthy winner she showed very good
feather quality along with good colour
and a very good round,leafy, drooping
crest.Although the crest section was
not big this hen could have taken
on all comers such was her quality.
Congratulations to Ian for staging such a
good exhibit.
Best Lancashire was won by B.A Hogg
with a Flighted Coppy Cock.This was
also best Champion Lancashire.The Best
Novice Lancashire was exhibited by
M.Walker with a Flighted Coppy Hen.
This bird also won Best Novice Old
Variety.In the Scotch Fancy Section a
flighted Piebald headed the section for
44 BIRD SCENE

FEATURE
good even frilling .This section had big
numbers in each class with some good
exhibits entered by D. Deans;H.Clarke &
Mr & Mrs Brown.
G Brunt, while Donald Skinner-Reid
took the award for Best Novice Scotch.
Belgian Fancy have never been exhibited
in great numbers at the National and
have been absent for last few years so
it was good to see them again this year.
Sadly only one exhibitor benched birds.D
Hobart won Best Belgian.Frilled Canaries
were down in numbers but in the North
Dutch Frill section there were some good
exhibits.Competion was high and it was
Joe McCabe who came out top in this
section.A good exhibit which showed
Rare Varities was also a good section
The leading Bird was B. Pawlyszyn`s
Variegated White Giboso Espanol.A big
bird with good frilling and excellent
position.Fiorino Frills were out in
numbers and it was a close race for
the top spot,however it was D .Allen`s
Plainhead hen which took best of breed.
In the Japanese Hoso Section C. Smith
came out top with a good exhibit.A bird
of good position and showed the correct
size.Some other exhibits were a bit too
large for the breed standard.
Of the Rheinlanders B.Toghill won the
best of breed award ,a Coppy cock.A lone
London Fancy exhibited B.Howlett won
the Best Any Other Rare Award.
For the Best in Show Award was
I.Wright`s Green Crested Hen &
B.Pawlyszyn`s Giboso Espanol.Two very
good exhibits both of which could have
taken the top spot.After some time it
was the Giboso which was triumphant
and took the award for Best in Show &
the G.J. Plumb & J.G. Scott National
Memorial Trophy.
The OVCA would like to thank all
Exhibitors, Stewards and The Parrot
Society UK for the 2014 National
Exhibition and hope to see you all again
next year.
Kevin McCallum
COM / OMJ
BIRD SCENE 45

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46 BIRD SCENE

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