Aussie Finch Forum

Craig52 wrote:Thanks for the link Sam,very informative.Was that the mad Italians mobile going off. Cheers Craig

Not sure about the mobile but he's the one who I reprimanded at the start for turning off the lights.

I (and I'm sure Simon) would love feedback, so please comment...

I found that very interesting Sam it was mostly what we spoke about last year.He was asking about what association to communicate with and obviously he chose yours We spoke about the AFF and I said it would be a good tool aswell to communicate with.Thanks very much for taking the time to upload that well worth the look.

SamDavis wrote:

Craig52 wrote:Thanks for the link Sam,very informative.Was that the mad Italians mobile going off. Cheers Craig

Not sure about the mobile but he's the one who I reprimanded at the start for turning off the lights.

I (and I'm sure Simon) would love feedback, so please comment...

Ok,even though i did enjoy the whole presentation and loved seeing some real Hecks with decent coloured bills and body colour,the science part of it is not really my/our cup of tea for our hobby unless you are in to it.
Most aviculturists breed finches for the love of it and the pleasure of seeing young on the perch by supplying all they can for a successful breeding season in their aviaries.
So when science is applied and genetic make up and behavial attitudes between species and subspecies is explored very few aviculturists delve into this side unless it has do with mutations in our aviaries.

Let's face it,we are not all academics,no pun to Simon but we are hobbyists in the game of breeding finches in our own little part time world but if we are asked to share information about what goes on in our aviaries,that's fine but unlike me who specialises in one finch most others have mixed collections and the attitudes of some finches change dramatically when different species are mixed together.

But,i must say Simon and co do an excellent job in their field if you like that side of Aviculture and a change from
general meeting presentations to something like this can break the monotony.

IMO only Sam and not meant to offend anyone. Cheers Craig

I agree with that Craig.... lost me when they were talking about climate change.... but had some interesting bits...you always learn something everyday..

Thanks for the feedback. I'm really interested to hear other comments - general, detailed or otherwise...

I agree that the intricate detail of phd research studies are unlikely to float everyone's boat. Obviously no presentation will suit everyone. I strongly feel that encouraging links between aviculture, academics, conservationists and also the zoo community will prove beneficial to everyone. When Don and I first visited Simon at Macquarie there were a number of management issues we (as finch aviculturists) immediately spotted. Simon was extremely interested in our observations and has made changes. Macquarie has also purchased green seed from the Lowes via Don. Cooperation such as this must surely help us to raise the overall status of aviculture.

Really enjoyed that.

He speaks well, though it took an awful long time till he had that drink. Good when science is made clear and seeks some input from us lesser mortals. Interesting about the high rate of long term pairing in Oz birds and the personality bias that goes into making successful breeders.

I like the idea of working with birds to assist in pushing the science along. Adds a stack more depth and interest to the hobby. Hopefully one day I can help out.

Rosco wrote:Really enjoyed that.

He speaks well, though it took an awful long time till he had that drink. Good when science is made clear and seeks some input from us lesser mortals. Interesting about the high rate of long term pairing in Oz birds and the personality bias that goes into making successful breeders.

I like the idea of working with birds to assist in pushing the science along. Adds a stack more depth and interest to the hobby. Hopefully one day I can help out.

Thanks Rosco. A number of FSA members who breed a heap of Gouldians will help with blood samples to assist with the ongoing red v black head colour work. There are other projects that I'm sure we can assist with - not just at Macquarie Uni. - Monash is doing some stuff I find really interesting too - http://monash.edu/science/about/schools ... avian.html

I thought the talk by Simon was absolutely fascinating. I didn't think the science stuff was over the top at all but was certainly an eye opener.

Like the climate change stuff and how it affected the development of sub species. Also the genome sequencing research that is going on.

I think the science is very important to bird breeders. Many of us do things because of advice, experience or hunches that we have. But the science will prove/disprove it.

Scientific funding is very limited and very competitive. The more we hobbyists can help the better everyone will be.

Congratulations to Sam and the executive for all their good work.

I really enjoyed this lecture as well.
Appreciate the technical stuff is not to everyones taste, but personally I have always been fascinated by the impact of domestication on evolution.
To hear about the impact of prolonged domestication on not just the appearance, but also the behaviour of Zebra finches was very interesting.

On the collaboration between hobbyists and scientist, I think only good can come of it.
There are lots of mysteries to still be solved and keen observation and critical thinking don't require a pH D.

Cheers
Brett

BrettB wrote:On the collaboration between hobbyists and scientist, I think only good can come of it.
There are lots of mysteries to still be solved and keen observation and critical thinking don't require a pH D.

Couldn't agree more (both Bob and Brett above).
Of all the finchos I know, I'd say Craig52 has one of the most scientific approaches to nutting out the specific needs of species he has worked on. There's so much we can share and learn from each other - AFF is a particularly brilliant forum for this.