2017 Winter Solstice

[Pajarita]

I meant to post about this on Thursday but I forgot. On Dec/21, we had the winter solstice which means it was the shortest day and the longest night of the year. From then on, the days will become longer and longer and, in about three weeks [mid January], if you kept your birds at a strict solar schedule, you will start seeing the beginning of breeding behaviors in the long day breeders as well an intensification of the behaviors in the short day breeders. Happy Happy Joy Joy! [read with the strongest sarcastic tone you can manage ]

[liz]

Yes, that is very funny.

I am still on the 9 am to 5 pm schedule. I do have one pair mating. It is Flutter and Lacy. They both lost mates last year. I forgot to ask you for a time schedule. It gets light at 7 and dark around 6.

[Pajarita]

Well, I am turning off the lights at 3 pm this time of the year and the birds are all fast asleep by 5:30 pm. I've mentioned this several times in recent postings but all you have to do is look out the window to see where the sun is and, if you see it halfway down to the horizon, turn the lights off. It's as simple as that. It takes time to get used to doing it but it's just a matter of doing it every two weeks or so and making a mental note of the time you are supposed to turn off the lights because, after all, as it's something you do every day, day after day, year after year, it becomes second nature. My husband says that I am like Crocodile Dundee and can tell when it's time to start driving back home just by looking at the sky

[Navre]

When I got to the rescue on the 22nd, it was about 7 am. I waited in the car until 0711, sunrise for Warwick. I could see the sun poking up above the water, so I went in.

Same thing leaving. I still had stuff to do but it was 1600 and I didn’t want to keep the birds up after dark.

I’ll be happy when I get those Dawn to dusk timers.

[Pajarita]

I actually start the birds day at 6:30 am. I open the blinds, uncover the cages and open the doors - not all of them come out, though - some wait until there is a bit more light. My canaries actually start singing at around 7 am...