Long's Garden Aviary

You don't need acres ofland to haved very nice avia1y garden_ Indeed,the vast majority of the AFA memberskeep their birds on an ordinary tractsizedlot of about 50 or 60ft by 80 or 100ft. Some members have even developednice avia1y gardens in a condominiumenvironment. We will feature a variety ofsituations where birds and plants havebeen put together in a pleasing way.There will be, of course, the occasionalestate-sized layout that involves manyacres and an heroic investment butmainly we want to show you what canbe done with the more common backyardthat the majority of us putter aroundin.Sel and Aletta Long have a beautifulaviary garden established on a SouthernCalifornia lot measuring 60ft by 100ft.Most of the backyard is given over to aviariesand the surrounding garde n. Themain aviary complex is 34ft long by 12ftwide with its length running parallel tothe wall across the back of the prope rty.This aviary is divided down its length soin actuality the re are two flights 34 ft longby 6ft wide. The flight to the front (nearestthe house) is well planted and filledwith an assortment of finches that arenot very destructive to plants. The rearflight is not heavily planted because thePrincess of Wales Parakeets keep allgrowing things gnawed down.This rear flight extends two feetabove the six foot wall on the boundaryof the property which is a clever laborand material saving method of construction.Inside this flight is a smaller e nclosurethat is made of wire with a two inchsquare mesh. This allows the weavers tohave complete run of the flight but prevents the larger and more destructiveparrots from getting into the weaver'snesting area. The weavers can fly fullspeed through. the two inch mesh whilethe Princess of Wales can't squeezethrough it under any circumstances.The major plant species in this flight is alarge dead and dried out tumbleweed.The weavers have started several nestsin the tumbleweed and the parrots showno interest at all. The parrots seem interestedonly in green and growing plants.The front flight, on the other hand, iswell planted and contains a small waterfalland pond. This flight, of course, containsno parrots. The plants are so wellgrown that they fill the aviary to thepoint that it is difficult to really see all thebirds. The best method to observe thesebirds is to sit quietly in the shade of thepatio and just watch. Under these circumstancesthe birds seem not to knowanyone is about and they carry on theirnormal affairs. This is a wonderful wayto enjoy aviary birds and also a goodway to learn a great deal about their behavior.Some of the larger plants in this flightwere planted before the aviary wire wasstretched across the top. The large plantbehind the waterfall is a species ofScheff1era, an evergreen shrub or smalltree of the tropics that does well in themoderate climate of Southern California.It can also serve as a very nice pottedplant to be kept indoors or in a greenhousein colder climates. Another largeplant in the flight is a variety of podocarpus,a good looking evergreen shrubthat is widely distributed throughout theSouthern Hemisphere with one speciesfound in Asia. Podocarpus are grownoutdoors in Florida and Southern Californiawhere they make fine specimensand attractive hedges. A well-drainedsoil with peat or leaf mold is ideal. Thisplant can withstand an occasional lightfrost and does well in shade.Also inside the aviary are severalclumps of Nandina domestica oftencalled heavenly although it isnot a bamboo at all but is in the Barberryfamily. It is a very graceful plant that cangrow to about eight feet and is easy tomaintain. With exposure to the sun, theleaves turn various shades of red and arequite colorful. In the shade it remainsgreen.Much of the ground cover inside theaviary is comprised of air plant alsoknown as spider plant which is usuallyfound in hanging planters. It is calledspider plant because long stems hangdown from the planters then terminatein a spidery looking clump. It is not oftenseen on the ground but in this casemakes a good cover for the dirt of theaviary floor. Also covering much of thefloor is a variety of Korean Grass thatclumps up and can grow very longblades. One of Long's favorite scenes iswhen a small finch picks up the tip of ablade of this grass then flies off to its nestwith the grass in its beak. After flyingthree or four feet (the length of the blade)the finch hits the end of the rope, so tospeak, and gets snapped around and hoversat the end of the tether. Eventually, ofcourse, the finch lets go then perches toponder this puzzling form of grass. ThisKorean Grass is recommended for thoseaviculturists with a sense of humor anddumb finches with strong necks.Actually, it is completely amazinghow many little birds live in peace andplenty in this well planted enclosure.Not all of them can be seen at once. Theyall find their favorite hiding places andremain out of view much of the time,usually being seen only as they flit frombush to bush or, as occasionally happens,perch on an exposed twig to take alittle sun. When one enters the aviary,however, as I did before Long couldstop me, and vigorously beats thebushes with a hefty stick, the air explodesinto life with hundreds of littleblurs swarming about one's head likegnats. The birds suffered no ill effects atall and even Long, once she recoveredfrom a dead faint, was none the worsefor wear. And I did learn that the aviary·contained Lavender, Shaft-tailed, GreenSingers,Nuns,Stars, Strawberries, CordonBlues, Orange-cheeked and otherfinches along with some Napoleon andOrange Weavers, a Button Quail or two,Pekin Robins and a few species thatwere too quick to identify under the circumstances.