Recently I was invited to interview Frank Silva, the intention being to publish in book form a complete record of this most successful U.K. breeder/exhibitor of exhibition budgerigars.
I am sure that I am expressing the thoughts of many other breeders when I say that I had a lot of questions to ask Frank. I wanted to know all about him; where he had bought his original stock and outcrosses and how he became so successful in breeding birds that simply swept everything before them on the U.K. show benches.
An agreement was made with Frank before our first interview. I told him I would be asking questions, which would be blunt, maybe too blunt, but they had to be asked if we wanted a complete picture of Frank Silva. In fairness, Frank made it clear that he would not dodge any question and would answer them honestly and as completely as possible. So we went ahead!
The questions ranged from the time he was a youngster in Sri Lanka and up to the present day. I wanted to know why he got into budgerigars and as his interest grew how he went about buying stock. And after buying that stock what he did with it. Some of his answers will appear to be very controversial especially when dealing with outcrosses. He answered my questions fully and it will be interesting to note the reaction in some circles.
We were given a virtual free hand to photograph his stock and birdroom. I was particularly keen on photographing his successful winning lines and we were happy with the cooperation Frank gave us.
The interview and photography are now in their closing stages. It was an eyeopener of an interview and I would like to thank Frank for giving us so much pleasure in viewing, admiring and photographing such super birds.
Breeding results and future shows
If I have to try and ascertain a general pattern from the breeding results which are being reported so far this year, then it would be safe to say that once again those who paired up in early November and March onwards are getting far better results than the ones who paired up during the ‘conventional month’ of December.
Pairing up has always been related to the ring issue date, especially here in the U.K. Over the years breeders paired up in December so that chicks could be ready for ringing early in January. At the back of the mind the idea was to get chicks as fully-grown as possible for the Shows in July and onwards. Those who benefited from selling birds could also dispose of their surplus over the summer holidays.
But those are really not the points I wish to dwell upon. What makes me wonder is what effect late breeding (call it that) will have on the Young Bird Shows in the U.K. You might disagree, but I believe they are dying a slow death. Competition will certainly be a thing of the past if chicks are not old enough to be shown. It is even going to be difficult to get enough competition in the Open Shows for young birds over six months old.
It is true to say that we are already suffering with too many shows clashing during the show season here in the U.K. The smaller breeder cannot show birds at two shows on the same day and consequently one show is bound to suffer more than the other. Eventually both could die out. It is about time a reshuffle should be considered in this area.
The other point I have in mind is doing away with the present style Young Bird Shows completely and replace them with shows for birds bred the previous year. They could still be called Young Bird Shows, but those held in year 2000 would be for birds bred in 1999. This system would have to be carried out into the Open Shows, but if breeders fail to produce chicks in the first couple of months of the year then competition in current year birds is bound to be affected. Those who are lucky enough to be able to produce chicks during the opening months of the year will most certainly disagree with my thoughts, but what other alternative is there?
Shows Farther Away From Home
Publicity for Shows has always been dismal. Even top shows in other countries outside the U.K. are something you hardly hear a thing about. With travelling today not being such a problem, shouldn’t organisers of these top shows be doing something to attract foreign visitors?
Usually most national shows have been held before the fancy in the U.K. gets to hear about them and it was nice to receive details of the European Show which is being held in Karlsruhe, South Germany in August (see elsewhere in this issue). This will give readers the opportunity to visit the Show should they so desire.
Maybe this is an area the World Budgerigar Association could help. All it needs is a word from the W.B.A. to its committee members to gather together a list of the top shows in their country and forward it on to the main body for distribution. Who knows who would want to go to extend their interest in the hobby and make new friends in the process?
One could even go further and suggest to the W.B.A. that this body should investigate the possibility of arranging the visits to overseas shows. Even if the work is beyond the existing scope of the W.B.A. it should have no difficulty in finding a tour operator with whom they could cooperate.
I think there is far more to keeping and showing budgerigars. They are the means to form friendships, but somehow we don’t seem to be doing anything much about it. As I mentioned, with travelling to other countries being so easy these days there is a glorious opportunity for ordinary fanciers to get to know others who share the same interests. Judges have already realised how beneficial it is to visit overseas shows and some have made friends worldwide. The opportunities are there and it is up to us to take advantage of them.
© Gwyn Evans 2000
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