When catching the larger birds, a small bird cage is taken into the aviary and the bird is transferred from the net. The temptation to transport birds in the net must be resisted as accidents can very easily happen and one can easily let go of the top of the net, allowing the bird to escape.

A vital piece of equipment in any bird room or aviary is a catching net, obtainable from aviary suppliers. Those made of dark-colored materials are preferable. The rim should be padded to prevent injury. The sight of the net invariably causes the birds to scream or to fly about wildly so I always conceal it until reaching the aviary containing the bird to be caught.

In most collections, one large and one small net will be found useful. When releasing a bird into an aviary from a bird cage, the door should be opened and the bird allowed to find its own way out. If it shows no signs of doing so, the perch should be removed and the bird should be gently coaxed. Turning the cage on its side, so that the door is uppermost, often encourages the occupant to climb out.

If a bird refuses to be coaxed, it will have to be handled. Large parrots should be picked up in a folded towel, small ones in a hand protected by a lightweight glove. A thick glove is useless for the purpose as it does not allow one to grip the bird properly. When holding a parrot in a towel, this should be wrapped around the body so that the legs and wings are firmly enclosed and its eyes are not covered. However, it must be held in a grip which does not allow it to use its beak! The thumb and finger, or two fingers, should be placed on each side of the beak so that the bird is unable to turn its head.

Catching must be carried out as quickly as possible and with a minimum of disturbance. Transferring a bird from one bird cage to another can often be accomplished without handling it, by placing the doors of both bird cages together and persuading the bird to enter. Removal of the perches will aid this process.

I prefer to place a parrot in a new aviary at mid-day. Many will not feed at first and, if moved early in the morning, may not eat at all that day. This will not harm a large parrot which is healthy but could adversely affect a small one, especially in cold weather.

A parrot should never be introduced into an aviary containing another bird which has been in residence some time. The established occupant will regard the aviary as its own territory and the newcomer as an intruder. Failure to realize this on the part of inexperienced aviculturists must have resulted in the death of many birds. Existing occupants should therefore be removed from the aviary for a few days to allow the newcomer to become confident in its new surroundings before being introduced to its potential mate. It may even be necessary to adopt this procedure after removing a sick bird for several days or weeks. This is especially true if the one remaining in the aviary is the dominant member of a pair, for it may attempt to reassert its dominance on the return of its partner.

Many birds die shortly after going to a new home because they suffer stress at a change of this kind and need careful attention. It is not always advisable to place a new bird immediately in an outdoor aviary. Some will benefit from a few days in a bird cage, during which time they can get used to new management and feeding methods. They are more likely to feed in a bird cage, finding the food more easily than in an aviary. It is an excellent idea to catch up the bird's prospective mate during this period and to bird cage the birds side by side.

On introducing birds to an aviary, the food should be hung at perch level as a nervous bird may not descend to the feeding shelf. A millet spray hung at the end of the perch will induce many birds to feed. After a couple of days, the food containers can be removed towards the feeding shelf, then placed on it. Such precautions are not always necessary but are worth bearing in mind.