Keeping the Greenfinch

If you speak to anyone with experience keeping British birds in an aviary, they will say that the Greenfinch is one of best species to start with if you have had some experience with other birds.  These birds are frequent garden feeder visitors around the country and the male bird in particular is easy to…

Adventures with a Skylark

Generally, my aviary is based around the finches, from the exotic ones to the canaries and a few British birds.  One resident is from a completely different family and is a bird that has brought me endless joy in the time I have had him – my Eurasian Skylark. Meet the Skylark The Eurasian skylark…

Who Won the Contest to be Britain’s National Bird?

Well, the votes are in and counted and the decision is final – Britain’s national bird has been decided and it’s a brightly coloured songster with a bit of a temper problem – the robin.  Famous for his many appearances in Christmas cards as well cheeky behaviour around the garden, the red-breasted little bird came…

Starting Out with Canaries

Personally, there’s just something about canaries – their little faces, their beautiful song and the many different types and colours.  Every time I go to a bird sale or an auction I have to physically restrain myself from buying them all (or trying to).  Yes, they can be moody with each other and only sing…

Why Have a National Sparrow Day?

At one time, the little House Sparrow would be high on the list of the bird most people saw on a frequent basis – usually in good numbers flying to a garden feeder, perched on phone wires or in a bush at the bottom of the garden.  Yet now, sparrow numbers have gone into such…

Estrildid Finches

To anyone who keeps foreign finches, then the term Estrildid Finch will be familiar because most of the birds in this family are the ones we keep in our aviaries and cages.  They tend to be termed foreign finches in the UK to separate them from the ‘British’ finch family that contains birds such as…