Raymond Sawyer at his 87th Birthday party

Raymond has a long list of more than 20 UK first breedings to his credit. He was first to breed the blue-bellied roller, emerald and splendid starlings, violet turaco, masked crimson tanager, blue-faced honeyeater, blue whistling hrush and black-billed weaver. He had considerable success breeding stilts and avocets, and was first to breed the wattled jacana, masked lapwing and long-toed lapwing. He was also immensely proud of having bred a giant tortoise.

Raymond was at the core of the Avicultural Society and the Garden Party was invariably the highlight of the year. He was always a mine of information, always freely given, and to wander around the aviaries with him was an education in itself inevitably all conversations also littered with amusing anecdotes. He had a wicked sense of humour and enjoyed telling a good tale as well. His love of birds was always foremost and he will be deeply missed.

Lorikeet exhibits in UK zoos
By Rosemary Low

The Chestnut-backed Thrush Zoothera dohertyi
By Gary Bralsford

Captive care of the Friendly Ground Dove Gallicolumba stairi in Samoa
By Rose Collen, Bronwyn McCulloch, David Butler and Glen Holland

Hand-rearing the Great Blue Turaco Corythaeola cristata at Paradise Park, Hayle, Cornwall
By Rebecca Waite

The Southern Crested Caracara Caracara plancus, including its breeding at Weltvogelpark, Walsrode
By Simon Brusland and Lech Bretschek

The Maylay or Buffy Fish Owl Ketupa ketupa
By Peter Stocks

The latest list of Special Interest Grous and the Coordinators

The Society’s Special Interest Groups
By Malcolm Ellis

The importance of record keepingin aviculture
By Simon Matthews

News & Views and an Obituary for Stewart Pyper

After such time dedicated to keeping the avicultural first breeding records for the United Kingdom, Dave has now after some 25 years handed the task over to Simon Matthews at Waddesdon Manor who will now be ensuring that the records are updated.

We are delighted that we will shortly be adding the First Breeding Register of Birds in the UK under Captive Conditions to the Avicultural Society website so as the saying goes “watch this space”.

The DHS Risdon Award for the best article published in the Avicultural Magazine in 2010 went to JJ Elston, K Unger and R Dunn for “The Reproductive Behaviour of the Saddle-billed stork (Ephippiorynchus senegalensis) and Developement Behaviour of its Chicks”.

The Dulcie Cooke Award for the best illustration(s) in 2010 published in the Avicultural Magazine was Pierre de Chabannes’s photos illustrating the following articles (2010):

• The spirit of Jean Delacour lives on at Parc de Clères (Vol.116, No.1, pp.16-24).
• The bird collection at Taipei Zoo (Vol.116, No.2, pp.63-73).
• Diary of a week spent photographing birds at Weltvogelpark Walsrode (Vol.116, No.3, pp.109-127).

There is no doubt that Pierre has produced some exceptional photographs that have been published in the Avicultural Magazine.

A male Blyth’s tragopan, one of the winning photographs.

Congratulations to all the award winners on behalf of the Avicultural Society.

Stewart phoned me on Monday morning, October 17th, to discuss society business and enquire about the progress of the next issue of the magazine. He invariably phoned me each Monday morning and perhaps once or twice during the course of the week and on this occasion, as on previous occasions, he sounded his usual bright and breezy self, and there was not the slightest hint that anything might have been amiss. Immediately after calling me, he spoke to the Avicultural Society President, Raymond Sawyer, and called Raymond again early that evening and talked about writing a piece for the magazine about Raymond’s recent 87th birthday celebration and of visiting Raymond at Chestnut Lodge the following week. It seems that Raymond may have been the last person to have spoken to Stewart, because when John Ellis phoned later that evening, there was no answer.

A few weeks earlier Stewart had been among those manning the society’s stand at this year’s National Exhibition, hosted by the Parrot Society UK, at the Staffordshire County Showground, he had taken part in the society’s visit to Germany and had been largely responsible for organising our Autumn Social Meeting at Paultons Park. Stewart had been an Avicultural Society council member for a great many years and had been closely involved in all aspects of the smooth running of the society. He is probably irreplaceable and, as I wrote earlier, will be greatly missed.

We hope to publish a fuller appreciation in the next issue of the magazine.

Malcolm Ellis
Editor of the Avicultural Magazine

Visually sexing the hawk-headed parrot Deroptyrus accipitrinus
by Paolo Bertagnolio

On some UK bird breedings by members of the Avicultural Society in 2009
by Reuben Girling

The Dallas World Aquarium
by Pierre de Chabannes

Notes on Tinamous currently found in aviculture
by Simon Bruslund, Wolfgang Magnus and Geer Scheres

Conserving parrots around the world
by Rene Wust

Book reviews for the following publications:
Poems about parrots, reviewed by Rosemary Low
Rescued from the brink of extinction, reviewed by Rosemary Low
Extremadura, Spain, reviewed by Dr Roger Wilkinson

News & Views

Breeding the White-crowned Robin-chat Cossypha albicapilla
by Gary Bralsford

Breeding Bewick’s Swan Cygnus columbianus bewickii at Flamingo Gardens and Zoological Park
by Christopher Marler

The care and breeding of the Pekin Robin Leiothrix lutea
by Christopher Dunn

The 2010 breeding season at Waddesdon Manor
by Ian Edmans

Breeding the Black-necked Weaver Ploceus nigricollis melanoxanthus at Paignton Zoo Environmental Park
by Peter Smallbones

News of parrots at Weltvogelpark Walsrode
by Simon Bruslund and Martin Gaede

The Grey Singing Finch Serinus leucopygius
by John Santegoeds, Huub Vervest and Gaetan Vicentini

Breeding the Green Jay Cyanocorax yncas at Barcelona Zoo
by Miguel Sierra and Rosana Gallego

News and Views

Obituary for Don Merton