Cockatoo chaos

I found this photograph while looking through our archive and I loved the slightly perturbed look on the man's face. It is in fact a Mr Tom Higton and his niece on a trip to Australia in 1996. I'm not totally convinced that Mr Higton is enjoying being surrounded by cockatoos!

Georgina Smith.

Mules and hybrids

Breeding hybrid finches and mules (canary x finch crosses) is an intriguing section of the bird fancy, producing mainly frustration punctuated by rare but spectacular successes! This week Cage & Aviary Birds visits the birdroom of an experienced breeder of mules and hybrids, Northern Ireland's John Hegarty.

John's chief speciality is pure-bred redpolls (both lesser and mealy), but he's a proven show-bench winner with redpoll mules and says his ambition is to breed a redpoll x bullfinch. That's bit of a Holy Grail hybrid among connoisseurs, so I wish John the best of luck with his quest!

If you've never looked closely at hybrids or mules, I urge you to do so. The National Exhibition at Stafford is a great place to check out some really cracking specimens in the flesh, but as a taster how about this Tony Tilford study of a crossbill x goldfinch? I can't take my eyes off it: the parentage is pretty obvious yet it has a beauty all of its own. Just look at those long, long, almost ivory-coloured mandibles, delicately crossed near the tip. And what goldie or crossbill has that lovely pure grey on the cheeks and upper tail-coverts? I'd never have foreseen that from such a parentage, but it's most attractive. And look at the contrast between the giveaway scarlet goldfinch face mask and the paler, brighter orange of the rump. Truly, so much to admire.

Rob Innes.

Stolen Maverick

A slightly different take on picture of the week － this is Maverick, an 18-month-old Harris hawk, which was stolen from an aviary in Binfield, Berkshire, but owners are refusing to believe the bird of prey was snatched by a fellow falconer.

Maverick was taken from Robert and Rachel Maynes' aviary during early hours of Tuesday, November 8. Mr Maynes said: "The burglar must have known the basics of handling hawks, and came prepared. Although, we can't believe that another falconer would be involved in this. We are very concerned that the thief may not know how to look after Maverick properly."

The bird has a distinctive silhouette, which will make him easy to identify. Mrs Mayne said: "Maverick is about the size of a large crow or pigeon, dark brown with reddish shoulders to his wings and white tops to his tail feathers."

She added: "His tail is rounded, not forked like a red kite. His legs and face are yellow and, like all bird of prey, he has a hooked beak and sharp talons. He was wearing leather anklets on his legs with long strips of leather attached."
               
● Anyone with information should contact Robert Mayes, tel: 0771 0613980. 

Laura Welch, staff writer.

Bewick's swans

These two Bewick's swans enjoy the festive season while playing in the snow at one of Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust centres.

Laura Welch