Feels like spring,,,

After a historic snow/ice storm, the weather is finally feeling like spring.  Hopefully the birds are feeling frisky as well...

Sweet Pea loves snow

snow flakes on the fence

wild birds were pecking at the stray seeds

Lucky exploring the snow

Mao would rather stay inside and be warm

shaft tails: creaminos flanking my "cream" baby

shaft tails: creamino, fawn, and cream

shaft tails: creamino, fawn, cream

red factor canary baby - napping in my hand

Lucky enjoying a nap

pearl society babies

dilute fawn pearl baby

 

Babies and mutations...

Despite the disappointing gouldian season, there are still quite a few new babies in the aviary.  All the society babies are big enough to close band.  Can't wait until they all fledge.  The owl babies are no more, unfortunately.  Both died with full crops and without any obvious trauma, so not sure what happened.  Canaries lost their fledgling, also for unclear reasons, but are now raising a new baby.  The white javas took over the gouldian style nest box in their flight and are raising a family.  Sea green red faced parrot finches have weaned their brood of 3 and are sitting on 4 fertile eggs.  I don't think my new turquoisine hen likes my male so far.  Hopefully they'll bond as time passes.

BH PB SFYB male gouldian

hoping this new lovely big boy will win the heart of my eager BH WB BB gouldian hen who had had 3 clutches of infertile eggs with 2 different previous mates now

he's a nice big boy

well fed white java babies

pearl society babies (chestnut pearl, I think)

fawn society babies, 3 are dilutes with clear wing

better view of the all 4 babies

fawn babies

chocolate self babies - if male will be split to creamino

more fawn babies - hoping for some red browns

forbes parrot finch baby with his foster parents - he fledged today, but decided to snuggle with his parents back in the nest

new red factor canary baby

napping after a big meal

turquoisine male still trying to gain the favor of his new mate

weaned sea green baby - starting to molt into adult colors

 

New babies, fledglings, and some new turqs...

red headed yellow gouldian pair - male is lilac breast and hen is purple breast

red headed parrot finch on left, sea green RH parrot finch

newly fledged baby sea green RH parrot finches

I am happy to report I got a pair of red fronted yellow opaline turquoisines - still young, but hoping they will eventually breed for me.  All the grasskeets are molting or resting or just happily maturing.  Perhaps breeding season will restart in the spring, but they may decide to rest until fall again.

The gouldians and shaft tails have started to lay new clutches - fingers crossed better fertility this round.  Society babies have hatched, and parrot finches have fledged - very comforting to have some babies around.

pearl society babies

pied fawn society hen guarding her brood

notice she's fostering 2 owl finch babies for me - the 2 on the bottom

dilute fawn society with babies

babies from dilute fawn society pair - the mother has red eyes

Here is the male with the hen hiding behind him.

Here's the hen in the foreground - unfortunately a bit washed out by the flash.  Scarlet male in the back.

OMG, is the turq hen having a stroke?  Nope, just enjoying the heat lamp, LOL.

Unfortunates and fortunates...

For some reason, all of the recent rounds of eggs from gouldians and shaft tails were infertile.  I've recently removed all the clear eggs to let the pairs try again.  At least all the society pairs have a lot of fertile eggs.  The forbes pair have 2 fertile eggs - they may have tossed their first baby though.  The seagreen red faced parrot finch pair are raising their 3 babies without any problems at all.

I've really grown to enjoy my shaft tails...

Baby bird updates...

Almost all of the gouldians are molting, some for the second time of the year.  Not sure what is going on, but their breeding season is pausing currently.  Some of the gouldian babies born so far are molting into adult colors already.

Ken's newest siblings - 2 silvers and 1 pastel?

gouldian babies at various stages of coloring up

RH PB GB hen - great grand-daughter of one of my favorite gouldians, a BH PB/WB SFYB/BB male with a redline, who has since passed away

 While the gouldians are acting out of character, unexpected species are breeding.

 The canary baby has grown up a lot - it is red factor but has some mild variegation on the head.  In addition to the unexpected canary baby, a pair of sea green red faced parrot finches are brooding 3 fertile eggs.  The white java pair also laid 3 eggs, though not sitting as of yet.

canary baby

My red factor canary pair laid 6 eggs, 2 were fertile, and although only 1 hatched, here it is...

Slow going but babies are growing

I have greatly enjoyed going to some bird fairs recently with some "bird friends", and learned a lot as well from the judges of the bird shows.  The breeding season is coming along slowly, but I am having some exciting babies.

the great Clarence Culwell with the winners at the Temple bird show

 Even Texas is getting some fall colors this year.

silver and ?pastel babies gouldians

left most may be a pastel? the 2 on the right are silvers

new shaft tail babies just fledged few days ago!!

this one is a little lighter than it's siblings, may be a cream?

Mao, trying to blend into the background...

Lucky, acting timid as usual