Santa Clara Valley Canary and Exotic Bird Club
PETERSON JR. HIGH SCHOOL, SUNNYVALE
El Camino & Ham Streets
Next meeting: April 10, 1983
Pot Luck 1 P.M.
Meeting 1:45 P.M.
A - G Salad
H - P Dessert
Q - Z Hot Dish
Please bring your own table service
Hello again and Happy Easter! May it be dry & sunny! Finally, the grapevine informs me that some of you (most of you??) are having problems with the reduced type. Now, why didn't you say so when I stood up in two different meetings and asked that very question? I'm trying a double space between lines for this letter to see if that improves things any. The problem is that it costs 4¢ per page for an 8½ x 11 page at the copy shop (3½¢ when we go over 200 pages to copy) So, by reducing the size of the print and getting two pages in that 8½ x 11 paper, we get the letter printed for 1.75¢ or 2¢ per page of newsletter, which is cheaper than our old machine with the purple print could do. Since we have an editor who hasn't sense enough to know when to quit, it could get very expensive with the old size type. Please tell me if it is still too hard to read! Pat
Many thanks to Ralph Barnes, Bertha Andrews, Ruth Indiveri and Carol Rosten for their donations of birds to the March raffle. Incidentally, Naomi Cisper has been quietly bringing donations to most of the meetings without even mentioning it to anyone. Thanks, Naomi, that's real loyalty! Folks who have signed up to bring birds for the April meeting are: Ron Fournier, Ron Mercer, Leon DeLisle.
TREASURERS REPORT: (two months)
12/31/82 cash on hand: $2,157.37
INCOME: 1152.19
EXPENSE: 353.14
Feb. 28, 1983 cash on h. 2,960.42 G. Corlew
Many thanks to Haig Sarkisian for his fascinating talk and demonstration of Roller song at the March meeting. Pulling a team out of the breeding cages to bring to us is devotion to the fancy above and beyond the call of duty!
Doesn't ANYONE know Gr. MacNamee and Sam ∓ Elizabeth Smith?? I've really got a case of the guilts over taking their dues money and they haven't heard from us since.
GREETINGS, NEIGHBORS: We are now exchanging newsletters with the EXOTIC HOOKBILL SOCIETY of Fremont, CA. That group is now one year old and they have some interesting plans for using new technology in scoring hookbills at shows. Sounds fascinating.
PROGRAM: For the April meeting, we have borrowed from the American Federation of Aviculture a slide/tape show on various methods of aviary construction. Should be of great interest to all of us, even you folks who already have your built may get a few useful tops on how to improve 'em. For the person who is about to build (or re-build after this winter's storms!), don't miss the chance to avoid mistakes.
NEXT BOARD MEETING: At Glenn & Ruth Mitchells home, Sunnyvale. A quick trip up Fremont from Peterson Jr. Hi. Friday, April 29, 7:30 PM.
More from the Assoc. of Avian Veterinarians. Remember, this section of their newsletter is for the purpose of sharing ideas and experiences. The information is not necessarily based on scientific data, is not reviewed and is not suitable for referencing.
IME 29 from Vol. 2 #1 by Walter J. Rosskopf, Jr., DVM
Try to weigh all birds on a gram scale if practical on each visit.
Sudden losses help check disease states. You get a feel for that
bird's normal weight. (They vary tremendously from bird to bird.)
Ed. note: (SCVC) and any breeder ought to keep a gram scale on hand anyhow. They are cheap (Longs, Payless) and the smaller birds can be put in one of those cardboard boxes and weighed whenever you are monitoring a sick or questionably sick bird. I've managed to convince the Beebee to stand in the tray on top of the scale long enough to see if he's stable or losing.
IME 31. by Walter J. Rosskopf, Jr., DVM
Birds hide symptoms of disease, so ANY abnormal behavior
in an individual may foretell a problem. We never "pooh-pooh" a
client's concern.
IME 34 - same author ... The safest way to open a psittacine bird's mouth is with 2 sections of roller gauze. One person holds the bird, another loops the gauze and holds the mouth open, and the vet. can safely examine the mouth without injuring the bird. This is MUCH SAFER than gags, wood blocks, syringe cases, etc. (SCVC: and a good technique of the breeder who is trying to see if something minor is wrong before rushing off to the vet.)
HUGS & KISSES: To new member, Barry Cohen, who has volunteered space for us to store the staging. Howard & Carolyn are off to celebrate their 25th anniversary this week but, after their return, Howard will be looking for volunteers with trucks and muscles to help move it to its new home. Thank you, Barry. You just did wonders for the budget!
And, Happy Anniversary, Hansels!
The last Bard Meeting, with 11 members present, produced the budget committees findings and Margaret Roche, chairman, had a list of fund raising possibilities for consideration. We're gonna hafta get busy but it looks challenging and even fun. More at the meeting.
Just heard, Joe Gordon will be judging Red Factors at Portland this year and Leonard Quieto will be judging Red Factors at Fresno and Borders at Modesto. See, we don't just breed birds, we breed judges too!
Naomi Cisper has generously offered to make her copy of "Diseases of Cage and Aviary Birds" by Margaret Petrak and her copy of "Tips and Tricks" available for club members to borrow on the same sign-up basis as the A.A.V. Newsletter file is borrowed. Tips & Tricks is, of course, invaluable to the novice canary breeder and Petrak is super. Thanks, Naomi, for such a generous gesture.
A bit of space left and I'm running out of notes? Well, okay,
how about:
AAV's IME #50 by W.J. Rosskopf... If you see Amazon parrots
(particularly Lilac crowned and Mexican Red Heads) with yellow on
their heads to make them look like Double Yellow Headed Amazons,
you are probably dealing with illegal birds. The Mexicans can sell
these birds for more money as "good talkers". (I have even seen
half-moon parrots with dyed yellow head!)
SCV ed note: And it's the season for smugglers to start hitting
again. Be on guard and report any suspicion of smuggling, please.
We don't need another round of disease from smuggled birds!
WANTED: 2 mature male Fischer's Lovebirds. Terry Tracy.
Kathy Pietri of THE DOLLAR SAVER (an East Bay Paper) wants us to know that they reach 202000 homes - free in the East Bay - and their new Pet Column will run ads of 3 lines for 2 weeks for $24.57 as a special. They have 14 different papers. Or they can run the 3 lines for 1 week in smaller areas for $7.32. I'll have a sample of the Dollar Saver at the next meeting for those interested.
FOR SALE: Having just about finished putting 'em up for the year, I find that I said "Gotta save that one for breeding" several times too often. If you need hens, bring a cage to the next meeting. Pat McMullan
LOST: Bill Sekols blue jacket was left behind at the last meeting. Will whoever is baby sitting it please have it available at the next meeting?
Now then, Chillun, here's a chance to get in on the "conservation act" in a very direct way. As you know, there are "conservationists" out there who have been yelling for years that NO bird ought to be caged and they have been opposed to aviculture in all its aspects (except when it came to eating a chicken for dinner!) Well, A.F.A. has had a Conservation Committee for several years now and it, like everything else, is suffering for lack of funds. Bob Berry, who heads it, had a brilliant idea last summer and we now pass it on. Our lovely, caged, domesticated birds have given up their "freedom" in exchange for freedom from hunger, from predators and for the acquisition of a willing human slave to feed, clean, fetch, carry and pimp for them! Why then should they not be taxed to help care for their less fortunate, free and losing-the-habitat battle brethren? We are requested to do what we do best ... RAISE BIRDS! The appeal is for each person who raises birds to maintain and breed a pair on behalf of the AFA conservation committee and donate the wholesale value from the sale of the young from this pair to the conservation fund. Projects of this fund include: field studies (the first, currently under-way on the Red-Headed Amazon); public education programs; stipends to existing captive breeding programs for some endangered species; contributions to field studies initiated by others; and support of proposed land acquisitions for habitat preservation. How about it? Label one of your breeding cages "A.F. of A." and tell 'em to get busy. Also, send in the pledge so Bob knows you're doing it and then he won't lose heart. Receipt for each donation will be provided for those who may wish to declare a tax deduction.