The story of David Gammond from Al Azizia Birds Kingdom. PART II

June 18th, 2015 | by LubosTomiska
The story of David Gammond from Al Azizia Birds Kingdom. PART II
ZOOs and birdparks
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Read also the first part of this article:

The story of David Gammond from Al Azizia Birds Kingdom. PART I

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SUMMARY OF PARROTS KEPT IN AL AZIZIA BIRDS KINGDOM:

The Macaws Block

Dimensions each aviary 3.8 H / 3.2 – 4.m W / 5m L ( curved block )

4 pair Hyacinth macaws , 1 pair Military macaws ,1 pair Buffon’s macaws , 1 Pair Blue-throated macaws , 1 Pair Scarlet 1 pair Blue & Gold macaws, 1 pair Red-fronted macaws , 1 pair Coulon’s macaws , 1 pair Illiger macaws , 1 pair Severe macaws

Each aviary is front viewing only with keeper access to back of the block, roofs are shaded with natural palm leaf. We use misting, fans and shower systems. All nest boxes are hidden from public view to provide privacy and additional shade.

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hyacint

Hyacinth Macaw in Al Azizia Birds Kingdom

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Africa & Southeast Asia / Australasia

Similar dimensions to the above block shaped like two horseshoes with smaller aviaries 3.5m H x 3m W x 2m L for the smaller birds – Cape parrots, Red-spectacled amazons, Yellow-naped and Double yellow-headed amazons. There are also larger aviaries for the Red tailed cockatoos, Palm cockatoos, Triton cockatoos, Umbrella cockatoos, Mollucan cockatoos, Hyacinth macaws, Pesquets parrots, Silvery Cheeked hornbills and Channel Billed Toucans.

We have ten additional breeding cages that house amazons and smaller macaws of public view as well as two incubator rooms , boarding room and hospital room. Due to the fact that there are no specialist vets in Bahrain 99 % of all illness observed I treat .

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palmak

Palm Cockatoo

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inka kakadu

Inka Cockatoo

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General diet used for all parrots

All our stock receive a varied diet 3 times a day.

Fruits And Vegetables – Beetroot, White radish, Carrot, Peas, Corn, Lettuce, Grapes, Papaya, Mango, Apple,Orange, Berries, Banana etc.

Cooked pulses and smaller seeds with the addition of sunflower ( controlled amounts ), whole wall nuts and boiled groundnuts. In addition we give calcium and probiotics on a controlled basis.

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Al Azizia Birds Kingdom

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Pesquets Parrot

I acquired these stunning birds in Nov 2013 much against the advice of my father. However they were amazing birds that would add to the collection. We have no idea of when they arrived in Bahrain or where the origin was I received a call from a fellow breeder and went to look at what they were. The shop one had one pair and were feeding them sunflower seeds which seems to be the staple diet out here in pet shops (due to ignorance and little understanding of parrot species and aviculture in general). So I purchased them . I quarantined them for 12 weeks and treated them for illness and malnutrition. In February 2014, I introduced them to their aviary, 3.5 H x 5m L x 4.5m W. The aviary was planted with two Hibiscus tree low level shrubs.

In late June we introduced a 2.4 meter dead and well rotted palm log to provide a nesting medium. The pair were obviously bonded from the start (their origin) by the end of July the female had started to excavate at approximately 1. 7 meters. This process took approximately 12 weeks. Both the male and female were observed removing debris from inside the log and when finished the internal excavation measured 1. 4 meters from entrance to the base of the nest.

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tricha samec

Pesquets Parrot, the breeding male

 

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Diet for Pesquets:

Banana / Ripe Mango / Papaya and Carrot boiled – all spiked on nails around the aviary

Plus Fruit mix Chopped

  • Grape
  • Apple
  • Banana
  • Papaya
  • Mango
  • Berries
  • Fig
  • Dates
  • Probiotics and Celriac Baby food with red fruits

Prior to nesting the parents only consumed the fruit on the nails and very little of the mix.

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mlade2

The older chick

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tricha mlade

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Although we did not see the birds mating the female started spending more time in the nest towards the end of October, and the male started showing more signs of aggression towards me and the section keeper. Base on hatch date of the first chick (12th December 2014) we estimated the first egg was laid around 12th or 13th of November and the second hatching on the 16th December.

The observation hole at the base of the trunk was two small to get a clear view so I took the decision not to interfere with the process.

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mlade z budky

The young Pesquet’s Parrot is leaving the nest

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mlade

The fledged youngster

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Both parents were observed feeding the chicks regularly with all fruit mix being consumed. The female spent the majority of time in the nest with the male interchanging with her and feeding the baby’s on average 8 hours a day the female would be in the nest with the male only 1 to 2 hours.

On the evening 26th December my keeper advise that he could not hear the chicks, using the video and light function on the iphone we took video of the two chicks inside the log which revealed that the first born was massively developed in comparison to its sibling, there was no movement from the smaller. We took the decision to remove the smaller one which my son carefully removed. It was weak and had an empty crop so we decided to attempt hand rearing. We left the larger of the two which was successfully parent reared and left the nest on the 4th April 2015.

The female has initiated te breeding cycle with excavation started at a different part of the log on 26th May 2015.

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tym osetrovatelu

The team of zookeepers in Al Azizia Birds Kingdom

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