Happy day. Spring has certainly sprung.

[mattymeischke]

Woke up this morning to birdsong, sunshine and no work.
Got home from forty eight hours away at work, and realised I had forgotten to mention to my wife to leave a dividing door shut because the new plumheads and longtails were in quarantine (got them from another forum member: cheers!). They seemed very happy about this when I saw them taking a morning bath.

plums and stars.jpg

Then I saw this freshly emerged OB (unexpected):

new OB baby.jpg

Some wattle I put in three days ago has been put to good use by some red paints:

red paint in wattle nest.jpg

...and these green thick Phalarus blades seem get the BFPFs going:

new BFPF nest.jpg

Then I caught some mannikins, zebs, king quails and a pair of canaries for a girl who turns four tomorrow. She loves to sit in the birdhouse when her Dad comes to visit, and he has netted over an old veggie garden so she can have her own. A finchlover in the making, but a bit young for aff yet.
I made an expirimental transport box after reading a suggestion (maybe from E Orix?) about using a sleeve of material instead of rubber for the entry, and I wanted a bigger and heavier box than the littler ones I'd been using.

new traveller box (2).JPG

Bigger, because they often have to stay in there for a night or two, and heavier so it is less prone to rocking and slipping in the car. The front screws off to let them go when I get home. I gaffer-taped a trouser leg from a torn pair of kids pyjama pants to the 'In' door, and it works a treat.

[SamDavis]

Great to see they're all going well and looks like you've got a few breeding. The plums and longtails will enjoy the freedom/sun after being a bit crowded in my inside holding aviary. The cock plumhead you got from me is actually from Ben (another AFF member). And are you confident the hen longtail is actually a hen?

[mattymeischke]

The short answer is: no I'm not confident, but I am hopeful.
'He' definitely has a wider bib than 'her', and he seems to be following her around, but I haven't heard him sing yet.
If I get a good photo I'll submit it to the opinion of the forum.

white peach blossom with busy bee.JPG

(I was out with the camera this morning looking for tree sparrows, and realised there were no blossoms in my post about spring. A gross omission)

blood plum blossom.JPG

If they're not a pair, then I'll just have to get a couple more to make up two pairs. The plumheads are happy, but the new cock is looking a bit left out (sorry, Ben) while the old one parades his two young girlfiriends. Now I just have to finish my new aviaries. I was hoping to have them finished before spring had sprung, but it looks like I've missed that boat.

ornamental plum blossom.JPG

Next time (and I feel sure there will be a next time) I build new aviaries, I'll build the enclosed end first so at least I have some overflow space when life presents more pressing matters which put the construction schedule back by weeks.

I sure do have some breeding! Paints, stars, OBs, BFPFs and RC cordons all on eggs or babies, and that's just in the big aviary. Zebrats and Mannis breeding furiously in the holding aviary despite my attempts to discourage them. And the canaries: the three eggs in the canary article in the current newsletter are now fluffy little pin-feathered beggars. She only laid three in this clutch, but it is her first time. Since joining the forum, I have been harvesting termites regularly and it seems to stimulate them all tremendously, even the canaries. They will be exiled from the big aviary when the new ones are ready, in fact, because they are big termite pigs (as I think Tiaris suggested in another post somewhere).

[jusdeb]

Yes spring has sprung here too 22 degrees , sunshine , lollipops and all that jazz .
Busy busy busy keeping up the greens and soft foods for all the parrots on young , kinda thankful other half hasn't started his finch aviary yet , no time for that and we still have hand reared orders to fill
Im tired just thinking about it .

Dont ya just love it Spring time always makes me feel alive if you know what I mean

[mattymeischke]

Spring time always makes me feel alive if you know what I mean

Sure do know what you mean.
Had two horrible days at work and had a day off today.
So good for your head to spend a day in the sunshine....

Sam, the longtails were doing the deed of joy this morning, and have chucked my red stars out of their nest in an old wooden toy ambulance. I am nearly sure that they're a pair now.
One pair of plumheads is nesting.
I am a roof and some loose ends away from finishing lots of new space, so do let me know if your freshly fledged diamonds need a new home.

I saw the first new canaries of the spring out of the nest this morning:

dark fledgling 1.jpg

dark canary front.jpg

marked wings fledgling.jpg

marked wings fledgling front.jpg

I do so love spring.

[vettepilot_6]

Just magic

[jusdeb]

Really like that bottom photo of the Canary .. I spotted these at Forbes show and was very impressed .

[SamDavis]

Sam, the longtails were doing the deed of joy this morning, and have chucked my red stars out of their nest in an old wooden toy ambulance. I am nearly sure that they're a pair now.
One pair of plumheads is nesting.
I am a roof and some loose ends away from finishing lots of new space, so do let me know if your freshly fledged diamonds need a new home.

Great to hear you've got a heap of nesting going on. And sounds like I might be better at sexing the longtails than I thought - more likely just lucky. Maybe we can do a few swaps (painted/stars/cordons/etc.) at some stage. The diamonds you mention should be independent shortly, so I'll catch them up in a week or so.

[desertbirds]

Looks good Matty.Spring is such a great time with all the flowers and the birds getting busy. Just the time my lot wind down as its getting too hot.

[jusdeb]

Extremes ..last week had a pair in the hospital box due to a cold snap today Im going out to set the misters for them ....tad on the warm side here 28 degrees.