Text Box:                Drew Smith                     Autobiography As a "Softbiller" I have had an extremely fortunate history. The opportunities and experiences that have followed are equalled in my fortune. I begun keeping birds and building cages at the age of ten years old, mostly when my disapproving father, a mechanic, was at work. At that age my older brother would cut the wire because my hands were not big enough or strong enough to work the tin snips. My experiences with wild softbills began at this age, in particular, the Purple-backed fairy wren, (malurus lamberti, sub species, masters), from Silverton in western N.S.W, on my grand-fathers property. This was the trigger to my interest. The fact that the breeding party would always lead me away from the nest area into an aggressive breeding blacked-backed magpie territory, never really daunted me, even as I lay face down and motionless in a swale, until my father came to rescue me. For the next eight years I Persevered with and learnt about seed eaters. At eighteen and a half I landed a job in Adelaide Zoo breeding insects and other live food for the bird department. Following a developing allergy for insects proteins, I was transferred fully to bird keeping, my destiny. Cockatoos, Ratites, Waterfowl, and Bustards were my first charges. I managed to encourage a couple of pairs of Gang Gangs to begin breeding- successfully, was breeding Eclectus parrots (quite rare in captivity back in the early 1980s) had Bustards breeding and had the greatest pleasure of caring for four African-greys, what a treat, what a bird. I can assure you there are some amusing stories attached to those, and I still tell my African stories, over and over. During this period, mid 1980s, I had successfully applied for a permit to collect Purple-backed Wrens from north eastern S.A. There had not been any of these birds in captivity prior to this, since late 1950s approximately. In my planted aviaries at Kersbrook S.A, the birds were set up in the 6 x 3 x 2.4 metre aviaries, with NO other aviary inhabitants and therefore no competition. Breeding commenced with great success and pairs were provided to friends with similar interest, to have a try. My career or destiny continued to develop, soaking up every experience and story related to softbills, including Continued........

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                                                        Softbill Group of WA December 2001

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                Softbill Group of WA December 2001

Text Box: I do however possess a range of skills and experiences to relate to a good many of our softbill species that I am always prepared to share with others, in the interest of the birds and maintaining viable captive populations. You can all be sure of one thing, when it comes to birds and especially softbills, the best facilities and dedication and results, have been and will continue to be seen in your private aviaries, not the Zoos. At this point of time, the single best tip I can offer anyone, is this, " always avoid mixing softbills in anyone aviary, as much as it is possible". In doing this you reduce, competition, stress, deaths, non breeding, ect., but increase your success rates in breeding. I know it's hard, but if your hell bent on successful breeding, this is the first consideration to make. A good case in practice is the Southern Emu wrens, successful breeding is highly unlikely in mixed aviaries. Tip Two: Also go bush by yourself and study the wild equivalents, they teach us a lot!, no greater joy is achieved with these birds than when successful breeding in the aviaries is accomplished. Tip Three: Black house spider web is absolutely invaluable to softbills such as, Robins, Wrens ect.. to build successful, strong nests. Tip Four: If you desire large mixed species aviaries, try and select birds which utilise different food groups, to minimise competition amongst birds. Natural occurring compatible bird communities are always a good model to follow, (field work required) I have known Drew for well over ten years and I have no doubt he is a true professional and very dedicated to his birds. His success has proven his dedication and it also proves that if you commit to doing the best that you can do, you can and will achieve success in, not only keeping softbills, but breeding them. Brett. Text Box: (always endearing), Bee-eaters, Honey-eaters species plural, Sunbirds, chats species plural (of which the Crimson is perhaps one of the best softbill species any keeper could ever hope to keep), Dotterals, Spinebills, Fruit pigeons, Whipbirds, more Whistlers, Woodswallows ect. ect. 1996 and 1997 were spent working in Taronga Zoo following previous years as a landscape gardener. Many new opportunities for experience and leaning were presented while in Taronga, some good, some not so good, but all valuable. Here I met another of those one off bird keepers that slipped through the net to get into Zoo keeping. He is one of the absolute top birdmen in this country, because he is very good with a great rang of species, genera and Families of birds. Richard Matkovics and I quickly gelled to become firm friends. My bird collection has dwindled of late due to the pressures of the property and my four years at university studying for my bachelor of education. I still maintain my favourites, the whistlers, Grasswrens species plural, Regent bowers, Bee-eaters, Honey-eaters/Nectar feeder species and so far this season have reared, Thick-billed Grasswrens and a hen Scarlet Honeyeater, with the pair again back nesting, and redcapped robins fledged. I am planning on specialising particularly on Scarlet Honeyeaters and Regent Bowerbirds. I hope to soon see representatives of both these in every suitable planted aviary I have, in the next few years. Thus far, this has been an autobiography because the many tips and experiences I can offer people in relation to bird species, really requires specific titles. Continued... Text Box: hummingbirds, that I could extract from my bosses, Mr Trevor Gibson and Mr William (Bill) Anderson. Thanks blokes! Bird "enthusiast" keepers were always few of in the Zoo, although the rest always enjoyed their work. Interestingly, to this day, across Australia to maintain one or perhaps two at most full on bird keepers at any one time, who are actually capable of "working" birds and understanding them, this I know. Subsequently, most of the knowledge gained of many bird species plural, was that which I discovered for myself, along with snippets gleaned from others. On the home front, following the success with Purple-backed Wrens, two further permits were obtained to collect both Rufous and Golden Whistlers, Pachycephala species plural (Packy-kef-ala) or (Thick-heads) to further fuel this specific growing interest. New species of Wrens were obtained along the way as well a loan from Adelaide Zoo of a pair of Eastern Whipbirds. This was fortunate for the Zoo, which later recalled them after most if not all of their other Whipbirds escaped from the large walkthrough aviary. Many successes were developing for me on both fronts, including amytornis, species plural, I was managing nine species plural of Wrens at home successfully and was breeding Green Catbirds, Currasows Regent Bowerbirds (my favourite) and some very exciting other softbills at the Zoo. In the late 1980s a non feathered bird found her way into the birdroom in Adelaide, following my own hasty construction of a bower, I managed to attract her into my bower, court her, marry her and as they say in the classics, the rest is history. I bought a much larger property at McLaren Vale in 1989 for her to begin her own nesting. Aviaries were again built and planted and my softbill dynasty really began. Many new species emerged, including Pittas, Bowers-two species plural, several Robins, Continued...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                Softbill Group of WA December 2001       

                             

                                                                      Photos of Drew Smiths Aviaries in South Australia

                                   Article taken from  The Softbill Group of WA December 2001 Magazine.

 

 

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