March 2021

Brian Reichelt

Brian Reichelt shared with us his vast knowledge of bird keeping from a very early age. His presentation was on Exotic Birds, the housing, feeding, breeding etc. at his home in Port Augusta.

February 2021

David Barrington

David presented photos of his collection of waterfowl, sharing his knowledge of species specific needs for breeding, feeding and housing and pest management for keeping these beautiful birds.

David gave a talk on what it means to be a modern aviculturist where he took us through the construction of his amazing custom aviaries, his diverse collection of birds, some of his clever ways to manage pests and harvest live food for his birds and shared with us his insights into the future generation of aviculture.

Bob Lowe gave a great tour of his aviary practices around the keeping of finches.

The Kea - New Zealand's smartest bird

July 2020
AGM

Dr. Gary Fitt

Gary has served on the committee of the Queensland Finch Society, National Finch and Softbill Association and various other representative avicultural bodies for numerous years. He is a passionate advocate for bird conservation and chairman of the Save the Gouldian Fund and members were treated to a detailed insight into his avicultural knowledge and stunning photographs from Cheryl Mares.

Birding in Java & Bali by Alma and Greg Dare

Peter introduced us to the birds and animals of his amazing property just outside of the Barossa, and his dedication to helping large birds such as the brolga.

No Guest Speaker

AGM

Dennis provided a lot of fantastic information about another type of winged creature, the Australian native bats and microbats.

Roy demonstrated a method of jointing aviary wire together to create unique shapes for frameless aviary construction.

Club home-grown talk by a very experienced rosella breeder on his experiences with this species.

Dr Anne Fowler from the Adelaide Bird & Exotics Vet Clinic gave a highly informative talk on signs and symptoms of nutrition-based disorders in birds, and on the importance of finding the "Goldilocks spot" when it comes to nutrients - not too little, not too much.

Migratory shore birds

Roundtable discussion about members own aviaries.

Paul Kremmer gave a wrap up with photos from the Mount Gambier Aviary visit.

Gordon Rich shared his experiences chasing 12 elusive species of grass finch wrens from Mildura all the way to Kakadu. Travelling by plane, bus, helicopter and on foot through some of Australia's hardest to reach places chasing a new tick in the field guide - and spotting some of Australia's rarest birds along the way!

AGM

Kevin Leske gave a presentation on Java Sparrows, including his experiences breeding these birds.

Problem solving crows; raven funerals and the widowbird

David Pace shared his experiences in breeding Quail and shared his unique custom aviary construction and management practices.

Presentations from the Cornell University's research into the 39 species of Birds of Paradise

Tom Massey will share his experiences with Fruit Doves.

Club Member Keith will shared his experiences in breeding Macaws.

Update on Matilda the Orange Bellied Parrot - More Difficult Birds: the Swift Parrot and Operation PKO

Guess the Mutation - Wild Finch Research - Night Parrot Background and Update - Fledging of "Matilda" Orange Bellied Parrot

Paul Kremmer gave the club an excellent presentation on Mulga Parrots - in the wild, captive breeding and mutations.

Lindell returned to give a presentation on her experiences in the jungles of Costa Rica working on the preparation and release of captive-bred scarlet macaws back into wild breeding populations. After seeing the remoteness of the location and the conditions under which Lindell worked, we gained a whole new respect for her dedication to species conservation!

Di Auricht & Paul Kremmer gave a wrap up with photos from the Swan Hill Aviary visit.

The local author gave a fascinating talk about the background to his book, which is about biodiversity in the Barossa region.  His book is about the relationship between the animals and plants in our unique landscape, and we enjoyed hearing about the birds, animals and plants of our region and the way in which the landscape has changed over the years.

Members had an excellent update on exotic species which are pests within South Australia. Of particular interest was the red-whiskered bulbul, which has the potential to damage grape and fruit crops within the Adelaide Hills should a population establish itself within South Australia. An amnesty for this species has been announced subsequent to the meeting through the Adelaide Hills NRM. Lindell has an incredibly interesting background, and we've asked her to return to talk about her time with scarlet macaws in the jungles of Costa Rica!

Tony gave an excellent talk about the operations of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, particularly within South Australia and Northern Territory. It was an excellent insight into the service's origins and the way in which it saves the lives of people living in remote communities every day - sometimes through medical retrieval, but sometimes through providing day to day medical practitioners and preventative healthcare to remote areas which many of us take for granted.

October 2016
Gunther Frensch, "Birds of the Barossa":
Frensch Photography
Birds of the Barossa (Facebook)

Gunther is a keen amateur photographer based in Gawler who runs the "Birds of the Barossa" Facebook page, showcasing our local wild bird population. His stunning photographs coupled with information about where and when to see these birds promotes an interest in the birds visible in our region. One of the hardest parts of wildlife photography is that the end result doesn't always show the process needed to capture that image, and Gunther shared some of that process with us.