Aussie Finch Forum

We just got home from a few days in Sydney to watch my daughter compete in the Physi grand final at Town Hall.
Whilst there we stayed at Lane Cove National Park & spent a day at Taronga Zoo on Saturday but the best bird surprise was a beautiful display aviary along the outside of the foyer at North Ryde RSL Club as we walked in for tea on Friday night.
The aviary must be about 20m x 6m & tastefully landscaped with ponds, a waterfall, tropical vegetation & large rocks. It had 4 large full height windows along its length adjoining the Club foyer & contained a beautiful mixed collection including B & G Macaws, Mandarin Ducks, King Parrots, Regent Parrots, Green-winged Pigeons, Wonga Pigeons, Torres Strait Pigeons, Pied Stilts, European Goldfinches, Zebra Finches, Red-collared Lorikeets, and many others. Was getting a bit dark when we first noticed it but I could see juvenile Wonga & Torres Strait Pigeons + Zebra Finches so at least a few of the inhabitants must be happy enough with their home to breed.
Can highly recommend the club to any country hick like me looking for a nice venue for a drink & feed in that neck of the woods.

Just had a look on Google-very nice aviary.
Jack

Link to aviary pic
http://www.sydneyirresistible.com/2012/ ... e-rsl.html

Thanks Tiaris - I'll be checking it out real soon. I'm in and around the North Ryde area almost every week. I grew up at Lane Cove and 2 of my daughters live there, yet I wasn't aware of this aviary. Why didn't someone tell me before?

Very nice.

I would love to see more aviaries like this in public spaces. Clubs, shopping centres, public gardens, hospitals, etc. Would definitely help reinvigorate aviculture in Australia.

Along a similar line, there is a meerkat enclosure at the childrens hospital in Melbourne.

What other aviaries do people know of that aren't associated with a fauna park or similar?

Tiaris, what were the highlights from Taronga?

Cheers Ian

Now if all RSL Clubs had something like that, think of all the old and not so old soldiers who might be converted to aviculture. Not to mention all the visitors who could enjoy.
LML

Have seen the aviary myself, but not in very pleasant circumstances in 2010. It was the subject of a stealing where thieves used boltcutters to enter the aviary and steal a male B&G macaw in the early morning hours. They were very selective. Just out of interest I wonder where these birds are sourced from and is any licensing required? Nice big aviary though.

Ken.

iaos wrote:Very nice.

I would love to see more aviaries like this in public spaces. Clubs, shopping centres, public gardens, hospitals, etc. Would definitely help reinvigorate aviculture in Australia.

Along a similar line, there is a meerkat enclosure at the childrens hospital in Melbourne.

What other aviaries do people know of that aren't associated with a fauna park or similar?

Tiaris, what were the highlights from Taronga?

Cheers Ian

Bird highlight from Taronga was a Babbler building a nest. Babblers are extremely active, "extroverted" birds & would make an awesome aviary bird.
Chimpanzees were the best animal spectacle of the day though. All the emotions in a way that us human cousins can recognise & understand.
Finally convincing the kids to leave the souvenir shop was an exhilarating feeling too.

What species of Babbler were they Tiaris? We have Grey Crowned Babblers here and they are very interesting birds. There is an active nest in a box tree close to our house. I have always thought the old nests would make good Golden Song Sparrow nests.

iaos wrote:What other aviaries do people know of that aren't associated with a fauna park or similar?

Not an aviary, I came across this site when looking for something else.
http://www.wingsretreat.com.au/
Also locally is Cleland Wildlife Park, also Para Wirra Reserve, from all accounts a great place to bird watch.