Photo: Gary Bralsford. Gary’s royal starlings at their nest-box. The outer covering is cork bark The action’s coming thick and fast in GARY BRALSFORD’s set-up, where his new birdroom extension is now finished, and the inhabitants are celebrating their accommodation…
Photo: Gary Bralsford. Gary’s breeding season has gone from strength to strength, particularly with his royal starlings. So far, the parents have been good feeders As late summer approaches, Gary Bralsford and his fellow softbill enthusiasts are starting to feel it’s…
Above: the birds’ nest-boxes are attached to the outside of the all-wire breeding cages In the October 19, 2016 issue, Fred Wright profiled novice Jeremy Edwards, probably England’s most westerly based budgie man, and owner of an super stud of birds.…
Above: parallel lines: a good example of a barhead budgerigar. This one is a grey green Experienced fanciers use these terms all the time, but beginners and ‘occasionals’ may need a reminder… here FRED WRIGHT kicks off a series of…
Photo: Fred Wright. Gerald & Pat de Beer: Pat was outstanding at show preparation, says Fred Should we offer our budgerigars distinct spaces for breeding and show preparation, muses FRED WRIGHT? It’s not unusual to hear of fanciers keeping their…
Photo: Fred Wright. Don’t delay: you need to start preparing your young cock birds for the breeding season now FRED WRIGHT offers some advice to autumn breeders for bringing their birds into breeding condition at the right time. Over the…
Above: ‘Decent, thick feather’: this recessive pied was benched by A. & N. Michael FRED WRIGHT admires an unusually good recessive pied budgerigar. Most budgie people who know me will tell you I am a “normal man”. I like a few…
Photo: Fred Wright. When Fred visited Jo a few years ago, he was struck by the colour of the budgies in his birdroom. FRED WRIGHT concludes his short series on the expert advice of the great budgerigar fanciers of the…
Photo: Les Rance. Don’t rush: Les quarantines new stock away from the rest of his collection for three weeks, and then introduces one of his current birds to the new stock for a further two weeks. LES RANCE concludes his short…
Above: more variegated than the cock, [the hen] sports a strong dark moustachial stripe, as well as broad soft dark streaking on her underparts. In the first of two articles on greenfinches, native bird expert BERNARD HOWLETT introduces this popular…