Breeding Season 2024 was a good enough one for me although I bred the fewest number of birds I have ever bred. That had been the purpose but the reality has also been that if your stock is first class, numbers don't matter and this year's crop of young Scots Fancies and Belgian canaries have bred several birds which have been awarded the prize of Best in Show. 

It always feels counter intuitive that the National Exhibition held in Stafford and the most prestigious show of the year in the UK, is also the first show. It took place this year on 6th October 2024. You'd expect the show to be the culmination of the exhibition season whereas it is the opening "number". The event is not to be missed by any serious breeder and exhibitor of birds. It's a long road trip for us and this year, for a change, we had dinner with friends in a lovely little country pub outside Stafford.

I only took 12 birds to exhibit - 7 Scots Fancies and 5 Belgians. They were entered in seven classes and I took first place in five classes. In the Scots classes, my flighted buff cock bird was awarded Best Flighted Scots in Show. Two sister buff hens took first and second places in their class. A cinnamon current year bred bird won her class. The satisfying thing about the National Exhibition is that you are in competition so a win has meaning. 

This year's National Exhibition was, for the Scots Fancy, a return to upward progress in that there were five champion exhibitors and four novices. Those novices are all adults and one may hope that this gives an expectation that the variety really does have a future as the interest in it grows.

Best Scots Fancy and indeed Best Old Variety was won by a piebald exhibited by Steven Fisher.

 

Best Novice, for the second year in a row, was Matt Atkinson with a clear buff.

Against competition in the Belgian classes, I entered two classes and won Best Flighted bird (his father was the World Champion in 2020) and Best Belgian with a self green, current year bred bird from an entirely different line from my usual winning Belgian line. I was delighted. 

It was a great start to the season and a real lesson in choosing fewer birds to transport and exhibit. I only really want to be third place at worst so taking too many birds to exhibit is no longer my plan. It's a good discipline to select fewer and trust your judgement which, for me, is now good.

On 13th October 2024, Scotland's National Bird Club show took place. The Club of which I am secretary and treasurer, the Scots Fancy Specialist Club, ran the Scots Fancy and Old & Rare Variety sections. I again limited my entry to 10 Scots fancies and 5 Belgians. 

I entered six Scots classes and won five of them. My birds won Best Champion Yellow, Best Champion Flighted (adult) Clear, Best Champion Cinnamon, Best Champion, Best in Show and 3rd Best in Show. 

In the Old & Rare classes, I entered 2 classes for Belgian canaries and won both, taking the awards of Best Belgian and Best Old Variety. I was most gratified by these wins on home turf given that again, the shows were competitive with over 100 birds competing for the top award. 

The presentation of the awards sponsored by Stevie Evans is the next photo. 

We had been fortunate to secure sponsorship of the awards for Best in Show, 2nd and 3rd Best from Club member Sandy Devidge, The photo below is that of the awards; they are prints of a Victorian prize card with the Club's name and award category.

Probably my favourite show of the year in the Old Variety Canary Association North show. It is held in conjunction with the North of England Gloster Club show at Stakeford in Northumberland and I have been very fortunate there. The show is my favourite because I really enjoy the people there who have become firm friends, it is a night away in a lovely hotel and I get to meet my cousin and his wife for dinner. All in all, it's a fun weekend away.

Repeating the pattern of the year, I exhibited 10 Scots and five Belgians, in 5 and 2 classes respectively and won all seven classes. In the Scots Fancy classes there was competition but one of my two sister buffs did the job and won Best Champion Old & Rare Variety, Best Old Variety, Best Scots Fancy, Best Champion Scots Fancy. My belgian won the award for Best Belgian and 2nd Best Old Variety - again he had competition from three other exhibitors. I was also awarded the John Scott President's Award which is a competition between the winning Lizard canary and the winning Old Variety. I was, naturally, delighted. 

The Club Show of the Scots Fancy Specialist Club takes place on 17 November 2024 and will close my show season. It's been busy but very rewarding so far.