BirdCast

Welcome to Season 2 of BirdCast!
As part of Season 2, Birdman Dad is planning to include a few aviary visits into the podcast schedule.
In this first episode we are visiting the famous Yongergnow aviaries in Ongerup, Western Australia that house Australian Mallee Fowl.
The Australian Mallee Fowl ( Leipoa ocellata) is an amazing and tough bird that is in serious threat of surviving into the future.  Once common across much of Australia, the local "bush chook" is now only just hanging on in small pockets scattered throughout fragmented bush pockets of southern Australia.
The mallee fowl belongs to a unique group of birds called Megapodes - birds that incubate their eggs externally (unlike our aviary birds and normal chickens that sit on them and incubate with their own body heat) but all the other Megapodes of the world live in moist sub-tropical/tropical areas that are moist and have regular rainfall - so they build smaller nest mounds that take little time; as plant matter decomposes rapidly in these climates. The mallee fowl however live in the Australian mallee - a hot and arid area of Australia with little rainfall and moisture - so the mallee fowl make these truly amazing nest mounds of incredible sizes to create a nest that will do the job and provide the environment to hatch their chicks.
The Australian Mallee fowl is in serious trouble - the number surviving in Australia are very low and they face imminent extinction.
In an effort to save their local mallee fowl - which is in fact their Shire area's mascot - the people of the small town of Ongerup ( some 410km south east of the city of Perth, WA) started to look at how they could save their few remaining mallee fowl. After many years of surveying, feral animal control and habitat reconstruction the town still has a few wild living mallee fowl residing in their homelands.  But the group wanted to let the wider community know about this amazing bird and how we can all help out and save the mallee fowl from extinction.  From this community spirited desire to save an Australian icon came about the construction of the aviaries BirdMan Dad is visiting for today's podcast. In the town of Ongerup you will find the "Yongergnow Australian Malleefowl Centre and Cafe".  This facility is open to the public and provides an educational centre, cafe and captive breeding aviaries.  The centre first opened primarily as a mechanism to educate people about the mallee fowl and raise awareness of this birds plight.  Yongergnow began it's captive breeding program in 2014 and the first success was in 2016.  Although the centre is truly amazing and is well worth a visit if you are in the area; the mallee fowl face great challenges in their homelands and are far from "out of the woods" so to speak.  The mallee fowl is in dire need of concerted human actions if they are to survive into the future.
Birdman Dad hopes you enjoy this podcast and that you learn something about this special and unique bird that is in need of our help.

For those bird people who keep finches and softbills who eat live food the vinegar fly trap is a quick and easy option to provide your birds with another different type of protein to keep them happy and healthy.
Birdman Dad explains just how easy it is to build a trap and gives you a few helpful construction tips as well.
Hope this short podcast help you out and provides your bird with a new source of live food.
If you have any ideas or topics you would like discussed on BirdCast please reach out to us on Instagram - birdman_dad; you tube or email - [email protected]
Looking forward to your discussion suggestions :)

The Lesser red-browed finch ( Neochmia temporalis minor) is an Australian finch that lives in the northern parts of Queensland.  Many people are more familiar with the nominate species - the red-browed, often called the Sydney waxbill - is Neochima temporalis.  This finch is seen up and down the east coast of Australia, often in groups and with other birds in a wide range of habitats from downtown in Sydney parks to the grasslands of south-west Queensland.
But it is the lesser red-browed finch that took Birdman Dad's eye.  This charming finch with it's brilliant colours and affable personality makes them a delight to keep in your aviary.  Once common in Australian finch aviaries this bird has become a little tougher to find in recent years. But hopefully as people rediscover this charming finch this is soon to change! 

The Red-backed Western Rosella (P. icterotis xanthogenys) now called the Inland Western Rosella is in serious strife in it's homelands.  Years of habitat destruction, agricultural sprays and invasions by other bird species have almost seen the end to this stunning bird. Coupled with the decline in backyard bird keepers choosing this beautiful bird to join their home, this smallest of the rosellas is in serious trouble.
Birdman Dad has kept Red-backed rosellas in his aviaries in years gone by, but now has only the family pet - Cagey Bird - who would be some 13 plus years old and even though he now resides in an outdoors aviary with his hen, he has never bred a single chick and would much rather chat with his owner than ever think of raising a family!
The Red-backed rosella is a truly beautiful bird.  Closely related to the nominate Western Rosella (P. icterotis) who many people see in the great southern region of Western Australia and who predominantly has a green back (rather than red) hence are often called Green backed rosellas.
Championed by the "Western Rosella Man" aka Ben Pearce, the Inland Western Rosella was finally removed from the permitted trapping licences issued by the government nature department of Western Australia a few years ago.  The Western Rosella Man continues to fight for the rights of this truly stunning bird and more information can be found in this article from the Avicultural Society of NSW,
http://aviculturalsocietynsw.org/_articles/WestRosellaMan-BPearce.htm#.X08_FcgzaM8
Hopefully this podcast will educate and inspire people worldwide to take an interest in this beautiful West Australian bird whom is most certainly going to be leaving our planet shortly if people keep doing what people do.

There is such a buzz in the aviaries as breeding season comes closer. The warmer weather has a lot to do with the increase in the birds' energy levels and it sure is lovely to see your beautiful finches sitting in the warm sunshine.
To get to spring of course we all go through the winter months and during winter there is some important things all birdkeepers/aviculturists should be doing in their aviaries to ensure their birds survive the colder months.
Listen in to Birdman Dad's thoughts about how to prepare your birds, particularly finches, for the coming breeding season.  What does he think is important to make note of and what he changes in his aviary management.  Hopefully this will give you some ideas on how to manage your flock!
If you,as a listener, have any particular bird related topics you would like to discuss please get in touch with Birdman Dad through instagram (birdman_dad), email ([email protected]) or You Tube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4DOhjHDimc) with your suggestions.  Look forward from hearing from you.

Like the secret herbs and spices of a certain fried chicken brand; the ingredients that go into finch nests can be just as secretive - and varied!
Join Birdman Dad as he explains some of the finch o secrets to having finches make a nest within your aviary.
This podcast information is complementary to Birdman Dad's You Tube video on "How to make a nest box with Birdman Dad" https://youtu.be/YeEluAlUN8A
Hopefully the information in this podcast will help finchkeepers prepare for the upcoming finch breeding season!
If you have any questions or suggestions on topics you would like to hear about please drop us an email - [email protected] or find us on Instagram birdman_dad https://www.instagram.com/p/CERKT21pfow/?igshid=e43fnmdwve54

The Scarlet chested parrot aka Neophema splendida is an Australian native grass parrot and when Europeans first arrived in Western Australia they were seen all around the Swan River settlement. 
Sadly this is not the case today in the 21st century, where you would would have to travel out to far remote regions to even have the chance of a possible sighting.  What was once a commonly seen bird in the new colony is now more commonly seen in the aviaries of Europe in the most amazing colours.  
To say the Scarlet chested parrot is a popular bird is quite an understatement.  Not only is their beautiful colours an attraction, their ease of keeping makes them a particularly excellent beginning aviary bird.  Their ease of care, providing you stick to a few suggestions provided by Birdman Dad, makes them a very popular choice worldwide.

This weeks episode Birdman Dad talks about the Orange-cheeked finch aka Orange-cheeked waxbill.  The Orange-cheeked finch is a hardy little finch, that does very well in a mixed aviary set up and is re-known for it's tail wag.
For those wanting to keep the Orange-cheeked finch Birdman Dad gives you some great tips to get you started with Orange-cheeks and some hints that he has utilised to keep these finches happy and contented.
If you have any ideas or thoughts about the BirdCast and topics you would like Birdman Dad to speak about please go to Birdman Dad insta page or email on [email protected].

 This episode the Birdman Dad team are presenting an in depth discussion on the Blue capped finch aka the Blue capped cordon bleu.  The blue capped finch is a striking coloured bird that is almost all blue in colour and is stunning to see in real life. If you are considering keeping blue capped finches in your aviaries have a listen and hopefully Birdman Dad can give you some ideas on how to keep this particular finch and the adjustments in your aviary management that will lead to your successful keeping of this particular finch.
If you have any ideas or particular topics you would like Birdman Dad to discuss please contact us via our instagram page or email: [email protected]

Today we discuss the topic of introducing new birds into your aviaries.  Our discussion includes how to air freight birds to your home - Birdman Dad lives in Western Australia - a very isolated place due to the distances in Australia - and Western Australia has very strict quarantine laws and border inspections to keep our great state free of agricultural pests and diseases - diseases that could cripple our farming and fresh produce.  This complicates matters when it comes to importing birds from the east coast of Australia (eg: Sydney,Melbourne, Brisbane) into Western Australia.  West Aussies that choose to import birds here have to meet the quarantine restrictions - as in you can not  import some bird species at all into WA- and you have to apply to a government department to import the birds and pay certain fees.  Then you also have to book for the Quarantine officers to inspect your birds when they arrive - to make sure what you have applied to import into the state is what you are actually importing...and that is the easy part!  
Then you have the challenge of introducing these new birds safely into your aviaries so that your existing birds are safe from disease/pests introduced by your new birds and that you care for your new birds so that they survive the trip over to their new home.
Birdman Dad tries to answer and explain some common questions about bringing new birds into your aviaries in the hope that this information will help you manage bird jet lag and the somewhat complicated process of travelling birds.