Loanhead & District Cage Bird Society (always close to my heart) annual show today. Only 18 Scots exhibited from the Club President, Sandy Innes and me but all good quality birds. My ticked yellow bird won Best in Show.

The Scots Fancy show season always starts with two big bangs. The first is the Northern Counties Scots Fancy Canary Club [NCSFCC] show, now styled as the Southern Show of the Scots Fancy Specialist Club, held in Carlisle in association with the Northern Gloster Fancy Club, the Zebra Finch Society and this year the Lizard Club.
The second bang is the National Exhibition held at Stafford where the Scots are exhibited within the Old Varieties Canary Association (OVCA) section.
The big news this year is record entries. At Carlisle, 79 Scots were exhibited by 9 exhibitors from Champion, Novice and Junior.
At Stafford, 74 Scots were entered, another record, from 12 exhibitors, again Champion, Novice and Junior. That entry was 25% of the OVCA section at the National and comprised some classes of 8, 10, 11 and 22 exhibits, figures no-one has seen since before 1914. For the first time in years, there is competition within the Novice section which is excellent news.
At the NCSFCC show the winner of Best Junior was Lauren Wight. The Best Novice was John Marshall and Best Champion and Best in Show, Donald Skinner-Reid.
At the National, Gordon Alexander, for the second successive year, won Best Scots with John Marshall again Best Novice and Lauren Wight Best Junior.

This is my winning bird at Carlisle - the rosette is from the USA Old Varieties Canary Association.

Gordon Alexnader with his second successive win at the National Exhibition, 2018.

I was delighted to win Best Giboso Espanol at the National Exhibition.

I did not expect my first show season as a champion to be so succesful. Four times Best Scots in show and medals at the Golden Ring show - 3 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze. The best win was a silver medal for my Belgian Fancy at the Golden Ring. 

I keep a "league table" of the show team and the winner was No 6 ot 2017 - clearly well ahead of the rest of my stock. Time not to plan for the breeding season which is three and half months away.

Linlithgow CBS annual show today. Best Scots in Show was exhibited by Gordon Alexander; Best Junior, Lauren Wright and Best Novice Keith Barker. My own birds achieved 5 first places, 5 second places and 2 third places. My Belgians, against competition, won 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.

Superb day out at the North of England Gloster Club show incorporating the OVCA show. I have exhibited here for four years now and at last we had serious Scots Fancy competition with 4 exhibitors. No 6/17 won Best Champion Scots; Best Scots; Best Champion OVCA and Best OVCA Old Variety. His sibling was 2nd Best Scots; Ken Laurie's cinnamon took 3rd Best Scots. Norman Wallace took second place in the piebald class. Best Novice, with a sweet clear buff was Chris Craig. My Belgians took Best, 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the unflighted Belgian class while No26/17, a Gibosos on its first outing, took Best Rare. Such a friendly show I will be back next year.

It's a busy weekend. Musselburgh & Whitecraig CBS annual show - Best Scots and Best Champion Scots and Best Old Variety with a Belgian. Sadly no competition.
Tomorrow is the OVCA show in association with the North of England Gloster Club. It will be fun and a good day out.

Scots Fancy Specialist Club annual show was held yesterday hosted by Grangemouth CBS. The worthy winner of Best in Show was Gordon Alexander with a small buff clear hen, fathered by my stock.

My own birds did well. I was pipped at the post for Best Scots but took eight first places in the classes, as well as Best Piebald with a great-grandson of my big winning 2012 - 2105 hen, Best Current Year Bred Yellow with the son of last year's Club show Best who himself took Best Adult and the points trophy. Below are pictures of the winning piebald and his unbeaten great-grandmother.

Meanwhile, my Belgian took Best Belgian, awarded by the Old Varieities Canary Association and Best Any Other Variety Cock and Mt Giboso Espanol took Best Any Other Variety Hen.