Innholdsfortegnelse for September 24, 2025 i Cage & Aviary Birds

ZOOS & BIRDPARKS IT’S TIME FOR cost-cutting and innovative fundraising for Jersey’s only zoo after a loss of £4.8m in 2024. Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (DWCT) has announced in its latest report that visitor numbers had dropped. The report said, “Whilst we saw a modest increase in member numbers, our visitor numbers were 175,940 compared to 209,474 in 2023, when admission was boosted by the hugely successful Tortoise Takeover trail. “The visitor economy in Jersey continues to be challenging with the total number of visitors in 2024 estimated by Visit Jersey at 74 per cent of pre-pandemic levels and length of stays also decreasing.” The report explained that it was a critical time for the organisation and that it wanted to find ways to make it more efficient while raising…

GOVERNMENT THE HOUSE OF Lords is pushing for bird-safe glass to be a requirement in England’s new buildings. A cross-party group of peers – including Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Green and independent members – are backing amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to mandate wildlife-friendly building features, including glazing to prevent bird collisions. The proposals will be debated in Parliament in the coming weeks. The amendments follow criticism from the government’s Animal Sentience Committee, which warned that the current bill overlooks the welfare of individual wild animals affected by construction and development. The committee said: “The Planning and Infrastructure Bill conceptualises “biodiversity” as an abstract environmental good, but this ignores the lived experiences of sentient animals who will be displaced, harmed or killed during construction.” Proposed changes include amendment 225…

NATIVE HARDBILLS WITH the show season upon us, some fanciers will be facing their first judging engagement. So I thought it might be worthwhile to say something about the judging process. The approach that I take is not something that I have been taught, but might perhaps be termed a common-sense approach to the task. Let’s begin with the invitation to judge. It might be seen as a honour, a statement of confidence in you regarding your ability to assess birds in a particular section of the fancy. It often comes after you have been around the hobby for a while and are known by exhibitors and club officials. If an invitation to judge is accepted then I suggest that it be taken seriously but not too seriously! By “seriously”,…

BUDGERIGARS I USED to hate doing this job. My birdroom was always cluttered and everything took ages to move and then put back again. That’s why over time I have found myself not keeping stuff that I don’t need or want in the breeding area – and why I built my kitchen and stores. The first job is to strip out the flights. I have three of these, which means I can move the adults and young birds around to free up each flight in turn (see pics 1 and 2). To get things clean, I use the Safe4 pet disinfectant, which I have found to be very good. It also smells lovely! Formerly I used Poultry Shield, but I do like to ring the changes (pic 3). Each of…

BIRDROOMS BEFORE the weather turns truly autumnal, if you have not done so already, now is the time to check over your birdrooms and aviaries to ensure they are safe, secure and watertight for the forthcoming winter months. Start by inspecting the structure of your bird shed or aviary. Look for signs of wear and tear such as loose panels, rusted hinges, cracked wood, or a sagging roof. Pay close attention to the corners and joints, where water might seep in. If you find any damage, it’s best to repair it now before the weather deteriorates. With wooden sheds, replace any rotting timber and treat the exposed wood with a weatherproof sealant. Metal aviaries should be checked for rust and corrosion, which can be sanded down and treated with anti-rust…

EDUCATION A BRAND-NEW ROLE-PLAY experience inspired by the conservation work of the Zoological Society London (ZSL) has opened at London Zoo this September. Children can try out roles ranging from vets and scientists to “zootritionists”. Named ZooTown, the space has a dozen engaging and interactive play stations for youngsters aged three to eight. Emma Edwards, head of the London Zoo design team behind ZooTown, said: “We worked with children to dream it up together, so every corner is shaped by their ideas and imagination. “Whether they’re chasing zebra poo, delivering post to the plant nursery or feeding a penguin, they are finding out how many ways there are to help animals – and how they could fit in.” The 63 cuddly toy animals in the vet hospital – including parrots,…

GAMEBIRDS AS THE ANNUAL shooting season gets under way in Wales, bird-flu fears are rising as millions of gamebirds are being released in the Welsh countryside. RSPB Cymru warned the BBC that “unsustainable” numbers of red-legged partridges and pheasants would be let loose. A decision on whether to introduce a new licensing system for gamebird releases has been delayed once already, following a public consultation three years ago. Julian Hughes, head of species at RSPB Cymru, told the BBC: “We’re now in 2025, the government hasn’t made any decision, nor any announcement and we wonder what’s the hold-up, what’s the problem? “Our beef here is not with the shooting industry actually – it’s with the Welsh government for not being clear about a roadmap to proper rules.” The proposals could…

IN THE September 10 issue, you requested information regarding the late artist RA Vowles. I wrote a letter to Cage & Aviary Birds, which appeared in the December 17 1988 issue, about my hassle with the relevant authorities regarding advertising for nuthatches! That letter won a prize for “Best letter to the Editor” with – unknown to me – the prize being an original drawing by Vowles from the paper’s collection. I chose to have a nuthatch drawing, which is the photo that I have sent you. Unfortunately I don’t seem to have a copy of my actual letter to go with the drawing. If at all possible I would appreciate obtaining a copy of it from you. It was through that letter that I obtained my first “pair” of…

FINCHES THE Welsh Zebra Finch Society show marks the opening of the exhibition zebra finch show season and is always, to my mind, one of the best places to see top-quality pairs of birds. This year was no exception. There were good birds throughout the sections, and novices Gareth Hughes and Jon Pope both staged top-quality teams. The foremost honours in the show were taken by Paul Edmundson, who is certainly no stranger to consistent show success. One of the wise decisions Paul has made is to seek quality over quantity and to specialise in a single mutation, the fawn. His results speak for themselves, but a trip to Paul’s shed over the show weekend reinforced the message. We found a relatively small set-up containing a small number of birds…

VIEW FROM THE NORTH DOWNS FOR some years, my policy when breeding canaries is “leave well alone”. Among other things, I do not alter their diet much throughout the year. Although I offer wild food such as dandelion heads and chickweed when available, the basic diet is mixed canary. When there are young in the nest, I also provide eggfood (with no egg added) and soaked seeds. There is no special diet for the moult and no reduced diet over the winter or before the breeding season. This non-interference extends to the actual breeding. Obviously, as I breed the birds in cages, pair selection is down to me and not the birds – though I will occasionally swap cocks if it is clear that a hen is not accepting her…

BENGALESE IN MY articles, I often refer to selecting my birds based on what I consider to be show-quality markings. Before you exhibit Bengalese finches, the National Bengalese Fanciers Association (NBFA) show standards should be studied. The individual colour standard for variegated birds states that there should be at least 30 per cent white feathers evenly balanced on both sides, while the general standard states ideally 50 per cent. Now, the standards don’t specifically mention the desired position of the white feathers, so it is open to interpretation. I must add that the location of white feathers, although variable, is not random. As the amount of white feather increases from a self bird to an almost white bird, white feathers appear first on the forehead and chin (often referred to…

WETLANDS AT VICTORIA FALLS in Zimbabwe, 172 contracting parties recently met to discuss the degradation of wetland ecosystems across the globe. COP15 is the 15th meeting of the conference of the parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity. The international summit focused on halting and reversing biodiversity loss across the globe. The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) reported that it was a “nail-biting” final day at COP, but after hours of negotiation and advocacy from the international organisation partners (IOPs) a new strategic plan was adopted. “The UK has a proud history of wetland conservation, and we must now lead by example – Geoff Hilton, head of conservation evidence at WWT The plan is said to be the first that “references the transformative change needed to reverse the decline…

CANARIES WITH the main show season looming imminently, I thought it timely to share a few thoughts about the planning and organisation that go into making our events a success. Many readers of Cage & Aviary Birds will already have years of experience in running shows. You’ve got your methods honed, your systems in place and your shows roll on like clockwork. Well done – and I promise I’m not here to preach to the converted. Instead, I’d like to share some of the things we’ve been doing at the Doncaster Border Fancy Canary Club (DBFCC), where I serve as both secretary and show secretary. My hope is that these reflections might spark a few ideas, or at the very least provide some reassurance that the headaches we all face…

SOUTH CHESHIRE BS THE South Cheshire gold championship show held August 10 was a great success for all involved. The main winners were as follows: best champion any age (AA), best in show, best opposite sex AA and best opposite sex in show: Alan and Gina Adams. Best champion young bird (YB), best YB in show and best opposite sex YB: F., C. & J. McGovern; best intermediate AA: G. Ball; best intermediate YB: RHR1 Partnership; best novice AA: Potteries Way Partnership; best novice YB: A. Robertson; best junior AA, best junior YB: C. Terheege; best pair in show: T. & L. Jukes; best team in show: G. Ball; best budgerigar of colour AA and best team: R. G. Jones; best budgerigar of colour YB and best budgerigar of colour…

NORTH STAFFS BS THE club held their silver championship open show on August 17 and is delighted to report the winners as follows: best any age (AA) in show and best in show: Alan and Gina Adams; best champion young bird (YB) and best YB in show: F., C. & J. McGovern; best opposite sex YB in show: G. Williams; best opposite sex AA, best opposite sex in show, best novice AA and best novice YB: The Potteries Way Partnership; best intermediate AA and best intermediate YB: A. & C. Wood; best team: T. & L. Jukes; best budgerigar of colour AA: R. G. Jones; best budgerigar of colour YB and best budgerigar of colour in show: A. Welch; best budgerigar of colour pair and team: R. G. Jones.…