Others, and that includes champions, cannot achieve that level for a variety of reasons, so that their “super” birds have obviously not had the attention so necessary – and even occasionally, such fanciers have taken their entries straight from the breeding cage, de-spotted and that is that!

That is no way to proceed – and the chances of being rejected by the judges on the day is heightened greatly, if for no other excuse, for appearing in poor condition.

So, how does the professional approach the task of preparing the team, often for many consecutive weeks?

Should hens be shown and how many times should they be benched – for instance, on an annual basis?

These and other suggestions are discussed below….

Catching The Team

This is not the time to discuss the “Ideal Budgerigar”, which is anyway different in all countries by and large.

The breeder knows which are his/her best birds and it is up to him/her to make decisions reading which cocks and hens he/she selects will be included in the possibles and probables that could, for the show season, be hooked out of the flights, including current year birds.

You will ask “How many days before the first show should the team be re-sited in the stock cages?” The answer is three weeks and they should be fed additionally on lots of soaked oats to put on weight in that time. “A big one will always beat a little one” is a common saying.

Hens should be very carefully considered for show – in a typical season we do not advise that they are shown more than three times each for reasons of their importance for breeding.

The Hallams

In UK in the 1980′s, a Lancashire couple, Sylvia and Gordon Hallam and their son Peter Hallam, had the “knack” in bucket loads. Their show teams were prepared so well, that their birds, which even if slightly inferior to better birds, were still placed ahead of such superior exhibits. Not necessarily winning the class, but you take the point being made. So what exactly were their techniques? We will itemise them.

The Hallams owned a printing works. So both with their adults and especially their young possibles, they were taken in show cages, by car, on a regular basis to their firm, where they were left for a few hours before another car journey home. Obviously, this process accustomed them swiftly to avoiding travel nerves – often seen as a green discharge from the vent which is not enteritis, but plain nerves on a first outing. It tells you that before, say, a national show, this should be the practice to follow and perhaps common sense if your potential “Best in Show” is to have a great chance.

Young birds are often highly fractious and scatty. They need special attention. “With what?”, you ask?

The answer is hot water and glycerine!

Fill your sprayer with very hot water and add 5mls of plain glycerine to it. Adjust the nozzle to a fine spray and test it is not too hot on your hand — we are not responsible if you scald yourself ! Better you than your birds! Then, fully armed, spray the birds really heavily the first time in a morning to the point they look like drowned rats. They have the day to recover their normal look as well as having their underdown feathers dry by the evening.

By then you will see the first results. Calmer birds, better feathers on their bodies – any tails still ragged and spots need attention later. Nevertheless a big change — but a few will still be scatty. This process is then continued, but a bit less dense each day until you see a sheen appearing on them. As the days progress, the birds become calm and you can always add a clip on show cage for them to receive extra steadiness, if not placed there permanently.

Other ideas include a lot of handling with the young birds. Place them in a “dummy” show cage – two per cage — overnight. That helps, and when it comes to the big day they are accustomed to change and familiar with the show cage restrictions and perches.

Two Weeks Later

Now come the tricky parts.

Some will not be fully feathered for this first event of the season. Examine the flights and tails and see their growth situation. Short primaries or missing ones and only one tail fully down, and he /she is left for a later event. Broken shafts should have been pulled earlier, bearing in mind that a primary flight takes four weeks to re-grow and a tail eight weeks. Spots also take four weeks to re-appear, but can be quicker if you spray the spot shafts regularly and keep them soft.

Cracked Shafts and De-spotting

Suddenly you spot a cracked tail feather on a top bird.

Catch it up and examine the shaft carefully. Is it actually bent, chewed a bit or cracked right through?

If it’s the last item — pull out the stump, but if the other tail feather is intact – still show the bird.

Many judges miss spotting there is only one tail!

If both are cracked only, get a lighted cigarette and hold it very close to the damage. You will see the tail straighten fast and all is back to normal. The same happens if you dip the shaft(s) in boiling water.

Whatever you do – do not use glue! That will result in a ban on showing, as bad as painting spots and finally losing permanent credibility. Such actions result in another species of bird involvement. The “albatross around the neck syndrome”! Same with plucking out flecking. It is banned and if spotted you will be in trouble.

De–Spotting

This is an art that needs good eyesight and practice – but is dead easy in experienced hands.

In short, you are aiming to reveal the six main spots clearly without the myriad of the, sometimes, masses of minor small spots and underspots which are paler than the majors.

A quality pair of bull-nosed, flat-faced tweezers have to be bought for this purpose. Pointed tweezers, as used by the “fairer sex”, are useless as you often take out the centre of the offending feather instead of taking it out completely in one movement. No harm is done, unless you are too fast and out comes a major spot — then you are dead for the show.

Now a word of warning on this subject. When de-spotting, do not leave it to the last minute and attack the complete job in one go. Close to the skin of each major spot are the empty feather follicles of the surplus spots you have removed. The area directly around that big important spot gets bruised. You then spray the bird and the water makes that big spot heavy – and out it falls within minutes or hours. Spread the process over several days and this will not happen.

Judging Sticks

Obviously all judges use judging sticks, or now becoming popular, a two inch (5cm) broad “paddle” which is placed through the middle bars to allow and encourage a nervous bird to perch for a second or two – so it can be assessed for placing. If not, then a judge risks the bird getting tired after a few hours and it perches and looks “out of this world”, with predictable comments from the exhibition viewers.

The Day of the Show

By this time, you should have stopped the last final fine spraying three days earlier and the final team look fabulous.

Cage up. Add the correct labels as supplied from the show secretary – please note the word “correct”. Do not reverse a young bird light green label entry, with an adult entry of the same colour. It is a trap that happens so often when in a hurry.

Now double check all is correct and then cross check each label corresponds to the entry form copy you have made.

Finally

Once the birds are taken and benched, it is up to the judges.

You have done all you can – your team is in sparkling white cages – or should be – and in a few hours you will nervously see how you have done.

In nearly all cases you do better than you think you would and have, in your early days, pushed out other birds further down the line because you have prepared yours so well.

You might not win the first time, but you may the next week.

Make a note of the judges – some very good, others have not a clue because they have not bred such a quality in their own aviaries and really do not know how to be decisive in their actions.

There are some brilliant judges around of course who know exactly what they are seeing “To the millimetre”.
They are up with the quality being bred and the times. They move fast initially and make swift judgements and then get them in a rough order before dealing with the finer points and minor place adjustments. A last check and it is “job done”.

Others can stand there, faced with, say, fifteen light green cocks and look bemused and start to sweat – especially at national level.

One actually, years ago, reached for the whisky hip flask at the UK Budgerigar Society World Championship.

Such judges are rare, but if, at national level, one of these “amateurs” is appointed from a national list of “qualified judges” – then I find that unforgivable to those exhibitors who have strived all year to win this or that class.

Make a note of those who have no ability.

Lastly, you will lose more than you win but whatever you do, if you have not won, make it your first job to congratulate the winner. Your personal prestige will then soar — even if you are not aware of it. We cannot all win!

Good luck and one day everyone will shake your hand. It’s a great feeling.

Q1: Will we ever see you on the show bench again?

GSB:

I thought this might come up!

My reluctance to show goes back to the 1980′s, when at the Budgerigar Show I was twice in line for Best in Show, being in the last two selections and in each case with a far superior bird to the eventual winner.

Sour grapes? Certainly not – I believe it was political. At the time, I was “Mr Budgerigar World” and in the first case I was at home on the Saturday when I had a call from a lady – who I don’t know to this day.

She said:

Mr Binks, I was going to join the hobby but I never will after what I have just heard and seen.

When the last two birds were selected – adult and breeder – an official came to one of the judges and called him over.

He said to him “Do you realise who owns the blue cock?”

“Yes”, was the reply, “it belongs to Arthur Bracy.”

“No, it doesn’t, it belongs to Binks.”

“OK”, was the judge’s answer – “leave it to me.”

And that was me – dead!

The next occasion was in 1997, when I had, arguably, the best Grey Green in the UK. Again the result mirrored the first example and I was put down against an opaline cinnamon cock with the awful “keyhole effect”, which the judges of the day should still be ashamed of.

Witnesses? I have dozens, but again I was rocking the establishment with fresh ideas and actions that were unacceptable by just six persons – no more than that.

Today they are nowhere to be seen!

That is why I became totally dispirited about showing again – as jealousy was put in front of judging integrity.

Finally that Grey Green went on to win Best in Show, weeks later, at The Budgerigar World Show at Blackpool where 4,500 birds were on display.

However, I have recently bought ten new show cages!

Q2: The very first Budgerigar World Show at Sandown Park that you ran, really raised the bar on how major shows should be run. In your opinion, do you think that the major shows of today can be improved upon – not only for the exhibitors benefit, but also to promote the budgerigar fancy as a whole?

GSB:

That is a rhetorical question!

The first two Budgerigar World Championships arose out of looking at the Granby Hall in Leicester and The Queen’s Hall in Leeds, the later being a “converted” tram shed with the roof leaking all over the place.

I was then appalled when the whole of the Champion Adult staging collapsed.

It was a milestone and I knew I could do better.

Within 6 months, with great credit to my then printing partner John Blance, his wife and a great hand-picked team of helpers, we put on the first show in the concourse at Sandown Park racecourse. An enormous length and a pristine setting.

New staging was bought (now the BS staging, still with BW logos on it !), a hawk display in the paddock, and very large garden setting surrounded with international flags, where we sold Budgerigar World magazines, and in the garden, a pond with four flamingos which startled everyone who entered.

The judges I picked personally, as it is my view that the finest experienced judges of the day, from anywhere in the world, should only be the ones considered. This is because breeders spend all year trying to win such an event.

Selecting judges “from a list” is an insult at national level, in my opinion. Clean up that policy internationally and you make progress and credibility.

Q3: New fanciers coming into the hobby are in the older age group so someone joining at sixty years of age will be seventy years of age before they can go on to the Budgerigar Society judges panel. Do you think there should be a fast track to get people on the panel? Or do you think the judge’s training scheme has had its day?

GSB:

Oh dear – what a question!

Such a suggestion can only make matters worse. I introduced the Judges Training Scheme in the London & Southern Counties Budgerigar Society years ago.

We had oral and written questions and six judges who presided over each prospective candidate making notes throughout as the candidates went round all six classes.

All those reports were spread out in front of the nominated Council of Judges where they were studied in great detail and it was the aim to get the candidates through where possible.

Most passed, but some were asked to re-take next year. Those who were obviously incapable – and there were quite a few – we failed.

The problem later was that they then went to the Budgerigar Society scheme and passed!

I still am of the opinion that all prospective judges should attend their Area Society Judges Scheme (or nearest) based on the same format, and then go to the Budgerigar Society morning for final assessment.

I cannot see the sense of having candidates going all over the country being “trained” by judges – but then Binks has different ways of management!

If you think about it, there are two major faults in the hobby. One is that the entry fees at shows are so low as to be laughable – because they don’t relate to the cost of halls or the club’s ability to do the very best for their members. Also, membership fees are so ludicrously low – so organisers are limited in what they can put on in the way of a serious display.

Secondly, there is no effort to publicise to the general public that the show either exists, or is in the local papers or is publicised outside the hall and around the town. That applies at the top level as well. Publicity is marketing – or vice versa. No outside publicity exists in the hobby in UK. That, combined with lack of finance, because of the above reasons, is the major problem – which continues to be ignored.

Q4: What do you think of the forum and the use of the World Wide Web to promote our hobby?

GSB:

I have to apologise, but with my time being so occupied with all that I have to do with my own website – www.budgerigar.co.uk, which has gone ballistic – I have not had enough viewings on the forum to pass a full comment.

However, I have heard that one fancier, who has an advert with the Forum, is being overwhelmed for stock.

Such is the power of promotion and advertising, as discussed above, that both your Forum Site and mine possess.

All internet promotions are the modern way of advertising – but we should all get to the general public, not just preach to the converted.

I now believe that printed magazines in our hobby have had their day – times have changed.

I gave my final lecture lasting two hours at the Budgerigar Society Convention in Woking in May 2011 – so ably organised by Roger Carr and Fred Wright, among others. Before I started I asked about 100 seated fanciers if they were on the internet – and at least 80% put up their hands.

Among the topics discussed were:

• Judges Training Scheme – Ghalib Al-Nasser
• Guidelines for Major Faults – Janice Al-Nasser
• Guidelines for Specific Varieties – George Booth
• Rare Varieties – Gren Norris
• Clearwings, Greywings & Dilutes – Maurice Roberts
• Q & A – George Booth

For further details, please click on the report image above / right.

Why is only the top end of the bird(s) displayed in budgerigar photographs?

As I was the founder and editor of Budgerigar World Magazine, I perhaps was also “guilty” of doing exactly the same as many other photographers in concentrating on the bird(s) from the perch upward, but I had my views at the time which I will come to later.

Mick Freakley. leading breeder and official Budgerigar Society photographer, kindly supplies me with a great many photographs, so I decided to request him to answer this good question on behalf of Budgerigar.co.uk .

The Freakly Point of View

Below are four pairs of images to illustrate why, in my opinion, the camera concentrates on the top end of birds for public viewing.

Four are full length and four are cropped for comparison purposes.

As far as I am concerned, any full length image lacks impact.

The Grey Green cock featured here is the Best in Show bird from the 2010 Budgerigar Society Club Show – shown by Les Martin of Studham in Bedfordshire. A bird in the super class.

In the full length view you can clearly see the two tails are present. If it did not have these in the first place you would not be looking at the major part of the bird.

My personal choice is to see all birds from the perch upward in a photograph.

I did a series of full length photographs at the request of the UK Budgerigar Society for them to consider their possible use in their magazine. This followed a complaint that only “cropped ” images were being used all the time.

Obviously all judges will have penalised any suggestion of a dipped tail or a badly hinged tail while judging, so as winners are always the subject of published photographs, it can be accepted that the tail is / was right and in line with the body axis at the time.

The other three birds featured in this article clearly illustrate my point.

Please click on an image to enlarge it.

Summary by Gerald Binks

I have to say I am in full agreement with Mick.

Anyone can breed a body, whether big or small, but it is the detail in the head and top end that is essential to be pictured in all photographs.

That said, when I was the editor and photographer of Budgerigar World magazine, I began the series of featuring, say, four birds to a page and either judging them myself or inviting other judges to do the same: pointing out the good points and bad points on each bird – and, on occasion, complete with tails!

This feature was very popular with beginners and novices, so I propose to introduce it on this website at a later date.

It is for this reason that fanciers from all over the world make it a habit to attend this unique show.

This year was no exception when fanciers traveled from as far afield as Australia, Canada, Pakistan, USA and, from mainland Europe, Belgium, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Portugal & Switzerland to witness for themselves the quality of the birds benched.

Attractions

Apart from the quality budgerigars at the show there is the seminar staged on the Saturday morning, always popular with many fanciers attending and this year one of our top breeders and exhibitors, Brian Sweeting, was the guest speaker.

There are also all the Budgerigar Society, area & specialist societies stands that give members the opportunity to pay for their following year’s subscriptions plus, of course, the array of trade stands and products that are available to fanciers to stock up for the breeding season.

One other important factor of this unique show is the social side, the friendships that are made, new and old, and the opportunity over the two days to meet and catch up with fellow fanciers that one only sees once a year. This is further enhanced by the dinner/dance on the Saturday evening.

The popular Auction of Promises on Sunday afternoon is followed by the grand finale of the two days when the President of the Society presents the wonderful array of 91 trophies to the winning exhibitors. Each part contributes to making this unique event a weekend not to be missed.

Behind the Scenes

A show of this magnitude doesn’t just happen!

The result is thanks to tremendous teamwork by a great many helpers.

It starts with the erecting of staging on Friday morning and ends when the last bit of staging is put away and everyone has gone home.

The people to thank are too numerous to mention but include the staging erectors and dismantlers, the managerial and secretarial staff, the club show committee, security, trophy, catering, seminar, tombola, door staff, stand co-ordinator, sales staff, stewards, in fact everyone who helped in any way.

Stands

Each year there is a competition for Best Trade Stand and Best Area or Specialist Society Stand.

The winning Trade Stands were as follows:

• 1st – Calcivet (The Birdcare Company)
• 2nd – Aviary Hygiene (David W Van De Peer MBICSc)
• 3rd – EMP (Donald Cooke Ltd)

The winning Best Areas or Specialist Society Stands were as follows:

• 1st – South Midlands Budgerigar Society
• 2nd – LABS (Lutino & Albino Breeders Society)
• 3rd – CBBA (Clearwing Budgerigar Breeders’ Association)

This was the third successive year that the South Midlands BS won – they received £25 and a lovely engraved glass plaque.

Judges were the Society President Dave Herring, Chairman George Booth and overseas judge Dave Collier.

Judging

The task in hand for this year’s show fell upon a team of 15 judges which included the Budgerigar Society President, Dave Herring.

The remaining 14 judges were:

• Alan Adams
• Ghalib Al-Nasser
• Jeff Attwood
• Lyn Bancroft
• Nigel Beevers
• Jerry Donovan
• Colin Lamb
• Jim McGeehan
• Geoff Moore
• Norma Phillips
• Tony Pope
• Cy Thorne
• Mick Widdowson

Every year the society invites an overseas judge and this year was no exception. However, although Dave Collier currently resides in the USA, he is actually a B.S. Judge, so it was meeting up with old friends for him at the weekend.

Accepting birds on the Saturday morning and starting judging a bit later proved to be quite popular with many exhibitors – and providing four extra judges to judge the sections while the colour judging was in progress worked extremely well this year.

The four extra judges were:

• Dominic Avo
• Ron Payne
• Ray Steele
• Terry Tuxford

These four have already been invited to judge the colours next year.

There were super quality budgerigars on display at this show and having gone through the selection by the colour judges, the 26 best of colour winners and their respective opposite sexes came forward to the final selection for the major awards.

The Budgerigar Society celebrated its 85th Anniversary this year, and each exhibitor benching 8 or more birds received a specially commissioned clock to mark the occasion, this was most appreciated by the exhibitors.

Best in Show

Les Martin ensured that his name be added to that long list in the Hall of Fame for winning the supreme award at this show when his Grey Green cock was initially judged Best Any Age in Show and went a step further by beating the young bird for the Supreme Best in Show.

Soon after Les was declared the winner, the crowd realised that the bird was that which won Best Young Bird at last year’s show.

It was a popular win as Les is a staunch supporter of the Budgerigar Society Club Show and his worthy winner was a bird that excelled in width of head and depth of mask with wonderful frontal rise and directional feathering, staged in immaculate condition.

Best Young Bird & Best Opposite Sex in Show

The Norwood Stud (Tony & Sandra) benched a wonderful Grey hen to capture the next prestigious award of Best Young Bird & Best Opposite Sex in Show.

This bird excelled in quality of width of face and shoulder with good length and staged in good condition.

Best Any Age Opposite Sex in Show

The partnership of Mick Freakley & Ian Ainley have featured regularly among the major winners’ listing since 2007.

This year they did it again when their adult Grey hen won Best Any Age Opposite Sex in Show. This was a massive hen with a wide head but was spoilt by a short tail.

Best Opposite Sex Young Bird

Last year’s Club Show winners, Paul & Dennis Spruce, teamed up with Keith Moorhouse to form the partnership of Moorhouse & Spruce and they won the Best Opposite Sex Young Bird with a lovely stylish and powerful Cinnamon Skyblue cock.

Champion Any Age

The Champion Any Age section was headed by the Best in Show and Les Martin captured the second spot with his Skyblue cock of similar quality as the supreme winner.

The Freakley & Ainley partnership was third with their massive Spangle Cinnamon Grey cock, large and bold shown in good feather condition.

The Grey hen of Freakley & Ainley was the Best Opposite Sex in this section.

Champion Young Bird

The first two places in the Champion Young Bird were occupied by hens of super quality.

First was the Norwood Stud’s Grey hen which was Best Young Bird in Show, followed By Richard & Michael Miller’s Yellowface hen of style with good depth of mask and colour.

Brian Sweeting benched an excellent Cobalt cock of good length in third place.

Intermediate Any Age

It was partnerships that occupied the first ten places in the Intermediate Any Age section and the Bowker family of Richard, John & Wayne headed that section with a Grey cock of good frontal rise followed by the Moorhouse & Spruce partnership with a Grey Green cock which was last year’s supreme winner. A massive bird with good frontal rise but was not in the condition that took him to the supreme last year.

The Brian Newton & Gary Shepherdson partnership was third with a Light Green cock of good head quality and large spots.

There were no hens placed in the top ten in this section.

Intermediate Young Bird

The Cinnamon Skyblue cock that was placed Best Young Bird Opposite Sex headed the Intermediate young Bird section for Moorhouse & Spruce followed by their Yellowface Cinnamon Grey cock of good style and size with lovely top end.

R & J & W Bowker were third with their challenge certificate winner, a Grey Green hen with exceptional head quality showing the “buffalo effect” and benched in good condition.

Novice Any Age

A Skyblue cock of Dave Brick headed the Novice Any Age section, a lovely bird with good face and staged in good condition.

Simon Roberts was second with a quality Grey Green cock followed by Richard Hooper’s Spangle Cinnamon Grey Green hen in third place. A good hen with good width of face and shoulder.

Novice Young Bird

Albert Jennings headed the Novice Young Bird section with a nice long Violet cock followed by Dave Brick’s powerful Cinnamon Grey cock in second place.

A Light Green cock of quality from Philip Pearce & Connor Pears was third.

A Grey hen from Liam & Simon Devaney was the best opposite sex in this section.

Beginner Any Age

The only exhibitors who managed to win both sections were Jim & Carol Huxley in the beginner section who had a good team to win many awards. Their any age winner was a Grey cock of good top end and mask staged in good condition. Their Spangle Blue cock was placed third best.

Separating the two was a nice Grey hen benched by Terry Price.

Beginner Young Bird

Jim & Carol Huxley headed the beginner young bird section with a lovely Spangle Blue hen of good width and size. This was followed by Ian Ward & Michelle Rogers Cinnamon Grey Green cock of good width and blow of cap spoiled only by one shadow spot.

James Theobald had a Yellowface cock in third place.

Best Junior in Show & Junior Any Age

It is always good to see competition in the junior section, the future of our hobby.

Connor Spruce won the any age section with a nice Grey Green cock and Best Junior in Show – while Gary Cameron won the next two places with a Spangle Blue cock and a Grey cock.

Junior Young Bird

The junior young bird section was won by Jack Hickton-Cragg with a Dominant Pied Blue cock.

This was followed by Erin Newall’s Grey Green cock.

Jordan Butcher was third with a Cinnamon Blue cock.

Teams

There was a total of 6 Teams benched in the team classes of 4 and 6 birds and Geoff Bowley won both classes and Best Team in Show with a team of six Albinos.

Any Age Challenge Certificate

Winners were:

• K. Leedham – light green, cinnamon green
• Norwood Stud – dark/olive green, rare variety
• L. Martin – skyblue, grey green
• B. Sweeting – cobalt/mauve/violet
• P. Greenwood – grey
• C. Bowman – opaline green
• Main & Jenkins – opaline grey green
• Moorhouse & Spruce – opaline blue
• M & S Banks – opaline grey
• J. Stainforth – cinnamon blue
• T & A Luke – opaline cinnamon green, opaline cinnamon blue, any other colour
• I. Fordham – lutino
• D. Bowley – albino
• R. Day – yellow-wing
• R. Docherty – whitewing
• Cheatley & Alcorn – crest
• J. Grubb – spangle green
• Freakley & Ainley – spangle blue
• A & D Woan – dominant pied
• C & D Jones – recessive pied
• J. Nevin – yellowface

Certificates of Merit:

• D. Brick – Novice
• J & C Huxley – Beginner
• C. Spruce – Junior

Young Bird Challenge Certificate

Winners were:

• R. Allen – light green
• P. White – dark/olive green
• C & M Snell – skyblue
• B. Sweeting – cobalt/mauve/violet, opaline blue, spangle blue
• R & J & W Bowker – grey green
• Norwood Stud – grey
• M & T Rodgers – opaline green, opaline grey
• Main & Jenkins – opaline grey green
• Ward & Rogers – cinnamon green
• Moorhouse & Spruce – cinnamon blue, yellowface
• D. McKeown – opaline cinnamon green
• T & A Luke – opaline cinnamon blue, any other colour
• I. Fordham – lutino
• A. Kelly – albino
• Guppy & Barnes – yellow-wing
• R. Day – whitewing
• A. Brown – crest
• J & C Huxley – spangle green
• P. Hodgkins – dominant pied
• M & M Chapman – recessive pied
• Swain & Ford – rare variety

Certificates of Merit:

• A. Jennings – Novice
• J & C Huxley – Beginner
• J. Hickton-Cragg – Junior

The show was held on 28th May to 3rd June 2010 in Rockhampton (Queensland) and was hosted by the Queensland North and Central Zone Budgerigar Council.

Below are the results from each of the 22 classes.

Each result features:

• Photographs of the top 3 birds
• Breeder(s) name(s) of the top 3 birds
• Judges comments on the class
• Judges comments on the top birds

To view the results of a particular class (2 page document in Adobe PDF), simply click on the selected class photo – the results will then display/download.

The 37th Annual Show will be held in Canberra and full details can viewed here on Budgerigar.co.uk .

I began breeding this marvellous Australian Grass Parakeet at the age of 12, immediately after the 2nd World War – 67 years ago!

I am still as fanatical today about breeding top quality exhibition budgerigars though I do not claim to be so obsessed to the exclusion of my family and golf – the latter modestly. Over the years, many hundreds of Australian and New Zealand fanciers have visited my home in Virginia Water and all have been welcomed.

With my administrative background, I was also privileged to have been the UK co-ordinator for the nine Australian shipments of some of the UK’s finest budgerigars to Melbourne, before a ban was instituted as a result of infected ostriches arriving from Canada at the Spotswood Quarantine Station in Melbourne. That ban has not been lifted for budgerigars, but I believe pigeons were permitted until the Avian Flu outbreak arose.

Luckily 4500 budgerigars did pass into the Australian hobby which has helped enormously with head quality improvements and many fine birds are to be seen these days on the Australian show benches.

The Attack Principle

The desire to breed super exhibition budgerigars is the ambition of every fancier in every country. I am well aware of the fact that the Australian show scene and its structure and administration is different to the UK. That aside, we all have the same aim as it is the finest birds on display that we wish to breed and own for the simple reason of pride in having achieved something that money cannot buy.

That said, there always comes a point where you have to “speculate to accumulate” and buy the essential outcrosses to avoid losing size as well as quality.

Sell ten birds and buy one has always been my philosophy.

The Early Years

By the early years, I mean the first ten – perhaps even longer. There is so much to learn from each breeding season, particularly establishing a feeding regime that really works well and breeds many budgerigars each season from the best birds you possess.

I cannot stress enough how important that is. Two consecutive bad seasons can destroy a stud. That is the danger we all face as it brings you to your knees and so many leave the hobby at that point. If it happens there is only one person to blame – you! This is the point when the strongest characters refuse to give in and “attack”.

In “The Challenge”, I have listed in depth many proven successful diets, including Australian diets, that have stood the test of time. Those diets should be unchanged in their entirety and not added to with something that “so and so” is feeding at your club. If you do then the stud as a whole is rocked and as budgerigars object to change, it will show adversely in the breeding cages later on.

Once you have your proven diet working well, may I suggest you write it down and place it on file because it is so easy to forget an item(s) from the daily routine – then trouble arrives and your memory for what has gone wrong will fail you.

Get the feeding right and you can progress to look elsewhere if another problem appears. Remember, you need to produce quantity as well as quality from a nest so that you can select the best two and sell the rest.

Establishing The Basics

Like a great house, your stud has to be built on very solid foundations. Your initial problem may be financial. If not then you may be lucky, but if you are financially strapped you may well be better off in the long term, so do not despair.

This is the way I began as a boy, but I learned the hard way and was the better for it. The hobby is filled with a cross section of characters. Happily most are honest and will help beginners in a constructive way, but a few are depressing.

I clearly recall my first attempt at buying from one of the top ten UK fanciers when I was fourteen years old. It was my first lesson. I travelled a long way by train to this “famous” fancier. He asked me before I had even seen any of his birds, how much I had to spend. I had saved all my pocket money and I said (this was 1948) I had £20.00. His reply was stunning to a beginner. He said “You won’t get much for that young man”.

My father, having taught me well about the world being full of good and bad people, prompted me to say: “No problem, but I am not interested in your birds” and I left immediately. He never forgot me and always came up to me at shows after that, obviously ashamed. A lesson learned regarding buying and selling and how to treat people decently and fairly.

By contrast, you can have the odd well off fancier who likes to enter the hobby with a bang. He knows little but thinks money will get him to the top. They rarely last the distance and every country will have such examples. They might win for a while but their lack of experience results in their quality dropping, with poor results, and out they go.

So be encouraged that if you have a small pocket, as I did then, you will make a better fancier if you attack at all times as best as you can. If you are patient and sensible, it is a valuable lesson not to spend anything for 12 months, but in that period visit all manner of studs and shows to get your “”eye for quality” well established.

You will also see all manner of aviary designs and that will give you a good idea for construction of your own aviary. Remember that an aviary has to be designed for what is the best for the birds, not necessarily for what is best for you.

Have You The “Eye”

This title means: have you learned exactly what is wanted in order to win at top level?

The next question, if you want to save a great deal of expense, is “if not, why not ?”. With long-standing experience let me tell you that top quality judges, and there are many of them, also breed top quality birds. By doing so, they keep up to date with new features that are difficult to achieve. They can see faults to the millimetre and that isn’t very much. If he / she cannot do so they are second grade judges and there are even more of those.

It is my contention that the top national show, in any country, should be judged by the former group at all times – as breeders have been striving all year to win and thus deserve no less a compliment. Officials just working through a list of “qualified” judges to please all the judges, irrespective of their individual ability, is an insult to every fancier and indeed any non-exhibitor looking around the show.

I digress, but I make the point to illustrate how essential it is to possess the eye for every detail.

How Width Of Face Appeared

From the 1950′s until the 1970′s, the majority of us were breeding very good birds – or so we thought!

Somewhere towards the end of that period, a few fanciers realised there were far better birds around that were streets ahead of the so called “Ideal Budgerigar” as depicted in drawings.

One fancier in particular, Ken Farmer, wanted to capture the look that the Norwich canaries possessed with their lateral feather over the head and eyes. Until that time, the UK breeders had all their birds with their head feathers growing from front to back over the head. So now the hunt was on for any birds that possessed what is now called “lateral directional feathering”.

By the 1980′s, the numbers of such birds had increased slightly. The late Harry Bryan was a breeder who would scour the country for birds with “width of face”, as well as not losing the quality features already established. Not easy.

In 2010, that feature has become somewhat more common, but almost every fancier that comes into any aviary is looking for width – and it is that feature that by its very nature is expensive to acquire.

In 2005 I named it “the buffalo effect”, which is a descriptive wording that has gone world wide as a result of “The Challenge” book. Everybody in the UK who arrives at my home wants “buffalos” but so do I – and it is a struggle to keep them!

Focusing The Super Bird In Your Mind

I will now assume you have progressed a little. So now focus on the finest bird you have ever seen – forget “The Ideal” as it is probably behind what is actually being bred, but it has helped as part of your apprenticeship.

Carry that image of the finest bird in your mind. It is vital as you are now going out to buy birds to build that bird yourself from hundreds of good birds that may be on offer. Even better, you may have the ability to see beyond the best birds ever seen, but such fanciers are rare. Exactly what financial level you enter the hobby is personal.

Buying The Foundations

Your two selected breeders for purchasing should have a common genetic denominator – so establish where their original stocks came from. This is important because otherwise you will be buying unrelated birds which all have hidden faults that emerge in droves. By comparison, super quality birds will suddenly appear from pairing related stock.

I also stress that you should get pedigrees immediately you purchase the new birds, so that you know exactly what you are doing over the coming years. My records go back to 1950 (believe it or not), but in practice one never goes back that far of course.

Another tip – when you go to buy, go alone. You are in a much stronger position to deal with your seller on a one to one basis and you will not get distracted from getting what you want, bearing in mind what I mentioned earlier. You also have much greater leverage in the process.

Starting The Breeding Season

It is a fact that South African, Australian and New Zealand fanciers have it far easier to breed budgerigars compared to those in the Northern hemisphere. This is due to the sun and far better light that is available in the south. Reinhard Molkentin in South Africa confirms this as he has bred in his own country (Germany) as well as in South Africa where he now lives. So you all have a big advantage.

So let me assume you have bought three cocks and four to six hens, as not all will be in condition to breed simultaneously. The cocks should have been selected on the basis that any one can be paired to any of the hens you have chosen.

Watch the hens closely, as it is the hens that have to be caught up as they rise up to a peak of “itching to breed” and are chewing branches at every opportunity. I prefer to place the hens in the breeding cages with the boxes open, so they get used to their new territorial area for 48 hours before the cocks are introduced. Then you get great fertility results. Your season has started.

Looking Ahead

Assume you have now bred say 16-24 chicks.

Remember to feed them as well as you did when they were still with their parents. So many fanciers drop off the vitamins and soft food intake and wonder why their birds are not big after 18 months growth. You should be able to have big birds, certainly if they are Normals, by the age of 10 months and then you will know that by 18 months you will have a massive handful later on.

You now have to select what to keep and what to sell. With the income, go back to the original sellers and buy just one super bird – far better than any of the first group. You then move this bird, a cock being the obvious choice, into the genetic pool you have started. Then in the following season get him paired to as many of the best hens available as is possible, while transferring the fertile eggs out to other less important nests.

Now the excitement starts as the quality being produced suddenly shoots up and in nest after nest some great chicks start appearing. Other fanciers now become aware of your stud and begin to come round and try to buy from you. A great time, but keep it going and refuse to sell what  you want for next season – bearing in mind you need one third cocks and two thirds hens. You are on the way to the top!

Conclusion

Never forget, that when you get serious setbacks, you are in livestock and they have a habit of losing their breath – permanently. That is the time to forget it and in 24 hours go back on “the Attack!”.