Bird Buying Trip

[snelly]

Hi all
I'm thinking about taking a drive down to Dorset Birds this weekend. Is it easy to find?
Has anyone been there recently and what did they have in?
Thanks
Mark

[Strawblady2000]

Hi Mark,

I know I'm way over here in the US, but your title "bird buying trip" really makes me froth at the mouth!!!

I've read lots of good things about them from everyone here...someone will be along soon to answer you.

Have Fun!!!!!

[Waxbillman]

hello Mark

its well worth going, but believe, take plenty of money you'll need it!!

i have been twice this year, your best off talking to Paul or Laura and Roger as they are a stones throw away, i really enjoyed my visit on both occasions and i hope to do it again some day, maybe you lot could meet up there? its worth going there just to listen to Paul try and talk after getting up so early.

Matthew

[laurab]

Hi Mark

Roger and I haven't been for a couple of weeks but I'm sure Paul will know what
Alan has in at the moment.

Let us know when you are hoping to visit the area and we will definately arrange to meet up.

Laura

[PAUL HEARN]

Hello Mark (and Matthew:roll:),

Mark,

Alan at Dorset Birds still has a good selection of African Finches, Waxbills, Weavers, Whydahs and Mannikins, as well as a selection of Australian Finches, a few British Finches, Foreign Softbills and Parrotlike.

It is quite easy to find your way once you are on the A31, if you call Alan tomorrow he will give you tell you if any particular Birds you are looking for are in stock (he will also reserve them for you if you are definately going to visit) and give you directions on how to get there.

Matthew,

You are so cruel man,:lol: don't listen to him Mark, Matthew know's I only had three hours sleep before meeting him that day and I had a voice that Barry White would have been proud of,:shock: screaming your lungs out along with the very little known Surrey Legend that is John Bush in a small Pub in Ash seems to cause temporary damage to your vocal cords, strange huh?:lol:

Anyway Mark if you phone Alan then I'm sure he wil let you know what he still has left for sale.

Paul.

[Waxbillman]

:lol: :lol:

[snelly]

Thanks Guys
I'll give Alan a bell and then see when I'm allowed out.
Regards
Mark

[kenny]

hi mark
i notice your avatar is of a pallid munia :shock: :roll: :lol: :lol:

ken

[snelly]

Good one Ken - last time I looked he was a young cock Red Headed Finch on day one out of the nest - crap photo I know but you can just about see the gapes.
I havent seen a pallid munia for ages - are there still any about?
Regards
Mark:roll:

[Strawblady2000]

Hi Mark,

Let us know what treasures you find!!!!!

[snelly]

Thanks Nikki
Hope he's still got something a bit different and out of the ordinary
Mark

[Waxbillman]

hello Mark

there is just about none left to my knowledge i know a man who has a few aging birds, thats it, dom'y know of anyone else

Matthew

[laurab]

Have you seen the advert for Three Oaks in C&A today? Not the cheapest but if you're in the area might be worth the visit if only to see birds you don't normally get chance to see.

[Strawblady2000]

I must admit...I am envious!

While I have a network of buyers that sell to me at whoesale prices (even if I only buy a single bird), what good does it do if they are always the same kinds of birds????

There isnt anywhere to go to find different kinds. It would be so possible for me to list every kind of bird I've seen in stores on my ten fingers. Heck, I saw my first live blue gouldian and a bronzewing for the first time last weekend. How silly is that??? So, you can only imagine when I read about all of your birds! I'd never seen a Pekins even in a pic before...and they are absolutely SPLENDID!!

My only reprieve was going to the bird mart in san antonio. I did get to see quite a few birds I'd never seen before and pick up some contact cards. The drawback is that these people travel in from all over the southern states and are not close. Also, something I've noticed with many breeders, they are a secretive bunch. Not only when it comes to diet etc. (which I kind of think is ridiculous, but that's a whole other thread, lol). They just seem to not want to converse at ALL about anything to do with their birds. In my case, I cant shutup about them, lol.

Maybe they are afraid of giving up their Ancient Chinese Secrets or something.

There are places to order and have them shipped...but, for instance, the temp is nearly 100 degrees today. Not good for birdies in a box!

This Dorsets seems to be a really neat place.

[kenny]

hi mark
yeah i know that it was a young redhead as i recognised it from last time ,it was just a poke at the so called expert that put a picture of a spice bird up on the front and the head of an article in c&a i just cant beleive who does the research for these things ,they have been pulled up a few times about their cock ups and i have written twice about stuff that has been put in by mistake the problem is they dont put a retraction in and everyone thinks thats what a pallid munia looks like

ken:roll:

[PAUL HEARN]

Hello all,

Ken,

Nice one mate, I thought about sending in a comment to the letters page about yet another obvious cock up in C&A, but then it occurred to me that maybe D,T. blinked when he got to that page (even if it was for a few minutes:lol:).

Nikki,

I'm sorry that your first sighting of a Bronze Winged Mannikin was so recent, they are so cute to look at (sorry Matthew:lol:), but when it comes to breeding under mixed conditions they are a real handful towards other birds (even those larger than themselves).
Having said that it would be a huge shame if they were lost to Aviculture due to their unfair reputation regarding aggression during the breeding season. I think that Bronze Wings would be an ideal candidate for cage breeding in the future.

Laura,

I noticed the advert for Three Oaks today, it is a huge shame that Daniel has chosen now to take over the premises and expand the variety of birds there under such a black cloud regarding the future of imported wild birds.:(

Mark,

As Matthew has mentioned, there are very few Pallid Munias available these days, but I hope that the handfull presently in the UK will find the partners that are very much needed!

Paul.

[Waxbillman]

hello Paul, i'll pretend i did not read that word - this time

Hello Nikki

i think Paul has held back very much on B W M's they are not just nasty but they are decievingly evil, some years ago when i was a kid some cage me a few mannikins that he had bred i put them in my aviary by the time i returned one red ear was day and the other didn't look to good, i was very upset, and angry.

Matthew

[kenny]

hi matt
regular litle spitfires,are bronze wings.......but i do rather like them myself

ken

[Strawblady2000]

Ya know...the store went to had them housed with gouldians and a few berries!!!

When I got my berries home, I noticed that the male is missing feathers on the back of his neck! I thought the culprits may have been the goulds...but it may have been the BWM's.

Theyre cute...look like miniature bengalese to me at first glance.

[kenny]

hi nikki
well they are manakins ! just a little short and stubby but when they get caught in the right light they look beautiful

ken

[laurab]

Popped out to the Three Oaks today, they have some interesting birds but it's not a patch on Dorset Birds.

[snelly]

Hi all
Just got back from a long drive to Dorset birds. I was well impressed with Alan, his birds and the conditions he maintains. He still has an impressive range of birds and I was well taken with his breeding Violet Ears. I wanted something a bit different and ended up buying two pairs of Collared Warbling Finches. They are in excellent condition and have already settled in and are feeding as I write.

Paul are you the South American expert?

There is not a lot on the Web about Warbling Finches and any advice gratefully received. At the moment they have a good quality foreign finch mix, insectivorous, seeding grass heads and mealworms.

Will definetly be making trip to Dorset Birds on a more regular basis - nice to deal with an honest and knowledgable guy.

regards
Mark

[kenny]

hi mark
sounds like you had a great time,i think paul will be able to help you out with regards to their upkeep

ken

[Waxbillman]

brilliant, i'm glad to hear you enjoyed your day.

Matthew

[PAUL HEARN]

Hello Mark,

I'm pleased you enjoyed your visit to Dorset Birds,:wink: Alan has not only the Violet Eared Waxbills breeding but also his remaining Yellow Bellied Waxbills, Yellow Winged Pytilias and also various other Birds in the outside planted aviaries that are on view to visitors.:-D

Mark I'm far from being an expert on South American Finches, I have kept many Species and bred only a few.

Regarding the Collared Warbling Finches you have bought from Alan, Foreign Finch mix, Insectivorous mix, seeding Grasses and Mealworms are great, but I have found them to be variable in the food that they will take.
I would also offer a good quality Weed Seed mix, Pannicum and Red Anjou Millet sprays, Eggfood and all of the above mentioned Seeds (including sprays) soaked.
Other Livefoods to be offered should include Brown and Silent Crickets, Buffalo Worms and Fruit Flies.

Most importantly though, please don't house both pairs in the same aviary!
As a rule South American Finches are very aggressive, so pairs of the same or similar Species will fight a great deal when in breeding condition.

A few examples include Black and White Seedeaters attacking other Species with large amounts of black plumage, Red Crested Finches attacking other Species with large amounts of red plumage.
I have even known Jacarini Finches halting breeding attempts of larger Rhodospingus Finches sharing a large planted aviary because the cocks have shared large areas of black plumage.

Paul.:wink:

[Waxbillman]

hello Paul

that brilliant news its about time, didn't i say to you he has the room to breed his birds, thats the only way

Matthew

[laurab]

Hello Mark

I am glad your trip to Dorset was rewarding.

Thank you also for your kind comments regarding Alan, he is as you say very knowledgeable.

Alan is one of the nicest guys in the business you could ever meet, and such a gentleman too.

I will pass on your comments to him. ;)

[snelly]

Hi Paul
Thanks for the advice - no fear of me keeping them together - I breed everything indoors these days that way I can control heating lighting etc. The pairs are in their own 5ft indoor flights with plenty of conifers for cover etc. I'll follow your advice on feeding - they appear from the bill shape to be quite insectivorous and have already demolished hundreds of fruit flies/greenfly (im an organic veg gardener and so have plenty of insects) !
Alan did show me his yellow bellies etc and most impressed I was. We all need to do everything possible to breed everything we can. I'll certainly be returning to Dorset Birds as soon as I've saved up some more.
Thanks & Regards
Mark

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Matthew and Mark,

Matthew,

Alan has chosen only a few pairs to breed from in the inside flights in the back room, but they all seem to be doing very well,:wink: please let Harry know that the Yellow bellied Waxbills he left behind are the ones that are nesting.:lol:

Mark,

Your housing for the Warbling Finches sounds excellent,:wink: also the fact that you have noted the bill shape regarding them appearing to be more insectivorous than most Finches leads me to believe that you may have a very good chance in breeding them.
The fact is that the Warbling Finch Family have been bred on very few occasions, but any information I find on them I will send your way.

I have Robin Restalls e-mail address which I will send you via PM, (he is based in Vezuela), if anyone can advise on anything that has feathers and is native to South America then he is your man!!:-D

Paul.

[Waxbillman]

i will Paul

has ie had chicks then? if so what are they?

Matthew

[laurab]

Please can you explain how the shape of the bill would show a bird to be more of an insectivore?;-)

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Matthew,

I don't know yet if Alan has had chicks from any of the pairs of Birds he has paired up for breeding, but I will let you know as soon as I know.

Paul.:wink:

[Waxbillman]

thank you good sir, and fingers crossed

Matthew

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Laura,

Generaly if a Finch has a short stubby or conical shaped beak then it will feed on mainly seeds, but there are exceptions, our native Bullfinch feeds on mainly buds of Fruit Trees and Insects when feeding young.

A long slender beak usually indicates that the Bird is mainly Insectivorous, but again another native Finch is an exception, the Goldfinch has a long slender beak because it favours on feeding on Teazle, the heads of Teazle are very deep with the seed deep inside the head.

Paul.;)

[kenny]

hi paul
do they also have a corrulated bill ,to enable them to keep hold of any wriggling insects

ken