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Veronica at Quality Bird & Pet Supplies in Silverdale inspired 5 of our students today with her passion and knowledge for all things bird related!
We began our visit with a tour of the shop, learning about how different and varied the needs of birds are depending on their size, breed and habitat. We took in all the many and varied toys available for purchase and learned that birds have preferences for colours and activities just like we do! We also learned that the bigger the bird, the bigger and stronger the toy needs to be.
We saw all the different feeding equipment available for birds and other pets and learned about some of the ways these feeders imitate the way birds gather food in the wild.
Then it was on to the breeding boxes. There were big boxes, tall boxes, tiny boxes, side entry boxes, you name it they had it! We learned that some birds cram a lot of materials into their boxes to prepare for their eggs, while others, like the budgie just lay their eggs right onto the floor or the box.
The diet section of the store had every imaginable seed, nut and treat imaginable. We never knew there were so many possible foods you could feed a bird. Interestingly we found out that if you soak seeds for a few days and let them sprout a little they can offer birds different nutrients to those they get from just the seeds.
Next, it was on to the much anticipated area where the birds are kept. We learned all about the different kinds of tiny finches they had in stock and befriended a beautiful Quaker parrot. We learned all about the hand-reared budgies and how to tell a boy budgie from a girl by looking at their faces. the entire time we were learning about the sweet little birds in the cages, someone was doing their best to distract us and steal our attention away from Veronica- Cheeky Chuckles the Cockatoo! This chatty fellow kept us very entertained with his dancing, talking, destroying of his box and even a game of fetch, where he threw a ring and we had to go and fetch it. Needless to say, Chuckles stole the show! Veronica gave each child a wonderful goodie bag to take home, filled with wild bird seed, an energy ball, some information about various birds they can spot in the wild and a magazine. She also popped in lovely note for each child.
Thank you Veronica and Mark at Quality Bird and Pet Supplies for hosting this experience and Robert Le Lievre for suggesting it would be a great place to visit. You were right! What a wonderful and educational experience we all had.
We began our visit with a tour of the shop, learning about how different and varied the needs of birds are depending on their size, breed and habitat. We took in all the many and varied toys available for purchase and learned that birds have preferences for colours and activities just like we do! We also learned that the bigger the bird, the bigger and stronger the toy needs to be.
We saw all the different feeding equipment available for birds and other pets and learned about some of the ways these feeders imitate the way birds gather food in the wild.
Then it was on to the breeding boxes. There were big boxes, tall boxes, tiny boxes, side entry boxes, you name it they had it! We learned that some birds cram a lot of materials into their boxes to prepare for their eggs, while others, like the budgie just lay their eggs right onto the floor or the box.
The diet section of the store had every imaginable seed, nut and treat imaginable. We never knew there were so many possible foods you could feed a bird. Interestingly we found out that if you soak seeds for a few days and let them sprout a little they can offer birds different nutrients to those they get from just the seeds.
Next, it was on to the much anticipated area where the birds are kept. We learned all about the different kinds of tiny finches they had in stock and befriended a beautiful Quaker parrot. We learned all about the hand-reared budgies and how to tell a boy budgie from a girl by looking at their faces. the entire time we were learning about the sweet little birds in the cages, someone was doing their best to distract us and steal our attention away from Veronica- Cheeky Chuckles the Cockatoo! This chatty fellow kept us very entertained with his dancing, talking, destroying of his box and even a game of fetch, where he threw a ring and we had to go and fetch it. Needless to say, Chuckles stole the show! Veronica gave each child a wonderful goodie bag to take home, filled with wild bird seed, an energy ball, some information about various birds they can spot in the wild and a magazine. She also popped in lovely note for each child.
Thank you Veronica and Mark at Quality Bird and Pet Supplies for hosting this experience and Robert Le Lievre for suggesting it would be a great place to visit. You were right! What a wonderful and educational experience we all had.
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