Finch Trends and Status in Australia

[Fincho162]

Has been a spot of Fun this thread Mr Orix and concur 100% with 99.5% of your comments......except we have set pretty good standards with many species given the lack of any new blood for yonks..............guess that is why they want the "big 4" species overseas....................

Terrific comments and most common sense.....but as you hinted doesn't hurt to make people aware of how many species are on a slender rope..........the Dollars for birds is again, logical................has to get to that point if you intend to supply them with the best of materials available..............

Gives you a sort of hope for the future maybe..............maybe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[murf]

Thought this might be of interest. Advertised in the Livestock section of The Age, 27/81965, from a dealer in Heidelberg(Melbourne). For sale:strawberries,tiger finches??,pintailed wydah hen, grenadier hen,Napoleon weavers,chaff-finches. Not sure what Tiger finches are.. From the same place 20/8/1966... green avadavats, orange-checked waxbills, pintails,violet-eared waxbills. Pitty we can't turn back the time clock. Cheers.

[Jayburd]

tiger finch = red strawberry

[E Orix]

Maybe the add backs up Fincho162 saying I am only 95% right.We are doing a reasonable job of breeding birds.
The adds prove that we are doing something right because all the birds for sale in the 1st add are still available today and possibly even more easily
obtained today.
The second add is not so good with the Green Strawberries and the Violet Ears in real short supply.

I can remember a breeder in Sth Aust,maybe late 70's who was selling a hen and 2 cockbirds for $375 a trio. I thought they were too expensive.
The reason he was selling trios as his breeding ratio was 2 cockbirds to one female
The add again
I could be wrong but at a guess the seller was the Australian Bird Company, he was the last that I know of who had the ability to aquire rare species.
At one stage from memory he had a pair of Lions in his backyard.I am sure the councils of today would accept them as household pets
Having patted all on the back and said we are doing a good job I might take back 2.5% because we are not doing so well with some of our midrange species.
It must be realised that there are numerous species that aren't as prolific as we think or prices show. There will be others but Melbas,Auroras(red wing) the Nun family, pure Red Faced P/Finches,Yellow Siskins plus other non Australian species,then you get into the Australian specie and some of those aren't in great shape either,maybe I will take another 1.5%.
If you disagree please tell me.

[murf]

Spot on E.Orix. Here are a few more. 30/7/1966. yellow hammers,redpolls,green singers, moustache finches??indigo, buntings,saffron,grey singers. No prices mentioned.

[Jayburd]

wow.
spot on orix

[E Orix]

The Indigo Buntings are a big surprise.
Years ago the late Allan Willianson(SAust) had Rainbow Buntings and another specie as well.'
I had Moustache Finches(Scaley Crowned Weavers) but lost them through the Melb. winter due to my mismanagement, what a shame.
I had Lazuli Buntings but only cockbirds. At that time Yellow Hammers Chaffinches Red Polls etc were comming in from NZ freely
There were afew Saffrons around(not the Pelzan we have still) Grey Singers were here in reasonable numbers but not as common as the little Singer we still have but there was also 2 other types of Singers here then.
These adds have made me think back and we have lost alot of species,some because their numbers were so low but others we shouldn't have, but Aviculture was not like it is today.No internet,limited access to overseas management.Virtually all clubs were city based,with country branches in their infancy.
To get Mealworms in those days you went to a disused poultry setup with rack in hand and collected them.Took them home and let them clean themselves in Bran.We also got them from stables as well.We just couldn't ring up and order a KG of worms. The only medication was Elliots Sulpha D.
Yet we still bred birds but it was a struggle in particular during Melb. winter months.
I also think we had more old characters then,you could listen to them especially talking about pre ww 2 times.
Sadly there were others that had rare species that were to proud to admit they couldn't breed them and were responsible for the birds being lost forever.
One person had English Bull Finches and was determined to run them with Canaries and alot of other species yet kept Goldfinches in aviaries on their own because that was the way he bred them and he needed the young to be paired with Canaries to produce Whistling Mules
Oh well I guess thats life

[Fincho162]

And lets not forget the Bronze-winged mannikins that were once held in huge numbers but people couldn't give them away......................all now gone......Redpolls, Grey singers, Mex rosefinches were all mid-price finches holding their own pre-NEBRS (1999) but are now "tenuous" at best..or??????......despite the legislation still "our" fault for not wanting to hold them because of the extra paperwork involved and their mediocre price............but all now on the slide.........
Closer to now the Dybowski too.......but that one possibly not all out fault!!

We often curse the computer generation but it also ensured that the next Nebrs-style witch hunt never saw any finch species lumped with mandatory paperwork..............still, this just removes another 'excuse' from our shoulders so the real 'job' is to ensure we don't lose any more species..................are we up for it these days?????

Hope we don't see on this forum in the next 5 years..........."hey, anyone seen any Aberdeans, Chaffinches, Rufous-backs or Silverbills lately."...............that would indeed be sad.
Once again this has been/is a great thread thought provocing..........and also a little sad as we chronicle the finches lost.......thanks EOrix for that timely 'jar' to all finch keepers out there - or the enlightened ones on this forum at any rate.........Green & Pope cardinals, Quail finches, Large Green singer, Quella weaver................

[Sicj]

Are Violet Eared Waxbillls really gone from Australia?

[Fincho162]

Last ones I knew of were in Melbourne...............not heard of any for a while but that doesn't mean they are gone...............just scarce........rare maybe???.....or........

Given that most were in areas of hi-humidity like Qld which a Sth African gent stated was a death sentence for hens in particular.......then maybe our hope would be in the Victorian ones IF they still exist...........