Cage & Aviary Birds October 8, 2025

CONSERVATION A JOINT EFFORT by the RSPB, Environment Agency (EA) and Southern Water in moving a pair of turtle doves to a “safer” location has been a success – and the migratory birds successfully fledged a youngster this year. When the EA needed to refurbish its equipment at a wastewater treatment works in Minster, Kent, staff were concerned that the noise would disturb the turtle doves that were spending their summer on the site. A spokesperson from Southern Water explained: “We really wanted to help the birds, so a diversionary plan was launched. The plan was to lure the birds to a new home by laying down a trail of seeds in the form of a special bespoke supplementary mix for turtle doves.” The number of turtle doves in the…

BUSINESS NEWS BIRDFOOD BRAND BUCKTONS has launched a new range of smaller pack sizes aimed at people who keep fewer indoor birds or pets. The new range is available in 2kg and 3kg packs that are easier to carry, store and use at home. The larger 12.75kg and 20kg bags will still be available for fanciers who prefer to buy in bulk. Kirk Rothwell, brand manager at Bucktons, said: “We know how important it is to make pet bird care simple and stress-free, and these new sizes are all about offering more choice and convenience, without ever compromising on the quality you expect from Bucktons.” The smaller pack range includes the following products: No.1 Mixed Canary Food; Special Budgie Food; Cockatiel & Love-bird Food; Foreign Finch Food; Elite Parrot Food;…

COMPETITION WINNERS WINNERS of Countrywide's September prize draw to win either a 12.5kg bag of Super Deluxe Parrot & Fruit Mix or Conure Mix are: Anthony Cahill, London; William Cowan, Scotland; Brian Sheldrake, Norwich; Michael Coltman, Burton; Sarah Bradford, Norfolk; and George Jackson, North Yorkshire. Congratulations, your chosen prize is on the way to you! Countrywide bird food is produced by Albert E James, which has been manufacturing premium bird seed since 1962. OPEN VIEWING AT ARUNDEL A NEWLY REFURBISHED viewing platform has opened at WWT Arundel Wetland Centre in the South Downs National Park, West Sussex. The platform offers views over the reedbeds that are home to water rails, warblers and marsh harriers. Claire Hogben, centre manager, said: “Regular visitors told us the old reedbed hide was one of…

PHEASANTS TO MARK THE 50th anniversary of the World Pheasant Association (WPA), members recently took part in a special day of all things Galliformes and conservation. To kick off the day, more than 20 WPA members visited the Great Bustard Project on Salisbury Plain. This pioneering initiative has successfully reintroduced the once extinct great bustard (Otis tarda) back to the UK. This was followed by a trip to Birdworld in Surrey, where members enjoyed a tour of the park and met with the keeper team to discuss topics such as pheasant breeding and the latest regulations that are affecting both zoos and private breeders. Bea Detnon, aviculture team lead at Birdworld, commented: “There has been a disconnect in the past between zoos, private breeders and the space between them. Organisations…

PREPARING FOR SALES days is not too dissimilar to show preparation. Well, that's my recent conclusion. As I've mentioned in previous column entries, I have been busy sorting through my stock one species at a time and I have also been sending feather samples from various species to be DNA-sexed. It's all to help me make some tough but informed decisions on selection, both to keep and also to let go. In the last DNA batch I sent, all came back as females. That was great news. I had managed to pull out all the males from watching their song, but having confirmation of the females means I won't be making any male-to-male pairings again! Now they are sorted, I have made the journey up the loft ladder and retrieved…

PARROTS ONE of the rarest parrots in the world is the orange-bellied parrot (Neophema chrysogaster), which is closely related to five other grass parrot species found in Australia. It is endemic to coastal areas of south-eastern Australia and is one of three parrot species that migrate between the Australian mainland and the island of Tasmania. The other migrant species are the swift parrot (Lathamus discolor), of which, like the orange-bellied parrot (OBP), the entire population migrates, and the blue-winged parrot (Neophema chrysostoma) of which part of the population migrates. Like the swift parrot, the OBP is classed as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, having had a perilously small population size (less than 100) for more than two decades and a low point in 2016 when…