Finch Seasons?

[Adam81]

So will the gouldians lay? Is it wise to let them go? They have come from an environment where they weren't really able to breed.

[arthur]

Coming in a bit late on this . . But

In the 70's I can distinctly remember, Red Strawberries bred at Easter (autumn) . . . Saints bred September (spring) . . .

You could set your calendar by it

As the years went by breeding 'seasons' became more fluid

Climate change, domestication . . Who knows??

I no longer breed finches, so can't comment on the timing these days, but we had a thunderstorm yesterday . . unheard of 40 years ago

Storm season used to begin Sep / Oct . . now begins late Nov / Dec . . or JUNE

[Adam81]

It's even more strange that here in Melbourne we've had a cold snap and it's been sub 15deg for the last two weeks with lows of 4-7 overnight.

[Craig52]

It's not a good idea to force your finches to breed in our Southern Winter, some will attempt to breed but it is more likely the young will succumb when they leave the nest if you have large open aviaries. Also hens battle egg binding through this period no matter how much calcium they receive,imo it's best to wait for the warmer weather usually late August/September otherwise you can burn your birds out and lose many young before Spring.
I have stopped feeding livefood to discourage breeding recently which does seem to stop/slow them down from breeding as some young have succumb due to this really cold snap. Craig

[Tiaris]

So will the gouldians lay? Is it wise to let them go? They have come from an environment where they weren't really able to breed.

The Gouldians should lay at this time of year if healthy & breeding age.

re: global warming, etc: In the last week of Sept 2003 (our honeymoon) we had a week straight of 42+deg days in northern NSW (that Summer we had a 46 deg day & many others over 40) & we haven't had a week that hot in any summer for the past 13 years so I totally disregard the sensationalist lies in the media like "hottest summer on record" which I've heard during a few summers in more recent years including last one (when none of them were as hot as a week in early Spring '03 and nowhere near as hot as summer '03). What short memories we have when we blindly believe everything in the headlines.

The general rules regarding seasonality of species will always be broken by a few examples in most species especially as they become more domesticated but the majority still follow the seasons as per script. I've too have bred Orangebreasts at Christmas and Siskins in winter (long before the concept of man-made climate change was an indoctrinated concept) but I've bred a hell of a lot more of them in their conventional seasons and continue to do so.

[vettepilot_6]

Re Climate change. ..read an article about scientists found clothing in a melting glacier. ..so my way of thinking is if glacier covered ancient clothing what brought about their climate change? ? Still believe its a natural occurrence. .as far as finches breeding season
.IMO it can differ by the area they are raised in..such as a lot of Qld birds differ in their breeding season to extreme southern birds
.even though it may only be a few weeks difference. ..

[Adam81]

I can remove all the boxes and just leave the cane nests and brush for the waxbills. Think that sounds like a good plan.

[Shane Gowland]

Re Climate change. ..read an article about scientists found clothing in a melting glacier...

I believe that was the tunic found in the Norwegian mountains. Glaciers, despite their appearance, are actually in a constant state of movement that will result in "churn" over the course of several thousand years. The accelerated rate at which this is happening (hence the clothing discovery) fits the existing models of anthropogenic climate change.

But back to finches: Breeding seasons will change gradually, year to year, as a result of (reasonably predictable) weather cycles caused by naturally occurring oscillations of ocean temperatures. Climate change makes these swings more dramatic, which is why we now perceive them when previously we didn't. Birds are very very resilient; ignore the calendar and just make sure you have the nest boxes in when the weather starts to warm and they'll figure out the rest (or in the case of Gouldians, add the boxes when the weather starts to cool).

re: global warming, etc: In the last week of Sept 2003 (our honeymoon) we had a week straight of 42+deg days in northern NSW (that Summer we had a 46 deg day & many others over 40) & we haven't had a week that hot in any summer for the past 13 years so I totally disregard the sensationalist lies in the media like "hottest summer on record"

Weather and climate are very difference things and should not be conflated like this. I agree that the media generally does a very poor job communicating science of any kind, so it's not surprising that misinformation is so rife.

[vettepilot_6]

The accelerated rate at which this is happening (hence the clothing discovery) fits the existing models of anthropogenic climate change.

My point exactly there was climate changes back through the millenia.... I believe domestication of finches the major factor in there season change...as their food etc plays a big part in the wild...whereas in an aviary it is mostly laid on...you only have to see a bit of rain up north...grasses etc explode into life and so does everything else...

[Tiaris]

I can remove all the boxes and just leave the cane nests and brush for the waxbills. Think that sounds like a good plan.

If it's too cold for Gouldians to lay where you are, then it's too cold for Cordons too. Cordons are one of the most susceptible species to egg binding.

Re climate: It isn't only the media. Teachers in public schools are trying hard to indoctrinate our children with very dubious nonsense from a very early age. During the last flood experienced on the Clarence river floodplain my daughter was taught that the flood was clear evidence of man made climate change when that floodplain existed during and prior to the last ice age. When weather events are used as evidence of climate change by proponents it is unreasonable to accuse sceptics of conflation for using weather facts to refute the climate case.