The Following Article (in part) appears in Australian BirdKeeper Magazine Volume 23 Issue 2 (April-May 2010).

Due to space constrictions we were unable to include the References which are posted here for your information:

The brilliantly coloured species of firetail finch cover a broad spectrum from the most common Red-browed and Painted to the more restricted and rare Beautiful and Red-eared. And somewhere in between is one of my favourite finches—the Diamond Firetail Stagonopleura guttata—one of the most stunning Australian finches that we are fortunate to have established in aviculture.

Despite being a firm favourite amongst a small subset of finch keepers, the Diamond Firetail is declining in the wild—a significant decline shared with several other birds of Australia’s grassy woodlands.

The accompanying colour photographs by Cheryl Mares depict the distinct colouration and ‘presence’ of this bold finch to the extent that no description seems necessary.

Over the years many excellent articles have been written about the keeping and breeding of Diamond Firetails in aviculture. Nevertheless, many finch breeders may be unaware of the significance of Diamond Firetails in the scientific discovery and description of Australia’s birds.

Apart from the Beautiful Firetail and the Red-browed Firetail described in 1801 by Latham, most Australian finches were described during the 1830s and 1840s largely through the work of John Gould. By contrast, the Diamond Firetail was first described by British zoologist George Kearsley Shaw in 1796, just eight years after the settlement of Australia at Sydney Cove. In fact the Diamond Firetail was the first Australian finch described from specimens ‘then inhabiting the neighbourhood of Sydney’ (Cayley 1932). For this reason it was adopted as part of the logo for the National Finch and Softbill Association.


References

Antos, M. J., and Bennett, A. F. (2006). Foraging ecology of ground-feeding woodland birds in temperate woodlands of southern Australia. Emu 106: 29–40.

Antos M.J., Bennett A.F. and White J.G. (2008) Where exactly do ground-foraging woodland birds forage? Foraging sites and microhabitat selection in temperate
woodlands of southern Australia. Emu 108: 201–211

Cayley N. W. (1932) Australian Finches in Bush and Aviary. Angus and Robinson Sydney.

Cooney S.J.N., Watson D.M. and Young J. (2006) Mistletoe nesting in Australian birds: a review. Emu 106: 1–12.

Cooney S.J.N. and Watson D.M. (2005) Diamond Firetails (Stagonopleura guttata) preferentially nest in Mistletoe. Emu 105: 317–322

Ford, H.A., Noske, S. and Bridges, L. (1986). Foraging of birds in eucalypt woodland in north-eastern New South Wales. Emu 86:168-179

Ford H.A., Barrett G., Saunders D.A. and Recher H.F (2001). Why have birds in the woodlands of Southern Australia declined? Biological Conservation 97: 71-88.

Immelmann (1965) Australian Finches in Bush and Aviary. Angus and Robertson, Sydney.

McGuire A. and Kleindorfer S. (2007) Nesting success and apparent nest-adornment in Diamond Firetails (Stagonopleura guttata). Emu 107: 44–51

Olsen P. (2007) “Glimpses of paradise – the quest for the beautiful parakeet”. National Library of Australia, ACT.

O’Gorman B. (1981) A prolonged field study of the Diamond Firetail. Australian Aviculture January 1981. pp. 14-27

Paton D.C., Rogers D.J., and Harris W. (2004) Birdscaping the environment: restoring the woodland systems of the Mt Lofty region, South Australia. Pp 331-358 in “Conservation of Australia's forest fauna. 2nd Edition”. Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales; Mosman

Read J.L. (1994) The Diet of Three Species of Firetail Finches in Temperate South Australia. Emu 94: 1-8

Woinarski J.C.Z. and Catterall C. (2004) Historical changes in the bird fauna at Coomooboolaroo, northeastern Australia, from the early years of pastoral settlement (1873) to 1999. Biological Conservation 116: 379–401

Weblinks

http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/biodiversity/pdfs/regional_recovery/fauna/birds/diamond-firetail.pdf
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/action/birds2000/index.html
http://www.murrumbidgee.cma.nsw.gov.au/uploads/media/Diamond_Firetail.pdf
http://www.visitquirindi.com.au/attractions/bird_routes.html
http://www.cottonaustralia.com.au/environment/resources/Birds_On_Cotton_Farms.pdf
http://www.birdsaustralia.com.au/our-projects/woodland-bird-conservation.html
http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/
http://www.blackthroatedfinch.com/
http://www.savethegouldian.org/

Full article is available either in Print or Digital versions.

 

 

 

Nesting Wrens in the Wild

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY NORM GARDNER

One day I was watering my orchids in our shadehouse when I noticed a clump of grass in one of my hanging baskets suspended about 1.7 metres off the ground. I thought a mouse had built a nest in it and I almost pulled it down.

Upon closer inspection, however, I realised it was a wren’s nest—and
it contained three eggs!

I took a photo of them that day, followed by another picture a few days later as the baby birds were cracking out of the eggs. In fact, I followed their progress day by day until they fledged.

The nest was a domed affair made of grass and lined with soft material eg feathers and lint and nest hygiene was evident.

On fledging the hen had tried to lure me away from the young birds by forming her body into a mouse-like posture and scurrying along the ground mimicking a small rodent.

Another pair of wrens then built a nest in some low growing shrubs planted especially to encourage birds into our garden. It had three eggs in it but only two hatched—the other egg was infertile. The hen was a very light sitter so as soon as I approached the nest she would fly out of it.

The parent birds were seen feeding the young with insects assisted by another fully coloured cock bird who was tolerated by the dominate pair only while he was helping to feed the chicks after which time he was soon sent on his way.

The Superb Fairy-wren has bred up well in recent years in our area. At the time of writing these notes another hen was seen with pieces of grass in her beak ready to build again. A young starling crashed into our glass window and was immediately attacked by both the cock and the hen and soon chased away.

I often throw crumbs from my breakfast table out on our patio and it is a great pleasure to see a family of Blue Wrens come bounding in to feed on them.

                  
Developing Wrens

 

© ABK Publications

RESOURCES

 

Australian Softbill Management—Aviary Studies of Wrens, Robins, Chats and Dotterels
Pekin Robins and Softbills—Management and Breeding

DVD Birdkeeping the South African Way—Part 5–Keeping and Breeding Softbills

Azure Experience

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY KELLY BUDGEN

During a recent fishing trip with my over enthusiastic partner we set out to explore the wilds of the Upper Brisbane River and what it had to offer.

After a steep decent down the river bank we successfully boarded the somewhat unstable canoe. Armed with fishing rods and my trusty SLR Camera our adventure began. Admittedly, our first and only goal was to catch our dinner but to my excitement, one hour into the trip we came across the most beautiful feathered creature known to man—the Azure Kingfisher Alcedo azurea.

With plumage in full display this Azure flitted from one low lying branch to another keeping a sharp eye on the waters. Curiously watching for shoals of guppies and gudgens intended for its next meal the Azure Kingfisher plunged from overhanging perches into the water to catch its prey.

Whilst observing its eating habits that day it became obvious that this particular kingfisher wasn’t only eating for one. It seemed that there must be a reason for this unusually extreme appetite. After following the Azure slowly and stealthily up the river about 500 metres our questions were answered. There, in amongst the dead branches of a recently fallen iron bark, was to our delight the first of the Azure Kingfisher young we would sight and photograph that day.

After observing the parent bird continuing to fly back and forth to this particular young one feeding on demand, we started to wonder whether there was more than one fledgling. This one seemed to be rather young with its quills still yet to unroll on top of its head. Could there possibly be another?

It is a known fact that the Azure Kingfisher generally has clutches of 5−7 eggs with two clutches a year. Azure Kingfishers form monogamous pairs that defend a breeding territory—breeding season is September to January. Both parents share the task of incubation and feeding the chicks. The Azure nest is unique as it is usually at the end of a burrow, dug out of soil in a riverbank.

Sure enough, after watching the same parent bird for some time it eventually diverted its usual feeding path across the river to another secluded safe area covered and surrounded by vegetation. It was a second chick, this one was older—the plumage more vivid than the first and all feather quills were unrolled and in full bloom. The young chick was calling intently to the parent bird seeking its next meal.

This was a truly amazing sight, nature’s beauty at its best. Hopefully we will experience more wonderful sightings like this in future adventures.

 

                            

© ABK Publications

Marcus Pollard

Winter has made its presence felt in Tasmania lately, which means it is time for breeders to remove the shadecloth from the aviary roof and finish all those chores to get our finches ready for cooler temperatures. Whether you are locking down or gearing up for a spot of winter breeding – hop to it!

The cold should see the number of birds imported from the mainland slow down at least. Few people are demented enough to import birds during winter unless they want to winter them in their houses. Me? Okay, I’ve done it just the once.

Meanwhile, finch lovers in far north Queensland love this time of year because they use it to import their finches safely in milder temperatures.

Whether you are importing finches in cold or mild temperatures, you can prepare them for travel by supplementing their diet with an electrolyte mix. A touch of Glucodin™ and Troy Vita-B™ is good to give approximately a week before you send your finches off.

This is also suitable for use when your new charges arrive at your premises before entering quarantine.

I also have a mix great for topping up vitamin D3 without using water-based treatments. I call it my Polly’s Calcium Mix and it has proved to be a real winner with our finches down here, particularly the Gouldians!

Basically, take a container of Dr Colin Walkers (Australian Pigeon Company) PVM powder (or Bio-cal™ or a mixture of both) and combine it with a liberal amount of Canundra shell or very fine shell grit. Mix thoroughly and place it into a container.

Sydney’s Elenbee Seed Company, has all the ingredients you need to make your own Polly’s Calcium Mix – tell them Marcus sent you.

Still on the topic of importation, Tasmanian wildlife authorities have introduced a new system where all finches proposed for import into Tassie must have an Environmental Impact Statement prepared for them. They must then go through a panel before being cleared for import.

Apparently the reasoning behind it is to prevent species from going feral and overpopulating Tasmania. Hmm. I’ll keep you updated!

Marcus Pollard

Marcus Pollard

It has been an indifferent breeding season down here in Tasmania due to the continuing dry weather, which has seen Hobart elevated to the top of the ‘driest capital cities’ list—not good for those of us with weavers and the like! Still, as demented finch breeders we persevere!

April is when us Tasmanians begin to steel ourselves for the big cold snap. At the same time, many of our mainland counterparts are gearing up for a spot of winter breeding once the high temperatures begin receding.

At this time of year, it is important to:
• Round up your young finches.
• Select your breeding stock for the next season.
•  Begin preparing them for the next round of eggs and chicks.

But how? And when is the best time to initiate a worming program? You won’t want to hear it—but yesterday. This is the obvious time if you are worried about any possible effects of working on chicks and their fertility—more about this is likely to feature in ABK in the future.

Here are a few other handy hints:
• For those starting with the Tri-coloured Parrotfinch, consider getting a column filled oil heater to place under their nest. These birds generally leave their chicks at around the eight day mark, so they are vulnerable to cold nights. We use the same set-up for Red Siskin breeding down here in the snow.
• If you are a working man with a few insectivorous finches, grab yourself a Resun Aquarium Automatic Fish Food Feeder Timer (AF-2005D). These are great for supplying a few mealworms to your charges while you are out earning a dollar.

That’s it from me, but don’t forget to take advantage of ABK’s offer of help with your finch breeding. Send in your advice, experiences or questions to the ABK team at blog@birdkeeper.com.au.

Remember: the only way to keep the finches flying in our aviaries is to share our experiences and assist newcomers in their trip through aviculture.