The additional box that has been added to the show cage labels by the Budgerigar Society this season seems to have been well received, however, there are a couple of comments that have been voiced. The first and probably the most significant is that we now have the possibility of four numbers on the cage label; the class number, the entry number, the position in class and if a class winner, the position in the final colour run-down. This increases the possibility of innocently lifting the wrong bird at the end of a show. This requires additional vigilance by the booking out stewards to avoid mistakes.

The second point is the understanding by the exhibitor, especially newer members, of the usefulness of the number indicating the position of a class winner in the colour run-down. The main use of the number is as an aid to the judges when they are judging the next part of the procedure i.e. section positions, to ensure that earlier decisions are not reversed. Unlike some other countries, in the UK only class winners go forward to the next stage of the show. This is fine but means that while every section is represented in the colour line up, just because you have a bird that is second to the Best of Colour is does not follow that you have the second best bird to that colour in show. The reason for this is that simply, there could be better birds lower down in the class of the winning bird.

Colour Influence

I had a letter from Victor Zar Ginocchio, who is the BW correspondent for Peru. In it he told me about some research that he had discovered in which, experiments were being carried out with poultry on the effects of colour. In fact the colour red was responsible for increasing the number of eggs laid. With this in mind, in May this year, Victor painted one of his internal aviary walls red and the walls of the internal flight bright yellow. Amazingly, the egg production of his birds increased. As he said, "This may be coincidence but it is known that bright colours in the classroom assist in children’s learning, so why should they not have an effect on Budgerigars as well."

Through his column, Gwyn Evans has, on more than one occasion, that one way to provide a good quality show at reasonable cost is to amalgamate. In fact, just the opposite occurred when the Foreign Bird Club was not a part of the BS Club Show last year. However, Sussex fancier Rot Powell is planning to take things one step further next year by organising the "Millennium Festival of Cage & Aviary Birds". The intention is to stage three show in one on the 14^th and 15^th October 2000 at the Dolphin Leisure Centre, Haywards Heath, West Sussex. The shows will consist of a Budgerigar Championship Show, a Foreign Bird Show and a Canary Show. Watch the pages of BW as more details of this event unfold.

Free Offer To Clubs

The Budgerigar World Web Page (www.budgerigarworld.com) continues to grow with more than 100 pages now on line. As further support to the hobby, we are offering free web pages to bona fide specialist Budgerigar Clubs. If you would like your club to be on the ‘net’, please send full details of activities, meeting venues, dates and times plus main contact information to me at the editorial address. If you have any photographs, these too can be included. This is a totally free service. Also fanciers don’t forget, pay for adverting in Budgerigar World’s Breeders Directory and get a free entry on the ‘net’.

It looks very much like show entries will be down for 1999. This could be the consequence of a poor breeding season or dwindling numbers. Certainly at a few of the earlier shows I attended, there was a definite lack of Beginners and the Champions were in the largest sections. It was during this early period that a remark was made to me suggesting that there was an attempted boycott being arranged, so that a certain highly successful exhibitor did not receive schedules. If was claimed that if he showed then others wouldn’t so they didn’t want him at their show. This type of action is absolutely deplorable. I just wonder how the BS General Council would handle this is a formal complaint was made?

©Terry A Tuxford 1999