It is clear to me that there will always be a shortage of good birds and the successful exhibitor who has good quality stock for sale will never ever be short of customers. However, spare a thought for the many lower quality birds that are bred throughout the UK, for example, each year. All levels in the hobby breed these, whether you are a Beginner or a Champion and in the past the only financial outlet for them was through the pet trade. Today this seems to have changed because even this avenue has closed in many parts of the country and those that are buying offer an insult for payment. As an example, a local breeder told me that he had seen an advertisement stating that top prices were being paid for exhibition budgerigars and that although the buyers were not in the area they were also offering transport. A phone call revealed the truth. The top price being offered was £1, yes one pound, per bird with the cost of transport being deducted from the total value prior to a cheque being sent in payment. Talk about daylight robbery!
If you take the opportunity to visit places selling birds and Budgerigars in particular, seldom do you see one wearing a closed ring. Most are beaky, small framed individuals that have been bred in a colony and hardly bare any resemblance to the poorest of show types. In the past these may have been imported from Romania but today I don't know where they come from. The question is what can the hobby do to help itself survive by making the most of the commodity of surplus to show requirement birds. I know that in America they have been attempting to syndicate surplus birds through the ABS and advertise nationally. How successful this has been I do not know but there must be room for a similar venture in the UK and other parts of the world, should some enterprising individual or Society wish to take up the challenge.
PROBLEM SOLVED IN SAOn the subject of the new year’s rings, I was very pleased to receive details from Jaap Steyn of South African, on how his country has overcome the ring issue date controversy. In South Africa the rings are also issued on the 1st January each year as in the UK however, the difference is that they allow birds that are rung in the previous year, as well as the current year, to be shown in the Young Bird classes. This affords the Young Birds to have an equal chance against the adults for Best In Show, although Jaap does say that he has taken this award with birds that are just 5 and 6 months of age. In conclusion, this has minimised the necessity to change the ring issue date to October and there are no quarrels in South Africa on this issue.
TALL POPPIESAn expression that I first encountered while visiting 'Down Under' was the Tall Poppies Syndrome. This condition is one that apparently, is prevalent within the hobby of exhibition budgerigars. Diagnosis is easy, as there are a number of tell-tail, recognisable symptoms. Unfortunately, the malady also appears to be untreatable and although there may sometimes be extensive periods of remission, the characteristics associated with this affection usually reappear.
In the UK we would associate the Tall Poppies Syndrome with the high fliers of the hobby that are either successful with their birds or more often than not are progressive in the administration side of the pastime. Very often their rise to fame is quite spectacular but seldom without hard work and dedication. These people tend to be outspoken and have ideas on how to improve the hobby and how to take it forward into the future. Then, the sufferers of ‘TPS’ come along and try to knock them down often through petty jealousy, which is then described as a "clash or personalities".
Personally, I've always advocated that if you put yourself in the firing line by being progressive and even controversial then you must be prepared to be knocked down because this it what appears to be human nature and the bad side of it at that. However, the ‘TPS’ sufferers would do well to stand back themselves and consider the consequences of their actions. We are fast moving into the 21st Century and the hobby should move with us. The only way that we will get back to the former glory days, when the hobby was enjoyed by many more people than it is today, is by moving with the times and offering some dynamism which will attract new members from the computerised, commodity driven, high pressure times that we live in today.
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