These included pebbles, course gravels,
large rocks, mulch and red desert sand.
Water stations have an overfl ow drain to
remove excess water in each aviary. These
drains are covered with river stones, hiding
them from view and giving a more natural
look. Water is piped underground to each
aviary and is controlled by a battery-
operated timer, scheduled to run for two
minutes twice a day.
With a keen interest in indigenous plants,
I began amassing a nursery 12 months
before the aviary was to be completed.
Some species of fi nch, such as weavers
and the Lonchura genus (Chestnut-
breasted and Yellow-rumps) can be hard
on plants, so it was important to give the
plants a head start. Plant selection was
narrowed to the habitats I was attempting
to create and plants that would do well in
the South Australian climate, as well as
those that may provide nesting sites, fruits,
fl owers and seeds.
Most aviaries were planted out with
Kangaroo Wattle Acacia paradoxa. This
prickly plant is ideal for holding nests in
place and protecting them from predators.
In an aviary setting, it can withstand
even the constant nibbling of weavers.
In the wild, it is not uncommon to fi nd
it containing the nests of robins, wrens,
thornbills and fi retails. Other larger shrubs
include Prickly Tea Tree Leptospermum
continentale, Prickly Moses Acacia
verticillata, Hop Bush Dodonea viscosa,
Hop Goodenia Goodenia ovata and Silver
Banksia Banksia marginata. Salt Bush
Atriplex species, were utilised in two of
the aviaries designed to appear like an
arid habitat.
Service area—note the slide-out feed drawersThe ground covers and grasses
included a personal favourite, Mat-rush
Lomandra longifolia. This species is
almost bulletproof, being able to cope with
very dry and wet conditions, full sun and
full shade. The toughness of this plant is
demonstrated by the fact that councils,
throughout the southern and eastern
states of Australia, use it as a median strip
plant. Its tuft-like clumping habit has been
utilised by many fi nch species that like to
nest near the fl oor. I have had Pictorellas,
Stars, Chestnuts and Masked Finches build
nests within it.
I am a huge fan of native Australian
grasses and, wherever possible, like to
utilise them in fi nch and softbill aviaries.
Tussock grasses from the genus Poa and
Kangaroo Grass Themeda triandra are my
preferred species. Unfortunately, fi nches
are hard on grasses and, if an aviary has
a large fi nch population, the chances are
the grasses will eventually lose out. I
have confi ned my grasses to aviaries that
contain Pictorellas, Crimsons, Painted
and Masked Finches. In these aviaries the
grasses have fl ourished as these species
are not ‘grass-eating machines’. I have
not planted them in aviaries that contain
weaver species, Chestnuts and Diamond
Firetails as the grass would end up being
eaten or pulled apart for nesting material.
Pigface Carpobrotus rossii was planted
as ground cover in the coastal/desert
aviary containing Crimson Chats and
Rock Parrots.THINKING NATURAL
In order to create a naturalistic
environment, large rocks and logs weresourced and put into place prior to the
walls being erected. At this point, soil was
also moved into the aviaries. Perching
was provided by natural branches, many
of which were placed vertically into
the ground. I wanted to avoid straight
horizontal perches that went across the
width of the aviary, on which birds line up
side by side. Rather, birds would perch in
the dry brush, living vegetation or on dead,
vertical branches scattered strategically
throughout the aviary.
The internal walls are lined with brush,
utilising several timber batons mounted
2cm away from the wall at various heights.
Brush is simply secured behind the batons
along the entire length, creating a wall.THE FINAL PRODUCT
The fi nal result was a north-facing aviary
complex consisting of six habitat aviaries.
Each aviary is serviced from a rear 13m
x 2m walkway that extends the entire
length of the complex. The aviaries range
from 4–6m in length and 1.5–3m in width.
Internal walls are insulated and clad in
sealed plywood.
Birds can be viewed from either the
walkway viewing windows or by standing
outside the open fl ights. Feed trays are
located below each viewing window and
slide out easily, negating the need to enter
the aviary. A plywood ledge is fi tted above
the viewing window. This prevents birds
from defecating onto the food tray below
and allows brush to be installed above the
viewing window, providing extra perching
and nesting locations.
Catching birds in any planted aviary
is always a challenge. I tend to utilise anVersiclad™ roofi ng—note the clean fi nish