Aussie Finch Forum

I have also had some of my birds die to de hydration with a pair of Falcons staring at the birds and birds wont move and touch water and seed .and had to Move them on.

Have got 4 butcher birds doing well organized attacks on EVERY bloody aviary .

White-face Quarrion have jumped ship leaving 2 x 1 week old chicks to freeze to death .

Budgies and PCs yesterday were on the verge of a heart attack , the chests were pumping so hard and to top it off had a owl on the clothesline last night freaking out the Prinnies and Superbs .

Trees have dropped their leaves making the yard more accessible I think ...anyhoo time to catch and release I think , in the meantime there's metre after metre of bird netting draped around the place .

Not happy . And no never underestimate as they have one thing in mind and that's FOOD .

If you have preditors swooping across your aviaries you can sort them out by stringing a fine wire across the top about 25cm(1ft) up off the wire and strung as tight as you can. If they are sitting on the edge of the aviary a battery or powered cattle fence unit can be set up. Simply fix it around the top edge on insulators about 2.5cm( 1") high. The Hawks etc will only land once and will rocket off,it will also stop cats from getting on the roof.I am sure if a cat gets zapped once it will stay away from the aviaries.

I now have a pair of Brown Goshawks acting in tandum. One flys over the porch and the other under the porch in a stealth and ambush flight and hits directly into the face of the flight. Or they just sit on the roof freaking every thing out. Starts at sun up, continues till sun down. Been around for 4 days now. They too quick to get anywhere near them. Scared the bejesus out of me when it flew passed the blind corner i was sitting in, straight over my shoulder and into the aviary mesh.Its a great ambush pathway as the birds in the aviary cant see down the patio so he gets a free highway. Have had to moved the canary and the pet parrots inside.

A couple of years ago I left my bird room door open and was away no more than 5 min.
When I returned there was a b....y big female Goshawk hanging off a breeding cage trying to get what was inside.
It saw me and headed for the door,I was quicker but it took me 10min.to catch it and put it in a bag.It was rung and released
in Albury amongst the feral Pigeons and Starlings.Unless it stripped the ring it never came back. I was going to hit it on the head
but up close they are truely a magnificent bird so I weakened.

I've been speaking with the raptor rehab man, who does displays regularly at my work...

He's informed me that if they fail at getting anything first go, they generally don't try again as they are very lazy
He said they will go and find somewhere that provides an easier to catch feed !

venetta wrote:I've been speaking with the raptor rehab man, who does displays regularly at my work...

He's informed me that if they fail at getting anything first go, they generally don't try again as they are very lazy
He said they will go and find somewhere that provides an easier to catch feed !

I have no hesitation in saying that he is wrong! I have had Brown Goshawks hang around for weeks. Maybe they catch something wild every now and again to keep fed, but they return at dawn and dusk every day until I catch them. I don't ring them but cut about an inch off the end of the tail or spray it white or some other colour, so I know if it comes back.

Our local Raptor lady who has been doing the rehoming and rehabilitation thing for the last 10yrs approx says they move into any available territory, and as long as they get something, anything, to eat, stay put. They prefer birds, and the slower the bird the better. So doves and pidgeons are a favourite. But weerios will flap like anything and attract attention. The birds that sit it out are safest from them in the avairys. Double layer of wire set about 5cm or more apart so talons can't get through is the best protection. Other than a trap and rehoming.
LML

If the hawks are that aggressive they may not be Goshawks but Collard Sparrow Hawks.
I once had a pair move in here and they nearly drove me to distraction.They would grab the wire and shake it trying to panic the birds into the
path of the other.They were so agressive and bold,if you had nothing in your hand they would basically ignore you.But if you had a piece of wood or something resembling a rifle they dissapeared rapidly.It took me nearly a month to relocate them but not to the park!!!!!!!!

Was going to say might be a Collared Sparrowhawk, have seen them around Perth before.

Hopefully he won't come back.
Brett