My "Habitat" Aviary

[Asym]

Just lovely

[Rox]

Javansparrow - Peter is a male canary, not sure what type though. I love having them in with the finches, as they are quite comical to watch. Always busy doing something.

Birdclaws - I found the Peruvian Ground Doves at a local pet shop and must admit that they were a pity purchase. She was in a bad way and both were incredibly nervous. I couldn't find much at all about them online.

The tried building their own nest in the previous little avairy but they are terrible nest builders. I even tried giving them different nesting "bowls" to try. For the new aviary, I hand weaved these nests from vines in my garden and stuffed them fill of grass. The extra space and a secure nest cup seemed to be what finally did it. Thats honestly all I have done differently now. I removed the second egg but the first chick is growing daily

Here is a pic of the male on the nest, if you look carefully.

[JeannieBriz]

Very nice aviary! You should be very proud.

[limeslide]

Wow, you have a beautiful aviary and magnificent birds! Simply superb!

[Rox]

Thought I would share some recent photo's of my ''flock'

They are so chilled with me photographing in the aviary now. I just sit on a stool at the front of the aviary and they carry on their own business. Even my neighbours come over now for a "time out with the birds" (I don't allow anyone near the back of the aviary, front walkway only). The canaries and gouldians are the most "tame" so far. They land less than a foot away from you and don't mind you giving them a thorough look all over. The male canaries will even sing a tune for you while you are busy examining them And if there is a squabble going on, they don't care if you are in the way of their chase around the aviary. I often have to duck to avoid head-on collisions...

I'm on the verge of giving up photographing the parrot finches. The little buggers barely stay still long enough to get a decent shot! But the good news is, they are sitting on 5 eggs. It's their first clutch and she is now 5 months, so not going to interfere. Will monitor how it goes.

Rosy and Bandit, with 2 of their fledglings which I need to remove this weekend. They are currently sitting on another 6 eggs.




Fred & Wilma. Happy now that Pebbles has been removed and they can raise their 2 new fledglings in peace (live and learn)



Loved this shot of one of the Society's. It was the first time I truly noticed how awesome their eye colour is



Baby and Violet (he was the smallest when I got him and the name stuck, lol). They have 3 babies which fledged 25 April. Looks like 2 green backs and 1 yellow?







Norman and Minnie. She is now 6 months and starting to finally show interest in Norman and all the nests he has been weaving for her. She is also the biggest 'busy-body' in the aviary and takes great pleasure in showing the gouldian fledglings that she is older than them. She jumps on them and pecks their heads. Nothing nasty just dominance.



Tom and Nina, who I think are finally brooding. I haven't seen them together for a week now.





3 of the 4 Canary Mafia. From left to right, Crystal (female), Azlan (male) and Peter (male). They are the plant killing mafia. After 6 weeks in the aviary, they decided the tree that the gouldians roosted in just had to be eaten. The stripped it bare in 4 days...



And a group shot

[Ginene]

Rox
Your aviary is a bird (and birder's) paradise !!! I am in awe of what you have built and accomplished . Your birds are GORGEOUS!!!! I cant begin to choose a favorite, although Tom is breath-taking. You must enjoy every minute...

[debbie276]

Beautiful, beautiful birds!
Love the pictures, thanks for sharing

[Lisa]

Beautiful aviary and your birds all look wonderfully healthy! I love that you have them all named and keep track of the goings on with each (I do the same with my birds).

They look very happy and it must be so nice to be able to sit and just observe them.

Best of luck on continued success (and hope your parrot finches hatch out). Mine are very hyper too, so I know exactly what you're talking about lol

[lou]

Nice set-up, your birds look nice and healthy
lou

[Rox]

Thanks so much everyone!

@Ginene

Thank you I enjoy having projects on the go and this aviary is a permanent project for me now. I love gardening, so when I have the chance, I'm pruning branches, drying out leaves etc to make more natural privacy spots. I'm determined to cover most of that metal glare at the back of the aviary, lol. The local nature reserve guys also let me raid their "dump" section, so when I go for hikes I come back with dead foliage (usually dead ferns from where they have cleared out) which I can keep and rotate later on. And it's guaranteed pesticide free. I just give a thorough wash first

@Lisa

I love watching the parrot finches zip around. They are the busiest pair in the aviary. Thanks, hopefully their first clutch goes well! I must admit, there is nothing better than coming home after a long day at work and just sitting down and watching them. Helps clear the mind And having the individual pairs makes it that much more interesting. Everyone has their own routines, favourite spots etc

I can't wait for the Cordon Bleu's to arrive. My flock will then be complete!!

[Rox]

Well I'm glad to report that we survived our first winter. Well most of us. I lost 3 out of 4 adult Gouldians in May but luckily have 6 youngsters from the 2 pairs that made it through winter like champs! And they are finally getting their colour - yay!! I lost another 3 hens (Society, CB and Canary) due to cold spells (despite being closed off from drafts and 2 heat lamps...) but the rest have pulled through looking like a million bucks and are rapidly going into breeding mode



In the main aviary, I succeeded in covering most of the metal at the back And the birds have been showing me just how well they can dig holes in the aviary floor and make sand baths... I've learnt which plants can withstand them and which can't, especially the Canary Mafia

Some pic's of the flock













The canary's have discovered the joy of mealworms









This little one fledged yesterday. "Grumpy's" sibling. His nest mate (brown and white) has decided it's not quite time yet

[danaday]

That is a lovely aviary with gorgeous birds! One day I aim for something like yours!

[debbie276]

Your aviary and birds are beautiful, beautiful, beautiful
Sorry for the losses you suffered through the winter

[Sally]

So sorry for the losses over the winter, but the rest of your flock are just gorgeous and so healthy-looking. Thanks for these photos, always a joy to see them.

[monotwine]

I spy some very spoilt birds. They all look fabulous and I love some of your inventive uses for things. Look forward to visiting some time soon.