December 2011

Tuesday 13 December

My show season finished at the end of November with a fair selection of specials, I supported a local CBS show and took the best cinnamon and champion allied to white awards, my two girls won best junior, best any white canary and best junior in show. The main event of the weekend for me was the Midland Fife Fancy Canary club show, with 1,623 Fifes entered, 1,184 Champion and 423 Novice the show entry surpassed even that of the North of England, the heritage of the North of England is going to take some time to beat but the team in the Mildands should be very proud that they've managed to attract that many birds in just four years.

I entered a team of 14 and was delighted to win both the heavily variegated yellow hen class (44 entries) and the self green buff hen class (47 entries), the heavily variegated yellow hen went on to win 2nd best Champion heavily variegated to end the season with three big colour specials with three different birds, very pleased. Also of note was the 3rd for my variegated yellow cock in a class of 49 and my heavily variegated buff cock 6 in a class of 53. So my show season finished with 2nd Best Champion Green and Seventh best Champion in show at North West Fife (749 Birds) Best Champion Green at North of England (1,493 birds) and 2nd Best Champion Heavily Variegated at Midland (1,623 birds).

With family and judging committments this year I haven't showed as much as i'd have liked to, next year I plan to attend the West of Scotland and either Northumberland or West Wales bringing the specialist shows to 6, obviously much will depend on the quality of the young. After the Midland show I truned the birds into their flight cages and have started the preparation for next years breeding season in earnest, i've brought in a couple of cinnamon varigated sisters from Gerald to run with a fawn white cock i bred last year to cement the cinnamon line and i've picked up a lovely little self green buff hen from Gordon Murdie to add a bit of freshness into my dark line.

I'll be keeping 18 cock birds next year and 24 hens, I plan to run 12 or so straight pairs from my two family line and then 6 trios, I have four generations in each line now and thankfully the quality continues to keep coming through, obviously i'm hoping all of the birds will over winter.

Until next year..............