Cage & Aviary Birds

A NEW ONLINE club that supports and encourages pet budgerigar keepers and breeders has been established by the Budgerigar Society (BS). The Budgerigar Club (BC) will provide a key resource hub and support network to owners of pet budgerigars, say off

FOLLOWING AN INFLUX of bramblings from Scandinavia to the UK, the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is asking for help to chart the birds’ arrival. Flocks in the low hundreds have already been spotted on the North Sea coast – from Shetland to Norfo

A NEWLY RESURRECTED club on the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales has set a date for its first open show since the 1950s. Beaumaris & District CBS, which reformed earlier this year, will be holding its first open show under the “new management” on Dece

Paul Larkin, FCC secretary, reports: “The novice Exhibitor of the Year couldn’t get any closer unless the participants decided to move into a one-bedroom apartment together! Following the recent Fife Canary Council’s annual show, Matt Dando leads the

WALKERS EUROPEAN EXPRESS Services, the leading livestock courier company based in Dudley, has pledged to deliver up to six of the winning prizes in the Cage & Aviary Birds Grand Christmas Raffle for FREE. Through their sponsorship of the raffle – a j

IT’S a hen… it’s a cock… it’s a hen… and finally it’s a cock! I am referring to my only young 2021-bred goldfinch and my assessment of its gender before, during and since the moult. Deciding whether a youngster is a cock or hen is straightforward in

WITH the show season at last with us, our minds are focused once again on exhibiting our birds. Some will choose to support the smaller shows, while others will elect to exhibit their birds at the larger events. One thing that all of these shows have

THE mute swan (Cygnus olor) is cherished in the UK and half of the European mute swan population permanently resides here, with the winter population increased by incoming Continental birds. It is a species also found in Asia, which has been introduc

THE annual members’ show had 206 birds benched and was judged by Chris Huxley & Alan Marchant who gave the following awards. Best in show, best any age (AA) in show, best intermediate AA and young bird (YB), Gilmartin & Harrison; best YB in show, bes

WHEN I look at an exhibition canary, say, I’m not looking with an expert eye. And that doesn’t matter much. I know a little and that minimal insight opens me to immense pleasure in each unique breed, be it coloured or Fife or Norwich. The point is th

ON OCTOBER 6, members were brought to order at 7.30pm with the chairman Ray Piper welcoming everyone. There were no new members although a warm welcome was extended to Ian Brown who returned after a break of three years. Apologies were received from

IN RECENT times at specialist zebra finch shows, a newer mutation has managed to stand out among the crowd of more usually seen colours such as the normal, fawn and lightback. Largely due to the skill of top breeders such as Peter Harrison, top honou

Dave Collier is a lifelong breeder and exhibitor of Gloster canaries. IT IS always a good idea to cage and pack your show birds the night before the event, particularly if you are leaving early in the morning to get to the show in time. This will giv

A SUBSTANTIAL entry of 398 birds was entered at the Kent Gloster Society show held on October 2. Being the first all-Gloster show since December 2019, the entry was boosted by a larger than normal number of flighted birds having their first outing on

AFTER missing out on the AGM in 2020 and the normal May date in 2021, due to the Covid lockdowns, the association was able to hold its third AGM on October 10 at Bugbrooke Sports & Community Centre in conjunction with the Specialist & Rare Variety op