Virtually no country is excluded from this problem.

So what are the causes?

Why is it Happening?

I list these major causes as contributing factors:

• The Lure of Modern Technology

  • Young people are fascinated by the constant introduction of new technology, gadgets and computers – spending hours, either constructively or wastefully!

• TV & DVD

  • Watching DVDs & Television is preferable for some young people who have no outside interests or hobbies.

• Lack of a Guiding Hand?

  • Today’s levels of parental leadership are vastly diminished in so many families.

• Increase in University Attendances

  • More young people in their late teens and early 20s now attend universities, so they have no time for the fancy.

• Alternative “One-Off” Interests

  • Some sporting interests and any required equipment can be a one-off expense. So it’s often an easy option.

• Smaller Attention Spans – No “Stick At It” Attitude?

  • Time needed to make a “job worth doing is worth doing well”. I grew up with that phrase ringing in my ears – and it stuck. I’m not sure it is applied much these days.

• Older Newcomers

  • Newcomers to the hobby are, in the main, coming from the 40 plus generation – but only joining after being told about an existing member’s interests.

• Hobby Too Expensive?

  • Money required for set up costs of aviaries, seed and stocks. Grain has shot up to new levels in the past two years.

• The Current Economic Climate!

  • Everybody is watching what they spend these days.

• The Hobby Does Not Market Itself Well

  • With so many sports, interests, hobbies and pastimes available today, you have to get noticed to ensure that you are not left behind. The hobby world wide does a poor job at marketing itself to the wider public.

How do other Hobbies Market Themselves?

The Pigeon Fancy is enormous – Fact. They market the hobby with extensive magazines, exposure on TV, and press coverage. They also publish books of great depth and interest (e.g. for sale & libraries).

The same applies to the Angling hobby.

As for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), they have their annual accounts running into millions of pounds.

Is the Budgerigar Fancy Doing Enough?

In a word, NO!

Using my national Budgerigar Society (UK Budgerigar Society) as a typical example, I decided the other day to address a letter to the Secretary (David Whittaker) and the Chairman (George Booth), copy to the Publicity Officer (Janice Al-Nasser – a very efficient lady), about the BS leading “The Charge” , as I now call it.

It relates to the marketing of the hobby to the general public.

As I see it, societies everywhere, and the UK is no exception, have committees, councils, boards etc., to lead on behalf of their membership.

Certainly one cannot argue that they are all nice people and are hard workers, when there are so many who do not help at all!

Such committees are also good, in the main, at dealing with the exhibition side of the hobby – i.e. show planning and organisation. The UK Budgerigar Society and the German presentations are but two in this category.

Regrettably (in my opinion) these committees often suffer from what can only be described as “modest leadership”, thus allowing all manner of rules changes (e.g. the BS can only change their rules every three years as mandated) which seem to merely irritate the members, rather than encourage them.

One example, some years back, was to tamper with the design of the show cage (when none was needed at all), at a time when members were being lost and continue to be lost.

Yes, I know there was a 10 year stay in place by which time the new design was obligatory, but it had to have forced members to say to themselves:

Why on earth have I got this extra (and unnecessary) expense?

I now have to go over to the new design fast or I’ll be left behind.

I cannot justify staying in the hobby any longer.

Exit disgruntled member, stage left!

There are such examples all over the world of a similar nature, but this article is being constructive – not destructive (as a few will take it) – as well as ignoring the praiseworthy comments.

Criticism takes all the attention.

Can we Halt the Decline in Membership?

So, are there actions the hobby can take to halt the decline and raise awareness among the general public?

I firmly believe the answer is YES.

Here are just a few ideas:

• Use Mass Marketing Channels – such as TV & Radio

  • Remember that television & radio exposure gets into nearly every home. I know in the UK that Jeff Attwood is considered perhaps the best speaker in the hobby, and a natural in front of a camera. I would be using him, for example, to promote the hobby on TV & radio.

• Aviaries & Shows on TV

  • Get the Attwoods of the Fancy to push the TV companies to feature some of the top aviaries and the budgerigar shows. Use some of the best and experienced fanciers to tell the public that not only do we exist, but what a great hobby this is, with a hands-on factor involved with nature as well as the challenge it creates for all of us.

• Magazine Placement

  • Supply every doctor’s and dentist surgery with a magazine to be seen by patients who have time to browse.

• Pet Trade Magazines

  • The pet trade magazines are a must for publicity to those who might switch from, say, keeping fish to budgerigars, or similar.

• Car Stickers

  • Have car window stickers promoting us and giving details how to get in touch with the right organisation. The public will spot a quality budgerigar in this way and be drawn to look further and, importantly, might bite. If not for them, but for their sons or daughters who love nature.

• Advance Promotion of Shows

  • All budgerigar shows should have promotion in advance of the event in local newspapers, on local radio and if possible local TV. Emphasise that there will be stewards to take you round the exhibits and explain all aspects of the hobby when you get there. Posters have to be up in an around the local towns & villages – even local fairs do that! Such marketing has to have a double effect – boosted door receipts and memberships.

• Reduce Bureaucracy

  • Stop the decine of existing members as a result of swamping them with ill thought out rules and regulations which appear to have been introduced without serious thinking as to the possible consequences could be. An example: the new BS rule on flecking needs re-thinking (in my humble opinion).You cannot legislate for a variable fault – leave it to the judges. It all depends on what is in front of them – and I speak constructively, not otherwise.

• Use Modern Technology to Spread The Word

  • Websites are a marvelous tool to market the hobby. They are free to access and can, if designed well, provide huge amounts of marketing material to the public at the touch of a button. Join the 21st century and make use of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

These are but a few of the many ways in which to market the hobby we love.

Call to Action

So, marketing the hobby to the general public is not “rocket science” – but it does need someone to take ownership and make it happen.

All the above ideas can be added to and a small group of bright individuals should be instructed to address the situation in each society. Try to ensure that someone in the group has some experience in marketing – even if it is in marketing their own small business!

To start the process you have to build a Development Plan. Have a goal in mind and map out the steps to get there. Be pro-active and have the drive to push matters through.

Importantly, those on society boards or councils MUST back the “marketing team” – not block them. Then and only then, can we as fanciers hope to increase the popularity of breeding exhibition budgerigars.

In particular (and I address this to the chairpersons of the hobby), place this matter of great importance on your society’s agendas NOW!

No longer can we deal JUST with the “individual trees” (i.e. tactical matters) in the forest. We have to look at “the forest” as a WHOLE (i.e. strategic matters) and see the danger we face.

Remember what I have written before.

If you have always done things in a certain way, then you will get the results you have always had.

The Charge

In my opinion, even though action should have been taken several years back, it is not too late.

Act now and keep acting and results will flow.

My concern is that all that I have written will fall on “deaf ears” – because it has come from “Binks”, as some silly folk think.

I hope to be proved wrong and something will happen – but knowing the “leaders of the hobby “, I am not very hopeful.

Please prove my cynicism wrong!

The future of this wonderful hobby is in our hands. When you vote for leaders for your next board, think carefully who are the best persons to drive it forward. Just because a breeder on the show-bench is highly successful is no reason to vote for him / her. Remember that fact.

I will be the first to publicise any budgerigar society (national or local) who implements some of these ideas and get results. This international budgerigar website is here for that purpose.

This is to catch them on the rise when they should be paired and when there is still good natural light to induce getting them started. So European rings are now issued on 1st October each year – the third time this has changed!

As the very experienced fanciers know, weather patterns have changed and it is the responsibility of all societies to take notice and act accordingly to help their members breed as many birds as possible.

Furthermore, they will sell more rings in the process. Two consecutive bad seasons and you are virtually “dead” in the hobby apart from highly being dis-sprited and so many leave the hobby for other interests as a result.

Those countries (in the Northern Hemisphere) that persist in retaining a ring issue date of 1st January, need seriously to re-visit and act accordingly. It is their responsibility to help their members and encourage every one of them to breed plenty of birds. The old excuse that “the breeder can breed any time he wants” does not apply, as most will pair just prior to the ring date involved in the dark days of winter when it is so hard to get the birds started.

Information supplied by Dieter Keller, Germany, Editor, “Wellensittich Magazine”

Note: A reminder – if needed. There was always the big October moult in years gone by. For the past 15-20 years, at least, that does not occur. Proof enough that our budgerigar world has changed where breeding is concerned.

It is an event not to be missed!

Guest Speaker – Brian Sweeting

Apart from the thousands of top quality birds benched for fanciers from all over the world to admire, there will be a seminar on the Saturday morning, with one of our top and successful fanciers Brian Sweeting as the guest speaker.

The seminar will kick off at 10.30 a.m.

Brian’s topic, through a power point presentation, will be “Make ‘em Breed”.

Tickets are £10 each and include entry to the seminar, light refreshments plus entry to the show on Saturday only. Those who attend the seminar will be invited to watch judging of the Best in Show and other major awards.

The Judges

While Brian is busy delivering his presentation there will be 15 judges busy judging their respective colours – they are:

• Alan Adams
• Ghalib Al-Nasser
• Jeff Attwood
• Lyn Bancroft
• Nigel Beevers
• Dave Collier (USA)
• Jerry Donovan
• Dave Herring (B.S. President)
• Colin Lamb
• Jim McGeehan
• Geoff Moore
• Norma Philips
• Tony Pope
• Cy Thorne
• Mick Widdowson

The section judging will be in the capable hands of the following:

• Dominic Avo
• Ron Payne
• Ray Steele
• Terry Tuxford (who will be invited next year to judge the colours)

85th Anniversary

To help celebrate the Society’s 85th Anniversary, each exhibitor benching 8 or more birds (excluding sales) will receive a suitably inscribed clock memento to mark this milestone occasion of the society.

Gala Dinner

The Saturday evening Gala Dinner will be returning to the Holiday Inn (formally the Moat House) and entertainment will be provided by Barry Cheese, a popular comedian.

Tickets at £25 each can be booked with Pete Hutchinson by sending him a SAE (stamped addressed envelope) and a cheque payable to “The Budgerigar Society” to:

• Pete Hutchinson, 125 Moss Lane, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK11 7XE
• Tel: +44 (0)1625 420269

Auction of Promises

On Sunday afternoon at 1.00 pm Geoff Capes, assisted by John Alcock, will be on the hammer with the ever popular Auction of Promises – with many quality birds promised from top leading fanciers together with many other superb items and promises.

This has been so popular over the years and it generates income towards staging the next show.

Tombola & Club Show Raffle

Throughout the weekend Norman & June Cox, helped by Jackie Fox, will want you to visit them at their great tombola stand with lots and lots of prizes to be won.

So go to them and have a go and be one of the winners!

Don’t forget also to participate in the Club Show Raffle while you are there.

Trophy Presentation

The finale will be when our President Dave Herring takes to the trophy stand to present the array of 91 trophies to their prospective winners. Will you be one of them?

There are a lot of incentives for exhibitors apart from competing at the highest level. The Jim Moffat Charitable Trust is allocating its usual £1,250 for the major winners divided as:

• £300 for Best in Show
• £150 for Best Any Age
• £250 for Best Young Bird
• £150 for Best Opposite Sex Any Age
• £250 for Best Opposite Sex Young Bird
• £150 for Best Junior

The Budgerigar Society will be presenting Georgian Crystal to the major winners and the Any Age section winners will each receive Georgian Crystal and £30 while £25, £20, £15 & £10 will go for 2nd – 5th Best.

The Young Bird section winners will each receive Georgian Crystal and £45 while £35, £30, £25 & £20 will go for 2nd – 5th Best.

The junior sections will get Sports Vouchers, a framed certificate and £20 for the winner and £10 & £5 for 2nd & 3rd Best.

Patronage

Patronage has been received from all 10 area societies and the show is also the club show of the following:

• Clearwing Budgerigar Breeders’ Association
• Crested Budgerigar Club
• Lutino & Albino Budgerigar Society
• Rare Variety & Colour Budgerigar Society
• Spangled Budgerigar Breeders’ Association
• Variegated Budgerigar Club

Trade Stands

Apart from all of the above there is an array of Trade Stands at the show for fanciers to be able to stock up with all their needs before the commencement of the breeding season; of course not forgetting the large number of birds that will be in the sales section.

Birds & Opening Times

Birds will be accepted on:

• Friday between 2.00 – 10.00 p.m.
• Saturday between 7.00 – 9.30 a.m.

The show will be open to the public on:

• Saturday between 3.00 – 6.30 p.m.
• Sunday between 9.30 a.m. – 4.00 p.m.

Admission to the show is £6 per person and a catalogue is £4.

Schedules

All members of the Budgerigar Society will have received their schedules already with the July / August issue of “The Budgerigar”.

Schedules may also be obtained from:

• The B.S. Office, Spring Gardens, Northampton NN1 1DR
• Tel: +44 (0)1604 624549

Schedules may also be downloaded from the Budgerigar Society’s website:

• www.budgerigarsociety.com

Closing Date for Entries

Closing date for entries is 21st September 2010 and these need to be sent to:

• Ronnie Simpson, 22 Homefield Avenue, Morley, Leeds, Yorkshire LS27 0DX

For other help contact the Show Manager Dave Hislop on +44 (0)1253 855894.

Visitor Information

For our overseas fanciers getting to Doncaster is easy.

By Air

• Local airport: “Robin Hood Airport” (only 10km away)
• Manchester airport (approx. 90km away)
• London airports (approx. 250km away)

By Train

• From Manchester International Airport to Doncaster
• From London Kings Cross station to Doncaster

By Sea

• via the port of Hull (approx. 42km away)
• via the port of Norwich (approx. 185km away)
• via the port of Dover (approx. 315km away)

By Road

• via the A1(M) motorway
• via the M18 motorway
• via the M1 motorway

There are a large number of accommodation facilities available in Doncaster ranging from Bed & Breakfast, Guest Houses or Hotels and a full list can be obtained from the Doncaster Tourist Information Centre.

See You There

Come to this wonderful show to join in the activities throughout the weekend, meet your fellow fanciers and just enjoy the amazing atmosphere among like-minded people!

It’s THE society, for budgerigar breeders and exhibitors, that caters for the needs of those who live in London, Surrey, Sussex, Kent, Middlesex, Essex and Hampshire.

There are also a number of members from outside our region and overseas – as they believe the society is one of the best in the UK.

Events

The society holds various shows and events throughout the year.

The events and dates for 2010 are as follows.

• Young Bird show and Seminar – 27th June – Smallfield
• Open show – 25th July – Smallfield
• Specialist & Rare Variety show – 10th October – Smallfield
• New Fancier & Beginner’s Day – 24th October – Smallfield
• Sales & Promotional Day – 14th November – The Market Hall, Maidstone, Kent

Our events at Smallfield are held at Centenary Hall, Smallfield, Surrey, which is about three miles from Gatwick airport.

Patronage

We give Patronage in the form of rosettes and various awards to shows in our area as well as a few selected shows outside the area. These awards are for competition amongst our members at these shows. For those who take showing seriously, winning a L&SCBS rosettes is highly prestigious.

News & Information

We believe in keeping in contact with our members and we do this by sending out regular newsletters. These are usually two sides of A4 so they are concise, informative and always up to date with society news and information. These also carry news from our local specialist societies.

The society knows how difficult it is to get help and advice when you need it, so it has set up a HelpLine where a group of experienced fanciers can be contacted by telephone. These fanciers are available for basic non-veterinary advice when it’s needed. Our new members and those new to the hobby find this service extremely valuable.

Exhibition Budgerigars

When showing budgerigars it’s vital to have them with your own rings, which need to carry your own personal ring number. Members can order such rings to enable them to show their birds at any exhibition.

Society Administration

The society is managed by a group of members known as the General Council. This consists of a President, Secretary, Subscription Secretary, Treasurer, Patronage Secretary, Chairman and a committee of up to ten people. These members come from the whole area and meet about eight times a year to manage the society’s affairs.

Join Us !

The L&SCBS is a society with the primary objective of encouraging and supporting people to keep, breed and show budgerigars. If you live in the area covered by the society – you NEED to be a member.

Our subscription rates are –

• Adult – £12
• Husband & Wife – £14
• Senior Citizen & Disabled – £7
• Junior – £5

Further details are available from –

• The General Secretary
  Malcom Parsons
  Tel 01903 246297
  e-mail malcolmparsons@btopenworld.com

• Treasurer & Subscription Secretary
  Paul Tiller
  Tel 01932 860842
  e-mail paul@ptiller.com

For more information about the society see our website at: www.landscbs.org.uk

• You are a young school person who has little money, but your parents are fully supportive in all that you do.
• You are in full employment with a family, but need a sound hobby to relieve the pressures of the workplace – something different in fact.
• You are in full employment, but can see that retirement approaches or redundancy might loom at any stage.
• You have just retired and want a hobby that both you and your partner could enjoy together.

What is the first stage?

Firstly, the advice so that you do not waste hard earned money from whatever source.

This is to not do anything in the way of erecting a birdroom or buying budgerigars in the first year – you have much to learn and you learn from two sound, must have, up-to-date books and you have a lot of visits to make to aviaries owned by very well experienced fanciers.

This website advertises many breeders and the links, appropriate to your country, will open such doors to gain massive quantities of ideas and designs for your aviary that suit the birds first and then you – in that order!

The essential books are published on this website.

Stage #2

In most countries, but not all, there are National Societies – plus what are termed State or Area Societies and then the Local Societies near to you.

Your contacts with other breeders will have opened such doors. My advice is that you join the National Society immediately.

In addition to paper magazines that are supplied as part of your annual subscription, it is through these major societies that you get your budgerigar rings – which are called closed rings. These have your personal code number inscribed on each ring for the rest of the time you are in the hobby.

Stage #3

You are now a member!

In addition to the books mentioned, you may find there is a National Mixed Variety Publication – contact your paper shop as they will have details. A few mixed variety magazines are superb covering Budgerigars, Parrots, Foreign Finches and Canaries.

One such is the Australian publication “Australian Birdkeeper Magazine”. High quality, beautiful photography and whichever variety is your preference, there is something to learn within the pages on the other species.

As you gain experience, ask questions all the time. Many beginners feel they are being silly at a meeting of their chosen club, asking basic questions. Do not hold back – nobody minds especially any lecturers who feed off such questions and thrive on them.

Also never put anybody, who you might think is a top champion, on a pedestal. We are all in the same hobby, all involved and our doors are open to beginners and champions at all times. Just call up out of courtesy and make a time to visit and above all – enjoy the experience.

Stage #4

By the end of your first apprentice year, you will be bursting to erect an aviary and get going – but the wait will have been worth it, believe me.

Remember, it is no use spending on basic sheds unless you anticipate you will have to move home at some stage. Even then it is better to make a sectional birdroom that can be moved. Next, remember, however big you decide you will have your aviary, eventually you will want a bigger one. So allow for expansion.

We now come to Local Authority permission to build! However, before you do that, I strongly advise you to approach all your neighbours that border your property and ask their permission, or their approval, to erect your aviary. Ninety nine percent will give that if you explain clearly what the design is and that you are not putting up a chicken run affair. Once they have been approached and know what you are doing and have said “Go ahead”, they are then happy and thereafter will have great difficulty if they have a complaint. Noise can be controlled by a design that does not necessitate outside flights, but in hot countries this may be desirable.

You now approach the “Local Authority”. Be aware that staff in such organisations are not always sure of their own rules and will insist that you have to have Planning Permission and conform to Building Regulations. This author found out the hard way on one occasion.

What you need to realise is that if your aviary is not attached to your property you (probably) do not need Planning Permission, as it is “external to the uses of the dwelling house on freehold property”. Local Authority property is another matter.

You do however have to conform to the Building Regulations which are an easy matter to deal with. At your Local Authority Offices ask for sight of the document applicable to a structure for a hobby (in the UK it is called “The Town and Country Planning Act”). They will oblige with copies of that information for you to study and give you forms to complete. If you have a problem, go to another Local Authority and ask them for help – on the understanding that you are moving into the area they are responsible for. Then armed, go back to your Local Authority and submit what you now know beyond doubt. Obviously such rules will vary from country to country – but the basic principles apply.

Stage #5

With full approval and design decided, you can start building.

There are basic pitfalls – such as having too much light with oversize windows, so that in hot weather the birds suffer and do not breed well.

Aviaries should be about ten feet / three metres wide, minimum, all through. This allows for external nest boxes and seed store benches and yet allows space for you and visitors to be comfortable.

Make sure your aviary is on a very sound concrete base with a solid foundation underneath. Are you having water laid on as well as electricity? It is cheaper in the long run to do this at the start.

Consider skylights above the internal flight areas, but not in the breeding area as other indigenous birds can cause disturbance at the wrong times, plus budgerigars like to breed in shade.

If you can afford it, double glazing is also greatly beneficial and avoids the dreaded painting and rot replacement as with wooden frames. You might trace some second hand double glazing to save money. It is certianly worth the effort.

Stage #6

Fitting out is a pleasure. Keep your eyes open for anybody stopping their hobby, if money is tight. Their cages may suit you and you can get them at a low price. If cost is not a problem, this website has a list of reliable suppliers and these should be approached first.

Your initial early visits to aviaries will have told you what you require. Once complete and you have obtained all the seed and foodstuffs that you require, not forgetting a heated platform and antibiotics for the odd sick bird – you are ready to start buying your birds.

Just one last word. When buying what will be your Foundation Group to build your stud, use your eye for quality to the full that you have learned along the way. There are all sorts of great people in the hobby who treat you fairly but there are a few “rogues” (as there are in all walks of life) who will sell you poor or problem birds that have little or no use.

The test for any fancier is to travel, say, 250 miles or more and have the courage to walk away and go back home if they have any doubts at all. Then you are a true fancier. Treat everyone, in time, who comes to you when you are a champion, totally fairly and then you will have great credibility and respect from everyone.

Enjoy your new found hobby and remember your friends are more important than the birds – not the other way round!

I also need a person(s) from Spain, Portugal, Chile and Peru to e-mail me.

The new Budgerigar.co.uk website has exploded into life in a matter of days – worldwide!

Please e-mail me at:

Every opportunity will be taken by Budgerigar.co.uk to market the existance of the exhibition budgerigar and its followers to the public at large. This international website for the exhibition budgerigar is unique and from January 2010 will gradually expand to become THE focal point for enthusiasts to become involved within its pages.

So, here is an opportunity, free of charge, to publicise your budgerigar society through which new prospective members of our hobby may find information.

From your society they will be able to obtain recommendations for any additional local societies to join.

Link to your Website

Links to societies worldwide are published on our Groups page – to ensure that your society is listed please send us your details via our Link Exchange form.

Best in Show & Best Young Bird

We are keen to feature oustanding quality budgerigars, specifically photographs of your Best In Show and Best Young Bird exhibits.

Such birds appearing on this site will be seen worldwide!

If you would like to participate, click here to find out how.