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This page shows what's going on in my birdroom throughout the year. Click on the months below to see what's been happening or click here to take you to 2008. |
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September 1st Due to the small number of chicks produced form this pair I don't think I'll be pairing these birds up again, in all they've produced three chicks in two rounds......not the most prolific pair eh? |
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I do have more news to share with you for this month!! As you may know I visited my pal Steve Nesbitt on August 16th to pass on a pair of Normals (bred from 05NEZ birds I purchased last year).
I also asked Steve to "do
me a favour" with a pair of Fawns. As I have no free space for breeding
for the next few weeks I asked Steve if he would put down to nest a pair
of my Fawns. Currently I only have one pair of Fawns who have produced
young this year, and I have another pair currently sitting tight on
eggs. Anyway, Steve very kindly agreed to breed my birds and will even send photos of their progress to share with you good folk!
By the way, these were put
down to nest on August 30th! |
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One of my Agate pairs (ref July 25th, August 20th and August 28th) has laid the first ,of what I'm hoping to be, a normal sized clutch. This pair produced seven eggs in round one with only a single egg being fertile, this egg is now under some Silvers on the same cycle. The day after I took the six clear eggs away the hen laid a single egg with no other eggs laid in the days after. I removed the single egg, disturbed the nest slightly, offered new nesting material to boost the cocks eagerness to breed again and I'm hoping it has paid off. Over the last day or two the hen's wings have been down and upon inspection today I discovered she has laid again. Her wings are still down so, all being well, this is the start of a more successful round. |
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Here a the four young Normal Java's from round two ( ref July 10th, July 12th, July 14th, July 18th, July 24th, August 2nd, August 14th and August 20th). They are around 22 to 24 days old and should be fledging fairly soon. |
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Good news for Java lovers around the world, my good friend Steve Nesbitt has uploaded his new website which now includes new information on the Java Sparrow and the new birds in his collection (Red Headed Finches and Pearl Headed Silverbills). Take a look at Steve's website by clicking on the screenshot (pictured right). |
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September 6th I am selling the car I purchased brand new back in March 2002. It's a Citroen Xsara Picasso 2.0 HDi SX (Diesel).
Colour: Wicked Red
Price: £4500 Drop me an email by clicking here or call me on my mobile between 8am and 10pm 07976 723268 |
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September 10th There are obviously "wild seeds" in the Hemcoere mix and as the area by the bath is the most moist place in each cage, every once in a while I get these mushrooms appear. Does anybody out there know what they are??? Are they harmful to the birds if they eat them?? Click Here and let me know. |
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Some sad news from the Silver's nest (ref August 8th and August 20th). A total of six fertile eggs were laid and an Agate egg was fostered into the clutch too. Five eggs hatched, one egg disappeared and there is one egg left to hatch...hopefully! One of these chicks could be the Agate! Pictured below is a chick that I found dead in the nest this morning.
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Good news from one of my Agate pairs (ref July 25th, August 20th, August 28th and September 5th). There are now seven eggs in the nest with three already showing very early signs of fertility. |
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September 13th This morning, before going to work, I checked in on the birds and discovered that the smallest chick in the nest was dead. The injuries to this chick are identical to the dead chick on September 10th. This has cut down my chances even more on whether I still have the Agate chick. I should get an indication over the next couple of days when the quills start to appear. |
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I do have some good news today too!! If you read on September 1st you will know that my good friend Steve Nesbitt is helping me out by breeding a pair of my Fawns. As my birdroom has no free space for breeding at the moment Steve kindly agreed to pair up the birds for me in the SN Aviaries birdroom. I need more Fawns for early next year to pair up other Fawns bred by me this year. As you can see here, they have laid their first egg today.
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Take a look at the hen (right), notice how swollen she looks around the vent. This is a perfect indication to show that more eggs are to follow. |
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September 14th I have candled the eggs this evening from the other pair of Agates (ref July 25th, August 20th, August 28th, September 5th and September 11th) I now have four definite fertile eggs!!!
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September 16th As you can see, they have laid four eggs and Steve has informed me that the hen looks like she's got more to come. |
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September 17th Looking at this photo you can see that the chick in the bottom right hand corner appears to have darker quills, I'm not quite sure if this is a Silver or a visual Agate (as I have never seen a visual Agate at this stage). I may have a better idea in a few days.
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September 18th Tony immediately knew that one of the chicks was a visual Agate. He told me that the photo shown on September 11th shows the chick at the top of the photo with different coloured eyes, and then looking at the photo yesterday, the beak is a different colour. I never even noticed these features until Tony pointed them out, and then it was blatantly obvious......it just goes to show what 30+ years experience can do for you.....I have a long way to go!!!! Thanks Tony!!! So there you have it folks, my very first visual Agate! (#52/06) Looking at this photo you can clearly see the difference between the Agate and the three Silvers. I have taken a couple more photo's...please see below. |
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Notice the Pinkish beak |
and the red/ginger quills. |
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I've been trying for a few days to get the hen off the chicks to take a photo but she's been very protective towards her siblings. Every time I'd put my hand in the nest to push her off the chicks, she would peck my hand in defence. Today I saw her out of the cage so I took away three eggs (dead in shell) and took a photo of the chicks (see right).
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There is also good news
from my Fawn's that
Steve Nesbitt
is breeding for me. I received an email from Steve this evening
informing me that there are six eggs in the nest, three eggs showing
signs of fertility with the possibility of others turning in the next
couple of days. The hen is now sitting tight and it doesn't look like
she will lay anymore........more updates from Steve to
follow!!.... |
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September 21st I purchased three Java Sparrow show cages and three carry boxes to accommodate my other six cages. I have to admit they are excellent quality and are priced very reasonably at £19.50. For those of you considering buying show cages from John and would like more details, click here and I'll send you a copy of his prices. |
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The photo on the right shows the three cases together. They are lightweight and ideal for packing into the back of may car. |
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I like the this finishing touch, look at the silver plate on the top left front corner on each case. I didn't ask John to do this but I'm glad he did, it certainly personalises my set. As I mentioned above, I now have nine show cages in total and my first "dabble" into the showing world will be at the Java Sparrow Society Members Show on October 1st. It will be held at Cheswick Green Village Hall, Cheswick Green in Solihull. If you're a JSSUK member why not come along and enter your birds. If you don't fancy showing, why not come and see some of the finest examples of Java Sparrow's in the UK. Non members are welcome to come along and join but are not permitted to show on the day. |
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September 24th It's good news!! There are now five fertile eggs in the nest, see the photo (right) that shows Steve candling the eggs for fertility. If all goes well with this clutch this will give me a better choice to pair up birds for sale next year...possibly Stafford in March! You can clearly identify the infertile egg by the colour (2nd egg in right column). |
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A day earlier than expected!!! Two chicks have hatched from one of my Agate pairings (ref July 25th, August 20th, August 28th, September 5th, September 10th, September 17th and September 18th). The eye colour of these two chicks is dark (normal), this suggests that these two will be Agate Splits. There are two more due to hatch over the next couple of days so I'm hoping that at least one will be a visual Agate.
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On the subject of Agates, here is the one and only "visual" I have bred so far this year. It's being fostered in a Silvers nest but you can clearly see which one is the Agate. |
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As I only keep Normals, Fawns and Silvers (and Agates) I am not familiar with the other colours and mutations. Take a look at this photo of a nest with two chicks, the one on the right is a Normal and I'm guessing the one on the left is a Pastel...??? This has been bred from a pair of Normals but I'm guessing that the father of this bird will be split for Pastel, and this young bird will be a Pastel hen?? As the Pastel is the only known sex-linked mutation in Java's, I'm assuming that the "different" coloured bird is a result of the above. I'd appreciate your thoughts if you keep and breed Pastels click here and let me know if I'm close on my assumptions. |
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September 25th
As you can see, all three
chicks have the same eye colour which suggests that they are Agate
Splits. I spoke to Laus Trigwell today (www.ff3.co.uk), JSSUK Webmaster and Newsletter editor, he confirmed that the "different" coloured young Java mentioned yesterday is as I thought...a Pastel hen. Laus keeps and breeds Pastels and Creams so it was easy for him to identify.....Thanks Laus! |
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September 27th See the smallest chick in the nest has different coloured eyes to its siblings (pink/red). This is the second visual Agate to hatch this month. |
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As there is not too much documented about the Agate mutation, I will be posting regular updates to illustrate the various stages that the Agate goes through to reach its adult plumage. You can see clearly in this photo the "ginger" feathering of the Agate which is currently being fostered by a silver pairing. |
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September 28th Maurice Stevens sells Versele Laga seed at very good price. I use their "Tropical Bird Mix" which comes in a 25KG bag for just £12, I cannot find it anywhere locally at this price.
Maurice has also very
kindly donated a bag to be used as one of the prizes for the Java
Sparrow Society UK Members show this coming Sunday. See the photo for a close up of the seed mix. I don't exactly know what seeds are in this mix but it looks very much like a wild/meadow seed mix.
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Just a reminder to those
interested that the
Java Sparrow
Society UK is holding it's members show this Sunday (1st October). |
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October 2nd A total of 38 birds were benched including 11 of mine (in 8 cages). I was delighted with my results which were as follows:
Best C.Y.O.B Normal,
Best C.Y.O.B Silver, Best C.Y.O.B, Best C.Y.O.B Pair, Best Adult Normal.
(see photos below) |
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Not bad for my very first show but I would like to thank Tony Gladwin and Steve Nesbitt for their help and advice over the last twelve months....oh yeh, and for supplying me with some GREAT birds!!! I won't get dizzy over these results but it has given me some assurance that my birds are of a good standard, and that my bloodlines and chosen pairings have worked out well. For me the Normal Java Sparrow is the best and this is my chosen "colour" in which I aim to keep pure. I increased my stud yesterday by obtaining two pairs of STUNNING Normals from Tony Gladwin, I will be pairing these up in December after a "refurb" of my birdroom. I intend to increase the amount of breeding cages I have by slightly reducing the size of my double breeders. |
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I selected this bird back in May as the best bird I have bred so far. Here it is again with the trophy and glass plaque I received for Best C.Y.O.B. |
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One thing I have to mention about yesterday is the bird that won Best Java In Show. This was entered by Billy Hughes from Liverpool, he won best adult in show last year with this stunning white Java (see right). This was as "steady as rock" in the show cage and excels in all the characteristics of the Java standard. Well done Billy!!! |
Click on the photo for a closer look |
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Back to the birdroom news!!! Steve Nesbitt emailed me today to let me know that three Fawn chicks have hatched today (ref September 1st, September 13th, September 16th and September 24th). Steve raised some concerns over one of the chicks as it appears to have had its leg mutilated, probably by one of its parents (see chick in the bottom of the photo).
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Here's a closer look at the chick. Looking at this it would appear that there is very little prospect of this leg developing normally. I'll keep you updated on the progress. |
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October 4th There were seven eggs in this nest, all fertile too, but yesterday I got home from work to find that one of the eggs was on the cage floor with a damaged shell. I have candled the remaining five eggs and witnessed movement in every one, so all being well, they should hatch of the next couple of days. |
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October 5th
Another Agate!! and a
split. Steve Nesbitt called this evening to inform me that the chick with the injured/deformed leg (ref October 2nd) was found dead in the nest this morning. |
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October 7th
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There are now only two fawn chicks remaining in the nest. |
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October 9th The JSSUK had a stand in which society members can sell their stock, I took around 20 birds to sell, most of which were reserved via email and purchased by some of the good folk who visit my website. It was a pretty successful day with all birds being sold by 1 o'clock.....several members joined the society too. |
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October 10th |
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October 11th As always I had my camera with me so I thought I'd take a photo. |
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I would say that this bird actually fledged about a week ago but I wasn't around to see it in the cage. I say this as it seemed fairly steady as it moved itself around the cage. New fledglings are generally very erratic and very timid....this bird appeared quite the opposite. It does look very similar to the fawn at this stage but you can see the grey feathers beginning to appear in the wing. The bird will lose its fawn coloured feathering and colour up to look normal. The only fawn colouring it will retain is its very dark brown cap and "creamy" belly. |
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October 12th
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October 15th |
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October 18th I'm quite pleased with my results for this year, especially being my first season with the species. A total of 78 birds have been bred, 2 have no rings, 74 were bred by me, and my good friend Steve Nesbitt has bred 2 Fawns for me. I could have carried on with my breeding but I need to revamp my set-up in time for next season, as I would like to achieve the 100 mark next year. This year has been a good learning experience for me, I suppose I could have been more organised in my breeding by putting more pairs down at the same time, rather than couple of pairs here and there. Next season I plan to have six pairs down for two rounds and then replace them with another six pairs......but this all hinges on my birdroom being revamped to accommodate the young. This is by no means the end of my diary page for this year...quite the opposite. I plan to show you my revamp in stages.....this will take place after all the current nestlings have fledged.....this should be around mid-November.
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October 19th Click on the Cage & Aviary photo to see the article. |
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October 26th I've had a big response from people who read my article in Cage & Aviary, and I've just spent an hour replying to all the emails I received....thanks to everyone who dropped me a line!!
Back to the birds!!! |
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