24 September 2013

Chick Progress - Indian Ringnecked Parrot

22nd September - My male Indian Ringneck "Nippet" does occasionally visit the chicks in the box but this is the first time I have been able to document it.

He is very aggressive (towards me) at the start of breeding season but tends to settle down and is back to his normal self once "Nelly" has laid eggs and is sitting.



 30th September - The chicks are starting to fledge and get their feathers. My early guess of colours are Creamino (looking very Lutino at the moment but it is very similar to my Creamino from last season) and Blue or possibly Turquoise aka Pastel Blue.

14th October - The chicks continue to fledge at great speed, it wont be long until they are emerging from the box. Colours are now definite; Blue and Creamino




25th - 26th October - Saw the emergence of the chicks from the nesting box the Creamino was first followed by the Blue the next day. The caused the normal chaos in the aviary as they learned how to fly. I have witnessed my adult female "Nelly" still feeding the young as late as the 12th November.

I will get the pair DNA tested and leg banded as soon as my baby Green Cheeked Conures (born a few days after the chick came out of the box) are out of the box and old enough.




23 September 2013

Feeding - Flowering plants

When doing a little garden maintenance a decided to try my birds on some native flowers from a bush (as they are a particular favorite of Rainbow Lorikeets and Crimson Rosella in the area).

I didn't think they would get much interest as I thought they were more a Lorikeet thing but all the birds seemed to be very interested in them; particularly the Princess Parrots that didn't leave the trimmings until the flowers and buds were completely dismantled.