Who doesn’t love birds?
Man has always been fascinated by birds and has kept them as pets for thousands of years, from pretty little sweet sounding things like canaries to rather fierce looking birds of prey. Birds have also been kept as companions throughout the centuries and one is immediately drawn to the picture of the stereotype pirate with a talking parrot on his shoulder. Then there are also the birds of the poultry family which are kept to provide us with eggs and ultimately to eat.
There are bird watchers who spend countless hours traipsing around the countryside with binoculars trying to catch a glimpse of some rarely-seen bird and then there are the majority who are description with whatever species choose to inhabit their garden from time to time. But then there are those of us who like to take matters into our own hands and adorn our homes with birds of our own choice.
There is a vast range of cage birds available to the bird fancier and we usually go for those that are pretty, in the same way that we like flowers. But there’s one thing flowers can’t do and that is to entertain us with their sounds. Whether it be the sheer brilliance of a whistling canary, the sweet chirping of finches, the friendly chatter of a budgerigar (parakeet) or the sqwarking of a parrot, birds give a feeling of hominess to any residence.
Growing up in Australia, a lot of us bred birds for a hobby and a source of pocket money. It was usually budgerigars and the various types of finches which breed easily in captivity. We built cages and aviaries out of all sorts of scrap material such as packing cases, which were all made of pine back then. We also made our own nest boxes for the Budgies and provided branches and grass for the finches to build their own nests.
Lots of people had a talking parrot, the most popular being the large white Cockatoo. These were usually kept in a large cage but were often allowed to wander around at will with one of their wings clipped. My grandfather had one which used to get up on the roof of the house and pull out the lead-headed nails on the roof. It also chewed up the furniture at every opportunity.
Back then cages didn’t have to be attractive as long as they were functional but these days we tend to want a more sophisticated enclosure that adds to the ambience of our garden or patio or which blends in with the decor if we decide to have one indoors.There is a wonderful range of manufactured enclosures available in sizes and styles to suit any situation indoors or outdoors and to suit any type of bird.
There’s nothing nicer than to wake in the morning to the sound of birds and being able to bring the birds of your choice into your home is an added bonus.
Noel Williams loves anything to do with gardening, outdoor living and wildlife and is passionate about birds.
For a great range of bird cages and accessories go to:
<a href="http://www.birdcages-n-things.com"> http://www.birdcages-n-things.com</a>
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