PICNIC: 10:00 A.M.
PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN TABLESERVICE

A -- M Hors d'oeuvres
N -- Z Dessert

Did you all hear about the rooster who is so lazy that he waits until another rooster crows at sunrise, then simply nods his head?

And now to continue about the PICNIC - Your reservations should all be in by now; if, by chance, your's is not, you better contact Jim Mocko right now! The date - July 15 - Lakewood Park - Sunnyvale - just follow the map. Please remember to bring something useful for the raffle table, birds will be especially welcome!

Members' steaks are free, children's hot-dogs are free, GUESTS are $5.00.
Coffee will be provided.
This is our "once-a-year" splurge - so - EVERYBODY COME.

The club is sponsoring its annual FIREWORKS sale this year for the seventh time at the Moonlite Shopping Centre, corner of El Camino and Kiely in Santa Clara. Phil Dubois is enough better to run the stand again this year, and the sale will begin Jun 28th and continue until the 4th of July.

Those members who have not received their Bird Show Raffle Tickets please see Howard at the picnic. Remember - this is "our business" for the Show. Included with this newsletter is a full sheet of paper showing the various size of ads available and their prices for anyone who wants to have an ad included in the Show Catalogue. Please study the diagram, then phone Ruth Mitchell, make arrangements for paying for it, send her your check, by Aug. 15.

The next Executive Board Meeting is at Nickie McClatchie's home, 927 Peggy Lane, Menlo Park - July 27, at 8:00 P.M.

The dates of our annual FEATHER show are still September 22 & 23. This is a great opportunity for beginners to learn about "shows" and how to participate.

Too bad for those of you who missed the last meeting. Dr. Lawerance Swan from the University of California San Francisco was the guest speaker. He started his presentation by showing us a huge bone which looked like an over-sized soup bone. Turned out it was a very dry bird leg bone! He spoke very easily about the various parts of a bird, stressing the structure of a feather, and how they are constructed so as to help the bird to fly. He also touched on the subject of collecting stamps which have bird pictures on them, mentioning that there are enough to fill any stamp album. Then he started on the subject of his "tubes" explaining how he became obsessed with the idea and just kept building and building and now he calls his home "Finchester House". He explained to great length on the DODO bird - the only bird now known to be extinct. His program was delightful, educational, and informative. And I must tell you that when he asked "What is the largest bird living?" Guess who came up with the correct answer? Janice De Guc, daughter of member Helen. Oh - yes - the answer - The ELEPHANT Bird - (Aepyornithiformes), lives in Madagascar, does not fly, frequently compared with moas, emus, and rheas.

About the AFA
If you are still interested in the convention at Miami this year, August 22 - 26, you better get your reservations in now. After July 15, the registration fee will be $65.00 instead of $45.00 which it is right now. This one fee will include admission to all lectures and workshops Friday and Saturday; coffee and Danish, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning; one sit-down lunch; and the big Awards banquet on Saturday Night. The AFA Education & Media department has two new programs available to member clubs this year: one on THE CANARY FANCY and one on HANDFEEDING BABY BIRDS. And the AFA also advises us that when shipping bids interstate, be aware that many states have requirements for health certificates. Ignorance of these requirements may result in your birds being refused. Be sure to check with the State Vet in advance.

This seems to be it for now
Charlotte A. Le Doux

You seemed to like the question and answer edition, so here goes again -

Question: is just plain bleach a good disinfectant to use when cleaning up a bird cage before using it on a new bird?

Answer: Chlorine products such as bleach won't work will as a cage cleaner/disinfectant since organic matter readily inactivates the chlorine. So first clean the cage with a bruh, hot water and soap or detergent, rinse thoroughly, and then use the bleach to effectively disinfect the cage. When the surfaces are clean the chlorine does an excellent job of disinfecting.

Question: Is there such a thing as a parrot getting an infected sinus? Or is this just a sick joke?

Answer: It's no joke. Sinus infections are common in parrot-famil birds. We treat them with antibiotics and other drugs. Where the nasal sinus infection is chronic, drainage may be required.

Question: I have several kinds of small birds, mostly finches, in an indoor flight cage. I have one pair of gouldian which are most often being bullied about by the other birds. How can I help these two stick up for their rights.

Answer: You can't, probably, since this aggressive pattern on the part of the other birds is probably well-fixed. The best way to keep your Gouldians going - and considerably happier - is simply to transer them to a smaller, separate cage.

Question: If it's true you can teach an old dog new tricks, what about an old bird? Snooker is a hand-me-down bird and I don't know how old he is except that my father had him for 20 years and he got him secondhand. He's so smart already he doesn't need to be taught anything else, I just hought it would be fun if I could. What do you think?

Answer: You didn't mention what kind of a bird Snooker was, but he is obviously no "spring chicken". Old birds can be taught in most cases. The trick is to find out what and how. Aging doesn't speed the learning process so you would have to be sharp and probably persistent to be succesful.

Question: Is winter sunshine any good for a bid in a cage near the window? I've heard the window glass filters out all the good in the sunshine? Jet, my canary really seems to enjoy the sun so I didn't know.

Answer: Undoubtedly, Jet does get a boost, psychologically speaking at least from the sun. That, in fact, is probably its main benefit. There is, however, a decided disadvantage to Jet's location. With the sun beating in like that on a warm day, it could be too much of a good thing and Jet could "flame out" from overheating. More likely, right now, chilling cold coming through that window is causing drastic fluctuations in temperature aroud that cage making it difficult for poor Jet to prevent icing conditions or chills. A bird cage should never be permanently placed in an area subjected to widely changing temperatures and drafts. All too often, it is unsuccessful and illness, most typically pneumonia results.

Return to Newsletter Index