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ISSN 1492-8132
Issue 149, © 2006
No reprints without permission
Sponsor's Space
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The folks at Bird & Cage provide bird keepers with a wide selection of great quality birdcages and accessories for very good prices, accompanied with some of the best customer service you will find anywhere. Their customers all agree, they do a great job!
They've provided a lovely wrought iron canary flight cage as part of the Grand Prize in our Photo Contest, so be sure to enter your photos for a chance to win!
You can save 20% in the Sidewalk Sale of overstocked cages. On the rest of the site you will find breeding cages, cage accessories, stands, and some of the best flight cages anywhere. There's even free shipping if you live in the continental US!
A recent customer says,"I wanted to let you know that the 4130 cage stand arrived and I love it! It is quite sturdy and rolls with ease - even fully loaded. And it fits (and organizes) my breeding cages perfectly (24x16x16). Thanks Elaine!"
For a full selection of cages and cage accessories, visit BirdandCage.com.
Bird Bath Fact
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Never offer your bird warm water to bathe in - the heat will strip preening oils from his feathers, and dry them out. This can become a problem, if the feathers should get too dry and brittle before it's time to moult in a new set.
Birds know this instinctively, and when offered the choice will always prefer cold bath water over warm. Try putting some ice cubes into your bird's bath, and watch how much he enjoys himself! If you don't believe it, try this; offer your bird two baths, one with ice cubes, the other with the water at room temperature. Every time I've tried this, the ice cubes win out!
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"I love your website, your information has made me a very well-informed canary friend/owner. Thank you."
"Thank you so much for the book on canaries. That is a really nice book. I needed one, because I bought my Mom two canaries, a male and a female, we don't know anything about them. I'm so glad to have this book, I couldn't believe how much was in there. Thank you so much!"
"Thank you for your love of birds and your commitment for helping those of us who are learning to share our lives with our feathered friends!"
"Robirda's website, bird board and e-zine are invaluable tools for any birdlover."
"I ordered 'Canary Tales' by Linda Hogan last year...Although I fully recommend buying the book, I find Robirda's book much more complete, easier to read with less difficulty finding information."
"Hi Robirda! Thanks for your thoughts. My little one is singing as loudly as ever. He looks much better today. Your advice was most welcome; I'm particularly grateful about the recipes! I sent you the same amount the vet charged me; you have done no less than he did. You are a real blessing to all of us canary lovers the world over."
"I cannot thank you enough for your kind and considerate responses to all of our questions. Your website has really been a wonderful find for us! And we absolutely love your canary CD!"
Welcome to Robirda's Companion Bird eZine
For breeder or pet bird owners who care.
Website News
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Today's the last day to submit your photos for our big contest! We'll be accepting entries until midnight tonight. If you've submitted a photo but don't see it up, it's possible you sent in a photo we could not open, or that was too small. So please be sure you're able to get our emails - if we can't get in touch with you, we can't let you know if there's a problem.
There's over 150 photos entered so far, and a lot of them are really good! View them at www.robirda.com/flockphotos Then drop by between July 4th and 14th to send in your vote. See contest rules and prize lists here. Winners will be published in Flock Talk's 150th issue, July 16.
Meanwhile, we're continuing to make excellent progress on Robirda's upcoming video DVD. We hope to be sending out the first copies by the time the next issue comes out, and expect to be in full production by the end of the month at the latest.
We're very proud of our work, and think you will enjoy it too - so why not take advantage of our special pre-production sale, and order your copy now? This special price won't last long, and we're so confident you'll be pleased with the results, that we're offering a 100% money-back guarantee!
Learn more at www.robirda.com/canarydvd.html
Feature Article
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Hot weather has arrived with a vengeance, in most of the Northern Hemisphere, and bird-owners are suddenly faced with an urgent question. How will their bird (or birds) handle the heat, should it get extreme? It's time to learn what can be done to help our avian friends to...
by R C McDonald
www.robirda.com
Copyright © July 2006
"Oh, I don't worry too much about them, they'll adapt," he told me, smiling his charming smile. I wasn't fully convinced, but didn't feel I had the right to comment - I was just another new-comer to keeping canaries, and I was visiting a widely respected hobbyist canary breeder of many years.
"But we're supposed to be starting a much worse heat wave than is usual for around here," I protested, feeling sorry for the birds in his outdoor aviary - they had no shade that I could see available to them, unless they went inside a mostly closed-in wooden shed. The roof was a combination of tin and corrugated plastic, and it seemed hotter in that shed, than outside in the sun. I knew, because we'd just been inside it.
He mopped his sweating face with a handkerchief, and admitted that it was indeed hotter than usual, but told me that he had never had any problems with his canaries from the heat, and that he was sure they would adapt, even to this extreme.
I looked at his canaries again, and while they all looked okay, experience gained in my farming-country youth told me that some of these birds were going to be in serious trouble, and soon, if they weren't provided with some way to help them cool off.
But I didn't feel I had enough canary-related experience to justify further protest. He had years of experience behind him, so why not wait and see? Perhaps canaries were hardier than I thought.
I have one of those transparent faces that clearly shows all of my thoughts, and this one must have been as easily read as a book. He looked at me and chuckled.
"Not convinced, eh?" he chortled. "I don't blame you, I wouldn't be either, just going on what you can see here. There's a bit more to my aviary than this though!" His grin spread as he saw my puzzlement. "Come on," he threw over his shoulder, as he turned and began walking away, his long legs devouring the ground at a deceptively easy-looking pace.
I scuttled to keep up, and noticed with interest that I'd completely missed seeing the small path we were on. It led past the back corner of the aviary around the shed and under a group of alder, birch, and aspen, to a sheltered area that had been completely hidden from what I'd originally been able to see.
Here, in a small clearing behind the shed and almost completely shaded by the surrounding trees, was another simple extension to the aviary. A corrugated-plastic roof covered a large extension to the main flights, connected by a narrow wire-mesh alley only nine inches wide and perhaps a foot tall, running along the side of the shed under the eaves. Birds were flying merrily back and forth through it, ducking each other in flight.
In the center of this sheltered area was a large multi-level fountain, easily four feet across at the base. It had four large pools stacked in tiers, each smaller around than the one below it, none more than a couple inches deep. They were all fed by a low spout in the center of the top pool, bubbling up musically from the center. Excess water flowed over each rim, falling in a gentle shower to the pool below.
Canaries were everywhere, showering under the falling droplets, splashing in the pools, or perched nearby, preening. I was awed and fascinated, but couldn't help but wonder how on earth he managed to keep the water clean, given the steady use it so obviously got - especially in such heat!
He showed me with pride how the overflow from the lowest level fell into a drain which led to an artificial stream-bed, filled almost to the brim with sand, where the water sank out of sight. He called this the 'cleansing stream', and pointed out the heart of the whole affair, almost a hundred feet away from the aviary, and perhaps eight feet lower, where the water ended up - a smallish natural pond, with a simple spout in the center.
Large, colourful fish could be seen here and there in the depths, and dragonflies hovered over the bunches of water-lilies and cat-tails that decorated the surface. A grace-note was added by a small flock of tiny Ornamental Ducks paddling serenely past where we stood.
He told me a pump in the center continuously circulated the water, while another pump at one end of the pond drew water from near the bottom and sent it up to the aviary fountain, where the birds could bathe and refresh themselves, after which it was returned to the pond through the natural filter created by the sand in the cleansing stream.
The whole affair was remarkably beautiful, and provided his birds and his family a great deal of pleasure, helping keep everybody cool and happy through the hottest of weather.
Most of us can't afford such an elaborate set-up, but that doesn't mean our birds have to suffer through the summer heat! There's some simple but effective steps that can help them to weather the hottest days of the year with ease.
First though, it's a good idea to know how to recognize the signs of heat stress. These are fairly simple, but if you see them, you will need to act immediately, as they are a sign of urgent need. If that need is not met, death could occur.
Like stress from fear, in birds heat stress involves slicked-down feathers, held as tightly to the body as possible. When the bird is afraid, this serves the purpose of making it look as small as possible. In the case of heat stress, the goal is to reduce heat retention of the feathers as much as possible.
Usually a bird suffering from heat stress will be gaping, again similarly to a fearful bird - however in this case, the open beak allows the body a little bit of cooling through the process of evaporation. The wings will be held out from the body, assisting in the circulation of air around the body.
The real problem is that birds don't have the built-in physical means of dealing with heat that we do. Birds have NO sweat glands or other such option to help their body get rid of excess heat, but instead rely on the air circulating around them, combined with their ability to find shelter from the sun.
But when we cage our birds, we remove the last option, unless we think to provide some shelter within the cage. If a cage should happen to be left sitting in the sun with no shade available, heat stress can occur in short order at any time of year. If this should happen in the heat of the summer, it can initiate an all-too-rapid progress towards death, more quickly than most of us would think possible.
If you see signs of heat stress, you must act immediately! Remove the bird from the sun, and make sure clean drinking water is easily available. Then, (and make it quick) mist it lightly with some room-temperature water.
Don't spray the bird from close quarters. Most birds find this a bit too much, and don't like it. Instead, stand back and aim over the bird's head, allowing the water to fall gently, as in a light rainfall. This is almost always enjoyed by most birds.
But what can be done to prevent heat problems from arising in the first place?
First off, consider the cage itself, along with the layout. It's a good idea to ensure that there is plenty of room to move about. Remember, birds are creatures of the air! Floor space means very little to them.
Just as we enjoy living in rooms that allow us to walk freely without bumping into something, so do our birds prefer to be able to fly, at least a little, without having to navigate a maze. Flight also increases the amount of air flowing through the bird's system, and so can assist the body in its effort to divest itself of excess heat.
Birds like to be where they can see everything that's going on, and so their cages are often placed in front of a window. But if the sun is going to be coming through that window for even part of the day, you need to ensure that, no matter what the time of day, there is at least one perch always available in an area where the sun can't reach. It's no good having the cage partly shaded if there's no perch available in that patch of shade!
Always remember to include one of the most important elements to coping with heat - water. Clean, plentiful, and if possible, cool, water. Almost all living beings on this planet require an adequate supply of water in order to thrive, and during the heat of summer, this element is even more important, especially to our birds.
If possible, provide plenty of easy-access drinking water in a container that does not encourage bathing (to slow bacterial build-up) and provide a separate bird-bath. The enclosed ones that hang from the side of the cage work well - not the huge dark ones, but the smaller, lighter ones such as are pictured near the bottom of the Basic Canary Care article you'll find here.
A few ice cubes in the bathing water will be gratefully accepted by most birds, and, just as with children, the splashing and playing is not only fun, but helps to keep these small but high-activity creatures cool and happy.
When the weather gets REALLY hot, many of us resort to fans, air conditioners or other such cooling systems. These can help birds to keep cool as much as they do us, but care must be taken to ensure that the bird is not living in an unescapeable draft. There's no problem with a breeze being present, as long as he can get out of it if he wishes! As long as there's even one draft-free perch, a breeze from a fan or air-conditioner should not cause a problem.
Often setting up a draft-free area of the cage is as simple as clipping a small piece of heavy paper, or perhaps a piece of cardboard or even tightly-woven cloth, to part of one or two sides of the cage. It's not necessary to cover much area, usually, and care must be taken to not block too much light.
In general, if it's too hot for you - chances are pretty good that your bird feels similarly. It's our hope that these tips will help you and your birds to weather the summer heat with ease and flair!
by R C McDonald
www.robirda.com
Copyright © July 2006
"Everyone always asks me why my birds are such beautiful singers and breed such magnificent babies...I tell them that I learned from Robirda! While they give their birds all kinds of 'magical' formulas, I just follow your guide to 'keep it simple.' My birds are now very healthy, and there has been no recurrence of the infection. Thank Goodness!" R.C., Florida
Song CD
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Help encourage your canaries to sing more with Robirda's CD featuring her canaries in full song. Or, use it to help call more wild birds to your feeders, or to make your pet parrots more comfortable with their surroundings.
Better yet, all this quality has a very low price! We get a great deal of positive comments from happy customers, so we're sure you'll be pleased. A recent customer tells us:
"My 'baby' Jingles and I are both thrilled with your CD! It arrived within days of my purchase and it's the best CD out there! I have purchased every CD available, and yours was the only one my canary responded to. He was in subsong before, but is singing his little heart out now ! The CD has attracted the wild birds outside his little garden sanctuary, so my canary has lots of vocal competition now, which makes him sing even more."
Learn more about our Canary Song CD here.
This is a marvelous site on the rare, mysterious, and elusive Russian Canary. Unfortunately for a lot of us, the site is in Russian. But wait! The webmaster has provided non-Russian-speaking visitors a way to read and enjoy his site. Scroll down to the bottom of the first page, and click on the small button to the left where it says, "Translate this page into English"
The results are quite readable, and the plentiful graphics and sound files will enhance your journey, enabling you to get a good feel for the type, song, and history of one of the rarest of song canaries, the Russian Singer. This is a very good site, one that anybody who appreciates canaries will enjoy.
Help Needed
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Do you know of a great bird site which deserves a review? Maybe you have a favourite tip or trick that you like to use, or know of a product that has made your bird's life better or easier to manage in some way? Why not share them with other Flock readers? Send us tales of how you cope, or how your birds confuse and puzzle, interest and amuse you, and we will share them with the rest of our readers in a future issue. Just send an email here.
For You & Your Birds, With Love
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We rely on YOU to help keep this publication and its associated websites alive.If you find help you need in this ezine or on one of our websites, please consider joining our sponsors.
Read testimonials or find out more about becoming a sponsor. If you're looking for something different, check our home page for links to all our great products!
Our next issue will be Flock Talk's 150th, due out Sunday, July 16th. We hope you and your birds stay safe, well and happy and cool in the meantime, and we look forward to seeing you all then!
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