Aussie Finch Forum

Yet another round of Blue Cap chicks lost due to inclement weather !
We've had some stormy weather yet again here in the South West of WA and it dragged in with it some nasty southerly winds .
Winds have been gusting like crazy and it appears the parents were scared off the nest by this .
The chicks were discovered this morning with full crops and despite having pin feathers they just weren't at the stage where their combined body warmth was enough to get them through the night without the parents ... there were 4 of the poor little buggers too
Can't wait for spring and some stable weather patterns , its been really inconsistent here in the last few weeks with temps ranging from mild summers day conditions to windy rainy storms accompanied by lightning and thunder !
Brad

Not much better up the coast here Brad. Gouldians fledge, then die of cold. Loosing 3 out of 4. Have added extra protective covering and crossed fingers. But this weather seems to have inspired the birds to breed, as I also have canarys with chicks/eggs and double bars nesting. And I don;t know who is responsible for the other chicks I can hear, because no one will go near the nest when I am looking so will have to wait and see.
LML

Its definitely been a mixed bag here South of Perth Finchbreeder , the birds seem to like it though .
This winter has been quite productive for my colony as a whole , besides the Blues and a TCPF clutch loss the fledge rate has been close to 100% (knock on wood)
These severe winter storm systems that seem to frequent the SW now are nightmares !
Ive had a few sleepless nights where winds were gusting up to and over 100kms/hr ... my aviary is well protected against these types of conditions but when the southerlies hit and the chicks are at that crucial stage its a recipe for disaster !
The temps and conditions have been wide ranging and I'm just looking forward to some consistency before we swelter through summer .
Good luck with the birds and I hope you have improved success over spring
Brad

Sorry for the loss of your chicks. That is indeed unfortunate.

Birds here are also going into full breeding mode. Touch early and many are losing young. Its understandable as we have wonderful weather for a week, then days of rain, with icy wind driven from snow ladend mountains. Crazy weather. Lets hope the season changes permanently soon for us all.

Bring on summer!