I returned to mind that despite the best efforts my helpers my aviaries were looking dishevelled and in need of  a “spring clean”.  Day one (July 30) had to remove one fat vine-snake from the main aviary – I captured it and it vomited up an almost fully fledged cut-throat.  Also missing are a pair of shaft-tailed finches, and a hen Gouldian.  This is a second snake that I know of , so I obviously have a hole.  This is not surprising given the quality of the work done to construct my main aviary.  In the Philippines gaps and holes should be less than 6mm in order to exclude all rodents and snakes.

 Checking the nests I found plenty of abandoned eggs (including the missing shaft-tails) and that two boxes are co-inhabited by black ants and cut-throats.  These birds must be particularly tolerant – much more so than me.  I’ve exterminated one lot but the other will have to wait until the young are gone – if they survive.  If they were the much smaller light brown fire ants the birds would be eaten by now

 I found that brush branches (Callistemon viminalis) I use to line my aviaries for shelter and nesting sites have lost their leaves now that the wet-season has started in earnest and will need to be renewed.  This year will know to hang it upside down and dry it before I place it in the aviary as it droops if it’s put in fresh and allowed to dry in situ. 

 Another thing I noticed is I got quite itchy entering the aviary due to the build-up of dander.  Dander is a collection of dead skin and feathers which by itself isn’t too objectionable but it provides food for dust mites. Proteins (largely digestive enzymes) in their excreta are a powerful human allergen and it’s probably not too good for the birds either. In Australian we commonly use a residual pyrethroid (Coopex by Bayer) to wash down the shelter areas of aviaries and breeding cabinets to reduce the incidence of ants, bedbugs, carpet beetles, clothes moths, cockroaches, fleas, spiders, silverfish, houseflies, mosquitoes, biting flies, hide beetles and seed harvesting ants.  I hope that it or something similar is available here.

 It is important to not let these jobs build up and if you have a number of cages this can be easily done by rotating cages/aviaries while you clean and refurbish.  I only have two aviaries and so I will have to compromise.  Hopefully the Java sparrows in the smaller aviary won’t kill my expensive finches while I do this work in my main aviary.  I know I theoretically condemn collecting but I couldn’t help purchasing the Javas to “complete my collection” and now I may pay the price but if I don’t my mail aviary will become unsable.  So as you can see I have some major repair, cleaning and refurbishment ahead of me and hopefully I can enjoy another 12 months of Philippine bird keeping.

Figure 1.  Juvenile Gouldians entering their first adult moult. Photo from Birdcare.

Gouldians are not hard to breed but are none-the-less expensive birds to buy no matter where you live and the question has to be asked why?  Obviously their beautiful colour is only gained at maturity and interestingly this moult is simultaneous for all cohorts so that juveniles (Figure 1) assume adult plumage at this time too regardless of when they fledged whereas in other Australian finches this occurs at around 6-10 weeks of age.  Unfortunately for both captive and wild Gouldians it appears that moulting is a very stressful event and keeping a bird for up almost a year only to lose it before sale helps keep the price up and adds to their mystique.  Something has gone wrong with Gouldian reproduction in the wild since the late 1970s with a dramatic decline numbers that is almost certainly due to human intervention.  It is likely that changes in the frequency of fires and foraging by introduced animals which has somehow affected the availability and quality of feed available to these birds (1,3) and this is the focus of the Save The Gouldian Fund’s research (4).

 Unlike other native finches of the northern Australian grasslands, Gouldian finches appear not to undergo a seasonal conditioning prior to moulting which coincides with the start of the wet season - before any of the perennial grasses, which they depend on, for food have produced seed (1).  According to Sarah Pryke (pers. comm.. 2008), a prominent researcher of wild Gouldians, the seasonal lack of seed is overcome by other finches by switching to an insect rich diet.  As occurs in the Philippines just before the start of the wet season, alate termites (the winged breeding caste) swam in the face of stormy weather.  Dr Pryke has noted that in mixed Gouldian and shaft-tail finch flocks the later species feasts on the fat and protein rich insects while the Gouldians remain disinterested.  As a consequence the populations of shaft-tails are presently increasing and the Gouldians declining in the wild. 

Figure 2.  Seasonal calendar for northern Australia.  Illustration and further reading from the Department of Environment (8).

The climate of the northern Australian topical savannah, illustrated in Figure 2 is counter-seasonal to the Philippines.  In the Philippines Gouldian moulting occurs in April-May whereas in their home territory it occurs in October-November.  In the wild, nesting occurs from February to October while they are in the hilly country and after the start of wet-season, they fly down to the low-land drainage areas to eat the seeds of perennial grasses.  The Eucalypt woodlands in the hills are also where they nest.  Historically these savannah woodlands have provided a plentiful supply of spear grass (a native sorghum) and the birds are able to drink at small rocky waterholes in the dry watercourses until the rains come.  The transition period from dry to wet seasons has, at least in the last ten years, proved is a lean time with little food and that coincides with theri annual moult so the birds become extremely stressed.  From about mid-December, once the wet season started, the Gouldians move from the hills into lowland drainages where they feed on the seeds of perennial grasses . 

Unfortunately no base-line data was collected before the Gouldian decline to prove that this the present seasonal decline in food and body condition was always the case.  Moulting is obviously is an extremely stressful time for the birds and as might be expected populations have ceased to breed but this occurs at a time when there is little seed and so, at least in modern times, many birds perish.  While this probably reduces completion prior to the plentiful months from February through to October when breeding occurs (3) it does seem unusual given the large flocks that used to occur right up until the 1970s.  Another unusual observation mentioned by Dr Pryke is that in the wild Gouldian’s seldom live beyond 2 years of age.  Just what combination of factors has tipped the Gouldian towards extinction in the wild is unknown but there are other co-occurring factors that further weaken the birds. Mites appear to prefer Gouldians over other wild birds (1, 6) but that may be because they are already weakened.

 Getting back to moulting, some authors recommend strong intervention with expensive propriety blends of vitamins and minerals (2) while others don’t even bother to mention that there is a problem (7).  Certainly my birds have just about recovered but in the wild I’m sure that they would not have survived.  In retrospect I can see that I probably shouldn’t allowed nesting from March to mid-May but I believe that the answer is more complex than that.  There was certainly no lean period in my aviary and maybe I could worm them more often but no other species suffered like the adult gouldians - not even their own young.  If anyone has some thoughts on this matter I’d really like to hear.  In the mantime I eagerly await the outcomes of research sponsored by the Save the Gouldian Fund and others.  Avicultural populations are the last stronghold of the Gouldian which has an estimated remaining wild population of only about 2500 (3, 4) birds and is still in decline.  The research facility funded by the Save the Gouldian Fund in NSW alone holds around 1500 captive bred individuals, so if anyone ever tells you that keeping and breeding birds is wrong you might try to educate them and dispel their ignorant anthropomorphic views.

 References

1 http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/wildlife/programs/gouldian/theory.html

2 www.ladygouldianfinch.com

3 http://mygouldianaviary.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/gouldianrecovery.pdf

4 http://users.skynet.be/fa398872/ensave02.htm 

5 http://www.savethegouldian.org/plea.htm

6 http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/WR9960675.htm

7 http://www.efinch.com/species/gould.htm

8 http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/kakadu/nature-science/seasons.html 

Recently I’ve been contemplating the origin, practices and future of aviculture in the Philippines. I hope that my philosophy isn’t at odds with the local authorities. I can’t speak as an avicultural or regulatory professional - just as an interested party looking at the information available on the internet and just talking to local bird keepers - about where the hobby is or should go. In this piece I’m restricting my thought to Estrilidid finches but there are other mayas like tree-sparrows which someone else may like to comment on. I have included an occasional reference to canaries this time because I know it interests a lot of locals and the prices here astound me.

Filipinos have long enjoyed birds, often for more practical than aesthetic reasons but times are changing. Early last century McGregor & Garder (1930) found five native finch species for sale in the markets of Manila(Strawberry Finch, Java Sparrow, White Bellied Munia, Scaly Breasted Munia). Even today many of the same species are still offered but are almost never from legally registered stock.

Aviculturists have a responsibility to protect and nurture each species in perpetuity, not only for our own enjoyment but to propagate for them for the next generation to enjoy and to have captive stock as an insurance against extinctions in the wild. Habitat loss rather than trapping and trade is the single biggest factor in the loss of bird species. It is here that Government policies have failed but clamping down on aviculture is seen by governments as an easy and public gesture to show they care.

Philippine Finches

Only two great clades (branches) of Estrilids are now represented in the Philippines: the parrot-finches (Erythura spp – close relatives of the revered Gouldian) and five munia or manikins (Lonchura spp). Table 1 lists all species currently recognised as being wild Philippine finches. The origin of some of some wild Estrilidid finches populations are almost certainly avicultural escapes. The Java sparrow and strawberry finch are in this class but the other species too are widespread within Asia with only the green-faced and red-eared parrot-finches being truly endemic.

The strawberry finch was once listed as a wild species in the Philippines but it does seem to have become locally extinct but I have spoken to people that remember it for sale as late as 2004. The government issued export permits for up to 450 strawberries in 1990 (Table 1) which in hindsight seems irresponsible but it probably only hastened the inevitable. The strawberry is still common on mainland Asia and is established in Australian, European and American aviculture so perhaps it can be brought back. Even better would be if locals holding remnant birds got together, formed a rescue plan and bred them up again. Since finches only live 6-8 years at most such action are needed urgently for this species.

The Philippine islands are home to four forest dwelling parrot finches (Erythura viridifacies – Green faced; Erythura coloria – Red eared; Erythura hypothura – Bamboo and Erythura prasina – Pin-tailed). All are endangered but are established in aviculture overseas but unfortunately not in their homeland. Populations of the pin-tailed parrot finch were only discovered on Palawan in the last couple of years as its stronghold is on Borneo and mainland Asia. The green-faced parrot-finch appears especially threatened and past exports of this bird and anecdotal reports of it in the domestic bird-trade would indicate that it wasn’t nearly so rare. Although the government still issued export permits for 90 greenfaced parrot finches in 1990 (NSCB) it listed their status as threatened by the following year (http://www.tanggol.org/environmental_laws/DAO_48.html).

Wild parrot-finches are often reliant on bamboo seeds (Allen 1999) so the fact that each species flowers simultaneously at intervals sometimes reaching 50 years or more may mean that it’s a feast or famine for the birds and the numbers plummet and explode accordingly. On mainland Asia numbers of pin-tailed parrot finches have fallen dramatically over the last 30 years. These birds were previously listed as rice pests and the fact that insecticide use for this crop has risen dramatically over the same period is probably not unrelated to it’s decline; either directly poisoning the birds, disrupting reproduction or depleting insect fare necessary to raise young.

The Java sparrow or maya costa as it is known locally is a moderately common bird often found in mixed flocks with sparrow in the roof trusses of large buildings or in the rice fields and as the scientific name (Lonchura oryzivora) hints it eats paddy rice. The typical grey wild-type bird is seldom bred here in the Philippines but is often kept. White and pied birds are of domestic origin and overseas other mutations exist. It is considered a beginners bird like the zebra finch. It’s large size makes it unsuitable to house with other finches but can be kept with budgies and other small parrots (not love birds). Although it is common in aviculture and introduced to the Philippines it is still listed as CITIES category 2 species because it is declining in its homeland in Indonesia possibly because of the irresponsible use of insecticides in rice crops.

The other Philippine Lonchura species are subspecies of those found throughout South East Asia. The nutmeg manikin (scaly breasted munia) is found as far east as Australia but here there is some debate as to wether it is native or introduced. All Lonchura spp are monomorphic (males and females look the same) and aren’t usually free breeders but there are exceptions like the society finch. All the Philippine Lonchura species are fairly cheap when offered (<P200/pr) and so are of little interest to all but enthusiasts in the Philippines. During festivals it is quite common to find green and red dyed spice finches for sale (~P30) but from a welfare point of view I can’t condone the practice. Nearly all the birds offered for sale in the Philippines are wild caught and the manikins formed the majority of wild exports until Europe and the US banned the importation of wild caught birds.

Common name	Scientific Name	1990 Export Quota	CITIES Category
Chestnut manikin	Lonchura malacca	36000	3
Dusky manikin	L. fuscans	225	3
White-bellied manikin	L. leucogastra	2700	3
Nutmeg-manikin	L. punctulata	630	3
Java sparrow	L. oryzivora	9000	2
Green-faced parrot finch	Erythrura virifacies	90	1
Bamboo parrot finch	E. hyperythra	22	2
Pin-tailed Parrot-finch	E. prasina	0	2
Red Eared Parot Finch	E. coloria	0	2
Strawberry finch	Amandava amandava	450	3

Table 1 Wild Finches of the Philippines (Export data from NSCB)

Erythura prasina - A young pin-tailed parrot finch netted on Mt Mantalingahan, Palawan. Note the visible feeding spots simlar to the Gouldian.  Source: Samu’t Saring Buhay.

Erythura coloria – Red-eared parrot finch netted on Mt Katanglad, Mindanao. Source: Orientalbirdimages

Bamboo parrotfinch (Erythura hyperthura) from Hofmann Photography.  Green faced parrotfinch (Erythrura viridifacies) from Oriental Bird Images.

Exotic Finches in the Philippines

Of recent years the number of exotic finch species on offer has been declining as there are few breeders with the resources or knowledge to maintain them and a greater deal of difficulty in importing them since the advent of a feared bird-flu epidemic. Legislation enacted in 2004 requiring bird owners to register their birds and log all transactions with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources every few months should in theory provide a comprehensive list of what is available however compliance is low because of tedious reporting procedure, the onerous penalties for breaches, the general culture and the lack of resources to regulate these fauna laws. In spite this many did comply with the laws and have been listed on a publicly accessible website for their efforts so that if you want to see what people have and how many you can examine the document from the  DENR site - it seems that there are no privacy laws in the Philippines. It does however make interesting reading so see just who in the Philippines owns cassowaries, tigers, crocodiles and of course finches (which are presented in Table 2)

Table 2 Finches held in the Philippines as listed by DENR 2006

The presence of significant numbers of green-faced parrot finches by one holder is a real surprise and it gives me hope that a domestic source for these birds can be found. From what I understand the exotic finches are all legally imported. Sadly, except for the Australian birds, society finches and Canaries, the rest look like the remnants of randomly imported trophy specimens. For instance whydahs are nest parasites of other African finches and the numbers of these birds don’t show any commitment to breeding either the host or the parasite. Since this time the number of birds available has tightened up considerably because of restrictions on the importation of birds that may be infected with H5N1 bird flu. Of the exotic birds there are now a couple more of the Australian species available but fewer of the African and Asian species. For the beginners the addition of the cut-throat finch is a welcome addition as it is a free breeder but does interfere a little too much in mixed collections.

Table 3 Finches offered in the Manila Markets 2007-08

The Future of Finch Aviculture in the Philippines

The future prospects for finch aviculture in the Philippines are good as the country is still able to import birds and with increasing disposable income more people can become involved and so the nation can support viable populations. The future for indigenous finches in aviculture is perhaps not so good if they are not valued and for the parrot-finches if they can not be bred in cages. It is this latter point that is perhaps the biggest obstacle for establishing more species here as many species just don’t perform in cages and need what would be considered here in the Philippines a large aviary. Few have the land or the money to devote to such a venture. Table 4 presents my wish-list of beginner to intermediate birds that could be introduced and established here if an importer searched around and it may be worth lobbying as a group to do this. In Australia all of these birds retail for the equivalent of P1500-3800 a pair and since no new stock of the non-Australian birds have been imported since the 1938 they are relatively easy to breed.

Table 4 Wish-list of best bet finches for the Philippines based on ease of keeping and breeding.

Many keepers here will have a wish-lists too but you have to walk before you can run and I think the birds listed in Table 4 represent a better way to go than importing trophy specimen that are destined never to establish breeding populations. As readers of Finchme know there are lots of people that love keeping and breeding finches and as we all eventually discover you can’t have everything and you can’t get it all at once.

References

Allen, D. (1999) Green-faced Parrotfinch Erythrura viridifacies in northern Luzon, Philippines. ForkTail 15:103.http://www.orientalbirdclub.org/publications/forktail/15pdfs/Allen-Parrotfinch.pdf

McGregor;R.C; Gardener, L.L. (1930) Philippine Bird Traps. The Condor XXXII:89-100. http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Condor/files/issues/v032n02/p0089-p0100.pdf

http://samutsaringbuhay.wordpress.com/2007/09/16/spectacular-wildlife-finds-in-mt-mantalingahan-palawan/

I can’t remember the exact dimensions of the big cage, but I designed it to house 4 double 17×30’s one on top of one another. Currently I only have two of the planned four small cages, but am planning to acquire more birds in the next few months. I have placed it on a roofed part on the back of our house which is open-aired on two sides.

For those who are interested, I shelled out about 750 Pesos for the whole contraption. I got some scrap metal for the braces, some meters of the fine chicken wire, and had it put together by a welding man from a local auto repair shop. I have used this for over six months now and have protected my birds from dozens of cats and mice around our neigborhood. I think it can also protect the birds from snakes. My only problem now are the ants which feast on egg crumbs thrown by my zebras, who are very messy eaters.

The main advantages of this cage are the following:

1. it doesn’t require additional lighting fixtures
2. the cages are well ventilated
3. protection from cats and mice
4. it’s located outside so cleaning seed husks is much easier

How about you guys? I would like to know about your cage setup. Send me the pics at finchme.now(at)gmail.com and I will post them here, or you can host your pictures at http://www.freeimagehosting.com.

As most regular Finchme readers would know I’m not a local so my way of keeping finches offers a slightly different perspective and I want to share my experience. I have a single outdoor aviary (4 X 2.5 X 2.2m) with a mixed collection.  This certainly saves all the hassle of separate cages especially the extra feeding and cleaning time.  It does however have some drawbacks as there are compatibility problems.  I’m sure that you can read about these problems and triumphs on any number of websites but this is my experience. So what have I found out about the birds I keep:

Compatibility

As I mentioned, this is a real problem when you only have one cage.  I have had 5 consecutive broods of diamond doves and now the young have started breeding.  I can’t tell who the parents are and I’m finding nests with up to 6 eggs now (2 eggs are normal) and of course many of these eggs are clear and hatchling mortality  is 50-100%.  I’m now smashing all new eggs until I can rid myself of the surplus birds or pair them up in new aviaries.  Inbreeding is not the only reason to have at least one more cage to separate undesirable pairings.  I have birds that have paired up with the wrong species and others that interfere with more timid species.

Quarantine

I guess I lied when I said I don’t have another cage but I do.  It’s a 30 cm barred cube that I suspend in quiet part of the house well out of the reach of my daughter’s cats.  Any new birds are placed in it for 2-3 weeks and the birds wormed before being placed into the aviary.  I know most birds here are cage bred indoors but since many of my purchases are through Cartimar I can’t trust that they weren’t in contact with wild birds while they were there so I’m playing it safe.

Aviary Design

I’m glad I did have the foresight to consider vermin exclusion by using a 4mm mesh reinforced with conventional 12mm “chicken wire”.  I have since found 6mm mesh and I believe that it too would be adequate. Aside from rodents I find vine snakes love to check out the cage and I’m sure one day their persistence will pay off.  I still haven’t managed to keep ants out but thus far they haven’t bothered the birds aside from invading the egg food and sprouted seed which I now protect by sitting the dishes for these foods in a shallow dish of water.  The main seed dish sits on a pole that emerges from a well of oil but which is covered in a way that the birds can’t access the oil. Progress on a new aviary has been slow as the concept of a modular design (a series of 0.9 X 2.5 X 2.2m cages) appears to be difficult one for the builders here.  I have had a lean-to aviary (1.9 X 2.0 X 2.2m) built that will solve my excess bird problem for P8000 but it’s not yet installed.  Strange that if I add another wall and place it in a bank of five, that the unit cost goes up to between P22000-37000! That being the case it will be a long time before I get the bank of flights  I desire.

Food

Everyone has their secret foods but I suppose I’ve gotten to find my birds favorites but that doesn’t mean that it’s the best or the only way to go.  I find that my finches don’t like the brassica seeds in some of the “finch mixes” sold at Cartimar and that ones that contain large white French millets are a waste.  I usually mix my own now and make sure I avoid insect infested and dusty grain.  My mix is typically 1 part each of panicum, white American millet and canary with a ½ part of red millet and a ¼ part each of niger and linseed.  With ever-increasing numbers of birds the husks build up fast in the seed-dish so everyday I remove them.  Initially I just blew them out but this led to a lot of husks and seed on the aviary floor which became a food source and a home for ants so now I use a small vacuum cleaner.  Taking a cue from my other interest in aquarium fish I joined a gravel-cleaner to a cordless hand-held vacuum cleaner.  It works very well and is a fraction of the price of the mains powered bench-top units I’ve sen on the internet and it’s a lot more convenient.

Like many Australian breeders I feed green seed to my birds daily as these are abundant where I live. The most abuntant is guinea grass (Urochloa maxima formerly Panicum maximum) but there are many others which I feed too including palm grass (Setaria palmifolia), barn yard grass (Echnichloa crus-galli), jungle rice (E. colona), wire grass (Eleusine indica), wild sorghum (Johnson grass Sorghum halepense) and anything fluffy (e.g. Phragmites spp as these are relished for nest lining).  I collect the green seed every 3-4 days and store it in the refrigerator and feed it every morning along with a mashed quail egg and a 3 day sprouted seed mix. Rather than throwing the seed-heads on the floor as I once did I find that the birds enjoy it more if the heads are placed upright in the brush-wood holders in the rear of the aviary.  Having all the food elevated reduces forraging on the ground and possible reinfection with worms.  I have also started to feed a grit mix that I make up from equal parts fine shell, baked egg shells, cuttle-bone and charcoal. Prior to Christmas I only had the cuttle-bone in the aviary for them but they ignore that now in favor of this mix – maybe it’s just easier for them. I place my family’s fruit peelings and scraps in the aviary every day to attract ferment flies (Drosophila spp) and remove it after 24-48h.  The theory is that this will provide live food and fruit for those that want it but I have never actually seen any birds feeding on it but that doesn’t mean that they don’t.

Nest Inspections

I can’t comment about the experience of cage & cabinet breeders but for aviary birds the general rule seems to be don’t! It’s a reasonable hypothesis that if a bird suspects a large preditor (you) has discovered its nest then any bird therein is at risk.  When I think about how I captured finches as a child then this is true and the bird should immediately abandon the nest. In the case of my cut-throats it seems to be what they do and it may have been the case with the loss of  two nests of stars and the last lot of Gouldians.  I know my cut-throats have young now because I can hear them and although I know their young severely soil their nest they will just have to put up with it.  The stars too are sitting and I’m not going to count my chicks until long after they hatch - preferably fledge.  That said, zebra finches don’t seem to care if you look in and I believe the same goes for society finches.

Zebra Finches

Never believe that anything is pure.  In spite of assurances and external appearances my normal zebras have produced both normal and fawn offspring.  It will take a while before I breed a pure line but I’m patient.  My first three nests were disasters with the young perishing not long after they fledged.  I blame these deaths on inbreeding since my clutches are small and there are always clear eggs.  As a child both in the aviary and in the wild 5-6 young was the norm.  I see from Stan and Rommel’s experiences that they only get 3-4 young in each nest so perhaps some new bloodlines in the Philippines might help.  Of course my bad luck may be bad management as none of my birds are even 12 month old and according to the literature they shouldn’t be shouldn’t be allowed to breed until they are a year old.

Shaft-tailed Finches

I think I’ve got a pair because each in turn has paired up with a zebra finch of the opposite sex.  I suspect that my stock supplier may be fostering his birds under zebras and they are incorrectly imprinted.  I intend to separate them from their beloved zebras and place then with another pair of shaft – tails when I eventually get another aviary.

Star Finches

I purchased these birds before they had colored up and ended up with two hens so I got a cock and in spite of their young age they went down to nest.  Inexperience however meant that they didn’t know what to do when the young hatched and so two nests have perished within days of hatching. Unfortunately my spare hen also died just before Christmas.  Since then my fortunes have picked up and the remaining pair have built a nest from scratch in the brush wood at the rear of the aviary and I suspect they are now on eggs but they are light sitters.  I hope that their maturity allows them to finally raise a brood this time.

Gouldians

These have been my best birds and like the others were purchased when immature.  After they finished coloring up they chose the only nest-box (the rest are baskets) and laid three eggs and raised three young but then they stopped.  I suspect that keeping the young in the cage with them stopped them from breeding.  Their youngsters are now starting to color up and the parents have gone down to nest again and this time they are in a basket! They had a clutch of 4 eggs but only 2 hatched and the babies were about a week old when the parents abandoned them.  I’m not sure why this occurred but they did tolerate nest inspections with the previous nest and had continued to feed after my first two inspections but then they stopped.  I will place more boxes in the aviary as I don’t think that a basket is their first choice as their box was occupied at the time.  The gouldians raised their first young without egg food but they do enjoy a green pick from the sprouted and green seed provided.  As you can see I’m risking the same problem with my zebra and Gouldian youngsters as I’ve had with the diamond doves if I don’t get the youngsters into a new cage soon.Between clutches the adult hen showed symptoms of air-sac mite (fluffed on a perch, sneezing and wiping her beak).  I isolated her in a warm room and treated her with 1% topical Ivermectin in mineral oil - 2 treatments, 2 weeks apart.  She recovered and three weeks later had gone down to nest.  I just hope she hasn’t infected her young or any other birds

Cut-throats

I don’t actually like cut-throats but I got them as I thought I could use them to earn money through breeding for more desirable but expensive species (diamond sparrows, masked and owls).  I’ve found that these birds aren’t as interfering or aggressive as the literature says.  These birds also taught the others to eat the boiled egg and even egg and biscuit when offered so for this reason alone they are worth having.  That said they are now nesting in the Gouldian’s box – not that the Gouldians weren’t using it at the time.  The cut-throats have had two nests but after I inspected the young at about 10 days they abandoned them so I’ve learned a lesson the hard way.  They have young again now and I hope I can resist the urge to look in again until they have left the nest.

Black headed nun (Lonchura malacca) 

This is my concession to Philippine finches.  They are impossible to sex and not at all easy to breed according to my reading, however there have been suspicious accumulations of eggs in nests but these aren’t incubated but I live in hope.  It is such a beautiful bird and very much undervalued here.  

As with Stan aka Seona, I asked Benji to give some personal info about himself. Here’s what he said.

• I was a member of a punk/hardcore band during the mid 80’s called George Imbecile and the Idiots.
• I am an ABS-CBN employee, a sound engineer, since 1996.
• As a breeder, I am aiming for red and triple b zebras.

Benji sent me tons of pictures of his stock but failed to send me his own picture(Pwede nyo po bang ihabol ito? hehe). I may have to require this for future FinchMe breeders.

So much for the introductions. Here’s the interview proper.

Full Name: Benjamin O. Sengson
Address: Bulacan
Contact No.: 09209072305
Breeder Since: November 2005
Breeds: Finches and Waxbills

Interview:

Why did you breed finches? And is it more of a hobby or a business venture?
With my limited space, no choice but to go for small birds, after acquiring my first zebra “man I was hooked!!!”. They’re adorable, interesting, and very very rewarding(emotionally). I consider it a hobby with a little business on the side.

When did you start breeding? What was your first pair(s)?
T’was a childhood hobby/addiction that i wasn’t able to kick off he he, nagkaroon ako ng keets when I was a kid pero lagi namamatay. Then I shifted to pigeons, then successfully got rid of the habit during college.
Nov 2005, I started w/ a pair of normal grey zebra finch and after 3 months they surprised me with 4 small eggs.

Can you share some of the great experiences you had as a breeder? How about the not-so-great?
I’ll start w/ the funny experience first—it was the first hatched from my first pair, so happy muntik na kong magpabinyag nung napisa he he he. I was telling all my friends (experienced breeders w/ hi mutes) and looking back always brings a smile, wonder what they’re thinking back then he he.

Back to the question, it was when I was able to produce 2 crested male bfbc. After weaning for a week they died.
There’s one time when I bought 2 male cuthroats on a poultry shop in Quezon Ave. After 2 days nakawala! Happened so fast.. and there goes my hard earned buck.
Waaaa!!!

What were the initial difficulties and current difficulties that you experience in breeding finches?
initial difficulties -Endless nights of research and reading to gather more knowledge about finches.
current difficulties- still endless nights of research and reading to gather more knowledge about finches.
Seriously,initial difficulty?siguro yung pahabaan ng pasensya kahihintay magbreed ng alaga ko at yung galit ni misis kasi lagi akong nakatanga dun sa cage ng ibon .

Yung current naman ay yung pag mamaintain kasi medyo madami na sila kaya mahabang oras na ang kailangan para magpakain, painom at paglinis. Laging after lunch na ko nakakapasok sa trabaho.

What’s your most favourite finch and mutation(color, form) from your stock?
Black face black breasted chestnut flanked white male zebra finch.

How many pairs of birds do you currently have(zebras, gouldians, and canaries)? How much do you spend all in all every month to keep them(for electricity bill, food, vitamins, nests and cages, other supplies)?
More or less 80 zebras, 4 canaries, a pair of each (owl, cutthroat, pied yellow star, masked, diamond firetail, strawberry, silver java, and white shaftail),1 goldbreast waxbill.
Hindi ko kino-compute ang expenses eh, basta masaya ako, lam mo na, yung emotional fulfilment oks na ko dun. Sobra-sobra pa nga binibigay nilang kasiyahan sa akin kapag binalanse mo lalabas me utang pa ko sa kanila.

What’s the most expensive bird you have ever bought?
My canaries.

What’s the rarest mutation you currently have?
I think its my yellowbeak zebras.

Update: Triple Black (picture to follow)

Who in your opinion are the best finch breeders of the country?

Naku madami yan! Magtatampo yan pag isa lang ang sinabi ko.
Sa zebra andyan ang mga idol kong sina Zeb ng ppf, Rolly of Novaliches, Sergio at Jonell ng south.
Sa canary sina Rolly, John Albert, at Hansel.
Sa gouldians naman andyan sina Manong Palos ng ppf, R. Amurao, Mr.So, at Art ng Bulacan.

Have you entered your birds in a bird show(and won)?
In my dreams he he… Hindi pa. Di pa show quality ang mga birds ko.

Can you tell us a well-kept secret formula, routine, or food mix that is essential in your success as a breeder?
Successful breeder ba ako? Di naman eh.. Dami nga lagi casualties sa mga hatchlings eh.
Buy the best and the most expensive food mix, vitamins/supplements, and treats that you can afford for your pets. Ikinulong natin sila kaya responsibilidad nating ibigay ang lahat ng nakukuha nila sa labas.

Who are your best friends in the breeding community?
Madami, halos lahat nagiging kaibigan ko. You know what makes the hobby exciting? It’s the friends you gain/meet along the way. Different people w/ different personalities and interesting stories about their experiences in bird keeping.

Wala bang nagagalit sa mga kasambahay nyo or kapitbahay dahil sa mga alaga nyong ibon?
Kasambahay? Si misis lang pag mahal yung binili kong ibon. Kapitbahay din nung una kasi me nagregalo sakin ng 1 pair na African lovebird e masyado daw maingay lalo na sa umaga kaya naipamigay ko rin, tapos bumili na ako ng zebra.

Lastly, what advice can you give to other Filipino finch breeders out there?
“Ang mainip, talo!” Lack of patience ang no.1 reason kaya maraming nag quit sa hobby. Saka yung lack of knowledge. Research, Research, Research, everything’s online and it’s free!!!! Then gather infos and tips from experienced breeders tapos balansehin na lang, minsan may mga breeders na ayaw i-share lahat.

Here’s my most favorite picture out of all the pics Benji sent me.

That’s right! Here are my neighbor’s cats looking at me while I’m feeding my finches. This is how it looks like EVERY morning.

The best thing I was able to do to keep the cats off my finches was to provide a bigger cage which will house all my 17×30’s. So far everything’s been good. I’m just very careful not to leave the cage door open. Zebras responding to a cat’s attack doesn’t quite make it a spectacular sight, even for masochists. That’s the only time I see birds scared to death.

I would very much like to hear about your feline-and-finch story. Kwento naman kayo!

In this video, you’d also hear the nestlings crying for the food, which the father adeptly provides. The father first unhusks the seeds and “eat” them, and regurgitates them to its babies’ mouth. Just this morning, I saw Juday, the mother, do this exact same thing outsideof the nest, giving me a complete view of how it was done. First, the parents would come near the chicks and tap their beaks. The chicks would respond by opening their beaks, almost automatically, and the parents will put their beaks inside and basing from the movement of their necks, regurgitates the food that they have swallowed a few minutes ago. The whole process lasts for less than 5 seconds, and would preoccupy the parents all throughout the day.