Innholdsfortegnelse for October 8, 2025 i Cage & Aviary Birds

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…

WHAT a lovely surprise to read an excellent breeding report from Stuart Haddon-Riddoch, a keeper of the grey-backed thrush in the UK. (See Cage & Aviary Birds, September 10.) Some years ago I kept the grey-backed thrush and before then the black-breasted thrush (Turdus dissimilis), a similar bird with more contrasting coloration. The two species were occasionally crossed, which in my opinion was not good practice, especially in the circumstances. At that time, both species were being bred by a number of establishments and to breed hybrids made no sense at all. I managed to breed the black-breasted but not the grey-backed. One feature I remember very well is how awful grey-backed looked going through a full moult! It was very distressing to witness such a forlorn sight, yet they…

CANARIES IT SEEMS October has arrived before summer has ended! Like many fanciers, as I write, some of my birds are still deep in their moult, in fact a few still show signs of their prebreeding-season trims. As the year progresses and daylight begins to fade, nature will take over and the moult will speed through to completion, as it does every year. It's one of the prices I pay for having a naturally well-lit birdroom, but it does mean that early shows for me are somewhat of a luxury. I am now providing the birds with saffron tea, which helps those that are slow moulters. But short of drawing blinds across my Velux roof window, there is little else I can do. A mixed breeding season perhaps best describes…

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…

“I WONDER IF the champion and novice status sections we currently have are helping our cause,” muses Brian Keenan on page 17. He's thinking of the contrast with the Continental scene, where seasoned and starter exhibitors mingle undifferentiated — and may the best bird win. “Amalgamation would condense the classification, promote competition and reduce overall judging times. Further, it would reduce the costs of prizes and the demands on our hard-working show secretaries.” So far, so undeniable. What are the objections to the idea? One might issue from champions who are proud of their status label and don't want to seem less of an élite. It's not that they fear competition from the novices. (Is it?) In fact, a win or placing in an enlarged class would carry more kudos. What…

NORTH WALSHAM AS THE club enjoyed a fantastic open show in late September, reports Steve Downes. This is a historic and popular bird show, organised by just a few people from the North Walsham Avicultural Society, who work tirelessly to keep the show running annually – and what a great show it was! The show took place on September 21 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in Worstead. It is an inspiring venue dedicated to supporting the local community. The hall's large footprint and relaxed feel creates the perfect backdrop for a bird show and is situated 10 miles from the beaches of Sea Palling and Great Yarmouth, with Norwich city only 14 miles to the south. Worstead village is originally named after a woollen cloth woven by Flemish weavers who…

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…

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…

BUDGERIGARS THE Budgerigar Club is for all budgie keepers. It's for people who keep them as pets, indoors as a companion, in an aviary giving additional colour to a garden… and wherever they are, always a conversation starter! We are a part of the Budgerigar Society and we can provide a pathway to joining a local club, attending shows and even showing your own birds. Our website is www.budgerigarclub.com and our Facebook group now has more than 5,000 followers. In this article I'd like to introduce Gary McCue from Brighton and Hayley Bishop from Bexhill-on-Sea. I met Gary when he was window-cleaning for my neighbour and he heard my budgies in the aviary. He popped in for a cuppa and a chat, and then looked at the birds. He explained to…

SHOW DATES ABERYSTWYTH & MID WALES AS will host an open show on October 18 at Penrhyncoch Village Hall, Aberystwyth SY23 3EP. Any enquiries please contact Mark Hemingway on 07726 222 087, Stuart Roberts on stuart.roberts1283@gmail.com or Dai Gornall 07977 347 459. Birds will be accepted on Friday 6pm – 8.30pm and Saturday 7am – 9.30am. LANCASHIRE BB&HC will be holding its annual show on November 16 at the Stubshaw Cross, Sports and Community Centre, Walter Street, Ashton In Makerfield WN4 8TP. Schedules can be obtained from show secretary Oliver Crowther on 07935 236 669. Grateful thanks go to the IOA for once again sponsoring the show. Exhibitors can book their birds in from 7:30am up to 9am on the day of the show. The show opens to the public…

ABERDEEN BS – October 9, Northern Bowling Club, Orchard Road AB24 3DP, 7.30pm. Members show, no seed in cages. Enquiries: 01358 721 550. BASILDON CBS – October 13, Felmores Community Centre, Northland's Park SS13 1SD, 7pm. Young stock show - come along and support. Enquiries: 07880 707 502. BRISTOL BS – October 13, Little Stoke Baptist Church, Kingsway, Little Stoke, Bristol, BS34 6JW, 7pm. Meeting. CORNISH BORDER FCC – October 11, Fraddon Village Hall TR9 6NT, 10am. Annual get together - all welcome. If bringing birds, please supply DEFRA registration. Enquiries: 01409 231 461. GATESHEAD & NEWCASTLE BS – October 8, Swalwell Community Centre, 74 Clavering Road NE16 3ET, 7pm. Members’ show, judge / speaker Tom Broderick. Enquiries: 07530 996 570. GRANTHAM CBS – October 9, Railway Club, Huntingtower Road…