breeding stocks of birds that previously were readily imported. We all need to select one species and try really hard to establish them. About ten years ago I kept Diamond Doves and bred a few of them so to a small degree I did have some knowledge of this family. I have chosen the Cape Dove because my good friend Jerry Fisher on the south coast introduced them to me and encouraged me to work on this species. In the spring of 2007 Jerry supplied me with 3 beautiful young unrelated pairs that I kept in a brand new indoor aviary 8’L x 3’W x 6’H.


Cape Doves are easily stressed when 34 BIRD SCENE


transported to new homes and within a few weeks I had lost all three hens (why is it that it is always the hens that die?) After this disaster there was obviously no point in keeping the three cocks so I returned them to Jerry, to say the least this was not a good start!! Jerry continued to persevere with his Cape Doves but came to the conclusion that they really needed to be in outdoor flights rather than being bred in cages and in June when the weather was much warmer contacted me and asked if I would like to have ‘another go’, I thought that this was very brave and I decided that I must try again and


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