Editor's letter (September 17 issue)

Like many publications, Cage & Aviary Birds is reliant on the post – any disruptions or delay has implications for our copy deadlines. We’ve limped along this past month or so, greeting each day wondering if we’re going to receive any mail at all, and if we do receive any mail, will it be horribly late and therefore too old for us to use?

This is all thanks to industrial action being taken by Royal Mail workers in a dispute over pay, jobs and services, which has been running on and off since early August.

Even though a great many of our readers and contributors use email, we’re still hugely dependent on the postal system for Bargain Box adverts, letters to the editor and club news. When there’s no post, we have no content, and there’s nothing more terrifying for an editor than a blank page and an imminent deadline!

This, too, has implications for those of you with subscriptions to Cage & Aviary Birds – our phone rang hot last week with numerous complaints of undelivered copies. Sadly, there’s not much we can do about that. Once the issue is printed and sent to the delivery office, it’s all in the hands of Royal Mail – and if your regional office is on strike then it’s likely your copy will be delivered late. 

We appreciate your patience during this frustrating time and hope you’ll bear with us.

To get up-to-date service information about Royal Mail you can check the website. Alternatively, you can also sign up for free email service updates.

Editor's letter (September 10 issue)

My Editor’s Letter about the importance of the work of club publicity officers (August 27) seems to have hit a nerve. Several of you got in touch to thank Cage & Aviary Birds for helping promote your club’s activities.

I wasn’t fishing for compliments when I wrote that piece, but merely wanted to put to bed the misguided belief that we played favourites and only looked after certain clubs because we liked them. The truth of the matter is that our publication is a two-way street: you tell us what’s going on and we’ll share your news with the rest of the birdkeeping community. How simple could it be?

Bearing that in mind, we were thrilled to hear that Wirral Bird Keepers smashed the record for building the world’s largest bird feeder, despite vandals’ attempts to spoil the day (see our news story, page 3). You can read more about the club’s track history in a piece by Brian Keenan (see page 20).

As I said in my original letter, proactive groups such as Wirral Bird Keepers can teach other clubs a lot about promoting the hobby and using the media to present birdkeeping in a positive light.

On a separate note, very many newly released bird books cross my desk on a regular basis, but few have made as much as an impression as the one that arrived from Australia recently. The Budgerigar by Dr Rob Marshall is an incredibly comprehensive book that covers just about everything you could possibly want to know about keeping, breeding and exhibiting these birds (see my review on page 18).

We’re delighted to give five lucky readers an opportunity to win a copy. If you wish to enter, make sure you fill out the coupon on page 5 and get it to us by the closing date.

Editor's letter (September 3 issue)

One of the more common questions I get asked as editor of this title is whether I can name any famous people who keep birds. Aside from the stock response of Geoff Capes, I’m usually at a loss.

We know that American actress Angelina Jolie reportedly keeps an African grey and only recently someone tipped me off that Craig Phillips, the chap that won the first Big Brother back in 2000, was looking to purchase an owl. (Craig who?)

A friend in Sydney recently emailed me to say that the Premier of NSW, Nathan Rees, had admitted on radio that he has kept parrots and lovebirds for most of his adult life. Apparently he made the admission when the presenter of the morning breakfast show confessed he was not going to allow his daughter to get a pet bird.

“I have a couple of little ones (budgies) on the nest at the moment, and if you’re interested they’ll be ready in four weeks – and I’ll throw in the cage,” the Premier reportedly said.

Now, I’m not sure what kind of popularity Mr Rees enjoys, but surely a man in his position endorsing the keeping of birds can only be a good thing. Of course, we know John Randall (Conservative MP for Uxbridge) keeps birds, having featured him in an article in these fair pages several years ago, but can you imagine how the profile of this hobby would be lifted if a Cabinet minister confessed he kept budgerigars or canaries? 

Better still, imagine if the Prime Minister came out and said he was building an aviary in the back of Number 10!

So, if you know anyone who could be a poster boy – or girl – for the hobby, do let us know. We birdkeepers need all the good publicity we can get...

Editor's letter (August 27 issue)

One of the most important roles in any bird club is that of publicity officer. You need to be enthusiastic, well organised and confident, but you also need to be imaginative in order to come up with good ideas to promote your club. And you need to know what the media wants – and how they prefer it to be delivered.

I mention this because recently a reader grumbled to me that the only way his club could gain coverage in the pages of Cage & Aviary Birds was if he changed its name to Wirral Birdkeepers, or the Budgerigar Society of Ireland. I told him this was rubbish.

The reason those two clubs get coverage in our pages is not because we favour them over any other club, but because they continually let us know what is going on. Both clubs regularly send out press releases by email and make themselves available, either by email or phone, if we need to find out more. And they send pictures and a report after the event for inclusion.

Other clubs could learn a lot from the ways in which these organisations promote themselves.

The Wirral Birdkeepers are to be particularly commended for being so incredibly pro-active and imaginative in spreading the word about their activities. This coming weekend they’re attempting to break a world record (see News, page 3, in this week's issue) and attracting all kinds of media coverage, including local radio and press, as a result. This is brilliant for them, but also brilliant for birdkeeping as a whole, because it presents the hobby in a positive light.

 

So instead of complaining that Wirral Birdkeepers gets too much attention in Cage & Aviary Birds, how about taking a leaf out of their book and telling us all the great things your club is doing to promote the hobby? You know our address...

Editor's letter (August 20 issue)

Having recently survived a major refurbishment of my flat, I know how difficult it can be to find a suitable place to keep things in storage while the builders are hard at work. Bird clubs up and down the country that stage annual shows will know what I’m talking about. Where, for instance, do you put all that show staging when it’s not required?

Regular contributor Jim Addison shares a funny tale about this very subject which is bound to resonate with many of you. In Jim’s article “So where do you keep yours?” (see this week's issue, page 10), he recounts how one set of club staging has lived in an old folks’ home, a greenhouse and various attics. If only staging could talk, what a tale this particular lot would have to tell – especially as it seems to have been on the move for about 40 years!

If you have a similar tale to tell about your club’s difficulties in keeping the staging safe when it’s not needed, or, better still, a solution that might work for others, then do write in and let us know. 

In other news, it’s great to see some interesting captive breeding successes being recorded in zoos and bird parks this year. In this week’s issue we report on a world first – a beach stone-curlew in Australia – and a surprise shy giant wood-rail here in the UK (see page 3 in this week's issue for both stories).

Finally, if you don’t mind the odd tipple, don’t forget to enter our competition to win a case of 20 bottled beers from around the world. We have four to give away, and each case is worth £29.95. To enter, turn to page 5 of this week's issue, fill in the entry form and send it to us by the September 30 closing date. Good luck!

Editor's Letter (August 6)

The now-defunct National Cage & Aviary Birds Exhibition, which ran for 60 years, holds a very special place in birdkeeping history. Sadly, I never got to attend this landmark event, because by the time I joined the staff of Cage & Aviary Birds, in May 2005, the last 'National' had been held (in 2003) and the 2004 event cancelled. For various reasons ­ political, financial and legal ­ it has not been held since. And yet the importance of the event, upon which the whole of the exhibition fancy once revolved, has not gone unnoticed by Yours Truly. I still meet fanciers who tell me about the National and how much they miss it. We still hear the odd rumour or two about clubs or various individuals wanting to resurrect it. Unfortunately, IPC Media, the company that publishes Cage & Aviary Birds and staged the National, is no longer in a position to run such a large event (the cost, alone, would be astronomical in today's current market), which is why under my editorship I have done what I can to support the Parrot Society's (PS) quest to develop a national cage bird exhibition to move on from where we left off. Initially, many fanciers viewed the PS's Bird Show of the Year with some scepticism, if not a little touch of hostility. But with nothing else to fill the void in the birdkeeping calendar left by the National, more and more clubs, societies and avicultural firms have got behind it. Last year's event had a real buzz about it ­ and this year's, to be held in October, looks set to be even bigger and better. Here at Cage & Aviary Birds we are more than happy to lend the word 'National' to the show's new, extended name ­ The National Bird Show of the Year ­ and hope that those of you who haven't attended in the past will do so in the future.

Editor's letter (July 23 issue)

It's that time of year again, when budgerigar clubs up and down the country begin holding their club shows. Indeed, some, such as South Hampshire BS and Darlington & Spennymoor BS, have already held theirs, and there’s a handful more scheduled for this coming weekend.

As ever, the subject of exhibition budgies will no doubt raise its (big ugly?) head, whether at the shows themselves or via my email inbox. During last year’s show season I received many emails (none of which were for publication) which claimed that the breeding of budgerigars had gone too far. 

Some questioned whether it was detrimental to the fancy to keep breeding big, brow-headed birds that look nothing like the wild budgerigars from which they descend. 

Others claimed that the quest for size meant that the birds’ feathering had altered to the “point of no return”.

Personally, I do not think it is the Editor’s job to decide what a show budgerigar should look like – that is the role of the Budgerigar Society. Still, I thought it an interesting topic to debate: are exhibition budgerigars big and ugly? Regular contributor Jim Wright and editor-at-large Roy Stringer have agreed to battle it out – in a most gentlemanly manner, of course – in our next Hot Debate, which runs in the August 6 issue.

Obviously, it would be great to hear what you, the reader, think of this issue, whether you breed and keep budgerigars or not. If you’d care to send your thoughts, in roughly 50 words, to us by next Friday (July 31), we’ll choose a selection to run on the page. Please send to the usual address or email us with ‘Hot Debate’ in the subject line.

In the meantime, best of luck on the show bench!

Editor's letter (July 16 issue)

If we ever run short of letters to print in our newspaper, we have a sure-fire way of generating a response: simply get someone to take a pop at sparrowhawks. 

Yes, our mail bag has been bulging at the seams ever since one correspondent wrote in to tell us he blamed the sparrowhawk for the decline in the songbird population (“Hawks to blame?” June 4).

So many of you jumped to the sparrowhawk’s defense I’ve been unable to publish every letter, particularly as some ran to pages and pages. (Please note, a letter’s more likely to be published if it’s less than 250 words.)

There’s obviously something about birds of prey that gets people all worked up. While most of our readers aren’t falconers, I get the impression that most of you admire these birds for their beauty and majesty. How many of us haven’t been awe-inspired when seeing such birds up close and personal, whether in the wild or at flying demonstrations at local festivals or falconry centres.

Indeed, these birds are so popular, more than 10,000 people turned up to last weekend’s International Festival of Falconry in Reading (see page 3 of this week's issue.)

But despite their adoration, many birds of prey continue to be killed in the wild even though it is illegal to do so. Recently the RSPB asked bird enthusiasts to sign an online pledge to demand an end to this illegal killing. In just two days more than 10,000 people had added their names (see Week in Numbers, page 5, in this week's issue).

The illegal trade of these birds (and their eggs) is also on the rise, according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which published a Guide to Falconry Species last week. The guide aims to curb the illegal trade by making these birds clearly identifiable to the public, poachers and law enforcement officials around the globe.

Editor's letter (July 2 issue)

In recent issues we’re reported on bogus adverts for non-existent African grey parrots (“Fancier falls for parrot scam” June 4 and “Reader pursues the birdman of Cameroon” June 25). And in this week’s news section we highlight a similar scam that involves toucans (“Reader lifts the lid on internet advert scams”, page 4).

Typically, in these kinds of scams, contact between the seller and purchaser occurs via email. The seller then requests a payment up front, usually by money order or wire transfer. The location of the birds is usually somewhere in the United States or the UK, but then the scam artist will concoct some kind of story about the birds currently being in Africa, which means the money will now need to be wired to Cameroon.

In some instances, the “seller” will send pictures of the birds in question, but often these are stock shots or photographs stolen from other websites.

Now, if a stranger asked me to send £400 to Cameroon, I’d be suspicious, but a surprising number of people fall for the scam. So how do you spot one?

First, be wary of ads that offer birds, usually large parrots or hard-to-come-by exotics, at strangely low rates. 

Second, watch for a limited grasp of written English. 

Third, be suspicious if the seller is out of the country, and especially if they claim to be doing missionary work in Cameroon or similar. 

Four, pass it up if they request that you pay for the bird in advance using a money order, because once cashed it can be almost impossible to trace and you’ll never get your money back. In fact, if they want money up front and you haven’t seen the bird at all, then it really is a case of buyer beware.

In all cases, when buying birds through advertisements, you need to exercise a degree of caution. And remember, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Editor's letter (June 25 issue)

I’ve heard some interesting stories in my time, but when lovebird expert Dirk Van den Abeele got in touch recently to tell me about a lovebird hen that managed a virgin birth last Christmas I was lost for words. Apparently the hen had magically hatched an egg without ever having had contact with a male bird.

Initially I did wonder whether he might be pulling my leg, because I’d never heard of such a thing before. But, as as Dirk explains in his feature “A Christmas miracle?” (see page 11 of this week's issue), the process is called parthenogenesis and, while rare, it’s not unheard of.

If nothing else, this story just goes to show that birds are endlessly fascinating, and just when you think you have a handle on them, they do something so unusual or surprising that you realise you could never possibly know everything there is to know about them. Perhaps that’s what makes them such popular creatures, loved by so many, birdkeeper and non-birdkeeper alike.

Talking of surprises, I have to say this month’s article on fancy pigeons is sure to become a talking point. Is it just me, or do the legs on those striking pigmy pouter pigeons look a little too human? I’m sure there are supermodels out there who would kill to have a set of pins like the ones in Graham Bates’s piece entitled “Little smashers” (see page 13 of this week's issue).

Once you get over the quirkiness of their appearance, these do sound like terrific birds which are a pleasure to keep and a good challenge to breed if you’re looking to exhibit them.

And if that’s not enough quirkiness for you in one issue, don’t miss Jim Wright’s look at the half-sider budgerigar bred by the Freakley and Ainley partnership (see page 20 of this week's issue). We’ve published pictures of this particular bird before, but it still provokes a strong reaction.

Enjoy the issue!

Editor's letter (June 18 issue)

In this week’s issue we’re kicking off with a new 10-part series looking at the Avicultural Society’s efforts to save certain exotic species in captivity.

  These efforts by Britain’s birdkeepers to breed birds as diverse as toucans to bulbuls have taken on special significance thanks to the ban on wild-caught bird imports to the EU. When this “temporary” ban was introduced back in late 2005, many of us laboured under the misapprehension that as soon as it was lifted, we’d be able to replenish stocks. 

The cold hard reality hit when the ban was extended indefinitely in July 2007. With no new birds coming into the country, we would have to make do with those birds already in our care.

Now, three-and-a-half years after the ban was first introduced, it’s no exaggeration to say that the situtation for some of our exotic species is becoming “make or break”. 

It’s clear from talking to those who breed exotics in the UK that more co-operation and communication is needed between birdkeepers, whether professional or otherwise.

Indeed, we have been surprised, and in some cases shocked, at the responses we have received when approaching certain birdkeepers for their help in compiling the articles that comprise this series. In one instance, we were told that the birdkeeper in question simply wasn’t interested in taking part; another wanted to know what was in it for him before rudely hanging up the phone.

If this is the response we get in our efforts to help promote these species, is it any wonder that our birds are at risk of dying out in aviculture? Thank goodness, then, that many co-ordinators of the Special Interest Groups went out of their way to help. We hope you enjoy reading about their efforts in the weeks to come...

Editor's letter (June 11 issue)

Welcome to this week’s vermin-themed issue, which we hope will provide every birdkeeper with some useful tips and advice for keeping those unwanted furry creatures, whether rat, cat or fox, away from your precious birds.

We know how heart-breaking it can be to spend so much money and devote so much time and effort to breeding and nurturing your stock only to find they’ve been decimated overnight by intruders of the four-legged kind. (Unfortunately, if it’s the two-legged kind you should probably call the police.)

Long-time contributor Bill Naylor offers some great tips for vermin control in our Birdkeeping Know-How section (see page 10 of this week's issue), including how to make sure your birds are protected from those predators that don’t immediately jump to mind, such as weasels, mink and blood-feeding ticks.

We’ve also rounded up eight products on our Marketplace page that will help keep the rats and cats at bay. 

And it that’s not enough, the DIY pest-control supplies company PPC Supplies has also very kindly agreed to give away five of its best-selling non-toxic rat killing kits to five lucky readers. Each kit is worth £34.99 and comes with everything you need to get rid of rodents in the birdroom or aviary. To enter, simply fill out the coupon on page 5 of this week's issue and send it to us by the June 30 closing date.

On that note, we hope everyone’s having an enjoyable, successful and vermin-free breeding season! And if you’ve got any great tips on how to get rid of rats and other foes, why not share them with us all? We’d love to hear them.

Editor's letter (June 4 issue)

A few weeks ago I asked whether birdkeepers were interested in conservation (Editor’s Letter, May 21). And I’m pleased to see that the response has been positive, as the letters we have published in this week's issue will attest. Thank you to those who took the time to write; I hope others will follow suit.

This favourable response is in stark contrast to a show I attended last year in which one particular reader hounded me on the topic, insisting that it had no place in the pages of Cage & Aviary Birds and that he would cancel his subscription if we continued to run news stories of this nature!

Obviously, our editorial interests will always lie with captive birds. But we think it’s important to see the links between the birds we keep and their wild cousins. Surely we can learn from each other. If we know how birds behave in the wild, it might help us to understand their needs that little bit better in captivity; and in captivity we can study birds at close quarters to find out more about their habits that may help scientists out in the field.

My only concern is the ongoing belief that releasing captive-bred birds into the wild is a solution for dwindling populations. While it might sound like a wonderful concept, the very real fact is that captive-bred birds are generally conditioned to human contact, which would put them at risk if they were let out into the wild. And there’s also the issue of habitat loss. We could run the world’s most successful breeding programme of, say, red-tailed cockatoos, but if there’s no natural habitat and sustainable feeding grounds for them in the wild what would be the point?

There are obviously ways around this – running breeding projects with minimal human intervention and protecting habitats wherever possible. But this will only work if we all agree to work together, regardless of which “side” we are on.

Editor's letter (May 28 issue)

The practice of selling birds at auction is a thorny topic in birdkeeping circles. This is because poorly organised auctions, in which birds are sold in questionable conditions (cages too small and dirty, for instance), reflect badly on the fancy. And this, in turn, gives those that wish to ban birdkeeping perfect ammunition to fire in our direction.  

Hawk Eye touches on this controversial topic in this week’s column (see page 17 of this week's issue). He reckons that many birdkeepers regard auctions as “nasty affairs that we’d be better off without”. But he feels that few people voice their opinion because they fear being labelled an anti.

Sadly, keeping quiet in this instance doesn’t help our cause – or our birds – very much, which is why it’s pleasing to see that the Bird Strategy Group is prepared to tackle the subject (see page 2 of this week's issue). The group plans to look at ways in which auctions can smarten up their act and will most likely include these measures in its revised Avian Welfare Strategy. As ever, we will keep you posted on the group’s findings…

Another topic that frequents these pages more than any other is the problem of birds “going light”. It’s pleasing to have avian vet Brian Stockdale clear up the myths and misinformation about this health issue in this week’s Vet Clinic (see page 8 of this week's issue). This is required reading for anyone who keeps birds that have lost weight without an obvious reason.

And finally, if you love garden birds as much as the ones you keep, you might be interested in our reader offer in which you can purchase a bird feeder for a reduced rate. If you subscribe to Cage & Aviary Birds you can knock a further 10 per cent off the price. Full details are on page 17 of this week's issue.

Editor's letter (May 21 issue)

More birds than ever before are threatened with extinction, according to the latest IUCN Red List of Threatened Species released last week. The total number of Critically Endangered bird species now stands at 192, two more than the last update in 2008 (see our news story of page 2 in this week's issue).

When I hear these kinds of statistics being quoted I generally feel a bit overwhelmed by it all. And then I wonder how this kind of news ties in with birdkeeping. Are our readers interested, or would they rather just read straightforward avicultural news and the latest club and show reports?

It’s a funny question – and one to which I haven’t quite received a satisfactory answer. I tend to think that birdkeeping can no longer be seen in isolation, and that to be taken seriously in today’s modern world, and not hidden away behind closed doors as it so often is, it must be seen to be actively helping its wild counterparts.  

And if birdkeepers love all birds, regardless of whether they’re captive or wild, surely they must also care about the conservation status of wild species? And isn’t there a case to be made about giving something back to the conservation of those species?

The Parrot Society UK is one body that seems to embrace this view, having donated many thousands of pounds over the years to worthwhile conservation projects, one of which has recently reaped a prestigous international award (see our news story on page 5 of this week's issue). But how many other clubs and societies donate money to causes that help save wild birds?

What do you think about this topic? Are you concerned about wild bird conservation, or do you feel that those sorts of stories have no place in our pages? I would love to open the debate and eagerly await your views...

Editor's letter (May 14 issue)

Judging by the number of people overloading their trolleys with bedding plants and all manner of terracotta pots at my local garden centre this past weekend, now is the time to get busy in the garden. If you’re thinking about putting up a new aviary we’ve done some leg work for you and listed eight ready-made ones on the market, or if you want to cut costs and build your own, then Mark Perry provides some hot tips. Even regular contributor Bill Naylor’s got into the act, showing you just how easy it is to build a pond that your birds will love. And if that isn’t enough, our resident team of experienced fanciers has also provided some handy tips on buying aviaries, building aviaries, fitting aviaries out and stocking them with birds. We hope you find our focus on aviaries helpful and inspiring – let us know how you get on! In this issue we’re also running a competition to win the much-anticipated book, Birds of the Horn of Africa, the first-ever field guide that details all the bird species that live in the north-east of the African continent. Anyone interested in foreign birds will appreciate this newly published title by A&C Black. We have five copies, valued at £29.99 each, to give away. 

Last, but by no means least, I was very sad to learn of the death of Ron Evans, the IOA president. I was fortunate to meet Ron on several occasions, most recently at last year’s Bird Show of the Year, and he greeted me like an old friend, hand outstretched with a beaming smile on his face. He was always frank in his views but never at the expense of his good manners. The fancy will be all the poorer without him, and I offer my condolences to his family at this difficult time.

Editor's Letter (May 7)

Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man. So goes this old Jesuit motto which implies that the best time to indoctrinate a person in a lifetime of religious belief is when they are young. No doubt it works for other interests as well, such as a love of reading and an appreciation of Nature. And how many of today’s fanciers can trace their interest in birds to their time as a youngster? Recently we’ve run several news stories in which youngsters have been found to harm birds (“Lads caught on camera”, April 23, and “Crossbow youths target geese”, page 4 of this week's issue). When kids are allowed to run riot, have no role models in their lives and nothing constructive to do with their time, is it any wonder these incidents happen? Furthermore, I’m no psychologist, but if a child has no respect for himself (through lack of parental care), then how can we expect him to respect other creatures? On this issue I usually feel that teachers get a bad press, but now I’m not so sure. Walking to work across the Millennium Bridge I run across countless school groups making their way to the Tate Modern. Recently I got caught behind a whole gaggle of youngsters, not more than six or seven years old, several of whom erupted in squeals of fear when they saw a common gull sitting calmly on one of the bridge’s suspension arms watching them walk by. I’m not a particular fan of seagulls myself, but he was a beautiful creature, a juvenile I suspect, with pristine white feathering and lovely brown tinges to his wings. I had hoped the teacher accompanying the children would have put their fears to rest by explaining that the bird was beautiful, something to be admired, rather than feared. But no. “What a yukky and horrible bird,” he told the children, as he ushered them out of harm’s way. A simple “He won’t hurt you – and isn’t he gorgeous?” might have made the difference between a youngster who may grow up detesting anything with feathers and a future birdlover...

Editor's Letter (April 30)

Most of us probably don’t think twice when we pick up the paintbrush to redecorate the birdroom or paint a cage – we simply want to get the job done as quickly and cheaply as possible. But if you read David Alderton’s special report in this week's issue on the safety of the paint we use for these relatively routine jobs, you might think twice about what you dip that paintbrush into. Without wishing to scaremonger, David points out that some paints contain up to 10,000 different chemicals, some of which can be harmful to human and bird health. In fact, come next January, the EU is bringing in new controls on paints to help minimise these health risks. You can find out more, including where to source bird-safe paints, in David’s report. This issue also includes a report on a new mutation lovebird, the pale fallow taranta (see our cover story). According to the author Dirk Van Den Abeele, who is president of the Belgian Lovebird Society, there are only two of these birds in existence, which were bred by a fancier in Germany. Regardless of whether you agree with the creation of new mutations (I know some people believe there’s no point in trying to improve on nature), this is a fascinating account of lovebird genetics. Finally, if you like pottering around in the garden (as many birdkeepers do), don’t miss your chance to obtain a free herb garden pack – there’s one for every reader. Each pack comprises six popular herbs (parsley, basil, thyme, coriander, oregano and chives), an instructional DVD that shows you how to create your own herb garden, and a three-piece tool-kit (trowel, fork and planter) to get you started. To claim yours, just add £2.65 towards postage. Full details are on page 18 of this week's issue. Please allow 28 days for delivery.

Editor's letter (April 16 issue)

Is it a coincidence that we have three letters in this week’s Cage & Aviary Birds talking about the price of birds? 

Given the current economic climate, perhaps not. But all our correspondents raise valid issues of concern, not the least George Woods (see our Letter of the Week), who claims that we are selling our birdkeeping heritage down the river – or, to be more precise, to fanciers on the Continent – all in the name of making a quick buck.

The price of birds has always been a thorny topic, because there have always been – and always will be – people in the hobby who don’t do it for the love, but for the money. You may not agree with the idea of treating birds as commodities, but as long as such dealers are not breaking any laws, whether relating to animal welfare or wildlife, then there’s little that can be done. A bird is only worth as much as a person is prepared to pay for it, so if fanciers in mainland Europe are happy to stump up enormous prices for British-bred birds, then good luck to them.

But – and it’s a big but – if the methods being used are dubious (or, as Mr Woods puts it, “disgusting”), then we need to question what’s going on. If readers have thoughts on the issue, or, better still, evidence that laws are being broken, then please let us know. Dodgy dealings in which birds are harmed or badly treated have no place in the hobby, whether here in the UK or abroad.

Finally, on a brighter note, our classified sales executive Wayne Lashley is in training for the London Marathon, to be staged on April 26. He’s raising funds for Action Medical Research, a great charity that funds pioneering medical research. If you’d like to help him reach his ambitious £2,000 target, then please feel free to sponsor him. I am sure he would appreciate the support.

Editor's Letter (April 9)

Back in February art editor Kevin Pruitt and myself dedicated a chunk of time to putting together an entry for the 2009 Newspaper Awards. While there are loads of different awards for magazines (such as the PPA Magazine Awards) and for journalists, these are the only industry awards that are dedicated to newspaper and news media production, and so they are a rare chance to receive some acknowledgement from our peers. Cage & Aviary Birds has achieved some success at these awards in the past. We won the Special Interest Newspaper of the Year award in 2000, were commended in the Special Interest Newspaper of the Year category in 2003 (the winner was Antiques Trade Gazette) and gained another commendation for Most Outstanding Use of Colour in 2007 (the winner was the Guardian). Last year, we didn’t enter, only because as a new editor I simply overlooked it (too busy trying to grapple with everything else, I suspect), but this year I was determined not to miss out. Thank goodness we made the effort, because last week we discovered that we have been shortlisted for the Most Outstanding Use of Colour – the same category in which we were commended two years ago. We are up against Angling Times, Church Times, Fishing News, Garden News and MCN. The winner will be announced on April 22. Wish us luck! On another topic, it’s interesting to see the subject of the Budgerigar Society’s open show date raise its ugly head again (see the letter from Ray Fox in this week's issue). Funnily enough, the latest issue of The Budgerigar contains a form of proxy for members to have their say on a range of resolutions being decided upon at its upcoming AGM. If the BS can send a form like this with its magazine, why couldn’t it have done the same with its vote for the open show date? Or am I missing something?