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THE QFS SPRING SHOW- 20th SEPTEMBER, 2008
Group 1 Australian
1 Cock
2H Hen
Group 2 Zebra
3 Cock
4H Hen
Group 3 Bengalese
5 Cock
6H Hen
Group 4 Gouldian
7 Normal- Cock
8H Normal- Hens
9 AOV- Cock
10H AOV- Hen
Group 5 Foreign
11 Cock
12H Hen
Group 6 Pairs
13 Pair of Group 1
14 Pair of Group 2
15 Pair of Group 3
16 Pair of Group 4
17 Pair of Group 5
Group 7 Junior (6yrs- 16yrs)
J1 AV Australian
J2 AV Foreign
J3 AV Zebra
J4 AV Bengalese
Awards Prizes
Grand Champion Finch of Show 20kg Seed; Trophy; $25 Voucher; Certificate
Reserve Champion of Show 10kg Seed; Trophy; $15 Voucher; Certificate
Champion Australian 4kg Seed; $10 Voucher; Certificate
Champion Zebra 4kg Seed; $10 Voucher; Certificate
Champion Bengalese 4kg Seed; $10 Voucher; Certificate
Champion Gouldian 4kg Seed; $10 Voucher; Certificate
Champion Foreign 4kg Seed; $10 Voucher; Certificate
Champion Junior 4kg Seed; $10 Voucher; Certificate
Best Pair 4kg Seed; Certificate
1st & 2nd in each Class Awards Certificates
Times
Hall Opens 12:30pm
Birds Must Be Staged By 1:30pm
Judging Starts at 2:00pm
Show Open to Public from 2:30pm - 4:30pm
Presentation of Trophies at 4:00pm
Entries Close 12th September, 2008
Entries
Posted to:
Darren Hyde
13 Edgemount Court
Oxenford. Qld. 4210
Phone: 07 55736837
Email: hyde.family@hotmail.com
Entry Fee
50 cents per entry. Minimum Entry $2.00.
Include self addressed envelope for sticker return. Sticker must be adhered on left hand corner of show cage.
Rules:
Show Cages to be QLD or NSW show cages.
Floors to be covered with a suitable finch mix.
Proper drinkers must be attached.
Cages must be complete before show.
No substitutes to entires on the day of show will be accepted. No cage will be entered without seed & water. All exhibits are under custody of the show stewards during the show.
Any cage without water will be filled by stewards. All entries must be the bona fide property of exhibitor. Any bird that is physically imcomplete will not be judged. All re-classing must be complete prior to judging. Entry fees must be paid before judging commence. Entry fees to be paid whether exhibited or not. Junior age limit is 6 years to 16 years.
Checking In & Removal of Birds
Birds to be checked in by 1:30pm.
Birds to be removed after presentation.
Birds must be checked in & out by stewards.
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Presidents Report- May
By the time you read this report the Finches 08 Convention will be about to get underway on Friday May 2 [note that the QFS General meeting is May 9]. We are expecting an excellent event which has been boosted by great support from a number of sponsors. In addition to our major avicultural sponsor, Australian Birdkeeper, we now financial supprot from the Queensland Government as well through the Gambling Community Fund. This is a way for gambling revenue to be fed back intot the community to support worthwhile activities – such as our efforts to provide a world class convention. Many thanks to the Queensland government for this support. All our other supporters will be acknowledged in a full convention report in the next Finch News.
While on the topic of Finch News, the committee apologises to members and to the photographers for the poor quality of photographs in the April edition. This was due to an error by the printer which resulted in unacceptable reproduction of what were good images. We have been assured that this will not happen again and the photographs will be reprinted.
The last few months have seen quite a few bird events in Brisbane. These included the “Spectacular Petacular” where many bird societies had displays for an estimated 10,000 visitors over the weekend. Likewise the Queensland State Bird Fair attracted a large crowd. Members of the general public and dedicated bird breeders rubbed shoulders to view bird displays, birds for sale, trade displays and a number of bird societies (including QFS) advertising what they offer to members.
This exposure of aviculture to a wider general audience is important in exposing aviculture as a worthwhile and legitimate hobby and in encouraging potential new members for bird clubs. We need to be doing as much as we can to ensure that aviculture has a positive image with the public. We should be realisitic enough to recognise that this isnt always the case. If you are aware of events where QFS could interact with the public please let a committee member know. You might even volunteer to help out with an event!
All of us are well aware [or should be] of the new Record Keeping Scheme introduced nationally for exotic birds. As part of the first 12 momnths of the scheme, the Federal Government has now commenced an independent evaluation of exotic bird recording keeping. This is mostly to assess birdkeeper awareness of the scheme, so if you have read your Finch News over the last 12 months you should know all about it. The evaluation will continue for some time and will include an assessment of participation by exotic bird breeders in the process. With all finches in the low interest category it will be interesting to see whether there are many formal records being kept.
A further reminder about the Hunter Bird Bonanza on October 18/19, with a bird sale, aviary visits and Gouldian Open day at Mike Fidler’s. Please let any member of the committee know if you are interested to go.
Report on our April meeting
The April meeting feature a talk from Robin Hill which included not only some excellent information on breeding some of the rarer finches and saftbills, but had the birds there in the flesh as stars themselves. Robin brought in Pekin Robins, Red-crested Finches, Purple Grenadiers, Pin-tailed whydahs and an illustration of the silver eared mesia. He couldn’t bring the latter birds in because after a patient 7 years Robin’s mesias are now breeding. He was very pleased by that. Robin suggested that anyone can eventually own birds like this, provided you are prepared to save the dollars you earn breeding less expensive birds and are prepared to provide the environment and feeding they require. Overall a very interesting night.
As with all our speaker presentations, Robin’s talk was taped and will appear as an article in a future edition of Finch News. Recently some members who are not able to attend QFS meetings [and that is the majority of our 900 members] have asked whether detailed summaries of all talks could be given in the magazine. While I provide a brief summary in my President Reports, most talks will eventually appear as articles, but we are dependent on the tireless efforts of our editor, Sheena De Jaga Miles, to transcribe the talks and turn them into an article. So be patient and they will appear.
Finally, I encourage you to provide feedback on your society, directly to me or to any other committee member. AND DON’T FORGET that the May general meeting of QFS is on May 9 – the second Friday in May.
Best regards
Gary Fitt
QFS President
gary.fitt@bigpond.com
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The Queensland Finch Society Speakers – 2008
January 4 “Hands on Demonstration Night”
Gary Fitt [Flies without tears], Bruce Campbell [Getting Gouldians ready for the Breeding Season], Fred McKinnon [What seeding grass is that?]
February 2 James Castle (Brisbane) - “Finches of the Northern Territory”
James Castle has a passion for finch breeding and bird showing. Having won his first grand champion at a bird show at the age of just 15, James has maintained his interest in high quality birds in aviculture [his Bengalese mannikins are outstanding] and has developed his interests in bird watching. A move to the Northern Territory with work allowed James to capture some excellent knowledge and images of finches in the wild which forms the basis of this presentation. Now back in Queensland James plans to resume his involvement in showing and will be a regular face at QFS meetings. Come along to see the splendour of northern Australia through its finches.
March 7 David Myers (Newcastle, NSW) - “A lifetime with Australian finches”
This will be a special evening - not to be missed. David Myers has 45 years experience in aviculture and is renowned as the only person to have bred all 18 species and 6 sub-species of Australian finches. He decided to specialize on native finches right from the outset & has maintained that interest ever since. David's approach has been to keep small numbers but always kept them well and with a focus on housing his birds in a way that allowed him to study their habits and behaviours. David's halcyon days were during the 1980's when he was able to breed both the Beautiful and the Red-eared Firetail species in captivity for the first time. During this period he was also fortunate to record the identity calls & courtship songs of the majority of our native species. David is now in the process of compiling all the information and experience from the past 45 years into a new finch book which will hopefully appear next year. I can hardly wait for its release, so this presentation will be an excellent preview of what we can expect in the book.
April 4. Robin Hill (Brisbane) - “Moving to the top shelf of finches”
Robin Hill is one of our most experienced bird breeders and a members of QFS for over 30 years. Robin's expertise and dedication to feeding and breeding of a range of species is well known. In this presentation we will learn more about some of the rarer finches and softbills that Robin now keeps. A feature will be that a number of live birds will be on hand so that we can all experience a grenadier waxbill, red crested finches, pekin robins and other similarly rare bird species. Robin's down to earth presentation is sure to provide many gems of wisdom for all, even if we cant all aspire to reach this top shelf of finches.
May 9. John Albert (Laidley, Qld) “Keeping and Breeding African Waxbills”
John Albert has been keeping birds for 61 years and has been a member of QFS since 1981. John has kept all types of birds, but specialises in finches and canaries. Since moving to Queensland about 5 years ago he has established an outstanding collection and facilities and is continue the great breeding success he he had when based on the southern highlands of NSW. John is having great success with some of the rarer African waxbills and will share some of his experiences in this talk. Don't miss it.
June 6. Ian Brown and David Payet (Qld) - "A night of aviary gadgets"
Our June meeting will have a different format and will feature a suite of useful gadgets developed by finch breeders to help with successful breeding. Two breeders with long experience and expertise will discuss their most useful gadget. Ian Brown - a breeder of finches, softbills and parrots will discuss his insect collecting light trap which provides fresh moths daily for his softbills. Dave Payet - a long time finch breeder and expert in nestbox construction - will discuss seed winnowers and show how useful they can be. AND we invite you to bring in your favourite gadget and provide a few minutes of explanation. This will be a practical hands-on meeting. See you there."
July 4 Russell Kingston (Torbanlea, Qld) – “Managing your finches” &
Gary Fitt “From the Bush to Brisbane – establishing a new aviary”
August 1 Mike Fidler (NSW) – “Gouldian Conservation”
September 5 Colin Walker (Victoria) – “Disease and nutrition – critical issues for aviculture”
October 3 “To be advised”
November 7 Michael Todd (Tasmania) – “The Ecology of the Crimson finch and the Star finches in Cape York and the Kimberleys – some lessons for aviculture?”
December 5 “To be advised”
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Ipswich City & Country-Festival of Feathers Committee presents the Finch Section of
Ipswich City & Country.
Festival of Feathers at the Exhibition Hall Ipswich Showgrounds, Warwick Rd, Ipswich
on Sunday 8 June 2008
Proudly Sponsored by:
Ipswich City Council
The Queensland Finch Society Inc.
Crest Seeds
Ipswich City & Country Festival of Feathers 2008
Show Schedule:
Times Hall opens 6:30am
Birds must be staged before 8:00am
Show opens to the public at 8:30am
Presentation of trophies at 2:00pm Sunday
Entries Close Monday 2 June 2008
Entries To be posted to:
Barney Hackney,484 Junction Rd, KARALEE Q 4306
Enquiries: 07 3294 6464 No Phone Entries Accepted
Entry Fee 50 cents per entry. Minimum entry fee $3.Include stamped self addressed envelope for sticker return. Stickers must be adhered on lower right hand corner of cage.Show Cages- Queensland and NSW finch show cages are accepted.Floors must be covered with a suitable finch mix. Proper drinkers must be attached.Cages must be complete before showing.Removal of Birds- Birds can be removed after 2:30pm Sunday and must be checked out by the Show Stewards.
Show Rules-
No substitutions to entries on day of show will be accepted.
No cage will be entered without seed and water.
No birds will be entered once judging begins.
All exhibitors will remain out of the show area during judging.
All exhibits are under the custody of the Show Stewards.
Any cage found without water during the day will be filled by the Show Secretary or representative.
All entries must be the bona fide property of the exhibitor.
No bird which is physically incomplete, i.e. “has any part of its anatomy missing” shall be judged.
All re-classing must be completed before the commencement of judging.
Entry fees of all birds entered must be paid for whether exhibited or not.
Junior Section age limit it 6yrs to 16yrs.
The Show organisers will exercise all possible care for the safety of the birds, however, The Societies or the members will not accept any responsibility for any injury to, or loss of, any exhibits.
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Presidents Report- April
As I write this, the strange cool weather has continued in Brisbane and the rain has stopped or eased over the rest of Queensland. My birds are now actively into breeding after the enforced rest I give them over summer from December to February. If your birds are doing something interesting why not consider doing a short article for Finch News. Sheena, our editor, will be most grateful. Finding original material for bird magazines is a growing problem for many clubs, not just ours. You will have noticed that we have invested in high quality gloss paper throughout Finch News now. So we juts need some high quality articles to go with it.
One consequence of all the rain in Queensland has been severe floods in Emerald, Mackay and Rockhampton [and probably elsewhere]. Some of our members in those towns have suffered signficiant losses with their birds. Consequently the committee is hoping to assemble some donated birds to send north to help balance up some of the losses. Graham Wyer has offered to accept donated brids and send them north to some key contacts. I have donated five pairs of Gouldians, so why not think about what you might donate.
Over the first few months of this year I have been able to visit a number of other avicultural clubs to give talks. This included the Beaudesert Finch and Parrot Club on February 6, the Northern Rivers Finch Club on February 22, and The Canberra Finch Club on February 26. With each club I was able to highlight the coming Finch Convention and also talk about the activities of the National Finch and Softbill Association, of which QFS is a key member, before giving my main alk about “Gouldians in the Kimberley”. It was great to see some small but vibrant finch clubs, with lots of people willing to pitch in to make their clubs function well. I also managed to visit some collections in northern NSW around Lismore, Casino and Ballina whilst in that area. Again there are some excellent collections down there.
The Finch Convention (May 2-4) is occupying much of the committee’s time, and we will be needing some volunteers to help out with various aspects of the displays and the bird sales. For example it will be important that some experienced finch breeders are on hand to talk with the public who come throuhg to look at the bird display and learn something about our hobby. So if you would like to volunteer some time over the convention weekend please see me or one of the Committee. Of course it is not too late to register as a Convention Delegate either!
Don’t forget that the QFS May Bird Sale will be held as part of the Convention on Sunday, May 4. Full details from Graham Wyer.
Also a further reminder about the Hunter Bird Bonanza on October 18/19, with a bird sale, aviary visits and Gouldian Open day at Mike Fidler’s. Please let any member of the committee know if you are interested to go. With sufficient interest we may look at organising a tour for the weekend.
Report on our March meeting
Those who were able to attend the March meeting heard an excellent overview of the history of Australian finches from David Myers from Newcastle. David has been involved with finches for 45 years and is the first person to have bred all 18 species and 6 sub-species of Australian finches. He is currently working on a book and his talk was based on much of the research he has done for that. David provided details on who first collected and described all the species, with snippets of history abiut early explorers. David is also active in the National Finch and Softbill Association where he is Secretary. Overall this was an excellent talk and we now eagerly await the book. David’s talk was preceded by a slide show from the January Sale which captured some of the amusing moments from our biggest sale ever.
Finally, I and the QFS committee would welcome some feedback from members on what you hope to get out of your membership of QFS. We try to provide as much as possible through the magazine, at meetings, shows, aviary visits and other events. Give us some feedback if you have other suggestions.
Best regards
Gary Fitt
QFS President
gary.fitt@bigpond.com
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Presidents Report
I start this month with some further news about the Finches 08 Convention. Firstly we plan to have the QFS May Bird Sale as part of the Convention. This will be on Sunday, May 4. Full details are given elsewhere in this edition of Finch News. As usual Graham Wyer is the contact for booking in your birds for sale, but there are some differences in how this sale will run which are explained elsewhere.
In association with the sale we have also decided to offer a one day registration option to allow members to attend just the Sunday program of Finches 08. This will be an option for those with birds in the sale or for anyone who wants to experience a convention without committing to the full event. Again details are available elsewhere in this magazine.
Finally we are pleased to advise that Joerg Landenberger from Germany has joined the impressive list of speakers for Finches 08. Joerg is a highly experienced finch breeder who will speak on his approach to finch nutrition, his collection and the challenges for aviculture in Europe in the face of bird flu and other restrictions.
January Sale
Speaking of Sales, our January Sale this year was the biggest yet with 49 sellers and about 300 buyers through the door. This made for quite a tight venue. A full report is elsewhere in the magazine, but the growth of this January sale which features gouldians as well as many other species, has prompted the committee to think about a new bigger venue for our next sale. More details on that as things progress.
Rain, Rain, Rain
Members in Brisbane and many other parts of Queensland, in fact much of eastern Australia, have received some much needed rain over recent weeks. In some areas this has been much more than needed leading to extensive flooding. I hope no finch-keepers have been badly affected by the flood waters. If nothing else the rain should stimulate some good breeding activity for those species which need rain to kick them off. My birds are itching to go after my annual clean out of aviaries and brush,
March Bird Show
Another event to publicise is a QFS Gouldian Show on March 16 which will be held in conjunction with the young bird show of the SEQ Zebra Finch Society. This joint show is a trial for us and represents part of our efforts to reinstate some interest in bird showing. Since the opportunity to partner with SEQZFS arose only recently, we haven’t given budding show participants much time to consider an entry, but full details are in this magazine. Peter James is the main contact to book an entry.
Also don’t forget the Hunter Bird Bonanza on October 18/19, with a bird sale, aviary visits and Gouldian Open day at Mike Fidler’s. Please let any member of the committee know if you are interested to go. With sufficient interest we may look at organising a tour for the weekend.
Report on our February meeting
Once again a great attendance to hear a presentation from James Castle on “Finches in the Northern Territory”. James has been a long time member of QFS, joining when he was 12. Over the last few years he spent time in the Northern Territory working on the Alice Springs to Darwin railway and had lots of time to observe and photograph many finch species in their native habitat. James’s provided a great commentary to go with his excellent images, but the presentation was unfortunately marred by a problem with our projector which deposited a large, bright yellow spot in the middle of every image. This was a great shame, but didn’t detract too much from the information James passed on. Hopefully we will get him back for another talk - with a fully functional projector – where he might discuss the outstanding Bengalese finches on which he now specialises.
I have had a lot of positive feedback from members about the January meeting which featured three practical workshop sessions. We plan to organise a similar event later in the year with three different presenters and their favourite avicultural gadgets.
If you have other suggestions for the meeting program – possible speakers, different topics or formats – please let me know.
Finally, I and the QFS committee would welcome some feedback from members on what you hope to get out of your membership of QFS. We try to provide as much as possible through the magazine, at meetings, shows, aviary visits and other events. Give us some feedback if you have other suggestions.
Best regards
Gary Fitt
QFS President
gary.fitt@bigpond.com
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Presidents Report
So we have welcomed in another New Year. 2008 promises to be a big year for QFS with the Finches 08 convention in May, a packed program of speakers and meetings, the big September auction weekend, some aviary visits and society BBQs, and plenty more.
While on the subject of events we need to advise that the September auction weekend this year will be the first weekend of September, not the second weekend as previously.
We also have some initiatives planned for this year to engage more strongly with members outside of south-east Queensland – more on that in future issues.
Another big event this year will be the Hunter Bird Bonanza on October 18/19. This weekend in the Hunter Valley, NSW will feature a bird sale on the Saturday and a packed day at Mike Fidler’s breeding establishment on the Sunday. If there is sufficient interest QFS will look at the possibility of organising a tour for the weekend. Please advise any member of the committee if you are interested.
Selling Your Birds through QFS
As advised in your last magazine, there are now three ways to sell you surplus birds through QFS. One way is to put a notice up at the monthly meetings. These notices are collected by the Exchange Steward, Eric Davis, and placed in the next magazine which comes out three weeks later. A second method is to ring Eric directly and place an advertisement for the next magazine. The third approach is to list your birds directly on the QFS website. All members can now do this very easily. Your log-in name is your member number and your password is your surname. Follow the links to Please remember to remove birds which have been sold!]. Birds listed on the website also appear in the subsequent magazine.
I have recently had some complaints from members outside of Brisbane who find that by the time they receive their magazine the birds listed for sale have all been sold. The committee can assure you that no-one gets inside running on available birds. If other members have similar concerns, or suggestions of how we can provide a better “For Sale” service, we would like to know.
Report on our January meeting
As the first meeting of the year, and with many people still on holidays, it was pleasing to see an excellent roll-up for the January meeting, on a wet and windy night in Brisbane. It was also great to see some new members and some visitors for this meeting.
The evening featured three workshop sessions. Bruce Campbell gave an informative and timely presentation on “Gouldians - getting your birds ready for the breeding season”, Fred McKinnon spoke on “Seeding grasses – what’s around and what’s good for your birds” and accompanied his talk with a collection of freshly harvested grasses of every type for which he rattled off all the scientific names. Finally I gave a hands-on demonstration of “Breeding Flies for Livefood – maggots without tears”. This was based on how I rear maggots but everyone who does so has a slightly different formula and procedure. We divided the audience into three groups, which rotated around the three venues. While the format meant that the presenters had to repeat their talks three times, the audience seemed pleased with the night. Most people learned a lot and enjoyed the format – we will do this again sometime.
If you have other suggestions for the meeting program – possible speakers, different topics or formats – please let me know.
Finally don’t forget the Finches 08 Convention. Registration details are available from myself or Sheena De Jager Miles or at www.qfs.org.au. This will be a great social and professional event with some great speakers and other features.
Best regards
Gary Fitt
QFS President
gary.fitt@bigpond.com
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Presidents Report
Our December meeting was the Christmas meeting and featured an excellent program followed by a great supper of chicken, salads, bread rolls and Christmas cake. This was a special surprise for those local members who came along and special thanks are due to Sheena for organising the food and Dell, Peter and their helpers in the kitchen who prepared it all.
New Committee Roles
During the meeting I was able to update members on the new committee positions, where we have several changes.
Firstly Barry Pollock was nominated for and accepted the role as Vice-President.
Chris Leeper remains as Secretary, but is now also the Membership Registrar
Sheena de Jager Miles remains as Magazine Editor – thank heavens for that. What would we do without her!
Keith Gargett is continuing as treasurer and will ensure we “count all the pennies”
Eric Davis is our new Exchange Steward, replacing Peter Holley who had filled that role for some years.
Peter Stanley will run the kitchen operations
Graham Wyer is Special Events Coordinator
Graham Bell is Librarian and Gus Margetts rejoined the committee as Raffle Coordinator.
I remain as Program Director
Rob Wilcox has also joined the Committee and will manage the meeting equipment
That might look like a big committee, but we still have plenty of committee positions unfilled and tasks to be done, so if you wish to contribute to the effective running of QFS please talk to me.
Finches 08 Convention
I also updated the meeting on progress with the Finches 08 Convention. We have recently added a new and significant feature with a special workshop session sponsored by the National Finch and Softbill Association. This session will focus on the future options for resuming legal importation of exotic finches into Australia. We will have government experts involved and with the best finch breeders around Australia in attendance at the Convention we expect a valuable discussion about the processes leading up to possible importation, the species that might be focussed on and how syndicates can operate. There is no guarantee that finch imports will happen but this will be an important first step in that direction. This session, combined with the range of excellent speakers, is another good reason to make sure you get along to Finches 08 (see details elsewhere in this magazine).
Speaking of excellent speakers we also have one new speaker for Finches 08 – John Albert from Laidley near Brisbane. John has a long history with finches, canaries and softbills and his former establishment on the southern highlands of NSW is legendary. His new premises and collection are developing in the same way. Convention attendees will find lots to learn from John Albert.
Another New Feature for Members
In recent President’s reports, Darren Hyde has commented on our new website (www.qfs.org.au) which is now much more functional and is bringing a great response in new members who can now join on-line.
I am pleased to announce another new feature which will allow all members to list their birds for sale directly through the website. You just log in using your QFS member number and your surname. You can then list the birds you keep on your member details page, then go to the Birds for Sale facility and list whatever birds you wish to sell, with or without prices. Once sold you can remove them from the site. So you can manage you own advertising and sales, although all birds listed on the site will be automatically removed after 4 weeks. All birds for sale listed on the website at the time that the magazine is put together (usually the second week of the month) will also appear in the following magazine. Great credit is due to Danny Searle and Darren Hyde for getting this feature operational.
So you can now list birds for sale through the website or directly with the Exchange Steward, Eric Davis.
Our December Speaker
Finally to the speaker for December. Klaus Sietas is a long time member of QFS, highly experienced with bird keeping and an excellent speaker. This talk featured information from a visit by Klaus to the Mike Fidler Open Day in January 2007. The audience was treated to a great talk full of valuable tips on bird husbandry gleaned from the way Mike Fidler manages his birds, but with some extra details from Klaus about how he manages his gouldians in particular. Overall a great night and a great way to end the year. By the time you read this it will be 2008 and we will be gearing up for the QFS Table Sale on January 13 and the convention in May.
Best regards
Gary Fitt
QFS President
gary.fitt@bigpond.com
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EXOTIC BIRDS INFORMATION
This information is important for people who currently keep, trade or breed exotic birds in Australia or for people planning to take up these activities.
Anyone in possession of a bird that is listed under CITES or is not listed in Part 1 of the list of specimens suitable for live import under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) must be able to demonstrate the legal origin of the specimen/s.
The National Exotic Bird Registration Scheme (NEBRS) was established in 1996. The Scheme was discontinued in 2002 and replaced with a responsibility for owners of exotic birds to keep records or other evidence that an exotic bird in their possession had been legally obtained.
In general terms, this means that the owner of any exotic bird should be able to show one or more of the following to demonstrate that it has been legally obtained: record books, receipts identifying previous owners or similar evidence that the bird (or its parents or grandparents etc) was registered under NEBRS or evidence that the bird is of a species that was exempt from NEBRS, and the bird and any progeny were imported before 11 January 2002 or an import permit indicating that the bird, or all of the birds of which it is the progeny, were lawfully imported into Australia.
The Exotic Birdkeepers Advisory Group (EBAG) was established in 2006 by the Department to advise on proposals for record keeping. One outcome of this work is that EBAG is recommending that a standard movement transaction form be used to record the transfer of exotic bird specimens. EBAG is recommending that both the buyer and seller keep copies to help verify where specimens have been obtained.
EBAG's proposal will outline the steps people need to take to start record keeping. If records are unavailable, the use of statutory declarations or affidavits may assist in verifying the origin of individual birds. This may be acceptable to the Department but only if declarations contain sufficient information capable of demonstrating that the birds are from legal sources. Read more about when a statutory declaration or affidavit may be considered.
How is the legislation enforced?
The possession of unlawfully imported specimens and the progeny of such specimens is an offence under Section 303GN of the EPBC Act and various penalties may apply.
An inspector under the EPBC Act may seize exotic bird(s) in Australia if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that the origins of the bird(s) cannot be verified. The decision to seize is undertaken on a case by case basis and does not result in the automatic forfeiture of specimens. The EPBC Act provides a number of ways for people who have specimens seized to provide additional information to verify the origin of those specimens.
BUYERS BEWARE!!!!!
Birdkeepers are responsible for ensuring any birds or eggs they keep or trade have records to show that the specimens have been legally imported or were derived from NEBRS-registered specimens. Buyers should ensure that the seller is able to provide a genuine copy of relevant records that prove that the bird is legitimate. This will help minimise the risk of acquiring illegally traded birds or eggs and promote confidence amongst aviculturists.
As a guide to finding out whether an exotic species is legally in Australia refer to the Exotic Animal Guide and the Inventory of Exotic (non-native) Bird Species known to be in Australia. Please note that the guide and inventory do not indicate that an individual bird is legally in the country. Documentary evidence and a record trail to the source of specimens is required. Read the Exotic Animal Guide and see the Inventory of Exotic (non-native) Bird Species. The brochure 'Keeping it legal: Exotic birdkeeping in Australia' is also available to help explain why it is important to keep records.
It is important to note that there may be State or Territory legislation that could also apply to the keeping of exotic birds. Please contact the relevant authority in your state for more details. The following wbsite link is a good start to direct you in the right area and holds the new proposed forms required under this new scheme. http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/exoticbirds/
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AGM PRESIDENT'S REPORT
Welcome Members & guests to our AGM. As you all know this is the final night of my role as President for the club and is with some sadness and also relief that my role comes to an end. I have enjoyed the role as President over the last two years, but now it is time to move on. With a young family at home and a son who is a keen sportsmen, most of my time will be taking up running him to his cricket games and alike. I am also renovating my home at the moment so I will now have more time to contribute towards that and hopefully getting it moving along faster.
As per previous year I would like to take the time to scroll though the main events and changes that have occurred in the last 12 months. So if you would all like to make yourself comfortable I will be a quick as I can.
With Gary Fitt running as Programme Director, we have privilege to another 12 great speakers this year. I wish to personally thank all the speakers who gave a talk in the last 12 months and urge anyone who is interested in having ago next year to have a chat with Gary. Some of the stand outs for me where:
• Parrot Finches of the Pacific, by Phil Bender. It was great to see some live footage and photos of these brilliant birds in their natural habitat.
• Colour Inheritance in the Gouldian Finch, by Barry Pollock. Genetics is always a high talking point in the club and Barry gave us some more food for thought.
• Getting the Basics Right for Successful finch breeding, by Barry Pollock. This was a good talk on the basics and more importantly gave a great insight into finch keeping in Tasmania.
• Birds, Cages and Conservation- Let the Blood and Feather Fly! by Adrian Caneris. Another great talk and one that was really well delivered. Adrian managed to push our buttons and get our thought racing with arguments for & against conservation.
Functions in the club have been a great success this year with a few changes and additions on the way.
• Our January table sale was a huge success with 1,026 birds tabled for sale from 32 vendors, which is a huge growth from our first sale only having 540 birds. It was most pleasing to see a good growth in our native finches i.e. licensed birds, with 135 at this sale, which is a good growth from the original sale having only 20. It never ceases to amaze me the number of Gouldians at the sale and this year was no exception with 600-700 tabled.
• In view of such success at the January sale, we saw the committee to introduce a new sale for the club, The May Sale. We were all a little skeptical about how the sale would go, but based on the support of previous vendors, we had a go. Well we had 24 vendors at the sale and some 600 birds were tabled for sale, what a great result for the first time sale. We also took the opportunity to change two things (a) no inspection period and (b) charging an entry fee. This worked extremely well and will be adopted for future sales.
• In June was our annual show at the Ipswich Festival of Feathers. We had a good number of entries and again I don’t know how we would survive this event without the tireless help of Barney Hackney. It was very pleasing to see a few members of the club be inspired to show in the event, with Barry Pollock winning Champion Australian Finch of the Show and James Castle Champion Bengalese Finch, to name a few.
• September rolled around before we knew and our September weekend was here. This year saw another new innovation with a mini show held on the Saturday which allowed us to set up most of the staging for the auction the next day. Considering it the first time we held the mini show, it was a pleasing and enjoyable afternoon. Gary Fitt’s Plumhead Finch was a force to be reckoned with and I have only just learnt recently, that a snake got into Gary’s cages and decided it was a champion bird too! Such is life! The auction day was a huge day with some 328 lots to be auctioned. Our auctioneer did a great job and we again saw some surprises in prices. One our biggest days to date and can’t wait to see what happens next year.
• With the continual eyes watching what birds clubs are doing these days the QFS also introduced a new code of conduct for sales & events to ensure that the health and wellbeing of our birds are taken into account when running these events.
Sales table has gone from strength to strength with an increase in the number of sales. AWS has brought back to the club a professional sales table with a positive friendly attitude. They have added more and more products to their range and were just recently awarded the rights to sell produce from Birds R Us, giving us access to more range of products. This role was always a huge task for the club when it ran the sales table itself and it is with great pleasure that the committee and I did our part to get it back in track. I would personally like to thank both Adrian & Julie for providing such a great service to our club and look forward to a long & prosperous future together.
Probably one of the biggest changes to bird keeping this year would be the changes to Keeping & Recording exotic birds in Australia. This has been a long process with EBAG and now it is finally drawing to an end. There have been countless articles in our magazine over the year and a final summary has been written in our last finch news issued. I would personally like to thank Gary Fitt for all his tireless work on this matter and has put in a huge effort to keep us all well informed. One very pleasing thing out of all this was the formation of the National Finch & Softbill Association, which Gary is the President. This has been working well in keeping finch & softbills representation at a national level and I wish the NFSA all the best in the future.
One final note I would like to raise your attention to would be the development of our new website. This has been a great innovation and has seen some 35 members join online since its inception only 3 months ago. It will be a work in progress and it will continually be developed as we go along. A huge thanks goes out to Danny Searle for volunteering his time & expertise in designing and developing the website for the club.
I would like to personally thank all the committee for the help over the last two years and I certainly have gained a great deal of respect for them and their devoted commitment to work in developing and running the club. It is a thankless task at time and can place strains on your personal life at times, but I certainly feel that they should all take a bow.
In finishing I would like to let you know that I will be going behind the scenes for a few months with my calendar pretty full at the moment taking my boy to cricket & believing it or not coaching the team as well. I don’t remember being in the room when that got voting on, but there you go. After the cricket season I will be getting involved with a few other members in getting showing back in the club. Behind the scenes I will also be helping Danny to keep updating our website. There is still a huge amount of information to be added to the site and as you all know Rome was not built in a day.
Thank you all for a couple of great years!
Darren
Retiring President
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The QFS SPEAKERS FOR 2007.
January 5. Barry Pollock (Brisbane) – “Colour inheritance in the Gouldian finch”.
Colour variations on the body of the Gouldian Finch are striking to say the least. Many of these will be illustrated in this talk, together with an explanation of the genetics of colour inheritance. Barry Pollock began keeping and studying Gouldians two years ago after retiring from working for many years in aquaculture and fisheries. The talk explains head and breast colour inheritance, dominant and recessive colour forms, sex linked colours, and methods for raising difficult colour varieties.
February 2. Peter Odekerken (Sunshine Coast) - “Finches and Softbills around the World”
Peter Odekerken began keeping finches when he was 11 years old. Since then he has kept over 30 finch species, including several of the rarer African waxbills. His collections have also included an array of parrots including the lories and lorikeets, which are one of Peter's real passions. These days Peter is also well known for his excellent bird photography and his writing which appears regularly in the Australian birdkeeper. His photographic work includes avicultural species taken in the field and aviary and his general avicultural knowledge is world class. This video presentation to QFS will clearly demonstrate the high standard of Peter's photography.
March 2. Marcus Pollard (Tasmania) "Getting the basics right for successful finch breeding, with some insights from finch keeping in the apple isle”
This month we welcome another interstate speaker to QFS. Anyone who reads bird magazines will know Marcus Pollard, as he is one of the most prolific of writers with articles popping up everywhere. Marcus is also a dedicated and passionate finch breeder with a wealth of experience built up by developing the best possible conditions for breeding finches in Tasmania. Not relevant for you? You will be surprised by the tips and understanding of your birds to be gained from an experienced bird keeper and excellent presenter like Marcus Pollard. Make it your business to be there.
April 13. Peter James (Gold Coast) - “The Art of Showing Finches”
Do you have top birds? How do you know? The topic for this month will explore this question by discussing the intricacies and enjoyment of showing finches. A series of birds across four species will be presented in a mini show - where you get the chance to judge! Experienced show judge Peter James will discuss why we show finches, what you need in order to participate and most importantly what the judge is looking for. Come along and run your eye across the birds - learn what to look for in your birds!
May 4. panel discussion
June 1. Graham Bull (Coffs Harbour) – “Successful breeding of the Bluecapped Waxbill”
Graham Bull commenced finch breeding 33 years ago at the age of 6, starting with a pair each of Cordons, Ruddies & Auroras. Since then he has kept & bred most of the native and exotic species available in Australia. Although keen on all finches, his favourite species is the Blue-capped waxbill due to its beauty, placid temperament and the significant challenge to breed them consistently. Graham's talk will draw on his extensive experience to focus on the avicultural needs of Bluecaps in the context of his aviaries, routine and ideas. He will highlight several vital tips for success with breeding Bluecaps which are relevant to most other finch species. In doing so, Graham will provide a glimpse of his magnificent new set of aviaries and now large finch collection located in the hinterland of Coffs Harbour [NSW]. His new website, www.aussiefinchbreeder.com also provides an indication of the quality of Graham's birds. Don’t miss this interstate speaker - and bring along a friend.
July 6. Adrian Caneris (Brisbane) – “Birds, Cages and Conservation – Let the Blood and Feathers Fly!"
Adrian will draw on his personal experience from 20 years of involvement in wildlife management to explore the world of bird keeping and its role in wildlife conservation. He will present us with an interactive evening covering a mix of topics which will entertain, educate and challenge even the most experienced of keepers. Adrian will cover the good, the bad and the ugly with such topics as native animals as pests to aviculturists through to the aviculturist as a pest to native wildlife and native species conservation and the many differing views and challenges from within and without the industry. We will also hear about Adrian’s own trials and tribulations in keeping native wildlife as well as many of the hilarious incidents he has been involved in during his career.
August 3. Gary Fitt (Brisbane) – “Gouldians in the Kimberley - the annual census at Mornington Station”
Gary, our Vice-President, is a popular and knowledgeable speaker. Hear firsthand of his experiences in the Kimberleys on his visit to Mornington Station where he took part in the annual census. Be sure to catch this meeting as Gary presents an entertaining and informative lecture and maybe hear some of his adventures on his recent walking holiday in the Kimberleys – sure to be quite a unique experience. Bring a friend and catch up with old friends and enjoy the night.
September 7. Adrian Gallagher (Brisbane) – "Fertility is a function of health. How your avian vet can help."
Our speaker this month is well known avian vet, Adrian Gallagher. Adrian has kept birds all his life, starting with finches and later parrots. He still keeps swift parrots, has a pet gang gang cockatoo and double eyed fig parrot. That keeps him busy enough, but much of Adrian's time is taken with his "Brisbane Bird Vet". Established in September 2006, Brisbane Bird Vet is the only "avian only" practice in Queensland. After graduating in veterinary science, Adrian worked at several Brisbane veterinary Surgeries before purchasing the Brighton Veterinary Surgery in 1990 and remained there until establishing Brisbane Bird Vet. With his depth of knowledge of bird ailments and their needs to stay healthy, Adrian is a regular speaker at many avicultural conferences and meetings. His life goal is to educate bird owners in correct management, husbandry and preventative medicine initiatives to promote happy healthy birds so this will be an excellent and worthwhile presentation.
October 5. Peter Crow and Sheena Gillman (Birds Queensland, Brisbane) - "An overview of 'Birds Queensland' and conservation efforts for the eastern bristlebird."
This month we will have a double act in which we receive an overview of Birds Queensland and its activities from Peter Crow, followed by a talk from Sheena Gillman on a very topical issue of the conservation program for the eastern bristlebird, Dasyornis brachypterus. Birds Queensland is an organisation dedicated to the study and conservation of birds in Queensland. As immediate Past President of Birds Queensland, Peter Crow is well qualified to cover the topic and will reveal his broad general knowledge of birds. Sheena Gillman has been the Coordinator of Birds Queensland Volunteers participating in the Northern Working Group for The Eastern Bristlebird Recovery Project since 1999. The Eastern Bristlebird is critically endangered with only three small populations remaining in Australia. The smallest and most northern of these is found in an area of SE Qld and NE NSW, with fewer than 50 birds remaining. Birds in this population are quite different from their southern cousins and may even be a sub-species. Sheena will discuss the involvement of volunteers in this project and the pleasure she has experienced involving the wider community in the recovery project. This will be an interesting and different evening focussed on native birds.
November 2 Ian Brown – “Challenges and Rewards from a large mixed collection”
Ian has been keeping birds for around 35 years. Like many of us he started with Budgies, then graduated to parrots & a few Finches. However he now keeps a diverse and unusual range of birds including a select group of parrots (Eclectus, Gang Gangs, Conures, small Lorikeets) and broad group of finches (Native Australians, plus Weavers) and a suite of softbills (3 Species of Wrens, Scarlet Honey Eaters, Silver Eyes, & Purple Crowned Fruit Pigeons). This diversity means that Ian is familiar with the differing needs of many bird groups and so he has some great expertise to pass on. This slide presentation will be like an Aviary Visit without the bus trip - don't miss it!
December 7 Klaus Sitaas – “A day at Mike Fidler's: learnings and reflections”.
Klaus Sitaas is one of our most experienced aviculturists and an accomplished speaker. Klaus has kept birds for about 40 years keeping both finches and parrots. Credited with establishing the red-faced parrot-finch in Queensland, Klaus has also speciised with gouldians and now macaws and gang gangs. His talk this month will focus opn bird nutrition and some lessons learnt at the Mike Fidler open day last year. Come along to our Christmas meeting and learn something.
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