NEIGHBOURS have nicknamed him the Birdman of Ribbleton - but Brian Fox won't hold that title for much longer.

Brian, of Ipswich Road, is having to say a sad farewell to his small aviary - he has 62 budgies and when he moves house soon there will be no room for them.

The retired bus driver has been breeding birds since he was 11 and has sheds full of them in his back garden. But he's slowly had to let them go, selling them off before he himself can fly the nest.

He said: "It's wonderful watching them grow from an egg to a chick to full adult. I don't smoke or drink so apart from Preston North End this is my only hobby."

At times Brian, who will be moving to Alden Crescent, has even sat up at night waiting for his budgies to lay their eggs and then kept a watchful on them until they hatched.

He can rear birds to order, sometimes breeding birds in shades of yellow and green seldom seen in most pet shops.

Not everyone was sad to see them go, however. One neighbour said: "It was so quiet this morning I nearly slept in." All is not lost, though, because he has already spotted a potential hobby at his new bungalow. "There's a fish pond in the garden so maybe I'll take up fishing!"

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