11 Bird Scene - April & May 2013

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BIRD ISSUE ELEVEN: APRIL / MAY 2013

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THE MAGAZINE FOR HOBBYIST BREEDERS AND CONSERVATIONISTS

The National Exhibition

A look ahead to the October show

Breed and Release

MOUNTAIN PARAKEETS - AN EXCELLENT CHOICE EXPERIENCE

issue 26 th 1 20 J 2 out 13 UN E

Conservation of the Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo in AUSTRALIA

FR EE

Details of the efforts to save the Gouldian Finch in Australia & how you can help.


PARROT SOCIETY

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CONTENTS

BIRD SCENE: April / MAY 2013

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INTRODUCTION es Rance gives details of how the weather is affecting bird breeders and introduces the items in this edition. MOUNTAIN PARAKEETS Jerry Fisher updates us on this interesting South American parakeet. Conservation of the Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo School children to help! The National Exhibition 13th October 2013 The latest news

Donate to our CONSERVATION FUND… CLICK THE LINK BELOW: www.theparrotsocietyuk.org/donations.php

ON THE COVER

BIRD ISSUE ELEVEN: APRIL / MAY 2013

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THE MAGAZINE FOR HOBBYIST BREEDERS AND CONSERVATIONISTS

Breed and Release Gouldians in Australia

34 14

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A look ahead to the October show

BREED AND RElEASE

Details of the efforts to save the Gouldian Finch in Australia & how you can help.

CONSERVATION OF THE MAjOR MITCHEll’S COCkATOO IN AUSTRAlIA

MOUNTAIN PARAkEETS - AN EXCELLENT CHOICE EXPERIENCE

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THE NATIONAl ExHIBITION

IS 26 SUE TH 12 20 jU O 13 N UT E

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Security Warning For keepers of exhibition species

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BIRD SCENE: Issue Eleven: April / May 2013 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

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Introducti

Les Rance, Editor, The Parrot Society UK | www.theparrotsocietyuk.org | les.rance@

B

ird keeping is normally a relaxing pastime, however, for hobbyist breeders the very poor weather we were enduring well into March was somewhat of a challenge, the picture of my aviaries taken on the morning of 23rd March just underlines this fact, not only snow but a strong cold easterly wind that blew for day after day creating a nasty wind chill and low night temperatures, how did the breeding birds survive.

This is now the eleventh edition of Bird Scene, how quickly twenty two months can pass when you are working on a new project – the first FREE on-line bird magazine produced in the UK. At 48 pages this is quite a big read! Every time we post the Parrot Society magazine I cringe at the cost postal costs appear to have increased far faster than inflation and if The Royal Mail are

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not careful they will find that their income will reduce even further as people and businesses send less and less by conventional means. How much longer bird clubs will be able to afford to post magazines to their members must be a great worry to many club officials. An e-magazine does not have this problem, or that of the cost of colour printing. As a result of increases to the costs of both postage and printing I am really pleased that we decided to produce Bird Scene as a FREE e-magazine. We have learnt a great deal over the past twenty two months about this way of communicating with bird enthusiasts and I am sure that this knowledge will become more and more valuable as we see further increases in costs to paper magazines. We are still learning and are always happy to receive articles about the species that are being exhibited at The National and are very pleased to give publicity to the club supplying the information. Regular readers will know that Bird Scene as been produced to publicise The National Exhibition held each year at our October Sale Day/Show and to


tion

by the Editor

Les Rance

@theparrotsocietyuk.org promote our Conservation efforts for threatened parrots in the wild. Edition ten is still to be found on the Home Page of our website and if you would like to see earlier versions there is an archive for Bird Scene at the bottom of our Home page. In this edition we have an excellent article on the Gouldian finch written by Mike Fidler a highly respected aviculturalists who has a vast knowledge of these beautiful Australian finches and their struggles in the wild. I am sure that everyone will find this item interesting. This item is followed by a report on the security considerations that need to be addressed by enthusiasts maintaining stocks of exhibition birds which seem to be a particular target of thieves. Unfortunately there seems to be a spate of thefts mainly from exhibitors keeping valuable show birds, please see the advice that John Hayward gives on this serious problem. Then we have an item on the Madagascan Lovebird from Jerry Fisher who writes so well on many birds and has a vast range of experience, this is an article very well worth reading because it

contains a great deal of valuable information. Details of our continuing high profile conservation project relating to the Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo tree tinning project in Australia is also featured and there are some interesting developments afoot that may well bring this project even wider publicity. Also in this issue are details relating to The National Exhibition especially the meeting that will be held with the exhibiting clubs which will take place at The Quality Hotel, Allesley, Coventry on 28th April where last year we were blessed with a really sunny day and had an enjoyable hour meeting up and talking to our friends on the veranda at the front of the hotel with a drink in our hands, it was just like being on holiday! Let us hope that we have a similarly bright warm day for our meeting this year. These annual meetings are so important to ensure the smooth running of the event which started in its present format in 2007 and is going from strength to strength thanks to the support we are receiving from the bird clubs who so vigorously support the Exhibition.

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ARTICLE BY: Jerry Fisher

MOUNTAIN PARAKEETS AN EXCELLENT CHOICE F BREEDERS WITH SOME E 06

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SFOR EXPERIENCE

hen I returned to bird keeping some fourteen 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 the Parrot Society 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 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 without a problem. To attempt to keep more than one pair of Sierras in a restricted space would be asking for trouble. Even a so-called compatible pair may draw blood during a domestic. The over-riding common factor is that

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The chicks, eldest 10 days.

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 are compatible. Mountains are more tricky. Over the last 12 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 – 06 08

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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. Also I gave yellow and red millet sprays, but mostly these were chewed off at the base of the stem and left lying on the cage floor having no further potential as toys.


Feature Being scramblers, they often ignore the flight option and climb along the cage front. If the cage is large enough – and it should be – it would pay to clamp natural beech branches to the front of it. Beech has a natural structure that would facilitate scrambling in parts of the cage. I have even bred from a colony of 3 pairs in a 2400 x 600 x 600 cage – there are few parrotlike species that would do that (Parrot Society magazine April 2011). Outwith the breeding season I house my pairs of Mountains in groups in large (2400 – 2200mm) flight cages. I do not separate the sexes. Do not underestimate the intelligence of Mountains – everything is examined for it’s 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) wingnut

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 recognised (including the typical form) 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 wild-caught 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

The chicks, eldest 21 days.

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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 extent I found that to be true, although they bred irregularly and, if deprived of a nest box, very quickly became steady. Certainly if you give them a box year round they will tend to use it. Unless your birds are outdoors this is unnecessary – I only give my birds boxes during the breeding season and find that even then they only “hide” in the box when they are serious about breeding.

The eldest at 31 days. Three chicks are clearly cocks.

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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. Much has been written about nest box requirements for Mountains, based on their being burrow nesters in the wild. One recommendation is a box about 6” – 7” cube, accessed by a tunnel around 36” long. Another is a centrally partitioned box of 14” x 7” x 7”, possibly with coco fibre filling the inner section. I have not tried the tunnel system but I made up special double boxes. They found limited acceptance when they were furnished with wood chips but when I added


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cocoa fibre to the inner section my birds refused to enter it. With my first Lineolated this was the trigger that started them. Always remember that your birds may not have read the same books and articles that you have! Kept in a flock in an outside aviary, Mountains are far too curious to stay in their boxes,. A small flock of my birds went to Paradise Park at Hayle in Cornwall some time ago. David Woolcock, the Curator, finds them delightful little birds and a hit with the visitors because of their active and friendly nature. Mountains kept outdoors seem to generally nest later in the season – July/August onwards. Indoors it can probably be any time they are fit to breed. I give my birds (which are in artificial light) their boxes towards the end of the year and they usually

Mountains kept outdoors seem to generally nest later in the season – July/August onwards. Indoors it can probably be any time they are fit to breed. I give my birds (which are in artificial light) their boxes towards the end of the year and they usually go down (if they are going to) by February – go down (if they are going to) by February – thus staying true to their southern hemisphere origins. Because my birds did not seem particularly impressed with their “special” boxes I tried them with standard budgie and grass parakeet boxes. They showed no interest in the horizontal budgie boxes but took to the grass parakeet boxes with no problem – I now give them nothing else.

The eldest at 33 days. Six adults also shared this box at night!

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47 days – only the three youngest left.

Mountains are very easy to maintain – my birds receive my “standard” Grass Parakeet and Lovebird mix and my soft food mix – see box for details. My soft food mix is prepared daily because it is fed to all the birds in my collection. If you only have a few birds or just kept Mountains they would probably do equally well with a selection of fruits, vegetables and occasionally sprouted seed offered as treats on different days of the week. When you check their seed dish decant the seed into another dish, otherwise if you just “blow” the surface you will find that what looks like a dish of seed is just dust under the surface. If you are into genuine foreign birds – as distinct from domesticated colour mutations – and are ready for an intermediate challenge, I can thoroughly recommend Mountains. They are a bit unusual and highly

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intelligent little birds. If they prove somewhat difficult to breed I can assure you that a cage of youngsters will make the extra patience required seem well worthwhile.

Donate to our CONSERVATION FUND… CLICK THE LINK BELOW: http://www.theparrotsocietyuk.org/donations.php


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ARTICLE BY: Les Rance / Ray Ackroyd

I

n Issue 10 of Bird Scene we gave a fairly in-depth report on the background to the tree-tinning project to prevent the active nests of Major Mitchell Cockatoos (Cacatua leadbeateri) being predated by goannas, a type of monitor lizard also known as the Lace Monitor. This article is still accessible from our website and well worth studying if you are interested in our conservation activities which to date have seen over £20,000 donated to this particular conservation project which was strongly driven when John Mollindinia, travelled to Australia to gain first-hand experience of the Major Mitchell’s cockatoo. There he met Ray Ackroyd, who to this day organises tours in the south-eastern states of New South Wales and Victoria as well as being a government licensed bird trapper and carries out the tree-tinning work that has done much to increase the numbers of Major Mitchell’s in the wild. At the end of the article in the last issue we reported that the latest news on the Conservation front is that Ray Ackroyd has been asked by the state of Victoria to help promote ways to save the Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo in the state which will involve the assistance

Conservation of the Maj Mitchell’s Cockatoo in A in New South Wales, Australia 14

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This article is still accessible from our website and well worth studying if you are interested in our conservation activities which to date have seen over £20,000 donated to this particular conservation project which was strongly driven when John Mollindinia, travelled to Australia to gain first-hand experience of the Major Mitchell’s cockatoo.

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of school children. An AUS$10,000 fund is available for this project and we look forward to hearing how this project unfolds in Victoria. The Major Mitchell’s cockatoo is such a beautiful bird we are sure that the school children will rally to support it. The intention is to pay each child up to AUS $100 for reporting the location of active nesting sites of the rare Cockatoos so that they can be tinned. To help the children achieve this goal Ray Ackroyd has written the following guide.

If one bird dies or gets killed does the remaining bird seek out a new mate? Yes

NESTING OF MAJOR MITCHELL’S COCKATOOS IN THE WILD

Do they pick out a special tree? Yes they do: usually on a sand ridge or in open country away from other trees. They like to be able to see what is going on around them. It’s a precautionary thing so that they can identify any predators including mankind.

Do Major Mitchell’s cockatoos mate for life? Yes they do and can nest together for up to 50 years.

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What type of tree do Major Mitchell’s nest in? Dry gum trees and Cypress Pine that is alive or dry. What time of year to Major Mitchell’s go to nest? Late August to early September.


Feature Do Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos nest in big trees? Not really. Some may pick out a dry Cypress Pine tree that has no top or a broken limb that has left a hollow. Some trees are small and nests that are 5 metres from the ground are common. Do Major Mitchells like a special entrance to their nests? Yes they do. Major Mitchells like an entrance to their nest that is shaped like an upturned canoe. * Note – it is important to know that when looking for nests. Do Major Mitchell’s take long to prepare their nesting site? No they don’t. Both birds go into the nest chamber and pare off small chips of wood to form a soft base to lay their clutch of eggs. This usually only takes a few days to prepare.

How far down from the entrance do Major Mitchell’s lay their clutch of eggs? That can vary but usually about ½ a metre. How many eggs do Major Mitchell’s lay each year? Depending on the season. If it’s a good year with lots of herbage on the ground they will lay up to four eggs. However the norm is three eggs. How long is the incubation period or how long does it take to hatch from egg to chick? 28 days. Who sits on the eggs? They take turns. The Cock may sit during the day and the Hen at night or vis versa.

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Is it easy to find the nest of Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos? No it isn’t easy. They are a very secretive bird when nesting and can hear footsteps approaching a long way from the nest tree. When is the best time to find a Major Mitchell’s Nest? When they are on eggs or have small young. Before or after that time is doubtful. * Note – It is important to note that Major Mitchell’s return to the same nest site every year and will continue to do that unless the tree is lost to fire or habitat loss through logging. How can I study a nest once I have found it? Walk slowly toward the tree and identify the nest entrance. You must walk very quietly or he or she will leave the nest and not return until you have gone. The best way to study a nest is to build a hide just away from the tree and wait and watch. At no time should you disturb the nesting procedure.

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If Major Mitchell’s lose their nesting tree because of fire or land clearings do they leave that area? No they don’t. Usually they try and select a new nest site in the same area. It may not be the same type of tree, so if a nest is lost look for the new site and it should be found within a half kilometre. How long do the young stay in the nest? Around seven weeks.When the parents want the fledged babies to leave the nest they will encourage their young to climb up to the nest entrance and feed them there. This is an extremely bad time for predators to attack the young and the parent birds become very aware of that. Are Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos reliable breeders? Most certainly. Almost all Major Mitchells return to the same tree every year. Usually around mid August. What is the average clutch size of nesting Major Mitchells? Average: 2.5 some raise 2, most raise 3 and 4 is not unusual.


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How far do Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos fly from their nesting site in the off season? Up to 300 kilometres. How long do the baby birds stay with the parents after leaving the nest? Approximately six weeks then they join into a small flock situation. How long before young birds can breed themselves? Three years. If Major Mitchells are such a good and reliable breeder in the wild, why then isn’t the overall population increasing? Good question. • First and foremost it is predators. • Secondly it is bad fire management. • Thirdly it is land clearing. • Fourthly it is competition from other tree hollow nesting species that take over nests of Major Mitchells.

Are baby Major Mitchell’s a noisy feeder when being fed in the nest and can that noise be heard from a distance? Good question! Yes they are a noisy feeder and that is to their detriment. The major predator is Goannas and each year they kill large numbers of baby Major Mitchells and in the early part of the season also take the eggs. Goannas bite into and suck out the contents of the eggs. If the Hen Major Mitchell lays a second clutch, the Goanna will usually return for a second time. It is important to note that Goannas know that Major Mitchells return to the same nest each year so immediately they come out of hibernation they do the yearly rounds of the nests. Other predators at the nests are feral cats, possums and foxes, once the baby Major Mitchell’s leave the nest and at this early age are unsure of predators.

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Prevent predators from attacking the nests of Major Mitchell Cockatoo? Most certainly: The most effective method of preventing predators from climbing nest trees is to attach a collar around the tree with the base of the collar one metre from the ground. What is the collar made of? Smooth galvanized tin or heavy duty plastic. Both need to be one metre wide and can be cut to size and nailed around the tree. This method has proven to be fully successful. The tin or clear plastic is very slippery and doesn’t allow the predator to climb the tree. Research has shown that where Major Mitchell’s nesting trees were collared up – not one nest was lost to predators.

Ray Ackroyd at Johns tree

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Very successful deterrent to protect nests, who thought of that? During October 1990 an elderly English birdman from the English Parrot Society, Mr John Mollindinia conducted a study on Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos in Western NSW. This study clearly indicated that almost 80% of Major Mitchell’s nests were taken by predators that climbed the nest trees from the ground. On his return to England following his study he indicated to the English Parrot Society that they should fund a trial project to protect the nesting trees of the Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos in Western NSW. That could be achieved by placing a smooth tin or plastic collar around the trunk of each nest tree making it impossible for predators to climb to the nest. That trial project set the benchmark for tinning trees to species such as Major Mitchell’s or Glossy Black Cockatoos to mention just a few. Since that time a new heavy duty flat plastic is now available and has proven to be an upgrade on tin. Also clear plastic does not stand out and makes it almost impossible for any person to identify the nest tree. The English Parrot Society is very proud of being able to fund a project to protect one of Australia’s most outstanding Cockatoos. The fund has been ongoing for many years thanks to Mr Mollindinia. The Parrot Society attached a plaque at the base of a Major Mitchell’s nesting tree in honour of the late John Mollindinia for his outstanding work. >>


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So how can we find the nests to collar them up and how do we inform the landowners? Firstly you have to search for the nests when the Major Mitchell’s are on eggs or very early young. Following that time they are difficult to find at the nest site. A good pair of binoculars is essential and out of bed early. Try and get to an elevated spot and watch for the white birds. Once you find a nest you must remember where it is so you can return and collar the tree, provided the landowner agrees. How do we get this message across to landowners whose properties are the habitat of Major Mitchell’s? Local newspapers and any media coverage is good value. Let them know how important this issue is. Take pictures of any tree protection you are doing and give talks at school meetings.

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What about Major Mitchell Cockatoo nest trees in national parks? Do the managers protect breeding trees? Most state national parks have their own management strategy. There is evidence that some parks are constructing artificial nest sites at great expense. Whether these additional nests will attract Major Mitchell Cockatoos is yet to be clarified. At this time I do not know of any tree that hosts the nest of Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo being protected by way of collars, either tin or plastic in national parks – but it works! How do you tell the difference between the Cock and Hen Major Mitchell’s? Both birds are the same size: Cock – has black eye and not as much yellow in the comb as the hen. Hen – has pink eye and more yellow in comb.


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How do you tell the difference between the Eastern race of Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo and the Western race called ‘Mollis’ Mollis have a longer crest and upon maturity, ie 3 years, has a comb without yellow. Do Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos fly at great heights when travelling? No they don’t. Major Mitchell’s, no matter how far they are going, do not fly at great heights. In essence Major Mitchell’s fly just above tree height and in fact sometimes between trees. I believe the reason is because they are white and a slow flyer compared to other cockatoos. The tree line allows them to identify hawks or eagles that may attack them and escape into that tree line as a form of protection.

Background of Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos Other Names: Genus – Cacatua Calcatua Leadbeateri • Chockalott • Cocklerina • Desert Cockatoo • Inca Cockatoo • Leadbeaters Cockatoo • Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo • Pallid Cockatoo • Pink Cockatoo • South Australian Pink Cockatoo • Southern Pink Cockatoo • Wee Juggler Distribution Semi-arid and arid interior regions of Australia with the exception of North East Australia

Sub Species Cacatua Leadbeateri Mollis Distribution West of Ceduna SA West to Esperance WA – North to Carnamah WA Other Names • Mathews Pink Cockatoo • Western Pink Cockatoo What do Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos feed on in the wild? Like all birds Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos have a built-in mechanism that allows them to follow an annual food pattern. Listed below are some of the most

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…on his return to England following his study he indicated to the English Parrot Society that they should fund a trial project to protect the nesting trees of the Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos in Western NSW.

common seeds utilised by Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos:• Wild Orange [capparis mitchells] • Crows Foot [eleusine indica] • Wilga [geijera parviflora] • Camel Melon [ citrullus lamatus] • Paddy Melon [cucumis myriocarpus] • Currant Bush [exocarpos aphyllus] • Murray Cypress Pine [callitris preissii murrayensis] • Mallee Cypress Pine [callitris preissii verrucosa] • White Cypress Pine [callitris columellaris] • Black Cypress Pine [callitris endlicheri] vMulga [acacia ameura] • All other acacia beans Introduced Seeds • All cereal grains • Almonds • All citrus Do Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos drink every day? Major Mitchell’s visit watering places usually twice daily, very early morning, late afternoon. Major Mitchell’s have that very special

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mechanism for finding water and will travel many kilometres to drink. They very seldom drink from rivers, they like small dams, water troughs or house tanks. During very hot weather they may visit their water base several times each day. Do Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos bath? Major Mitchell’s are always lovely and white in all weather yet after 60 years studying them I have never seen one bath. The Council of The Parrot Society UK sincerely hopes that the above notes which obviously took Ray some considerable time to compose help the school children of Australia to make every success of this new venture. We will continue to monitor this exciting new development that will we hope will do much to increase the status of the rare indigenous Australian Cockatoos.

Donate to our CONSERVATION FUND… CLICK THE LINK BELOW: http://www.theparrotsocietyuk.org/donations.php


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ARTICLE BY:

LES RANCE

The National Exhibiti 13th October 2013 26

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ix years ago The Parrot Society started out on a venture of hopefully rebuilding “The National Exhibition”. The defining factor was whether it was possible for all branches of our hobby to jointly pull together and ‘make it work’ after recording such a success in the first year the question was then whether the enthusiasm would be sustained. It has indeed worked each year since the first Show in 2007 the numbers of exhibits have increased and we are working hard to ensure that even more varieties of exhibition quality canaries are on the show bench for the 2013 event. We can only thank the bird club


officials that have all worked so hard to increase the number of exhibits year on year and made this exhibition the success it has become. I am also pleased to announce that the Norwich Canary Club have also joined our ranks and are exhibiting their member’s birds for the first time. By combining this exhibition with the already highly successful Parrot Society October Sale Day at the superbly equipped Staffordshire County Showground a large proportion of the exhibitors were familiar with both the location and the available facilities. UK bird exhibitors now view this event as the premier ‘all variety show’ on the UK calendar. We are delighted that the exhibition is obtaining increasing support from both continental judges and breeders who travel long distances to attend this event, it is exciting to think that in a very short time this exhibition has been able to attract these dedicated fanciers from all over Europe. The continental influence is not only limited to the fanciers, there is an increasing demand from continental traders to attend this event, further increasing the range of products available to all our enthusiastic visitors. As it is located only a few miles to the east of junction 14 of the M6 vehicles can quickly arrive at the Showground.

As it is located only a few miles to the east of junction 14 of the M6 vehicles can quickly arrive at the Showground.

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“The National Exhibition” has been kindly sponsored once again by Richard Johnston of Johnston and Jeff and Malcolm Green of The Birdcare Company, who have both supported us from the start. Arrangements are well in hand for the next Show on Sunday 13th October 2013. A meeting with representatives of all the supporting clubs is being held at The Quality Hotel Coventry on Sunday 28th April. Each time we organise this Show we aim to improve both the exhibitor experience and that of the viewing public and the points discussed at this meeting prove invaluable in ensuring improvements continue to achieve these goals. “The National Exhibition” has been kindly sponsored once again by Richard Johnston of Johnston and Jeff and Malcolm Green of The Birdcare Company, who have both supported us from the start. This year their generous sponsorship has also financed additional new staging as exhibits are set to increase and the added attraction of supplements and bird seed as prizes can only help increase the numbers benched. We are indebted to the management and editorial staff of Cage & Aviary Birds magazine for the production of a very well designed insert, with our contribution being the collation of the information from all the exhibiting clubs. The supplement will appear in


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their 3rd September 2013 edition and will as previously carry advertisements from all the exhibiting clubs and details as to who to approach to obtain the Show Schedule for your chosen species. This supplement has now become a feature of “The National Exhibition”. Since the show took on the name “The National Exhibition” in 2010 the demand for trade space has significantly increased, with some new traders making their first appearance this year. So whatever your bird keeping requirements they will be on offer at Stafford on 13th October. The Sandylands Centre and half of the Argyle Centre will again be used to accommodate the exhibits with the ‘booking in’ and club stands filling the remainder of the Argyle Centre. This facilitates the management of the exhibition during the judging of the birds and allows both exhibitors and general visitor’s access to the exhibition at the earliest possible time on the day.

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The Parrot Society Council members hope that all the exhibitors and the officials of the specialist exhibiting clubs have a very enjoyable day. The Parrot Society would like to thank the clubs for all the kind words and support that you have given us. It will make the organisation of this year’s “National Exhibition” a pleasure to be involved with.

Donate to our CONSERVATION FUND… CLICK THE LINK BELOW: http://www.theparrotsocietyuk.org/donations.php


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g n i n r a W y t i r Secu ril 2013 Small Bird Thefts - Ap

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his time last year we published a security warning concerning the thefts of the smaller species of birds particularly in relation to Canaries, Finches and Budgerigars. The main type of aviary and birdhouse targeted by the thieves were those of the more serious breeder of the specialist exhibition species. Many of the birds had been shown at various events previously and no doubt the owners were traced and the thefts took place. One common factor to this activity was the unfortunate fact that the thieves were getting clean away generally as the result of poor security. In an effort to combat this organised crime trend we publicised the need for extra vigilance and crime prevention which we feel eventually slowly reduced the number of burglaries committed. Since those reports went out earlier in 2012 we did however deal with one Budgerigar theft at Doncaster, two thefts of Finches in Dagenham

and Sunderland and four incidents of Canary thefts in Derby, Northampton, Nantwich and Hove. This number of small bird thefts in the last twelve months is well down to the previous year and so far in 2013 we have received not a single report of any such incident throughout the UK. It is quite easy to beef-up one’s shed security, even by DIY alarm kits available quite cheaply from local retailers, battery operated and simple to install. In addition we would always recommend the added protection of infra-red beams to alert bird keepers that intruders have entered the garden before they even get near to the birds. Vigilance is the key word which together with good security is the only answer to protecting our birds in what generally are vulnerable areas. We must make it more difficult for the thieves and hopefully we will maintain this lower level of crime throughout the coming months. John Hayward National Theft Register Tel: 01869 325699 Email: jh@ntr.supanet.com

• Security Warning • Security Warning • S


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Security Warning • Security Warning • Security Warning


Breed and Rel 34

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any well meaning aviculturists would like to believe that bird keepers could make a positive contribution to conservation by acting as a gene bank which could be tapped into for breed and release programmes. This gene bank would also be an insurance policy which could be used should a species become extinct in the wild. This is highly desirable, but in the cold hard light of dawn how realistic is this belief? Breed and Release programmes were popularised and well publicised during the nineties by Gerald Durrell of Jersey Zoo and Sir Peter Scott with the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust and continues to be promoted by many zoos as it fits their corporate profile of education and conservation. Despite its high profile with the public, generally speaking scientists these days are somewhat cautious as it is difficult to implement, is very expensive and has a chequered history of success. A total of 19,561 vertebrates, invertebrates and plants are on the worlds Red List. Furthermore, the rate of extinction is accelerating with the global phenomenon being labelled by scientists as the world’s sixth mass extinction; one of the previous ones being the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Breed and Release programmes were popularised and well publicised during the nineties by Gerald Durrell of Jersey Zoo and Sir Peter Scott with the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust…

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Worldwide there are 1253 species of birds considered to be threatened plus another 843 near threatened. This makes a total of 2096 species of bird in need of urgent conservation. The situation of birds in Australia? To quote Birdlife Australia. “27 species or sub-species are now listed as Extinct, 20 as Critically Endangered, 60 as Endangered, 68 as Vulnerable and 63 as Near Threatened” ie a total of 211 in need of help. Of course it would be impossible for aviculture to play a role in keeping and breeding all of the 2096 different species and improbable even

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here in Australia if we concentrated on our own 211. Furthermore, saving all these species is going to be impossible with the scarce finance and resources currently being made available. Sadly, it is probably going to be a question of trying to focus effort on those areas and species which are most likely to end in a positive result and on programmes that benefit the largest number of species within a single exercise. In that context, the Gouldian Finch is considered an indicator species for the general health of Australia’s northern savannahs. In other words, conservation activities


Feature which save the Gouldian Finch are highly likely to save a number of other species living in the same or similar habitat. Our scientists decided the first phase of any meaningful conservation programme is the scientific research. The experience of others had shown that if you do not first have a thorough understanding of why a species has declined you cannot possible save it. Logical when you think about it! As an example, the highest profile USA conservation programme is the California Condor Recovery Program which started in 1987 when all the surviving Condors left in the wild were captured and put into a captive breeding programme. The first birds bred in captivity were released in 1992, but two years later were recaptured and brought back into captivity again because it was realised that not enough research had been done to gain the knowledge of how to sustain them in the wild. Two years later the breed and release programme

The first birds bred in captivity were released in 1992, but two years later were recaptured and brought back into captivity again because it was realised that not enough research had been done to gain the knowledge of how to sustain them in the wild. Two years later the breed and release programme was continued and a hugely intensive management programme of the wild population implemented…

was continued and a hugely intensive management programme of the wild population implemented, so that by 2007, at a cost in excess of USA $35,000,000 the wild population had been increased to 210, some of which had actually been bred in the wild and the rest of the population being created by progressively releasing captive bred birds. Despite some apparent success, depressingly, scientists have now concluded that should the ongoing intensive conservation management stop, the current wild Condor population would relatively quickly become extinct again and paradoxically the more birds that survive in the wild the cost of conserving them will increase pro rata to well over the $2,000,000 or the $10,000 per bird per annum it has been costing. So now of course the programme faces the difficulties of gaining increased ongoing funding or letting the wild population die out. It is possible, that if the authorities concerned had appreciated the difficulties they were going to face and how much it was going to cost, the programme would never have started. We could quote numerous examples of limited or zero success in implementing breed and release programmes. The high profile and highly expensive attempts to reintroduce tigers, chimpanzee and elephants for example have failed completely. Closer to home the Rothschild’s (Bali) Mynah is another example of high endeavour and high cost with questionable results. In 1990 there were only 15 Mynahs left in the wild. A breed and release

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Unlike some of the programmes quoted, the Save The Gouldian Fund does not have access to tax payer’s money and our private donors would likely abandon us if they thought we were not putting their money to good use. A synopsis of some of the papers resulting from this research can be viewed at www.save thegouldian.org/ programme was implemented which at its height managed to get the wild population up to a maximum of 50 birds. By 2011 this mainland population was back down to six. The point we are making is that there is no point in breeding and releasing birds back into a habitat or environment which will not sustain them. It is an expensive waste of time and effort as well as being potentially cruel. Significantly, most programmes were implemented around the same period before the world had learnt that breed and release was no panacea. To be fair, when you were surrounded by feral birds which got established either by deliberate or accidental release, it all looked simple, so was an easy trap to fall into. In fact I was a whisker from being caught up in a programme myself. My long time friend Professor Stewart Evans had done a census of the Royal Parrot Finch in Vanuatu and discovered that it now only existed on 4 of the total 84 islands that make up the archipelago. This was down from its previous distribution of 14 islands. We went a 38

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long way toward getting permission to trap some of the precious wild stock for a breed and release programme and only dropped the idea when it all got embroiled in politics. We were totally naive; despite a number of attempts over the years, no one had even managed to establish a captive bred stock of Royals, never mind trying to reintroduce them back into the wild and we had no idea why they were declining!! It may help the reader towards a better understanding of Breed and Release if we provide a synopsis of our work, together with some of our logic and conclusions and the background against which we are working. With all this background knowledge gained from the heart breaking work of others, we decided to first put in the hard yards and implement a thorough research programme to properly understand why the Gouldian Finch was declining before wasting scarce money trying to implement any remedial conservation work. Unlike some of the programmes quoted, the Save The Gouldian Fund does not have access to tax payer’s money and our private donors would likely abandon us if they thought we were not putting their money to good use. A synopsis of some of the papers resulting from this research can be viewed at www.save thegouldian.org/ The first part of the research concentrated on the basic ecology, the basic life cycle of the Gouldian Finch. Studying wild birds is hard; they keep flying away; and making it even harder is the remoteness and ruggedness of the Gouldian’s home terrain. Outside of the breeding season the Gouldian also


Feature prove to be highly nomadic and as the nature of the terrain meant they could only be followed around on foot, this was arduous to the point of being impossible. Studying the whole life cycle of the Gouldian Finch meant that our scientists were out in the field for long periods at a time in all weathers and despite their dedication, living in tents became increasingly difficult. Getting back to a boiling hot tent after a day’s working in temperatures up to 40ºC is not fun. We therefore decided to commit some of our scarce financial resource to creating a permanent Field Research Centre by converting a building the Wyndham Shire Council had kindly leased to us on a peppercorn 21 year lease. At the same time, it was decided to create a Captive Bird Research Centre to house some 2,500 Gouldians. This now meant we could keep scientists out in the field for longer spells and in all weathers and the Captive Research Centre meant they could prove, in a proper scientific manner, whether what they had observed in the wild was significant or not. It also meant the scientists were able to conduct experiments that would have been impossible to achieve in the wild.

We therefore decided to commit some of our scarce financial resource to creating a permanent Field Research Centre by converting a building the Wyndham Shire Council had kindly leased to us on a peppercorn 21 year lease.

One of the first conclusions drawn from this original research was that a Breed and Release programme was highly unlikely to help in the recovery of the Gouldian for the following key reasons: 1. Domestic Gouldians would not recognise and be able to evade the myriad of predators which include 6 species of snake, at least 4 species of lizard, 8 bird species (as well as a few more opportunistic species like kites who would enjoy an easy target morsel) and at least 4 mammals. 2. Water is seasonal and ephemeral. We do not understand yet how on earth the wild birds are able to find it, but they do and we would be surprised if domesticated Gouldians have the skill. 3. Seed is the same also, particularly at the start of the wet when all the seed which had fallen on the ground gets covered in water and mud and quickly sprouts into inedible plants. The start of the wet is patchy with localised showers occurring over a wide geographic area. This means that the first shower produces seed which is available as another area becomes inundated. The wild Gouldians are able to source this disparate food source. Although this is not proven yet, the hypothesis is that near ripe and ripe seed have a high ultra violet emission value which roving Gouldians can identify from the air. 4. And last but not least, if the wild population was dying out, one had to assume that there was something or some things that were causing

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Feature that. Until whatever it was was corrected, how cruel would it be to release some domestic Gouldians into a lingering death? The long term commitment to the programme, the Captive Bird Research facility and the quality of our scientists has produced ground breaking results with over 30 published papers which have been recognised with a number of scientific awards. However, without the avicultural know how of how to keep and breed Gouldians, this programme could not have been successful – and this is how I believe aviculture can best contribute to conservation. By providing scientists with captive bird research facilities, hand in hand with the avicultural knowledge, a number of other species may be saved from extinction. It would be very satisfying if aviculture was viewed as a net contributor to conservation. Perhaps this could be achieved if every avicultural society in the world approached their local university with a view to assisting and providing facilities for research programmes. Your approach might be met with a degree of scepticism initially,

and in that context you are welcome to use the STGF as a reference point if you wish. We are happy to provide any practical support we can. I have got to warn you though that an endangered species is probably going to be hard to breed in captivity. Almost for sure it is endangered because it has speciality requirements and cannot or will not adapt to changed circumstances in its natural habitat. So I would recommend you do your homework first! This breeding facility would in effect be the same the zoos provide, but there are not enough zoos with enough space to accommodate all the species requiring help. Furthermore, the zoos are better equipped and more likely to concentrate on the larger species which also provide a better public display, whereas private aviculturists largely tend to specialise in the smaller bird species. The research on the Gouldian Finch’s basic lifestyle is ongoing. We particularly need to know why so many juveniles are lost during the wet season and what the dynamics of the dry season nomadic phase are. By reading Dr Sarah Pryke’s papers, you will realise that the Gouldian has problems at each stage of its life cycle, all of which no doubt have compounded to exert downward

The research on the Gouldian Finch’s basic lifestyle is ongoing. We particularly need to know why so many juveniles are lost during the wet season and what the dynamics of the dry season nomadic phase are. By reading Dr Sarah Pryke’s papers, you will realise that the Gouldian has problems at each stage of its life cycle, all of which no doubt have compounded to exert downward pressure on numbers. However, the most significant problem has been man’s interference with habitat.

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pressure on numbers. However, the most significant problem has been man’s interference with habitat. Gouldian Finch habitat is under threat from significant change created by cattle and land clearance for agriculture and mining, however the biggest threat of all are the annual wild fires which sweep through the landscape year after year. This is a relatively new phenomenon which has only occurred since European settlement and is dramatically changing the vegetative structure of the landscape. In any change of habitat there are winners and losers. The vegetation which benefits from annual hot wild fires is proliferating whilst the plants which cannot stand this regime are declining. This in turn has an effect of the insects

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and animals which rely on the plants for sustenance and of course therefore the knock on effect right up the food chain. In the case of the Gouldian this change to the habitat, together with the effects of preferential grazing by the cattle, is possibly creating a shortage of the grasses which seed during the wet and perhaps therefore is the factor having a downside effect on juvenile survival rates. However, the biggest known impact the fires are having is to dramatically reduce the number of natural hollows available for nesting. The scientists have discovered that it

In the case of the Gouldian this change to the habitat, together with the effects of preferential grazing by the cattle, is possibly creating a shortage of the grasses which seed during the wet and perhaps therefore is the factor having a downside effect on juvenile survival rates.


Feature takes up to nine years for new saplings to become immune to the hot fires and, at the other end of the scale, the older trees which have suitable nesting hollows become more vulnerable to fire. So the old hollow trees are being burnt out whilst no new saplings are surviving to replace them. This shortage of suitable nesting hollows is having a serious effect on Gouldian population numbers due to the compounding effects of potential increased nest predation and increased nest parasitism together with competition for nesting sites from the Long-tailed Finch and feral bees. The big problem here is that even if one was able to control the widespread arson, it takes between 70 to 100 years for a tree to create suitable nesting hollows, which means that unless alternative nesting sites can be made available the decline of the Gouldian Finch would continue for decades to come. A small scale experiment was conducted to see if Gouldians would accept an artificial nest box. After a number of prototypes and a lot of trial and error, we devised a nest box which, to our delight, the Gouldians accepted. It is even fair to say they are preferred to the natural alternative! Furthermore, breeding results from our artificial nesting boxes are better than in the natural sites as we position them to minimise predation and there is no build up of nest parasites. By sealing and painting them with a reflective paint, together with judicious placing, we have also ensured they are long life and to our delight, are also fire resistant. Famously one nest box survived it’s host tree being burnt to the ground and was sat there virtually unscathed in a mound of ash!

Over 3000 nest boxes have now been installed in a number of adjacent suitable experimental sites. This has virtually eliminated competition from the Longtailed Finch and has led to around 400% increase in the local study population. These experiments mean that we now have one of the legs for staging a recovery programme. As an ecological rule of thumb, where 90% of habitat is cleared, 50% of its species will become extinct. This means that as the pace of land clearance for agriculture, mines, housing etc increases we are losing more and more Gouldian habitat. Trying to stand in the way of economic progress is like trying to push water uphill, but why can’t we have economic development working in harmony with nature instead of against it? To this effect our scientists are working on projects with a number of mines and a major new irrigation development on the Ord River. First of all they are ecologically mapping the sites before development takes place and then advising on how best to develop the land whilst accommodating the displaced wildlife. So the concept is, where a waterhole is removed, then a replacement waterhole is created off site. Where nesting holes are destroyed then replace them with artificial ones in a local suitable site. Where land is cleared for agriculture, ensure a wide margin of untouched habitat is left around the new paddocks and ensure there is a wide corridor left for movement between the cleared sites and pristine untouched land etc, etc. We have only been doing this for 2 years and have now employed an extra scientist to control and implement this

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facet of our work. The results of these experiments will be monitored and the process refined on an on-going basis. Over a period of time we will know exactly what effect habitat change has on the Gouldian Finch and to what extent the current remedial activities work. So what else for the future? I hope we have sufficiently demonstrated that breeding and releasing Gouldian Finches into a habitat which will not support them will not work. And that is without considering the problems associated with trying to teach them how to find water in the dry season or recognize predators etc, etc. The conservation programmes that have worked well are where wild caught species are trans located into a suitable habitat. These are often islands or fenced off pieces of land where feral predators are removed and the habitat allowed to recover. So for example the Rothschild’s Mynah programme failed to work on mainland Bali, however a small number were trans located to a suitable, predator free offshore island where the population has now increased to 130 birds. The STGF does not have anywhere near enough funds to attempt anything like this, however, it would seem that

Over a period of time we will know exactly what effect habitat change has on the Gouldian Finch and to what extent the current remedial activities work. So what else for the future?

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The conservation programmes that have worked well are where wild caught species are trans located into a suitable habitat. These are often islands or fenced off pieces of land where feral predators are removed and the habitat allowed to recover. possibly the biggest thing holding back the recovery of the Gouldian Finch is the lack of nesting sites. Certainly we have demonstrated that where artificial nest sites are introduced we create a local population explosion. So for the time being the first leg of our recovery programme will be extending the range of our current known populations by installing nest boxes in new, but adjacent suitable locations. We have known pockets of Gouldians spread across the northern savannahs, so if we can extend these isolated populations out toward each other, eventually we could potentially join them up. So this is another way you can help. We can put up new nest boxes as fast as we can finance them. Mmmmm $$$$$$$$ please! And also we need lots of volunteers to come and help us with the annual census of our populations around Wyndham. We do this in the first full week of September every year. Contact David Myers to book your spot. Not only will you help a worthy cause but you will also have plenty of fun, visit one of the most spectacular tree wildernesses left in the world and see loads of birds including 6 species of


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finch. We are of course trying our best to work on the fire problem. Getting all the various land owners, stake holders and organisations, who each have their own agenda, to work together is an enormous and difficult task which in all honesty will probably not be achieved without Federal Government involvement. However, we are plugging away and in some small way are making a little progress by working with the local authorities and land owners. We have a joint research programme into the effects of fire on the Gouldian finch with the local department of Ecology and Conservation scientist which will

produce vital information as it matures. We also publicise the problem and are trying to get the Federal Government interested. It has been estimated that 8% of Australia’s carbon output is created by wild fires!!!! You would think they should be very interested! And, for our overseas followers, imagine an area the size of half of Europe, or the whole Eastern states of USA going up in flames every year. The problem is that Australia is so big and Gouldian finch country so wild that nobody notices. What I have not covered so far is whether aviculture could act as a potential gene bank and perhaps a

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Feature current working example of this is the Spix’s Macaw which is now extinct in the wild. It would be nice to think that this could be a role for aviculture, but to achieve it would take a concerted effort by a large number of people and bird societies. One of the biggest problems we face is a lack of genetically heterogeneity, ie rare birds kept in captivity tend to become too inbred. Some species can stand heavy inbreeding but most lose fertility and fecundity and just slowly die out. Australian aviculture has lost over 20 different species in the last couple of decades for this reason. To create a successful and useful gene bank the chosen bird or birds would have to become a popular cage bird kept by many people. They would have to be cheap enough for the average person to afford and be able to be kept and managed in a reasonably standard set up. Relatively few people can afford speciality set ups and have the time to provide speciality food and management. It would probably be better to concentrate on birds which are now THREATENED in the wild, rather than ones which are already endangered and therefore already have a diminished gene pool. For more information visit www.savethegouldian.org Finally, we would like to give a heartfelt thanks to our Sponsors, donors and volunteers whose effort and money has made this programme possible. And to those of you thinking of donating – please do, we spend very carefully,

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One of the biggest problems we face is a lack of genetically heterogeneity, ie rare birds kept in captivity tend to become too inbred. Some species can stand heavy inbreeding but most lose fertility and fecundity and just slowly die out. so that each dollar counts. All the money we receive is spent on the birds, none of the people working on our administration receive a salary or indeed claim any expenses. We have surely redefined the meaning of ‘living on a shoe string’! The Parrot Society UK wishes to thank the Australian Finch Society for permission to republish this excellent article. The Save The Gouldian Fund where people can donate at www.savethegouldian.org

Donate to our CONSERVATION FUND… CLICK THE LINK BELOW: http://www.theparrotsocietyuk.org/donations.php


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