Just like that, six weeks of the 2025 show season ended on 16 November, 2025 with the annual Scots Fancy Specialist Club Club Show with Old & Rare Variety classes. 

Although a smaller event than in the past, five champion exhibitors entered 35 Scots Fancy canaries and three champion exhibitors entered 11 Old & Rare Variety canaries being North Dutch Frills, Belgians and Fiorinos.

Since I started with Scots Fancies, the standard has improved beyond recognition. This year's birds were no exception with lively competition between the exhibitors. 

I was fortunate to win Best and 2nd Best Scots Fancy in show with a flighted clear, buff cock and an unflighted blue and white cock bird. My cinnamon piebald hen and clear yellow cock took the awards for best current year bred cinnamon and yellow respectively while the blue and white cock took that for current year bred white. 

Sandy Innes, our Club President, took the award for 3rd Best in Show with a flighted piebald. 

In the Old & Rare classes, I won Best Belgian against competition. I forgot to photograph the winning Belgian. 

It's good to have a stock of birds which can win across the classification. 

The Results sheets are below.

I enjoy the show season but it is a lot of work in the lead up to each event and in making the choice of which birds to enter for each show. These days, I am also running a section or the entire show so it can be a great deal of work but very rewarding. 

That said, the show cages are now washed and boxed away until October 2026. Winter is here and a rest period for the birds and me. In January 2026, the World Show takes place in Belgium which will be interesting. 

 

 

 The Old Varieties Canary Association North show was held today at Bomersund, Northumberland, ably judged by Andy Early, OMJ. I'm delighted to say that my good friend Norman Wallace won Best Champion Scots Fancy , Best Scots Fancy and Best Old Variety. It's a real tribute to Norman's persistence and determination and I'm really pleased for him.

Out of 7 classes entered, I won 6. My Belgian, a grandson of the late world champion, was Best Champion Belgian, Best Belgian and 3rd Best Old Variety.

Another great day out to Northumberland I'd add my thanks to the organisers for an excellent event.

 Sunday 12th October 2025 saw the third show of Scotland's National Bird Club. 

In the Scots Fancy section, there were three champion exhibitors and I was pleased to win Best in Show, 3rd Best in Show, Best Flighted, Best Unflighted, Best Yellow, Best Unflighted Piebald and Best Clear. Our Club President, Sandy Innes took 2nd Best in Show and Best Green, White and Cinnamon. 

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In the Old & Rare Varieties section, there were champion and novice exhibitors and the winner of Best Novice Old Variety was Fraser Kay with the smallest Raza Espanol I've ever seen. 

Gordon Alexander won Best Frill with a Fiorino and Best English Cinnamon and Best London Fancy. I won Best Belgian and Best Old Variety and Best Champion Old Variety.

Here are the results sheets for each section. 

 After a successful breeding season, we are in show season territory. When I returned to the exhibition side of the hobby in 2012, I used to exhibit at 10 shows per annum. With Brexit preventing UK fanciers from being able to exhibit in Europe, and closure of Clubs, I now exhibit at 4 shows. 

This past weekend was the UK National Exhibition at Stafford. The event is sponsored by the Parrot Society. Without that support, the event would not exist. Sadly it is getting to be a smaller event with fewer people selling birds though the interest in bird keeping still exists. 

I exhibited 5 Scots Fancies and 5 Bossu Belgian canaries. I won Best Champion Scots Fancy and Best Belgian. It was a lovely weekend away and a good start to the show season.