new aviary pics

mickp · Post by **mickp** » Sat May 17, 2008 9:15 am

here are a couple of pics taken of my aviary today to show some changes to it.
the branches that I used to have in there are long gone (no more ugly brown leaves dropping everywhere) instead I cut some longer branches removed all foliage and stuck them in the ground this created lots of places for the birds to perch. there is no beach sand in these pics, I removed it a week ago planning to replace the lot and its been raining for the past 3 days, wont add the new sand until it is completely dry as I dont want to risk any bacteria getting in there.
have started painting the front of this aviary black (finally) it sure does make a difference when viewing the birds.
and finally, due to a couple of comments made last time I posted an aviary pic

I removed the blue wheelbarrow from the foreground

the bamboo plant to the right of the aviary is not dead, it just aint green at the moment, birds love it though they are always stripping bits off for their nests.

Lizzifinch · Post by **Lizzifinch** » Sat May 17, 2008 9:37 am

Wow! Lots of space for all your feathered friends,,, Kinda miss seeing the wheelbarrow, it did add a splash of color. LOL
Very nice, when you get to Florida USA,,, you can stop by and build one for me! LOL

jamezyboo21 · Post by **jamezyboo21** » Sat May 17, 2008 12:58 pm

That is one awesome aviary, great job! Looks like a lot of hard work,

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Sun May 18, 2008 6:46 pm

Beautiful! Your finches sure have a great life. Lucky birds!

mickp · Post by **mickp** » Mon May 19, 2008 3:48 am

finished painting the wire this afternoon. now all I need is ................
hmmm not enough room to type my want/wish list in here lol

poohbear · Post by **poohbear** » Mon May 19, 2008 3:53 am

I hope others on here will note that in the areas Mick has black painted the glare from the wire is greatly reduced and the birds can be viewed properly.The wire almost disappears.
Paul.

williep · Post by **williep** » Mon May 19, 2008 6:59 am

Good job mickp, it really looks great. I can't believe the difference the black paint makes! Thanks a lot, now I'll spend my next weekend painting aviaries and you can explain to my wife why I'm not available.

Indecently, what paint did you use and did you only paint the front wire?

mickp · Post by **mickp** » Mon May 19, 2008 7:08 am

Willie, I only painted the outside of the wire. my reasoning being that I want to look in and this is where the black helps. it reduces the glare that you get from normal galvanised wire.

I used a water based acrylic paint and a roller to apply it. less wastage and more coverage with the roller as opposed to a brush. no paint runs either. a spray gun would have been nice but Ihave never seen a black gouldian and I didnt want to be the first lol

dont complain about painting the aviary Willie, look on the bright side you now get to spend extra time looking at your birds and depending upon how quick witted your wife is I'm sure it will take 4 or 5 coats to get it right

show her the pics of mine let her see how much nicer it looks, maybe you can even talk her into letting you get more birds cos the colors are now easier to be seen

williep · Post by **williep** » Mon May 19, 2008 7:19 am

LOL, black gouldian. That would have had a couple of people stunned on this forum.

Did you just use the acrylic or an undercoat as well?

Matt · Post by **Matt** » Mon May 19, 2008 8:25 am

Hey, great looking aviary Mick. I painted my wire black too. The front of my aviary is in full sun position for most of the day and viewing the birds from a distance was almost impossible. It is so much easier now. I wasn't smart enough to think of using a roller, but I will remember that for my future plans.

Matt.

mickp · Post by **mickp** » Tue May 20, 2008 5:23 am

I wiped the wire down with vinegar first Willie, let it dry and then painted with the acrylic. the vinegar just helps to clean any bird droppings and kills of any bacteria so that nothing gets caught under the paint