Courier Local News

“If we have the bird and aviaries, then we should do it properly,” says bird lover Barry Ackroyd, who is also treasurer of the Ashburton Bird Club.
“There are a lot of visitors stopping off in the domain and the aviaries could be a real eye-catcher and attraction if we get it right,” he said.
Wild birds are currently managing to get into some of the cages. And if they can get in, others can get out.
A pair of galas was said to have “disappeared” recently, Mr Ackroyd said.
When The Courier met a group of five bird enthusiasts at the aviaries recently a dead, wild bird was on the ground inside one of the cages.
Another dead bird had been seen in a different cage the previous work, but had since been removed.
“These wild birds are often diseased and need to be kept out of the cages,” said caged bird fan Valerie Snook.
“The birds also needs more distractions and play things in the cages, whether it’s bells, branches or toys. Like all other pets they need to enjoy themselves and to keep their minds active,” she said.
The cage nearest the car park is currently closed and the concerned bird lovers group want the tree inside it removed and the cage tidied up.
The walk-through native bird aviary, away from the main aviaries, is also currently locked up and is awaiting a new roof.
“The council asked us for advice around four years ago and we made a number of suggestions. They took some of them on board, but we are keen to talk to them again,” said Barry Ackroyd.
The bird lovers, which includes Ashburton Bird Club vice president John Hunter, have countless years of bird handling experience between them and are keen to share their knowledge.
The group is suggesting fewer doves in the main caged area and a separate area for peafowl, which they say, should not be in with the budgies, canaries and quail.
“The peafowls like space and roaming and also often poach the eggs and can kill other young birds,” said John Hunter.
The group is also keen for a walkway partially through the main cage, which will allow the public a closer look at the feathered attractions.
“If the council wants to see what can be done with an aviary they should visit Temuka, Oamaru or Dunedin, which are all good examples of what you can do,” said Barry Ackroyd.
Ashburton District Council’s technical administrator David Shaw, who is tasked with sourcing birds and looking after their general welfare, is keen to do what’s best for the birds with the resources he has.
“We have a brand new aviary planned for early nest year and we will also be revamping and re-wiring the existing cages in the future as well,” he said.
“Unfortunately we can only do what the funds allow us to do. In an ideal world I would love to see a walk-way and more birds,” he said.
The paradox of the peafowl is that although the birds are a big visitor attraction, especially for children, they are in actual fact forest birds that need space to roam.