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

By Condamine Alliance. Photograph by Geoffrey Dabb

Condamine Alliance and project partners are investing to save the endangered Regent Honeyeater.

It is believed that there are only between 500 to 1500 individual birds left throughout Australia and numbers are continuing to decline.
They are found sparingly in New South Wales, Victoria and some recent sightings have been documented in South East Queensland; with Myall Creek, Dalby being the extreme northwest of these sightings.

Regent Honeyeaters are beautifully patterned with black and yellow lacy scalloping on their back and breast. They have brilliant yellow patches that are visible on their wings and tail feathers when you see them in flight. 
The Regent Honeyeater Project will revegetate sections of Myall Creek with varieties of ironbark known to provide food and shelter for the bird.


Regent Honeyeater—striking and distinctive

'With up to 80 percent of the original habitat destroyed, the regent honeyeater needs a little assistance to get back on its feet again,' said Fran Holt, Condamine Alliance. 'The Regent Honeyeater can travel over hundreds of kilometres following the flowering of ironbark trees for food. Having regular spots for rest and recovery during these travels will help to ensure the continued survival of the species.'
'This project is particularly important as it compliments efforts aimed at conserving what may well be Queensland’s last remaining breeding population in the Karara area, west of Warwick. This breeding area is almost certainly the source of regent honeyeaters observed at Dalby,' said David Geering, former National Regent Honeyeater Recovery Coordinator.

 'We will be looking for community support to plant around 600 trees along Myall Creek. We will also need to control weeds and look after the establishment of the trees over time.  Signage will be installed to explain the importance of the bird to visitors,' said Fran Holt.
'We have been very fortunate to have the support of a number of bird enthusiasts in the local area who will assist with future monitoring of the bird numbers.'

Condamine Alliance will be managing the project with support from partner organisations.  If you are interested in assisting on any of the planting days more information will be available closer to the event.

The project will be commencing within the next few months and is due for completion by April 2010. 
This project would not be possible without the support of World Wildlife Fund, Australia; Greening Australia; Department of Environment Heritage and the Arts; Dalby Regional Council and Birds Australia.

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.