PUBLISHED FOR BIRD LOVERS BY BIRD LOVERS
Aviarylife www.aviarylife.com.au
Issue 03/2018 02/2017 $12.45Global FREE Incl. GST E-maga Australia zine
ISSN 1832-3405
Macrorhynchus Red-tail White-browed Woodswallow Red Strawberry Wisbroek Breeding Centre Finch Black-capped Lory Dreams Do Come True Imperial The Mission Musk Lorikeet Hand a Knobbed Hornbill FinchRearing Aviculture - A Masterclass
Simon Degenhard
Knobbed Hornbill Rhyticeros cassidix at Wisbroek Research & Development Centre
Remco de Wit
Knobbed Hornbill Rhyticeros cassidix
05
Regulars 04
Editors Column
05
On The Wing
32
Centrefold
46
Wild Watch
48
Aviary Watch
Features 05
Mission Imperial Part I
12
Michael Donelly – My Story
14
A Gem of a Finch – The Red Strawberry
20
The Black-capped Lory – Lorius lory and its subspecies
26
The TOP 25 – My 25 Favourite Aussie Parrots, Cockatoos and Lorikeets
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Simon Degenhard Michael Donelly
Graham Bull
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Andrey Naves
Paul Stevens, Photos Simon Degenhard & JJ Harrison
28
News from Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation – 36 Blue Macaws Sent to ACTP
38
Dr. Cromwell Purchase MBChB. MVSc. PhD. Director, Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation
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The White-browed Woodswallow – A perfect choice for the novice softbill enthusiast John Kearney
38
The Freedom of Flight – Freeflight and the importance of early development Kaya Klaw
41 Cover Image - Imperial Amazon Amazona imperialis Photographer Simon Degenhard
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Hand Rearing a Knobbed Hornbill at Wisbroek Research & Development Centre Tiago Nabiço
54
Beryl Lane’s Famous Bird Cake Crumble – As fed by Finch Fanatic, John Lane John Lane
No. 3 2018
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’day friends and fellow birdos, welcome to issue 03/2018. The year really has gotten off to a flyer, and boy has it been a busy one! On the 7th of April I attended the annual Gunnedah Bird Sale and Expo; this event is always a great weekend away and this year proved no different. It was great to catch up with many friends from around the country; hanging with other like-minded passionate aviculturists and bird lovers is always a blast. I must say that I was very impressed with one of the Namoi Valley Aviculture Club’s junior members in particular, young Tom Green, who not only helped tirelessly at the sale, but also takes care of the club’s library – keep up the great work Tom! As an Australian based Avicultural publication, Aviarylife supports the incredible work being carried out by Sam Davis and the Canary and Cage Bird Federation of Australia Inc. (CCBFA) in regards to the fight that they have mounted in order to protect our right to continue enjoying our wonderful hobby. Without people such as Sam and the others involved in running the CCBFA the future of Aviculture in Australia is at great risk of the real possibility of continued pushes to introduce ridiculous new regulations by totally out of touch bureaucrats being influenced by equally out of touch lobbyists. I am aware of some, who are themselves in positions whereby they can and should be well and truly supporting the actions being taken by Sam and the CCBFA to further the impact and assist in protecting our hobby…yet for some reason, instead of putting their differences aside and working together to do the job that they are supposed to be doing for Australian Aviculture, they are in actual fact doing the opposite i.e. they are doing more to create division than they are to support unity. As an Avicultural based magazine Aviarylife supports Aviculture, both here in Australia and right across the Globe, which is the way it should be. I believe that the job of a bird magazine is to educate by sharing the experience and information of fellow aviculturists from around the world, to share news of relevant events, to help to make the bird community aware of issues that pertain to our hobby and advise on what each individual can do to assist in protecting our hobby, to spread awareness of conservation work being done to save endangered species and encourage everyone to play their own part, to share our love of birds in general and to promote our hobby, to among others things, encourage others to join us in this delightful and rewarding pastime. As opposed to playing both sides of the fence simply to create sensationalist “tabloid” style stories, with total disregard for the facts or whom they may or may not hurt in the process, and that are squarely aimed at causing division within aviculture. Forgive me if I am wrong, but in my opinion, this is certainly not “supporting” aviculture in Australia or anywhere else for that matter. As a serious supporter of Aviculture I will continue to use Aviarylife to promote our wonderful pastime and the love of birds that is the one common bond between all of us. I am not a journalist; I have no formal journalistic qualifications; and I have no desire to be a “journalist” – I am simply a bird lover, a passionate supporter of conservation and an aviculturist who publishes a bird magazine. It has been reported to me that some people within the hobby have been actively stating that the #imnotapetshop campaign is in fact an
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No. 3 2018
overreaction and that we really “don’t need to worry” about the NSW’s DPI’s proposed changes in the Pet Shop Code of Practice; perhaps it should then be noted that 22,000 dog lovers in NSW seem to think that it is worth worrying about. The following is an extract from the article “Many pet owners to be classified as 'pet shops' under proposals” that appeared in the April 7 edition of The Sydney Morning Herald: “Pure breed dog owners said if the changes were implemented they could destroy a beloved hobby for many Australians. They were so alarmed by the draft proposal by NSW Department of Primary Industries that 22,000 people participated in a Dogs NSW meeting streamed live to discuss the rules.” The full article can be read here: www.smh.com. au/business/companies/many-pet-owners-to-beclassified-as-pet-shops-under-proposals-20180406p4z82d.html I strongly believe that as aviculturists we must support those who support us, so I implore every Australian Aviculturist to get behind Sam Davis and the CCBFA, and all other groups and individuals who actively back us - together we can protect our incredible hobby for generations to come! (Please note: I have focussed on the CCBFA in this particular instance due to the current focus on the “#imnotapetshop” campaign in NSW. I am aware that there are a number of other organisations i.e. the Victorian Avicultural Council (VAC) that are also very strong and active advocates for aviculture and who also require and deserve our support. So, please get behind all such groups and together let’s fight for our right to continue our beloved hobby!) Whilst on the subject of the #imnotapetshop campaign, please take the time to read “My Story” by Michael Donelly, commencing on page 12 of this issue. I recently travelled to the Caribbean to get a better understanding of the full extent of the conservation projects being respectively jointly run by the governments of Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and their mutual conservation partner, ACTP. To put it in real terms, I was blown away! The projects on both Islands involve far more than what even I expected. They are true examples of multifaceted, complete conservation programs, taking into consideration the need for education, the rehabilitation of habitat, the need for the necessary resources to enable the appropriate steps to be taken to care for both the wildlife and the habitat, the need to also support the human inhabitants, the importance of establishing safety net populations and more. Since my visit to the region there has been a great deal of misinformation doing the rounds in regards to the commencement of another such comprehensive conservation program that is now in the very early stages of commencement in Dominica – the first of a two part article on the situation in Dominica, titled “Mission Imperial” is featured starting on page 5 of this issue. It’s fantastic to see the continued and much needed cooperation between conservation partners Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation (AWWP) and ACTP – read all about the latest leap forward in the Spix’s Macaw Reintroduction Project on page 28. Anyway, that’s enough from the editor’s desk for now, until next time, take care, enjoy life and keep spreading the bird word! Cheers,
Simon
Aviarylife Editor Simon Degenhard Ph. 0429 008 850 Email: simon@aviarylife.com.au Assistant Editor Graham Banks Subscriptions Simon Degenhard Ph. 0429 008 850 Email: simon@aviarylife.com.au Display Advertising & Classified Advertising Simon Degenhard Ph. 0429 008 850 Email: simon@aviarylife.com.au Design, Layout & Artwork Graham Banks ICT Support Officer Graham Banks Contributors If you wish to submit an article or if you have an idea, please contact our office on 0429 008 850 for details Printing Graphic Impressions Distributor Gordon and Gotch Contact Details Australian Aviary Life Ph: 0429 008 850 PO Box 39, Bellingen, NSW, 2454, Australia Email: simon@aviarylife.com.au Website: www.aviarylife.com.au ISSN 1832-3405 Disclaimer While every care is taken the publisher accepts no responsibility for the content of advertising or editorial material submitted and published. It is the responsibility of advertisers to ensure that their advertisement is truthful, law abiding and meets all statutory government requirements. Articles represent the views of the authors and not necessarily those of the publisher. Australian Aviarylife also reserves the right to refuse any advertising that it considers to be detrimental or conflicting with the integrity of this publication. Australian Aviary Life. Copyright It is an offence under the Commonwealth Copyright Act 1968 to reproduce any part of this publication, including advertising, artwork and photography without prior written consent of publisher. ©2018 Australian Aviary Life. All rights reserved.