Aviary update: A few hours later

[@paulbarrington-heaven4759]

This is GREAT !! So lovely to wake up this morning and to have a notification on my phone for KZbin, ‘ ECHO’S AVIARY’. Thank you for this update, and so good to see you back, I’ve been miserable since you left. Hope Dad is doing ok. You are an inspiration, caring for your Dad, making sacrifices and caring for your beautiful birds.

[@Echosaviary]

Oh gosh- I will do my best to get updates out. Winter is coming here so mostly just a time to hunker down!

[@johnperez2898]

Well said paul

[@AlenaT-gm7go]

Thanks for coming back! Your birds and aviary are such a pleasure to watch. So tempting to get more birds : ) I've got a couple of zebra finches who keep me entertained, but your parrotfinches are so cute - I need some parrotfinches in my life someday...

[@Echosaviary]

Be careful, first it is a couple finches, then you think, oh whats a couple more…🤣🤣

[@KrolPuszczy]

Hello, I love your aviary and the beautiful collection of birds, I would like to sit there on rainy, cloudy days with coffee and relax and watch for hours, greetings from Europe, from Poland, all the best

[@Echosaviary]

It is so cool to hear where people are from. Here we have many months of exactly that weather and I am very lucky to have a bench in there for just that purpose. Glad you like sitting there virtually too!

[@TropicalAviaryBirds]

So happy to see you back again🤩 As always a very interesting and well produced video👍

[@Echosaviary]

I am humbled my friend.

[@dougdow3549]

What a wonderful treat! So glad things are coming along for you and the birds. Do we get something out of your videos? Are you serious? Besides the joy of you sharing your wonderland of birds, the information you share is invaluable. Personally I think we all take something away from each of your videos to incorporate into our birds, at least I do... Thank you for taking the time to share with us not only your birds, but your knowledge.

[@Echosaviary]

Thank you Doug! I certainly turn it around and get ideas from your aviary too!

[@DysonDoctor]

Thank you so much for your videos. Both me and my partner follow your channel and eagerly await your next instalment. You have given us so many ideas for our new aviary and the information on the various species is so useful . Thanks again Jules & Keeley in the UK

[@Echosaviary]

Oh wow, thats great to hear! If I can save you some hassle or mistakes in your aviary build, thats very cool.

[@raulrodriguez2149]

I personally enjoy your videos. I enjoy them so much that they inspired me to build my own outdoor aviary. I have gained a lot of information from the videos in your channel. I learned about your channel from the paradise aviary channel. My only problem is trying to find the African waxbill breeders in my area (Miami FL). I hope you are able to continue making great videos. They really help thank you.

[@Echosaviary]

That is so awesome! Rancel is a good friend and you will have seen many of my birds in his videos. Yes the waxbills are not the favorite of everyone, and they are overall, challenging to breed, if you are on facebook, reach out to me and maybe I can help get you in touch with folks who have what you are looking for. I am in all the bird groups

[@Rietto]

I love seeing your updates, thank you! I still say you should set up some cameras and do a livestream of just the birds doing their thing. :3

[@Echosaviary]

You know I tried to do that but my internet service is so bad out there that cameras constantly failing. Probably a technology solution but I haven’t figured it out

[@robertfaber6796]

A very pleasant surprise to see your video today. Thank you for the update on what is going on. I subscribe to channels with a wide range of subject matter, but your channel always gets my first priority, everything else can wait. I always feel you are talking to me, rather than at me.

[@Echosaviary]

You have always noted that Robert- thank you, I have no idea what I do that deserves that honor but it sure means a lot to me!

[@chrisperry6105]

Glad to see you back, your aviary and bird knowledge is an inspiration for me in England, love your birds, wish I had the space you have, in the UK back yards are really small

[@Echosaviary]

Thank you- I know I am very lucky, but the funny thing is, no matter how much room you have, we have exactly the same feeling, “i wish I had more…”

[@conormcgrath932]

Always enjoy your channel, thanks for posting . From Ireland.

[@Echosaviary]

Thank you- I appreciate you!

[@cjthomas8835]

Love your videos! Very cool to see your birds!

[@Echosaviary]

Thank you very much- I appreciate you letting me know!

[@cjthomas8835]

I would love to have a similar setup and work with those species. But for now I’ll just live that dream through your videos!

[@johnperez2898]

Keep Teaching your Great 👍 TY

[@lynettemccavery7190]

Thank you so much for the wonderful videos. I keep a lot of different species of birds mostly parrots/parakeets and rescue ones at that But I do have a few finches and I honestly love your aviary and cage setups. It’s very inspiring for possible future setups and incredibly encouraging to see someone care for their birds so well!

[@Echosaviary]

Good job making a home for these birds in need! I am so glad you are getting ideas for the finches- they are much easier to explore habitat ideas with than some of the more powerful chewers.

[@webvakker]

Glad to have you back Ann. Enjoyed the video. I keep learning (even small things) from your vids. 🙏 Greetings from 🇳🇱

[@Echosaviary]

Greetings to you too! Thank you for letting me know, I really appreciate that.

[@dumbwaiter3644]

Cheers me up , so many problems here in Spain due to law changes, It is now virtually impossible to breed birds here due to overregulation in the name of conservation.

[@Echosaviary]

We are going in the same direction here too.

[@burgos227]

Hey 👋.. a surprise video ❤. Thank You! So relaxing to just watch your aviary

[@Echosaviary]

Thats great to know. About to go down with my coffee myself 😁

[@BeyondBeetroot]

Great to see you back, i like you're video's!

[@Echosaviary]

Thank you, I will do my best!

[@NancyLivingston-gd6wc]

It's amazing how nature will cooperate and care for others' babies when there are no threats and food/water is plentiful! What a healthy and beautiful environment - a deep thanks for sharing your aviary and meaningful observations with the world.

[@Echosaviary]

I am very lucky to be the caretaker of these guys!

[@maribetslilangels]

I love your aviary, and all the knowledge that you share, it helps so much! You have some stunning birds! Have a wonderful week

[@Echosaviary]

Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know!

[@dylanbaker8103]

So great to have you back. I love this channel your dedication is so amazing. Thank you for sharing and big love from NZ ❤.

[@Echosaviary]

You are very kind! I tell you what, I could learn a lot picking the brains of some of the folks near you!

[@k.b-z8f]

Thank you for all your informativ videos about finches and as your aviary was build up. I always start my day with a cup of coffee an one or two videos from Echos channel, lerning about a lot about the finches and the aviary or watching your birds while they bathing, its always a pleasure for me , before I start my day with husband and my 96-years old Mum, she ist staying with me and my husbands an our dogs, too. I I know there is a lot of work behind each video! As a young woman in former times I have had african finches still in the cage, now, beyond my 60s, you have given me the courage and passion to realize my long held wish again. I have now Gouldian finches and would like to have some more other finches with them.With the help of your many good suggestions, I m curretly planning to redesign our hen house in the medium term so that my birds can live in it. I wish you continued strength, creativity`, healthy and all the best. Thank you, you are great and a strong woman. Best wishes Kristin from Germany

[@Echosaviary]

I am so pleased to read your comment Kristin- we sound very much the same! Congratulations on your new additions and thank you for your kindness. Best of luck setting up your new aviary and be sure to include a way to sit with your birds and enjoy a cup of coffee!!

[@k.b-z8f]

@@Echosaviary Good morning, thank you for your kind words.well, it will take some time to implement it, until then I`ll try to expand my knowledge thanks to your helpful tutorials and of course there is already a nice place to sit nearby, at least in my head. Kind regards Kristin

[@PedroOliveira-3]

Nice video, aways Nice to watch and learn, colony breeding aways brings some problems but it is wonderful to watch different types of birds together, I prefer breeding in individual cages give more work , more cages more clenean etc, but gives you good results to . Good luck and all the best 🙂

[@Echosaviary]

Are you ever right!! Breeding in an aviary has 10 times more unintended consequences than the intended ones. But that is part of what I am trying to learn how to cope with (and now don’t have any other way)

[@worldofhara]

very happy to see your video. please keep making videos whenever you can. god bless. regards hara - India

[@Echosaviary]

Thank you very much! Also, you have an incredible number of stunning birds in India that I have only lately become aware of. Amazing!

[@johnperez2898]

So Happy to see you back 😊

[@Echosaviary]

Thank you kind sir! Bet you are happy to have your new birds- looking forward to hearing good news about them!

[@johnperez2898]

@Echosaviary yes I'm An so far so good

[@TheQuestingBeastSpotted]

I'm so glad you are posting updates! Even yearly or heck every few years would be lovely- whatever is easiest for you. It's so wonderful to watch these updates but I imagine they are a lot of work during times of transition! Wishing you and yours the best. I play your videos while I paint- it's lovely to do some art with a cup of tea and listen to some birds and the lady that loves them.

[@Echosaviary]

what a cool visual! Too bad pictures can’t be attached to comments

[@matiasrefort2269]

Espectacular aviaro, parece una selva!! Gran trabajo 👏👏👏👏

[@Echosaviary]

Thank you!!

[@nothingburns]

Firstly I just want to say how much I enjoy your videos. Your aviary is beautiful and your passion for the birds really comes through. If I were to make a suggestion I wonder if it would be helpful to wear a body worn microphone. The bird noises are currently very loud which means I cannot always hear you speaking.

[@Echosaviary]

That is such a good idea and I bought one and lost it somewhere in packing up the bird room. I won’t forget that it would be helpful- thank you for reminding me!

[@johnperez2898]

You done it again An Skills and EXPERIENCE you have both . TY for sharing old days that wasn't happening. We need more of that from everyone that keep and raise rare finches. Only way to safe them.

[@Echosaviary]

Thank you- can’t wait to hear the good news on your birds!!

[@mickhynes7293]

Great to see you back!!!

[@Echosaviary]

Thank you, hopefully some things to share soon…

[@LaineyAlexander-f6z]

Hi An, You know I love your channel, but I want to add a reason why I think these videos are so important and helpful. For us watching, not only do we hear anecdotes about the actual species in your flock, which obviously helps us, but also there is a subliminal benefit that I think is even more important. When we watch the birds in this type of environment, it downloads for us viscerally the importance of this type of aviary setting for our birds. We feel it. We watch their movements and interactions and we know this is how it should be. So then when we see birds kept in enclosures that are too small or too dirty or too boring, we will make efforts to correct this. So these videos are helping the birds and their caregivers in a much deeper way than might be obvious to you...I find that when people are thinking to purchase birds they look online to see "how it's done" and if it's done with small boring enclosures than this feels normal for people. They might think OK I can do that in my small space. But if they see what you do, they might think no, I don't have the right space to do this properly, I will have to build something etc. So please know how much we humans and also the birds are benefitting from your efforts. And thank you! Lainey

[@Echosaviary]

Lainey, I have to say I am humbled. If I ever feel tired or discouraged or just one of those lows that comes along with caring for these birds- I will replay your words in my mind and it will remind me that there are hard things that are worth doing. Thank you.

[@MusicDoctor77]

Magnificent aviary. So nice to create a good habitat for your bird's. We can't get these waxbills in Britain anymore. I had gold breasts in 1980s - 1990s when they cost £10 or £20 a pair. After Britain's import ban in 2005 they went to £120 a pair. Although I've never seen any wild importants & always brought captive bred birds. Unfortunately I sold my last waxbill s before the ban to make room for other types of birds. We have plenty of gouldians zebras parrot finches, but no African waxbills anymore. I see some of the Australian KZbinrs are breeding good numbers of waxbills as well. Good to see your videos. Have a great day.

[@Echosaviary]

thank you for your kind words! Our situation here is very much the same. Fortunately finch keeping is not very popular in the US and only a handful of people are interested in the African species so as they disappear, (which they are doing), hardly anyone other than me will be bothered by it.

[@ClefairyFairySnowflake]

I love watching your videos! Taking in the sights and sounds of the birds is amazing! Stay awesome!

[@Echosaviary]

Thank you- that is so good to know!

[@sergiomt48]

This is the best bird keeping videos on the internet. Upload when you can please as I love it but family comes first so I understand. I wish your father the best !!!

[@Echosaviary]

Thank-you Sergio! You are awfully generous saying this, and I appreciate the good wishes!!

[@accreditationexperts]

I love watching your videos. They are so inspirational for me and I could sit and listen to your voice all day. It is so soothing. Do you ever get upset, you seem so calm all the time. Maybe its the birds that help, yes? Keep up the good work, I look forward to seeing your new videos for the future.

[@Echosaviary]

thank you for taking the time to let me know! (PS- I am not always this calm. finch keeping is a rich experience, lots of highs, a few lows as well).

[@simonamos9468]

Great video great aviary love from UK . Can i ask im going to start a 24 x 16 foot outdoor aviary can you tell me what are the easiest and quietest finches to keep as i have neighbours hehe and im planning on having a natural floor any ideas would be much appreciated plus i dont want to breed as im new to the hobby how do i stop breeding . many thanks .

[@Echosaviary]

Oh gosh. Ok on natural floor- be sure that critters can’t get in. You might dig down 8 inches or so, completely line the aviary with wire mesh, then backfill over it. People say you can dig a permitter but here moles dig under and then more problematic critters use their tunnels. The best advice I can give in species is to ask your local club to go visit some aviaries and judge for yourself. Also Involving your neighbor in the decision will help guarantee that they don’t get irritated. Just knowing that you are considering them will likely help them tolerate more noise than they otherwise would.

[@phynekat]

Beautiful

[@OhanaFeathers]

I really love all the efforts you put in your videos. Thank you so much ❤

[@Echosaviary]

It is weird, when I film what I am doing, it feels like I have company. so when I get this feedback, it reinforces that feeling like I have friends helping me take care of the birds. weird.

[@LaineyAlexander-f6z]

Thanks!

[@Echosaviary]

Thank you! I didn’t know this was a thing. You can be sure this will go directly to help the birds - and you have like doubled my yearly youtube income from making the videos in one fell swoop! As lovely a gesture as this is, I don’t feel comfortable taking folks hard earned money so lets think of this as a lifetime contribution for the future of our beloved finches.

[@robertfaber6796]

This is so good.

[@marlonbrondonmexxc2329]

Nice video...thanks😉

[@Echosaviary]

Thanks to you too.

[@goldenlife777]

That's wonderful that you're taking care of your dad! I have a question, have you had any luck breeding your Forbes parrot finches or your red cheeked cordon blues? I have both of those in my aviary and have never had a successful clutch. The RCCB's have laid eggs, but never hatched.

[@Echosaviary]

Yes I have bred both in the aviary. The forbes like a platform kind of nest structure, like a 1/2 open box as high as you can get. Does not have to be in deep cover. I would say The hardest thing for breeding them is to make sure they molt at the same time so they are in sync. The RCCB are pretty typical waxbills. If they are both not trying much, look to anyone else in the aviary that might be dominating the environment. Maybe check humidity and see if that could be raised. You’ll see more info about forbes in the earliest videos. RCCB I don’t focus on much as they are pretty typical, lots of live food etc

[@occamsrazor5376]

Please - where do you get your branches and foliage?

[@Echosaviary]

Oh gosh, they can be ordered from hobby stores and such but a lot of mine came from second hand stores. Amazon represents a lot of sellers as well.

[@emilygrech3655]

How does the turf do? Does it get messy quickly, and how do you clean it?

[@Echosaviary]

well the turf gets as messy as anything else under the birds. I make a point of separating the wet side (bath/water) from the dry side (seed/soft food). my species spend a lot of tome on the ground foraging so it is the best thing I have found. I clean by hosing off

[@emilygrech3655]

I've had 2 pairs of red cheek cordons and experienced the same aggression. However, I kept mine together, and they eventually stopped the rivalry. A friend of mine that breeds gouldians says that parents will sometimes chase away female chicks and keep the male chicks around. They continued to feed and raise the next generation with only the male chicks. I think it may be purposeful that the parents do this to prevent inbreeding and to educate the sons. I've also seen this with zebra finches. May just be how nature intended.

[@Echosaviary]

thats a very good observation on the Gouldians- thanks for sharing this

[@hafizcelilkaya3313]

Cok güzel 😊

[@Echosaviary]

You are very kind!

[@hocinenoua8937]

I love you avairy and birds

[@Echosaviary]

thank you- thats so nice to hear!

[@JakeThorburn]

What type of grass are you feeding them

[@Echosaviary]

I don’t actually know. It is a wild grass (possibly escapee and not native). I can tell you that I feed orchard grass and several grass mixes from American Meadows (SW grass mix has some species similar to where most of my bird species come from). I also feed half-ripe panicum species and crab grass is a favorite too.

[@roberttabbers]

Nice video

[@Echosaviary]

Thank you- I appreciate the kind words!

[@johnperez2898]

Hey saw the new video Excellent. Hey An could it be that strawberries finches FOSTER lavender 💜 finches with no problems at all.ok what I'm trying to say SB finches may be the key to breeding lavender F1 and hopefully the F1 will produce a lot quicker and Feed there young a lot easier? Just my 2 cents but it could be the way to go IF SB finches are easy to breed .You may have something here. I sure hope so that would be great.

[@Echosaviary]

Right? Wouldn’t that be cool?? I sent lavenders and berries to a keeper on East coast to see if he can replicate 🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽