Let me start by wishing all readers of the Feathered World a very happy, healthy and productive New Year, may the Angels of good fortune look after you all.
I must apologise to my other reader for not submitting notes for the past two or three months. Despite a self-imposed promise not to travel as many miles this year, it seems that I have failed miserably in this aim as week after week I have been flitting off to judge or show in far flung areas spread all around the country. At the time of writing, our itinerary is not yet even close to being completed. I have also spent many grudging hours of practise whilst typing up my copy in grappling with the use of one word instead of six system, but that didn't work either. So it is sorry Jack, but it seems I am stuck with six for one as my default style so you may have to skip a page.
Isn't it amazing how one minute we are in full flow with breeding then almost overnight we are into, then through, yet another show season. Some fanciers I am sure have already been sorting out the nest bowls in readiness to start the ball rolling once again.
Having now all but finished constructing my new aviary I have made a very welcome but quite unexpected discovery. As most breeders of the Colour pigeon varieties will know, some of these birds can, to put it mildly, be a trifle on the scatty side. Yet these same pigeons suddenly given masses of additional space in their new aviary will now allow me to walk amongst them with almost no outward signs of anxiety. I can only conclude that having been given the extra space they do not feel trapped and vulnerable and therefore do not experience the same urge to escape. It will interesting to see whether this new-found confidence can, over a period of time, be transferred to their attitude inside the not inconsiderable dimensions of the loft.
I have now been breeding various Colour pigeon varieties for a good many years, certainly in excess of 25 years (well over 40 years if I include the Archangels), yet despite a lot of handling from a very early age, pen training and many forms of TLC and other enticements they have, apart from the Archangels/Gimpels and to a lesser extent the Blue Starlings, remained as wild and unpredictable as ever, but I still love them. Maybe one of our genetics followers can tell us if these wild type of birds have an extra hidden kamikaze gene, are just more mentally alert to perceived danger or maybe are just mental. I know of several fanciers who without hesitation would plump for the latter. It is not a case of stockmanship I can assure you, for these birds have been more cosseted than has the lady of the house.
So, what has caused the lack of news and views input over the past couple of months. Well, basically it was lack of time. Apart from a couple of holidays and two other non pigeon trips over in to Europe we started the show season. This year we got off to a flying start with two great shows, first the always interesting and varied multi-discipline event at Peterborough and then down to the South Coast show where the hall probably has the best natural lighting of any of the current venues, although on the day of the show the temperature inside the hall had even the brass monkeys reaching out for their mittens. Then quickly followed the excellent annual Flying breeds show up at Nottingham. It was then off to Limerick in the land of the Leprechauns where water is strictly for washing your feet and the Guinness flows like treacle sliding down from heaven. If ever John or Peter invite you over to judge at their show, snap their hand off. They are a grand bunch of lads and lasses who are rapidly learning the ropes of show presentation and all that it entails. Back home it was quite literally just down the road to Canterbury for one of our local shows before again heading north back up to Nottingham for the National Young Bird event at the Rushcliffe Leisure Centre where the very much improved lighting system now makes this a superb venue for showing pigeons. I have already heard serious talk of a couple of breed clubs expressing more than a passing interest in putting on their own young bird events in conjunction with the NYBS. One or two clubs are even showing an interest in staging their major Club show at the venue. If the intention of a good 'club show' is to encourage the members to empty their lofts then at only £1 a bird, all pens erected and with plenty of free meeting halls available for their club meetings, who can blame them for considering this as a very serious option.
Quickly following the young bird show the first of the season's big Euro-shows took place in the beautiful German city of Köln. With an entry of well over 18,500 pigeons, plus more than 2,300 head of poultry and waterfowl there was more than enough to keep any serious bird man happy for days. One real eye-opening fact to emerge from a close scrutiny of the catalogue was the degree of emphasis that is obviously placed on the breeding of pigeons as opposed to the showing of them. In one of the major breeds, the Deutsche Modena, of which there was in excess of 1,500 entries just 90, around 6%, were adults. The strict guidelines imposed in the German judging system limited the number of exhibits within that breed gaining 97pts, the maximum allowed, was just 34. Some breeds, even the popular ones, had no adult entries at all. Looking at the ring colours on the few adults that were being shown I saw none that were over two years of age. Without actually checking every page of the catalogue I would estimate that of the show's overall total entry of 18,500 I would be very surprised if the number of adults present reached anywhere near the 900 mark, around just 5% of the entry. That pattern was repeated in the poultry and waterfowl section. The other obvious difference between their classification and our own is the fact that despite the vast numbers there are no, or extremely limited places for AOC. Entries must be good quality 'standard' colours or they are rarely acceptable.
Whilst on the European theme for a moment it was interesting to note how some of the visiting continental judges were working whilst up at Doncaster. In one breed the judge, much to the dismay of the exhibitors I am sure, awarded no first place cards in any of the four classes. This, I guess, was because having judged to his native points system he probably found no birds that in his opinion were worthy of a red card. He should be congratulated upon his action. Far too many UK exhibitors automatically equate a red card with quality - if only it was so. Having visited more shows than usual this season it is a sad fact that the absolutely essential practice of allowing a 'single' entry to win what should be a coveted NPA Certificate is being seriously undermined by some very weak judging practices. By the same token some certificate-winning birds from within the larger classes are also unworthy of being given the award despite being the best of an albeit mediocre bunch. I am not, at this point in time sure whether the answer lies with the NPA or with the breed clubs themselves.
It was very interesting reading the 'Bad Timing' letter by NRC Chairman Jeff Davies in the December issue. Jeff has got it in one, unfortunately this topic has been raised by others including myself on many occasions and has been shot down every time, usually by the old chestnut argument about bad weather and traveling. The way in which the current trends in weather patterns are now developing could just as easily result in very bad weather hitting us in November or March. Personally I feel that an experimental period of say two seasons should be tried. Certainly shows could easily start at the beginning of November and be held in January and if necessary even up to the first two weeks of February. Breeders could still pair up on the traditional St Valentine's day.