The Budgerigar Society Club Show

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The Budgerigar Society Club Show 2011

The 2011 Budgerigar Society World Championship Show at Doncaster

The last of the September/October Club Shows? Perhaps so, and the Budgerigar having listened and responded to many comments over the last couple of years or so, the fancy is now ‘straining in the slips’ waiting for Starters orders which will hopefully culminate in an increased entry at the 2012 World Championship Show on 17^th & 18^th November.

Not that this year’s entry was a total disappointment – the BS Club show is always a grand affair. Although the total entry was about one hundred down, it was a little cheering to note that the event had slightly more exhibitors, and I believe an even greater than normal number of fanciers here as spectators.

And if the many images that I, alongside the official photographers, were anything to go by, this was found to be a totally enjoyable experience for most. As usual, the show was greatly enhanced by the Specialist and Area Society stands, and also by the usual comprehensive assortment of Trade Stands, arranged by Fred Wright, there to supply keen fanciers with products for the next phase of their fancier life; hopefully all found that their attendance at the event was well worth while. All these elements made for another very satisfying spectacle, enjoyed by a community of folk with the one common interest - and this again included the terrific contribution of the members of a parallel fancy, the Australian Finch society who once again held their show in conjunction with this event. Our thanks to them and their judges, Steve Fisher, Peter Gallimore, Dave Paine, and Joe Charlesworth.

The hardworking team of judges stuck to their task and were able to set about placing the major awards at around the scheduled time. As always, the public viewing of the Major Awards decision making was a hugely popular spectator event, and this year there appeared to be a great sense of decisiveness in the judges’ casting of their individual votes for the several awards, reaching decisions which were subsequently largely popular, despite the fact not none of the final selections were reached unanimously.

The result of their deliberations was, firstly, the award of Best in Show for the second consecutive year to L & P Martin: this was one of only a few ‘Back to Back’ premier wins and was certainly by far the most popular one that I can recall – a well deserved Supreme Award for a Superb Normal Skyblue Adult cock, which in a ‘Head to Head’ beat Geoff Bowley’s large and much admired Spangle Green cock, which had achieved the Premier Young Bird award I another hugely popular win, as demonstrated at the Presentation ceremony. This ceremony is an event in itself and its grandeur owes much to the wonderful work done over the year By Ken Whiting on the preparing of the presentation stand and the accumulation of Special prizes and trophies. Ken was missing this year, recuperating from heart surgery, but will be back with us next year

The award of Best opposite Sex Young Bird in Show went to a novice exhibitor, G. Ludlow with a Dark Green Hen, while a Spangle Green Hen took the Any Age Best Opposite Sex for G & A Moore.

Best in Show L & P Martin - Skyblue Cock

Best Young Bird in Show 140 11 Bowley D G Spangle - Light Green Cock

Best Any Age in Show L & P Martin – as Best in Show

Best Opp. Sex Young Bird in Show 504 1 G Ludlow - Dark Green Hen

Best Opp. Sex Any Age in Show 41 4 Moore G & A - Spangle Green Hen

BEST OF COLOUR LINE-UPS – ANY AGE

Light Green Judged by John Alcock (replacing Dave Hislop), who placed K Brockwell’s cock bird Best of Colour, commenting that “this was a great headed cock, enhanced by a nice mask. A good, long bird, it was staged in good condition, making it a deserved winner

Second, and Best Opp Sex of colour, went to P Ward’s exhibit, this one a hen of high quality, possessing a nice mask with good spots. A super bird.

Third place in the line-up was taken by another excellent hen, staged by G & P Norris. A bird of excellent all round quality.

There were some very good birds in this section, with quality birds down the line-up”

4^th S Finlay 5^th N Impey 6^th Pearce & Pears 7^th S Wildes 8^th D Swift

Dark or Olive Green These awards were placed by Dominic Avo, who comments “ The Norwood Stud’s Dark Green hen led this colour group and took the certificate. A good powerful Dark Green hen this, which has a nice width of head, deep mask with good spot and well merited its place.

In second place put B Merrison’s Dark Green cock which took the Best Opp Sex of colour award. It did not have the power of the hen, but was a nice bird, nonetheless.

Third position was taken by G & A Moore, with a very typy cock, well balanced, but small on spot. It was, however a good show bird.

The standard overall was perhaps not quite as good as in previous years, but there were still some good birds here.”

Other placings 4^th N R Porter 5^th C A Sutton 6^th N R Porter

Skyblue Judged by Robbie Keeber who described L & P Martin’s Skyblue cock as “A super cock, subsequently achieving the supreme awards – a well deserved and admired win. Best Opposite Sex of Colour and second place in the line-up went to S & B Squires hen, a lovely bird this; it was down on spot but still of excellent quality. Third place went to S & B Squires cock, also down on spot but a quality ‘cappy’ bird

Other placings were 4^th C P Spruce 5^th S Wildes 6^th P D White 7^th C A Sutton

A lot of birds in this group were not in condition, but the Champion class was excellent.

Cobalt, Mauve or Violet John Alcock adjudicated this colour group and writes “I selected as Best of Colour M & M Chapman’s Violet cock of very good colour, which was also a very smart exhibit. Second place went to G Ludlow, with a bird of good quality. Third place was taken by D Swift, with a bird shown in good condition, while fourth went to the Best Opposite sex of colour, shown by D Jukes .

Overall standard was a bit disappointing throughout. The best birds were good but the standard soon dropped

Other placings: 5^th C P Spruce 6^th C A Sutton 7^th B Blackmore 8^th T T McNulty 9^th R Bastin

Grey Green These classes were judged by Ron Payne, who reports; “ The certificate winner, benched by L & P Martin, was an outstanding cock, let down slightly by its body, being a little ragged around the tail. The second bird in the class was a very good bird which pushed the winner all the way.

Second place in the line-up was taken by M & T Rodgers hen. This was a really sweet hen which took the Best Opp Sex of colour certificate. In third place came C Kirk’s entry, a good solid cock with a nice head, slightly let down by spot size.

Other places: 4^th D Page 5^th J Theobald 6^th Newall 7^th N Impey

The top birds in this group were wonderful, and in fact one or two good birds did not do themselves justice, being benched in poor condition. I noted a surprising number of flecked birds for normal classes.

Grey Judged by Jac Cuyton who described his awards as follows:- “ P Greenwood’s Grey cock which headed the class was staged in good condition. This bird has a modern face; nicely filled in at the neck and shoulder which makes him look completely round. Second spot went to B A Wilson, with a bird which was a bit taller than the winner and was a beautiful bird, In a better condition, it could have challenged the first place. Third place and Best Opp Sex of colour was R J Allen’s hen, a well spotted bird which stood well on the perch and had a really nice carrot face. Unfortunately, she was not in top condition.

Judging this group was quite a struggle when it came to the general condition of the birds. A number of birds could have done better had they been presented in a better condition.

Other placings: 4^th G Ludlow 5^th Ward & Rogers 6^th U Alsfasser 7^th C P Spruce”

Opaline Green Series (ex Grey Green) Judged by John Alcock, who briefly commented on his placings:- “The Challenge certificate was taken by C L Bowman’s super Opaline Dark Green Cock. This bird is as ‘clean as a whistle, and was staged in superb condition. Second place was taken by Cheatley & Alcorn’s good quality bird which, again, was benched in good condition. In third spot was Quigley & Watson’s entry which also took the Best Opp Sex of colour award. This was a hen - another clean bird staged in nice condition.

This was only a small colour group and the quality after the first three dropped away rather quickly.

Other placings:- 4^th A M Benton 5^th R Hooper”

Opaline Grey Green Terry Tuxford placed the awards for this colour, explaining:-

“The Best of Colour award was claimed by A Easdon, with a very nice Grey Green cock which displayed the positive attributes of this variety: a large bird with good shoulder. It also showed a nice stance and follow through beyond the perch Second in the line-up was B Blackmore, whose hen was adjudged Best Opp Sex of colour’ A good hen this, slightly flecked which would hold her back. Staged in fine condition on the day.

In third place came a powerful cock benched by D A Turner. This bird was not in perfect condition on the day, but was a very active bird, well spotted and with good shoulder.

This was not a strong colour section: there were few entries and there is perhaps an opening for some quick wins in the future!”

Opaline Blue Series (ex Grey) Judged by Joe Nevin, who explains:- “Best of colour was staged by G &J Al-Nasser, who staged a good hen which was a nice stylish bird, displaying a nice set of spots. The second spot and Best Opp Sex of colour went to R & M Miller’s cock which is a nice bird but was somewhat behind the winner on the day. Third place was taken by a Beginner partnership, Holden & Smart, with a bird which suggested some promise for the next breeding season. Other placings: 4^th L & S Devaney 5^th A M Carr 6^th Ward & Rogers.

There were some very nice hens in the line-up”

Opaline Grey Ray Steele made a welcome return to the show and described his placings as follows:-

“Best of colour was M & T Rodgers’ very good hen, staged in good condition. This bird had excellent head qualities, mask and spots and was enhanced by good style. Second place went to A Pope’s nice, clean Opaline cock which also took the Best Opposite Sex certificate. Staged in good condition, it was, if anything, a little narrow in head Third spot was taken by D Dixon’s cock which was a little dark in the saddle, and showed sots which were somewhat on the small side.

Other placings: 4^th D Jukes 5^th Holden & Smart

The class winners were very good, but there were not a lot of birds in the group”

Normal Cinnamon Green series Judged by Raymond Rogerson, who described his placings as follows:-

“Best of colour was Ward & Rogers’ Cinnamon Grey Green cock, a bird staged in good condition displaying excellent head and mask qualities, further augmented by good body size. This was a worthy winner of the certificate and went on to head the Novice Any Age section. Second in the line-up was G & A Moore’s Light Green cock, a powerful bird which should have gone further had its flights been in good order on the day. Third spot was taken by R Hickton-Collins’s Grey green cock which was well presented in good condition, and which displayed a wonderful blow to its head.. However, it lacked size in comparison to the first two, but went on to gain he specials for 4^th Best Intermediate Any Age

Fifth, and Best Opp Sex of colour was The Holland Stud’s Cinnamon Greygreen hen, a bird with good width of head and a deep mask. Again, staged in good condition but lacking in size compared with the first four’

Other placings: 4^th D McKeown 6^th C Kirk 7^th D McKeown”

Normal Cinnamon Blue series Roger Carr comments: “The Best of Colour award went to a fancier from the Beginner section, K Sykes, whose grey cock was benched to perfection; a bird of excellent proportion, with type, feather and deportment. If it had to be faulted it could be a bit bigger. It went on to win Best Beginner Any Age. Second place was taken by A Evans’ Grey cock, a bird with excellent width of head and depth of mask, but pegged back on condition Third spot went to B A Wilson’s Grey, a bird of excellent quality and went on to be Best Intermediate Any Age. Best Opp Sex of colour and fourth place in the line-up was taken by The Holland Stud, who benched a Grey hen of traditional shape in excellent condition

Other placings 5^th E W Freel 6^th U Alsfasser 7^th N Johnston

Opaline Cinnamon Green series This colour was adjudicated by Jim Rogerson, who related:- “ The group was headed by T & A Luke’s Opal Cinnamon Grey Green cock, which stood out in the line-up, showing good stance and head qualities; the frontal rise was particularly pleasing. In second place I selected W & J Haworth’s Light Green cock. Which was almost equal to the winner, but was let down by a darker neck: a good bird nonetheless. Third place went to another W & J Haworth’s bird. This one took the Best Opp Sex of colour award and was a decent Dark Green hen, slightly marred by overlapping spots.

Other placings 4^th K Leedham 5^th S Conlin 6^th A M Carr”

Opaline Cinnamon Blue series Ron Payne had this task and explains his selections:- “ T & I Jukes led the field with a Cobalt which is a big budgie that stood well, but was slightly flecked. Sadly, birds of this quality may not be seen in the future under the new guidelines. In second place, I put M & T Rodgers good solid hen, which was Best Opp Sex of colour. Third place went to E Newall, from the Junior section, whose entry was a good fit budgie, slightly smaller than the leading two. It was an undoubted credit to the exhibitor

Other placings 4^th C A Sutton 5^th A M Benton 6^th E W Freel 7^th The Richardson Partnership

After the first few places in the line-up, general quality dropped off and there were only a total of twelve birds in the group”

Lutino Ray Steele described his certificate winner, benched by S & R Clarke, as a top quality Lutino, with size and colour of a very good standard. Head quality was equally good, and these attributes were well displayed by this stylish bird. In second place came G N Turner’s equally good bird, which was held back by a few pin feathers, while I placed S & R Clarke’s hen (Best Opp Sex of colour) third; a very good Lutino ,just lacking a little on colour, with nice shape and style

Other placings: 4^th G N Turner 5^th K Critchley 6^th A J Andrews 7^th K Critchley 8^th J Butcher 9^th L Hutt”

Albino Judged by Roger Carr, who described the birds put before him, as follows: “Best of Colour was L & P Martin’s hen. Give me birds like this! A guardsman stance, beautiful ‘Busby’, and excellent uniform. It was only approached by the second placed bird in its class, which unfortunately lacked condition. Second place in the line-up went to a cock benched by Emerald Budgerigars (Best Opp Sex of colour). This is a cock which shows the width of head, length of feather and deportment that we are looking for, but suffers from dark markings on the wings and ground body colour coming through. In third place came another hen, this one staged by J Cox. It has a good width between the eyes and excellent deportment. as with other birds of longer feather, it suffers from intrusion of base colour.

Overall, the general quality in this colour group was good, but improvement in feather and head qualities is having a detrimental effect on clarity of colour

Other placings 4^th S Wildes 5^th C M Fuller 6^th 2 D Jukes 7^th A M Benton

Yellow-wing Judged by John Lees, who made R Day’s entry Best colour, stating “This was a very nice cock bird , whose wings were not too dark and contrasted well with its body colour In second place M Anzara’s hen (Best Opp Sex of colour) was a little behind the winner, but also displayed good colour contrast. The third place went to J Rivers whose Light Green cock lacked the condition of the winner

Other placings: 4^th M Anzara 5^th A M Benton 6^th R Day”

White-wing was also adjudicated by John Lees, who said “ I awarded R Day’s Cobalt cock the Best of colour ; it was staged in good condition and had a lovely style. The same fancier took the second place and Best Opp Sex of colour with a hen which was a bigger bird, but was held back by one dropped wing. In third place I put A M Benton’s Cobalt cock which had nice contrast but lacked the size of the first two

Other placings 4^th A D M Tait 5^th M Anzara 6^th M Anzara 7^th A D M Tait”

Crested or Tuft Raymond Rogerson explains his placings:- “ A full circular Crest Opaline Light Green cock headed the line-up. This was quite a large bird, displaying a good quality crest and staged by M W Widdowson in good condition. In second place, I put another M W Widdowson bird, a tufted Light Green cock which lacked a little in the head qualities of the winner, but was nevertheless a good bird. Findlay & Flavell’s Tufted Grey hen took the third spot and the Best Opp Sex of colour award. Smaller than the first two, it was also in excellent condition and displayed good deportment

The quality of birds in this colour group was quite good, but the number of birds benched in the lower sections was disappointing.

Other placings: 4^th M Anzara 5^th R Hooper 6^th M Anzara”

Spangle Green series Judged by Philip Dye, who commented: “J Donovan’s Light Green cock headed this colour line-up. This was a very good, upright bird benched in very good condition. The second spot was taken by G & A Moore’s Light Green hen (Best Opp Sex of colour), which was a nice all round bird and showed well. Third place went to B A Wilson’s Double Factor Yellow – a powerful bird unfortunately spoiled by an eye irritation

This was a very good colour section with plenty of good birds in the lower places

4^th J G Grubb 5^th G N Turner 6^th Ward & Rogers 7^th S Gibson 8^th D Swift 9^th M Hemingway 10^th A M Carr 11^th A M Benton 12^th A E Wood 13^th S Finlay 14^th S Finlay 15^th S Finlay 16^th S Finlay”

Spangle Blue series Terry Tuxford’s comments : “P & N Stannard took this certificate with an Opaline Golden Faced cock; a lovely bird in top competition. It had superb head features, nice deep mask and was benched in great condition. Slightly more distinct spots would have enhanced it further. Second place was taken by K Sykes Cinnamon Grey cock, which was smaller than the winner but showed a wonderful top end. This bird was in great condition, very smart on the perch and confident in the show cage. Third came B A Wilson’s Yellow face Skyblue – a wonderful hen (Best Opp Sex of colour), with well defined spots, strong shoulders and a good back line: another show-confident bird.

There was a mixed style of birds here. A number exhibiting the directional feathering on the cap expected from the top birds of today. There was a good overall standard across the sections.

Other placings: 4^th J Newall 5^th 6^th J Donovan 7^th C A Sutton 8^th S & R Clarke 9^th D Jukes 10^th N Johnston 11^th A M Benton 12^th S Finlay 13^th S Finlay 14^th R Hooper”

Dominant Pied or Clearflight Judged by Jim Rogerson, who relates:- Best in the line-up was a Dominant Pied Greygreen cock benched by B A Wilson. This bird was way ahead of the rest of the group and forced me to award it the certificate, despite it being slightly ticked, which I do not like! A really big bird, this. In second place came a Grey cock from R Aplin. This bird had a nice clean head, but was unable to match for the winner (despite that ticking). For third place, I selected R G Ward’s Greygreen cock which had nice deportment, but lacked that overall quality.

Best Opposite Sex of Colour was a Grey hen, again from B A Wilson, which took fifth place in the line-up. This hen was spoilt by a split mask.

4^th D Jukes 6^th L & S Devaney 7^th D Betts 8^th U Alsfasser 9^th D & E Mullally 10^th J Hickton-Cragg 11^th R Hooper 12^th D McKeown 13^th Swain & Ford 14^th C Wakeman 15^th S Thompson”

Recessive Pied or Dark Eyed Clear Dominic Avo made his selections from a large line-up and reports: “Best was benched by G & P Norris, who offered a Dark green cock, well presented, and one which stood well throughout the judging. He had a good head with nice width of face for the variety, and the picture was completed by good markings. In second place I put S Wildes’ Dark Green cock, which again was a good bird with nice width of face. It was a little light in markings and showed slight ticking at the head, but was a good, solid bird. Third came Pearce & Pears well staged bird, which was neither as powerful or as well marked as the first two, but should prove good enough to go on to gain higher placings.

My Best Opp Sex of colour gained sixth place in the line up and was a Light Green hen staged by Findlay & Flavell. It was perhaps not the biggest of birds, well spotted but perhaps too heavily marked even for a hen. A typy bird this.

Other placings 4^th R W Brown 5^th C P Spruce 7^th S Wildes 8^th A M Benton 9^th D G L Stiling 10^th M Anzara 11^th A M Benton 12^th M Anzara”

Yellowface Judged by Joe Nevin. His comments: “Best of Colour went to R & M Miller’s Golden Faced Cobalt, a worthy winner staged in excellent condition. In second place came A Popes Skyblue hen, the Best Opp Sex of colour, and this was a nice browy hen. Third position in the line-up was taken by S Wildes with a solid looking Skyblue, which had a spot missing

Other placing 4^th J Theobald”

Rares Judged by Philip Dye, who recalled: “A Texas Clearbody Light Green Hen took the certificate for the Norwood Stud. This was a super hen, benched in good condition, which really won with quite a bit to spare. It was a close contender for Best AA Opposite Sex. Second place went to another Texas Clearbody, this one a Yellow faced Skyblue cock (Best Opp Sex of colour) staged by J Dunnell which was perhaps unlucky to meet a bird in such good form as the first. E & M Nee took the third spot.

Overall, the standard was a little disappointing, but with one or two birds making a real impact.

Other placings:4^th G & J Al-Nasser 5^th D A Turner 6^th P Smart 7^th A M Benton 8^th R Day 9^th D A Mullee 10^th N Beevers 11^th G & J Al-Nasser 12^th A M Carr 13^th M Anzara 14^th Findlay & Flavell”

Any Other Colour John Lees describes his awards “ I selected a very good Dilute cobalt cock, staged in excellent condition by C & M Snell as certificate winner. The only criticism I have of it is that it could do with standing up more, as it spent much of the time lying across the perch when relaxing. In second place I put a nice big lacewing yellow cock from T & A Luke . This bird was well turned out and in good condition. Third place went to D A Turner’s nice Greywing cock which had good shape, but lacked a little in size.

Best Opposite sex was a good lacewing yellow hen of T & A Lukes (7^th in the line-up

Other placings 4^th Quigley & Watson 5^th J W Mitchell 6^th A M Benton 8^th G & J Al-Nasser 9^th G M Grist 10^th I Olbison 11^th G & J Al-Nasser 12^th A E Wood 13^th A E Wood “

BEST OF COLOUR LINE-UPS – YOUNG BIRD

Light Green Robbie Keeber placed these awards and writes:- “Best of Colour was D G Bowley’s young cock, which is a good modern bird, although slight opalescence spoiled the overall appearance a little. In second place I selected D Leadbetter’s exhibit which was not quite so wide in head, but was really in with a shout for best of colour. Freakley & Ainley took the third place with their young hen (Best Opp Sex of colour); a super hen, big and wide, but not quite in the best of condition

C Kirk’s bird in fourth place was excellent, but had a ‘dodgy’ tail, while fifth was a quality hen

Other placings: 6^th S Conlin 7^th W J Mear”

Dark or Olive Green Dominic Avo wrote this about his awards: “Best of colour was G Ludlow’s very powerful hen of good substance, with good width of head and depth of mask. She went on to win Best opposite Sex in show. Second place was taken by C Hickman’s Dark Green cock (Best Opp Sex of colour), a good headed cock with nice blow. Not quite as powerful as the hen, but still a very good bird. Third place went to W S Grove’s Dark Green cock – a very good Beginner bird and one which can be of use.

The standard of the young birds was very high.

Other placings: 4^th C L Bowman 5^th S & B Squires 6^th S J Rich 7^th S Finlay 8^th S Conlin”

Skyblue Robbie Keeber judged this colour group and said: “C & M Snell won the certificate with an outstanding sky blue cock. It was slightly soft on the day. In second place came D Leadbetter’s very good young cock, which was not quite as big or wide as the winner – but a very good bird, while the third place went to another excellent cock, staged by K Sykes, but let down by opalescence

Best Opp Sex of colour, and fourth in the line-up was A & B Whattam’s nice hen, which was not quite up to the standard of the cocks.

A lot of birds in this colour group were out of condition, but the winning birds were outstanding.

Other placings: 5^th E Newall 6^th L & S Devaney 7^th N Johnston 8^th M O’Dell 9^th S Finlay 10^th W & J Haworth”

Cobalt, Mauve or Violet John Alcock, commented on his awards:- “Best of colour was R & M Miller’ super quality cobalt cock. He was a little flecked, but even when severely penalised was still well in front of the rest. Second place was taken by T & L Jukes nice solid coloured dark factor (Best Opp Sex of colour). In third place came J Zeebroek’s decent quality young bird which was well spotted.

This was another small colour group, but there were some very good dark factors competing

4^th B Merrison 5^th W & J Haworth 6^th S & J Gillan 7^th L & S Devaney 8^th R Bastin”

Grey Green Judged by Ron Payne, who commented: “ M & T Rodgers took this young bird certificate with a good quality baby, very fit although slightly rough in the tail area. D Page took the second place with another quality baby, which perhaps needed a bit more work around the head D Scott took the third place with his fine hen (Best Opp Sex of colour) which was not the same quality as the leading cocks.The standard dropped off alarmingly after the class winners in this section. Some strange body coloured birds were benched, making me think some could almost have been golden faced, although they were not.

Other placings: 4^th S & B Squires 5^th N Johnston 6^th R Hickton-Collins 7^th J O’Neill 8^th W J Mear 9^th S Finlay”

Grey Jac Cuyton made his selections as follows: “L & P Martin’s young bird took this award. Despite the fact that the winner could have done with a bit more size and a bit more depth of mask, the perfect condition and the lovely direction in the face made this bird the winner. The second in the line-up, staged by D Leadbetter, was a bit bigger than the winner, but couldn’t reach the overall picture of that bird. Third place was taken by R Walker’s bird which was taller, but it could not reach the facial qualities of the winner.

Fourth came C L Bowman’s young hen(Best Opp Sex of colour), which was a very powerful, quality hen but far away from her best condition.

5^th J O’Neill 6^th C Kirk 7^th E Newall 8^th A E Wood 9^th E W Freel

Opaline Green Series (ex Grey Green) was judged by John Alcock : “ I selected A & D Woan’s young cock as Best of Colour. This was a super quality, well presented cock of good even colour. In second place came D McKeown’s hen(Best Opp Sex of colour) and this was a pleasing exhibit, closely behind the winner. Third was J & D Lindsay’s young hen which was another good, clean Opaline

This was a small colour group, but contained some good quality birds.

4^th W & J Haworth 5^th C L Bowman

Opaline Grey Green Terry Tuxford on his awards: “J Theobald, from the Beginner section, took this certificate with a nicely presented, powerful young hen. This youngster had fine head features with a deep mask and spots, width and lift.

In second position in the line-up came S J Rich, staging a great hen that is a fine Opaline. It should do great in the breeding cage, given the right cock. Powerful, yet feminine. I awarded third spot to a smart young cock from I C Bellamy(Best Opp Sex of colour). It needs some time to grow, but was shown in fine condition

Overall this was a poorly supported section, but with some good specimens

Other placings: 4^th B Merrison 5^th J & D Lindsay 6^th C G Holland

Opaline Blue Series (ex Grey) Judged by Joe Nevin, who commented: “This colour group was led by a nice hen staged by B Merrison. A deserved win this, despite one missing spot. Second place was annexed by a Junior: E Newall’s young cock(Best Opp Sex of colour) was one to be proud of. Third spot was taken by D Dixons exhibit which was unfortunately a little flecked

Nothing really stood out in this colour group: generally, the quality was quite poor.

Other placings: 4^th G & Y Sutton 5^th A M Carr 6^th J M Platts

Opaline Grey Ray Steele judged this colour group: “Best of colour was D Jukes young hen which had nice head qualities, a clean saddle, but could do with larger spots. The same fancier’s young cock claimed the second place (Best Opp Sex of colour)and was a good clean Opaline, with decent spots and head qualities.

Overall, there were a few good birds, but generally the standard was rather poor

Other placings 3^rd T & L Jukes 4^th T Leedham 5^th W & J Haworth 6^th G & Y Sutton

Normal Cinnamon Green series Raymond Rogerson commented “ I was pleased with the standard of birds in this section, and felt that generally these birds were much better than the Any Age section.

Best of colour was B E Sweeting’s Light Green cock, a good young bird with good length and width of shoulder, well spotted and with good depth of mask. A worthy winner, which was staged in excellent condition. Second place was taken by T & A Luke’s young hen (Best Opp Sex of colour), a nice bird once again, in very good condition and displaying good size and deportment Third came R Hickton-Collins' young hen, perhaps unfortunate to come up against such strong competition

Other placings: 4^th P Ward 5^th E W Freel 6^th 921-1 7^th S & J Gillan 8^th W & J Haworth 9^th 922-1”

Normal Cinnamon Blue series Judged by Roger Carr, who described his placings: “The certificate was taken by R Warrender’s young cock which displayed width of head and depth of mask in abundance, enhanced by excellent deportment. With a little more weight it may have got more than the three votes that it attracted for Best ’s young cock which displayed width of head and depth of mask in abundance, enhanced by excellent deportment. With a little more weight it may have got more than the three votes that it attracted for Best Young Bird. Second place went to C & M Snell’s Blue hen (Best Opp Sex of colour). But for condition, she would have pushed for major honours, having an excellent face, spots, width and rise on head. In third spot, B A Wilson’s Blue hen which had good shape and deportment

Most of the winners exhibited the modern trend of wide heads and deep masks but some of the advancement in this department is having a detrimental effect on overall shape.

Other placings: 4^th B A Wilson 5^th P Ward 6^th M Hemingway 7^th 924-1 8^th S & J Gillan 9^th E W Freel”

Opaline Cinnamon Green series Jim Rogerson judged this colour, commenting: “ T & A Luke took the certificate with a clean, stylish Greygreen cock which stood well, displaying good well spotted facial qualities, in good condition. In second place came Herring Bros Light Green hen(Best Opp Sex of colour), which was a close runner up, but had flight feathers missing. Nevertheless, a quality bird with good head and spot Third came D Jukes Greygreen cock bird, which had nice width of head, spoiled by slight ticking

Other placings: 4^th W & J Haworth 5^th J Newall 6^th W & J Haworth 7^th Ward & Rogers

Opaline Cinnamon Blue series Judged by Ron Payne: “R Warrender’s Grey cock headed this colour group. A good all round bird this, with nice width. Second place was taken by C Devey’s Grey hen (Best Opp Sex of colour). This was a good hen, let down by a short tail Third came W & J Haworth’s Cobalt cock, A nice cock, staged in good condition but did not possess the size of the first two

There were only ten birds in this colour group, so the overall quality was not of the best

Other placings: 4^th M O’Dell 5^th K Austin 6^th J & D Lindsay

Lutino Ray Steele recalled: “Best of colour was an excellent, top quality Lutino cock benched by G & P Norris. This bird has very good size and head qualities: colour and style were not great, but the bird was far in excess of the others in the line up. In second place came K Humphries young hen (Best Opp Sex of colour), which was in many respects much the same. It was top quality, but lacking in colour Third spot went to S J Rich’s good quality bird of decent head and colour but a bit behind the overall quality of the with a good all round bird, but not as big as the two birds in front of it.

Other placings: B Merrison 5^th A M Benton

Albino Roger Carr recalls: Best of colour was a lovely hen staged by A Kelly. She had excellent deportment, good shoulder, which extended through to a broad head, quality feather and a nice rise above the eye.. Second place went to C M Fuller a smart young cock which took the Best Opposite Sex of Colour award and well deserved the award. Third went to another cock, a bird with a future, staged by L & P Martin. Style, type, deportment were here. It lacked only the size that full maturity will bring.

The comments that I made on the colour problems in the variety in the Any Age group, apply equally to the Young birds”

hite-wing Judged by John Lees, who explained his adjudications: “ Guppy & Barnes benched a very good Cobalt hen to take this certificate. She possessed both style and size and was a worthy winner despite being not quite in condition. Second place went to R J Allen’s good young Skyblue cock(Best Opp Sex of colour) which was not in top condition, while the third place was taken by J Rivers Skyblue cock which, again, was a nice bird overall but lacking the size of the first two Other placings: 4^th B Merrison 5^th M Anzara

Crested or Tuft Raymond Rogerson recalled his placings: “ A Miller’s Tufted cobalt cock headed this colour group. This was a bird benched in excellent condition and of good size, but a little short in the depth of mask For second place, I selected a full circular Grey hen (Best Opp Sex of colour) staged by J Zeebroek. This was indeed a very good bird, not quite in condition; otherwise, it would have taken the certificate. Third place went to Findlay & Flavell, whose Full circular Light Green showed some opalescence

Best Opposite Sex, and fourth in the line-up was Cheatley & Alcorn’s full circular Dark Green hen which had a good crest, but did not settle well while being judged

There were some good birds in the section, but the quality fell away and overall was not as good a selection as the Any Age group

Other placings 5^th Findlay & Flavell 6^th K Bruce”

Spangle Green series Judged by Philip Dye, who writes: “ D G Bowley took this certificate ‘by storm’ with his excellent Light Green cock. This was a large bird with blow and it stood out in both class and colour line-up, going on subsequently to take the Best Young Bird in Show award. Second was another Light Green, this time a hen shown by K Sykes(Best Opp Sex of colour). It was again a powerful bird, with good blow and was shown in good condition. Third in the line-up came from M & M Chapman , a good Double factor Yellow hen

There were some very good birds even in the lower positions

Other placings: 4^th Ward & Rogers 5^th D A Turner 6^th G N Turner 7^th J Donovan 8^th R J Allen 9^th D Jukes 10^th S & B Squires 11^th D Swift 12^th J Butcher 13^th M Hemingway 14^th S Finlay 15^th S Finlay”

Spangle Blue series Judged and reported by Terry Tuxford: “A Normal Grey cock took the certificate for G & A Moore. Although not the strongest of Young bird classes I have judged, the winner was a very nice Spangle. Unfortunately, he had only one complete Tail feather but was so far ahead of the following birds, with nice throw of the head and good spots, that I had no real choice. Second and Best Opp Sex of colour went to J Copeland’s Opaline Grey hen. Revealing great promise for the future, this young head has good style, is confident and shows well on the perch. Third place was taken by R Hickton-Collins’ clean Double factor blue series Spangle cock. Not a large bird but is very clean with little suffusion.

This was not an overall strong colour section, but consistent through ranking – a good opportunity for future Spangle breeders

Other Placings: 4^th Findlay & Flavell 5^th D Leadbetter 6^th N Johnston 7^th J O’Neill 8^th S Finlay 9^th E Newall 10^th P D White 11^th R Hooper 12^th B A Wilson 13^th A M Benton 14^th R Hooper”

Dominant Pied or Clearflight Jim Rogerson judged this colour group and recalled: “C L Bowman’s quality Dominant Pied Light Green cock led the field. This bird had a good head and mask and stood well. Perhaps it would have been improved with more body contrast. Second came a Cinnamon Skyblue hen staged by C Hickman. This was a nice bird but could have been a little wider head to match the nice deep mask. Third place went to B A Wilson’s Greygreen cock which showed well despite a wrong spot.

Best Opp Sex of colour and fifth in the line-up was D Jukes Greygreen hen- a hen in a line-up dominated by cocks. This was rather a small bird.

Other placings: 4^th J & D Lindsay 6^th J Hickton-Craggs 7^th S & B Squires 8^th W & J Haworth 9^th 951-2 10^th A Pope 11^th S Wildes 12^th Quigley & Watson 13^th T T McNulty 14^th B Sincock

Recessive Pied or Dark Eyed Clear Dominic Avo described his adjudication: “G & P Norris took this certificate with a well balanced bird of good size. It had slight ticking on the head but was still good enough to win. Second came a very typy hen (Best Opp Sex of colour) from A & N Michael. This was a very typy hen, well spotted but rather heavily marked on the wings (typical of hens of this variety). In third place came C P Spruce’s typy bird, which had a nice width of face but was rather too light in wing markings. Nevertheless, a good bird

Again, the standard overall was good. This variety is improving very well

4^th M & M Chapman 5^th M Anzara 6^th S Wildes 7^th Pearce & Pears 8^th D G L Stiling 9^th A M Benton 10^th A M Benton 11^th M Anzara”

Yellowface Joe Nevin recalls his task: “The Best of Colour award went to B A Wilson’s Yellow faced Cobalt cock; a lovely bird I would have liked to take home Second spot was taken by a Golden faced Cobalt benched by G & A Moore and this bird was too far behind the winner, but lacked somewhat in size – hence its placing. Third was from D W Hughes; a typy hen (Best Opp Sex of colour), rather rough on the head but a good hen for breeding

This was a very good section, with good quality

Other placings: 4^th P D White 5^th P Ward 6^th R Bastin 7^th A Hickman 8^th W J Mear

Rare Judged by Philip Dye as follows: “L & P Martin benched the certificate winner here, with a Texas Clearbody Skyblue hen; a nice hen in very good condition with nice face and feather. D A Mullee took second place with a Slate hen. She had a good face and was staged in good condition. Third in the line-up came G J Tillson’s Texas Clearbody Light Green Cock (Best Opp Sex of colour)

This section showed some promise for the future with some very good hens in competition.

Other placings: 4^th Quigley & Watson 5^th J Allen 6^th A M Carr 7^th M Anzara 8^th S Finlay 9^th Findlay & Flavell 10^th R Day 11^th Anzara

Any Other Colour John Lees recounted his placings: “ T & A Luke’s lovely browy Lacewing Yellow hen , staged in good condition, led a fairly large field Second came R Day’s Yellow hen which was also in excellent condition. Third place was taken by B E Sweeting’s Lacewing White Cock (Best Opp Sex of colour); a good bird but apparently in need of show cage training.

Other placings 4^th M & M Chapman 5^th R Bastin 6^th R Day 7^th H W & M Hough 8^th J O’Neill 9^th G & J Al-Nasser 10^th A M Carr 11^th A E Wood

CERTIFICATES OF MERIT

Novice Any Age P Ward Novice Young Bird C Kirk

Junior Any Age C P Spruce Junior Young Bird Miss A Hickman

Best Champion Any Age L & P Martin, 2nd L & P Martin, 3rd P & N Stannard, 4th C Wright, P Greenwood

6th G & A Moore, 7th J Donovan, 8th G & A Moore, 9th The Holland Stud, 10th Norwood Stud

Best Champion Young Bird D G Bowley, 2nd M & T Rodgers, 3rd C Hickman, 4th C & M Snell, 5th D G Bowley, 6th B E Sweeting, 7th R & M Miller, 8th G & P Norris, 9th R Warrender, 10th R Warrender

Best Intermediate Any Age B A Wilson, 2nd B A Wilson, 3rd B A Wilson, 4th R Hickton-Collins, 5th B A Wilson, 6th J Newall, 7th S Wildes, 8th B A Wilson, 9th Cheatley & Alcorn, 10th M O'Dell

Best Intermediate Young Bird B A Wilson, 2nd D Leadbetter, 3^rd J Zeebroek, 4th D Leadbetter, 5th D Leadbetter, 6th B A Wilson, 7th B A Wilson, 8th R Hickton-Collins, 9th M O'Dell, 10th B A Wilson

Best Novice Any Age Ward & Rogers, 2nd P Ward P, 3rd C Kirk, 4th Pearce & Pears, 5th G Ludlow, 6th E W Freel, 7th C Kirk, 8th S & B Squires, 9th G Ludlow, 10th B Merrison

Best Novice Young Bird G Ludlow, 2nd C Kirk, 3rd S & B Squires, 4th Ward & Rogers, 5th B Merrison, 6th D Jukes , 7th D Jukes, 8th D W Hughes, 9th D Jukes, 10th B Merrison

Best Beginner Any Age K Sykes, 2nd J Theobald, 3rd D McKeown, 4th W & J Haworth, 5th K Sykes, 6th W & J Haworth, 7th C A Sutton, 8th D Dixon, 9th J Theobald, 10th C A Sutton,

Best Beginner Young Bird K Sykes, 2nd R Walker, 3rd K Sykes, 4th J O'Neill, 5th W S Grove, 6th D McKeown, 7th J O'Neill, 8th J Theobald, 9th W & J Haworth, 10th W & J Haworth

Best Junior Any Age C P Spruce, 2nd Best C P Spruce, 3rd E Newall

Best Junior Young Bird Miss A Hickman, 2nd C P Spruce, 3rd J Hickton-Cragg

This list recounts the success enjoyed by a great many fanciers, but by no means tells the whole tale, because those birds which did not secure a Red card were so essential to the show, and we salute those exhibitors who do not always win, but who continue to ‘travel in hope’ and are always looking forward to the next event – or the next chapter in their fancier life.

As is usual at the BS Club show, there were competition other than to individual exhibitors, and not just directly including birds.

The first, however, recognised the part played by the Area Societies in nurturing and encouraging the fancy in their area, by awarding points to those winning fanciers who nominated their home Area society as the society that they wished to represent. For the first time for a while, the trophy went to the home society, the Yorkshire BS who amassed a total of 582 points. Runners of was Midlands BA, the winners over the last few years, with 527 and the Lincs & East Anglia BA were third with 331. Other placings as follows:- South Midlands BS 236, Scottish BS 117, Lancs Cheshire & S Wales BS 105, Northern BS 39, Western Counties BS 30, London & Southern Counties BS 28, Welsh BS 17.

Due recognition was paid to the Specialist and Area Societies who supported the event with their society stands, and the Judges, Dave Hislop, George Booth and Joe Nevins decided that Best of this excellent bunch were Lincolnshire & East Anglia BS. Second place was awarded to the Lutino & Albino Society, while the third place went to the Yorkshire BS. A great day all round for the YBS!

The same judges visited every Trade Stand and concluded that the representation this year was that of the Exhibition Budgerigar Forum, followed by Sunrise, with Riversway taking third place. Competition this year was stronger than ever.

Staging a show of this magnitude is, of course, a costly business and we must pay tribute to those members who contributed towards that cost in a number of ways. Firstly, of course, the exhibitors including those who sent birds to swell the Sales Classes – always an extremely popular feature of this event – and let us not forget those stalwarts who took on the role of Sales steward and were thus largely confined to the balcony, which has been shown to be the most successful location for this section.

Norman & June Cox have, for many years, provided ‘all the fun of the fair’ at the BS Club Show with their Tombola stand, starring a vast array of soft toys ranging from the gigantic to the small, and this extremely enjoyable way of parting with one’s money again proved to be a highly popular and successful attraction.

The Annual Raffle was once again very well supported, largely because of the generous prizes gifted by members and, of course is one of those items which do much to keep down Entry fees and Admission cost to exhibitors and viewing members alike.

….and the, of course, there is the hugely popular Auction of Promises, featuring the Auctioneering team of Geoff Capes and John Alcock, ably supported as Cashier by Grant Findlay. At this stage of the show, the vicinity of the Auction is always crowded and the remainder of the hall strangely devoid of folk. The attraction (apart from the trio mentioned) is, of course the vast array of lots donated by fanciers of good will, and of course the part played by those fanciers whose final bids were successful is greatly appreciated. This year the quality of the birds on offer was as good, if not better, than ever.

There is no doubt that the great success of this event over the years is the wide range of attractions and points of interest accessible readily under the one roof. The fact that so many fanciers and members are present and remain ‘on site’ from the time that the show opens on the Saturday morning, is that parallel attraction, the Seminar, which for some years with great success by Ron Pearce.

This year, it was conducted by the highlight successful Northern partnership of Tom & Andrew Luke, who gave us a clear and entertaining illustrated presentation describing the development of their stud, particularly since 2001. This an extremely interesting prelude to the viewing of the Best in Show judging, and in a way time passed all too quickly. Our thanks go to Tom and Andrew for the work that they put in to preparing and presenting this talk, which is more fully reported elsewhere.

Finally, and to end is also to begin, in paying tribute to all who did so much to make this show a great success, from Ron Simpson and his secretarial team, Dave Hislop and fellow show management officials, the folk ‘on the door’ who were kept very busy, the Security Officers Marstin and Emma Nee and their team, the Trophy presentation team, and the catering folk to that invaluable set of stewards – those who were there to attend all those essential task from the erection of staging and checking in of birds to the checking out and dismantling of staging. Where would the fancy be without such folk ?

Dave Herring, for Janice Al-Nasser, BS Publicity officer.

SEMINAR 2011 -- T & A Luke at the BS Club Show

Tom Luke started the session by introducing Andrew and himself. He handed over to Andrew, who would be making the presentation, at the end of which they would answer questions.

Firstly, it was stressed that their partnership is 100%. They make all decisions together and share all aspects of our fancy on that basis, discussing their progress and planning for the future together at all stages.

The presentation itself was in Powerpoint format and included a large number of images of their birds through the years, from 2001, to confirm the progress and development of the stud, and as reminders of their basic philosophy. As with all such presentations, a written description of the event can only cover the ‘verbal’ part; only those of us who were they could receive the full benefit of this session, but if this recounting of our experience encourages more fanciers to join us at the 2012 event, it will have served its purpose.

STOCK BUILDING Their stud was re-formed from 1991, with good foundation stock, and they keep all the mainstream colours. The bulk of their birds was Opaline Cinnamons at first, but this variety now represents only about 20% of their stock, although the Opaline Cinnamon stud qualities have been instrumental in forming the rest of the stud.

Commenting on the initial picture, of 2001/2 winners, Andrew told us that they felt that these major award winners would be unlikely to head classes now. There will always be setbacks over the years, but they have found that in forming a stud it is well worth persevering with birds which initially fail to breed, even if it takes two to three years to get something (which may prove to be invaluable) from some of those special birds.

Their stud maintained steady development, and in 2005 there appeared signs of that modern phenomenon, the ‘Buffalo’ effect. Their stud was influenced by introductions from Gerald Binks and Peter Johnson, and they used the birds from these fanciers to enhance their stud by judicious integration of this new stock into the foundation of their existing stud.

In 2005, they introduced a new birdroom, which boasts contains 44 breeding cages and includes flights of 13 feet by 7 feet in proportion. The latter are regarded as very important, and the Lukes’ aim is to allow their birds to spend as much time as is possible in the flights, rather than stock or breeding cages. Their aim, is to maintain the colony atmosphere as much as possible and in order to achieve this, the partitions between the cages are of Perspex.

SHOW PREPARATION As to developing their potential show team members, they believe in using training cages, and visitors are encouraged to move the birds around, giving young birds essential different experience.

PAIRING UP They usually pair up all their birds, initially, on the same day, and they are both present in making all relevant decisions.

MANAGEMENT The partnership make use of trolley cages/flights, which can be moved around at will. They find these units particularly useful for vulnerable birds which are not yet ready to be exposed to the stresses of the large flights - for example, hens which are somewhat under the weather at the end of the breeding season, and other birds, including youngsters, which have been pulled down by sickness.

STOCK BUILDING Their Opaline Cinnamon line has always been known for their clarity of colour/freedom from marking and this particular strength is used judiciously to clean up other bloodlines which show signs of flecking.

Over the years, they have had some dilutes cropping up from time to time; they believe that they may date back to birds that they had from Doug Sadler some years ago.

They first acquired Spangles in 2004/5, and admit that it is not one of their preferred varieties, and for this reason are particularly critical of any Spangle that they breed, and keep only those which particularly impress them as budgerigars .

Andrew explained that, some years ago, his job took him to work in South Africa, and while there he took the opportunity to visit Reinhard Molkentin on a number of occasions, and was thus able to study the husbandry, management and breeding methods of that highly successful fancier. Reinhard has subsequently had a massive influence on the way that the Lukes now feed and manage their own stud – generally the way in which they care for their budgies- and the feeding methods they employ are rather different now to the very simple diet that they used to supply to their stock. Consequently, they now feed Johnson & Jeff’s see as their main staple and this is augmented by a softfood of this seed with the addition of a mixture of a number of vegetables. Further, supplies of fennel, rosemary and other herbs, grasses, etc are thrown into the flights frequently, and Rock salt is an ever present, with Murphy’s minerals, Sea weed and mineral blocks offered regularly.

2008 saw, alongside the continued development of their stock, the introduction of the Lacewing variety into the stud, and as with all additions to their stock, they were integrated into the stud, via the Opaline Cinnamon family. He went on to explain that Reinhard has good Lacewings, and says that the secret is not to continually pair Lacewing to Lacewing: to do so will result in loss of quality particularly in size.

Viewing the pictures of their birds at that time, Andrew said that the Molkentin stock that they imported, typical of that fanciers style of bird, had a long, wide feather and these introductions made a very strong mark on their stud, and he went on to explain something more of their attitude to their breeding and management methods. Firstly, sorting birds out methodically is key to the progress of a stud. They never keep a bird purely because of its colour – it has to be of good enough quality in other respects to secure its retention for the breeding team. The progress and development of their stud is their main ‘raison d’etre’ and often they will decide to keep a particularly good bird back from the showbench – never showing it -if they feel that it will be better reserved purely for it value as a breeding bird.

There aviary is stocked with a number of appliances designed to keep the birds’ quarters as clean and comfortable as possible, and these include dehumidifiers, a fogging machine for use with F10 solution, a good quality vacuum cleaner – which is used two or three times daily, and a Safari Dust extractor.

Mite Control, is a priority in the Luke stud, and they place a lot of emphasis on keeps these pests at bay, carrying out regular microscopic examination of the feather of their stock for signs of infestation. The use three separate products, applying Ivomectin to every bird in the birdroom yearly, all on the same day, as well as immersing them is an ant-mite solution , again yearly, and using Diaton powder in nest boxes and the like. Speaking of nest boxes, he told us that all their boxes are identical, and this they find a great boon when moving boxes around for any reason, including replacing them ‘mid-clutch’. They use outside boxes, of a ‘box within a box’ design.

Water is, of course, very important even for birds which were a desert animal. As well as a ready supply of fresh drinking water, their birds are enabled to take frequent baths in the flights: this does a lot to keep the birds in good feather, as they preen themselves thoroughly after they bathe. Sometimes they also add Johnson’s baby shampoo to the water, and this wetting agent makes for an even better soaking.

They do not like to see birds looking bored, and this is alleviated by putting a number of playthings in the flights, which the budgerigar, being an inquisitive creature, makes the most of. The addition of tree branches, and particularly Eucalyptus, which the birds enjoy pulling to pieces, ingesting valuable ingredients alongside the additional exercise.

So to 2011, and they continue to look forward. This year they have noted that, as a result of careful selection, more and more of the Molkentin features that they sought are coming through in their stock. They advise fellow fanciers to be always keen to examine the winning birds of other fanciers, in order to identify what they need to introduce in to their own stocks to push their own stock forward. Equally, it is important to support shows. They have showed at eleven shows, so far, this year: last year they supported sixteen events! They urge us, for the good of the fancy and continuation of the show structure, to keep the fancy going by letting more and more people see our birds. The warn that if, we as individuals do not play our part in this, shows will get smaller and smaller and eventually die out.

Tom Luke then joined Andrew for their Question and Answer session:-

The first enquirants queried whether importing birds from South Africa was expensive. The reply was that it is extremely so, perhaps not so much foe a number of birds, but for an individual purchase, it would be quite frightening, the main problem being in the cost of quarantining the birds for a minimum of three months away from their normal aviary.

They advised that those who are considering importing such birds to be sure that the birds receive, at all stages, the same diet as in their home area, and introduce them to their new regime slowly.

Q. Do you trim your birds vents when pairing up?

A. No – we pluck them! We do so to both cocks and hens. However, it is interesting to note that Rheinhard Molkentin never does so, even with his heavily feathered birds. While speaking of the Molkentin routine, it was stressed that if we decide to introduce vegetables to the diet of our birds that we should do so gradually, because such a regime could initially have a scouring effect on some of our stock.

On the question of fanciers with ‘deep pockets’ coming in to the fancy, he said that often these folk do not remain satisfied with the fancy for too long. It benefits the hobby generally, and the distribution to ‘lesser mortals’ of good birds when these richer folk – sometimes millionaires - come into the fancy. They buy birds, albeit good but expensive, and before long sell out, at considerably cheaper prices. So their presence is not all bad news.

Asked what disinfectants they use in the aviary, they replied that F10 is used for most things, but they also use iodine based anti bacterial solutions such as Vanodine from time to time. Given these two excellent products, plus the anti-mite treatments already described, do a lot to ensure the continuing health of their stock, and contributes to the maintenance of breeding vigour.

The penultimate question referred to show matters generally. Tom said that he they are very keen to keep their potential show birds in good condition before and throughout the show season. For this reason, they keep a close check on all such birds, and if he sees a bird with a roughened tail feather, he immediately takes steps to straighten it, using hot water. He feels that failing to do so is inviting further damage, and so tries to nip all such problems in the bud as quickly as possible. He also advised that the application of a silk cloth to the plumage of show birds can do much to enhance the appearance with an attractive sheen.

2009 heralded a further steady progress towards their aims, and Andrew spoke of the type of feather that they prefer. Having referred on occasion to their stud’s underpinning by their Opaline Cinnamons, he explained that neither Tom not he like coarse feathered birds for show, much preferring fine or medium feathered exhibits. Again, he stressed that they decide on their matings primarily for quality and not for colour.

Finally, Tom was asked whether he had contemplated retiring from the fancy. He strongly asserted that there is no chance of this at all and his intention remain to remain an active fanciers for the rest of his life.

Dave Herring, BS Member

11-10-20

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