oops!

Post by **Sally** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 12:15 am

That picture is hilarious! Surprise baby looks like a big-mouth bass!

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

That mouth would be hard to miss, no wonder the parents are feeding it. Darn, we'll have to wait 3 weeks to find out what it is.

Post by **Hilary** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 11:36 pm

Not only checking, but taking pictures.....

That said, what other birds are in the aviary? I love playing "guess the chick"!

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 6:51 am

Let's see...... there are owls, crested society, red head parrots, silberbills, courdon blues, starfinch gouldions and gold breasted.

It should be interesting.

BTW: If you all don't stop hasseling me aboue peeking I am not going to tell you what it is when it fledges.

Post by **Hilary** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 7:06 am

Hey, we're all just trying to save you from making the mistake we've all made before!

My guess is silverbill.

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 3:13 pm

yeah I know....... I have made that mistake before with my little owls. Which by the way are laying eggs again. I WILL be leaving them alone.

I would guess silverbill also.... but they have their own nest.
I really don't know. It doesn't look like the mouth of the babies they had before. We shall see......

Post by **Sally** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 9:52 pm

I was guessing silverbill, too, but when you mentioned Star finch, that is also a possibility. This site has mouth markings of babies, it doesn't have Silverbill, but other Lonchura species have similar mouth markings. But when I saw the Star markings, there is that big mouth! See what you think. They have it listed as Strafinch. You have to run your mouse over the photo of each mouth to see the species.

www.hofmann-photography.de/html/mouth_markings.html

Post by **Hilary** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 10:16 pm

Click on the "silverbill" in my post and scroll down - I think the chick looks exactly like the silverbill chick......

Post by **Sally** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 10:20 pm

I see that now, and the Star finch markings at this site don't look nearly as much like this baby. So Silverbill it is!

Post by **Hilary** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 10:28 pm

Or a big mouth bass.....

williep · Post by **williep** » Thu Aug 07, 2008 4:34 am

Wow, now that's a mouthful. Thanks for the link Hilary, I'm sure it will come in handy for me as well.

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Thu Aug 07, 2008 5:36 am

Maybe I will take bets on this baby!

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Thu Aug 07, 2008 6:29 pm

Sad news.... when I got home today from work I was giving out fresh water and found surprise baby all the way across the aviary on the floor where apparently it has been tossed out. I guess they realized it wasn't theirs.

The other three gouldians are okay I guess because I can hear them begging in the nest. I am not peeking I promise.
Hopefully that is the only one they will toss. I do have my society finches sitting and I would have given them this one had I known.......]

Post by **Sally** » Thu Aug 07, 2008 9:50 pm

Sorry to hear your news, Donna. I think the baby probably looked more and more strange to the Gouldians, and their job as parents is to protect and care for their own babies. It is a hard call to make, as even Societies will not always feed other babies.

I lost my surprise baby this week, too, the one I determined was a Fire finch baby. It was when we had those awful temps of 107, with heat index of 110-112, and my bird room just has fans. The baby had food in its crop, so I think it just got too hot for it inside the nest.

I have installed a small window air conditioner in my bird room, too late for that little one, but at least the others will be more comfortable. Not to mention it will be a lot more comfortable to be out there cleaning cages!

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Fri Aug 08, 2008 5:26 am

Your right Sally about those temps. I don't know how you or the birds stood those temperatures.
I also have a small air condition in my aviary, but I have not had to turn it on. With my door open and I put a fan in the doorway to blow air conditioning from my house out there it stays around 80 degrees in the hottest part of the day. Alot of heat comes in through those windows. I cannot imagine the temps your birds are having to deal with...... poor things. Glad you did that!

For yourself and the birds.

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 1:58 pm

Today I took the babies out to band them. The last one born is still a little small. It was born three days after the others, so I guess it is a little behind and not as loud begging. I did not band it yet....
One appears to be yellow as his feathers are so light and the other has much darker feathers. Can't tell about the little one yet. Should I supplement feed him? He appears to be doing well, and his crop was stuffed.