Canberra Walkin Aviary

12 Mar 2012, 17:15

Dropped into the walkin aviary in Canberra yesterday after the bird sale. I was surprised at the range of finches they have given the cool Canberra climate. It didn't seem like many were actively breeding, which makes me wonder just how happy many of the species actually are. It's definitely well worth a visit if you're in Canberra and particularly so if you're into photography as the birds are pretty tame compared to most aviary birds. Also great for non-birdos as there's plenty of parrots/lorrikeets to feed.
Here's a few photos which explain the setup better than I can describe...

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12 Mar 2012, 17:20

Great pics, I'll be sure to pop in if I'm around that way.

12 Mar 2012, 17:41

I had a quick look last month.
Those lorries sure are little bossy boots.
Lovely to see some new types of finches I haven't seen in real-life.
No idea how they catch them if they need too

the trimmed pine trees are a good idea for creating little refuge areas for the birds to hide & snooze.

12 Mar 2012, 17:44

Thanks for sharing
Great Pics

12 Mar 2012, 18:17

Thanks for posting pics Sam, suprised there werent of Jayburd running around with a net

12 Mar 2012, 18:41

Is that a rat trap on the ground in photo no. 7 with the two boys? I hope they have it rat proof otherwise it would be a nightmare to find if one got in.

12 Mar 2012, 19:40

Tintola
They had cage style rat traps all over the place when I went -
I had to go to the office to let them know that they had caught a cockatiel in one - reckon you would have to check them very regularly to release all the birds before they dehydrate.

12 Mar 2012, 19:54

Tintola wrote:Is that a rat trap on the ground in photo no. 7 with the two boys? I hope they have it rat proof otherwise it would be a nightmare to find if one got in.

Yes, but more mouse sized I'd say. The boundary did have a decent looking concrete footing with a sheetmetal skirt (see behind photo with boys). Above the sheetmetal skirt was galvanised mesh to a decent height which was topped with a strip of sheetmetal sticking out about a foot (see pintail whydah photo) - presumably to stop critters accessing the hail mesh used for most of the enclosure. There were many holes in the hail mesh, most had been repaired but we did spot a few large enough for a finch to get through with ease. This plus my recent experience with a rat chewing through shade cloth has put me off the idea of using hail mesh in the future.

Maybe Jayburd will chime in as to the rodent control situation as I understand he's worked there during holidays.

12 Mar 2012, 20:01

Mortisha wrote:the trimmed pine trees are a good idea for creating little refuge areas for the birds to hide & snooze.

Most had a really dense canopy which would be virtually waterproof I'd imagine. Apart from an open fronted shed down the end these trees seemed to be the only real shelter from cold and storms. Didn't seem to be enough shelter to my mind.

12 Mar 2012, 20:04

catching we use a finch trap, for the finches obviously. We don't do a lot of catching, sick birds we do by hand (which can be very noisy, particularly with regents).
Rat control has been very difficult, we found a stash of 20 king quail under a plant last year. Lots of traps, not many rats...
We check them every morning and every evening when the aviary opens/shuts but the occasional nosey bird does get caught.
The finches take cover in the grasses and bushes during bad weather, the pines are really good protection.
The "hothouse" as we call it, the open fronted shed, is very good and it gets nice and warm in winter, so birds congregate there.