I completed the 2021 show season at the North of England Gloster Club and OVCA North show held in Northumberland on 14 November. I won Best Scots Fancy, Best Old Variety and Second Best Old Variety with a Belgian. It was pretty much a clean sweep for me and I was very pleased. In the only two shows of my season, I won best in show twice. 

Below is the results sheet.

                                      My Giboso which won best Giboso photographed below

       This white Belgian, son of the World Champion, took Best Belgian and Second Best Old Variety

                                                     

                                                           

My winning Scots Fancy hen 

 

Unfortunately, the Scots Fancy Specialist Club's annual show which was to have taken place in January 2022, had to be cancelled due to the pandemic and avian flu concerns. We held a virtual show and I was delighted to win Best in Show with the same bird as won the National Exhibition last October. All in all, my birds are at the top of the ranking for the moment. 

This is the virtual show winner in action. 

 

 It's been a long time since I last updated this blog. Despite the pandemic, canary breeding kept going on quietly across the country but there were no exhibitions in 2020. 2021 looked to be doomed to a similar fate but fortunately circumstances and the vaccine finally permitted the UK National Exhibition to take place. I was unable to attend but with the help of a friend sent six birds in order to take part. 

A bird I bred in 2020 came up trumps winning Best Scots Fancy in Show and Second Best Old Variety in Show. This is my fourth win of Best Scots in Show at the National, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2021. I'm delighted. 

My Belgians took 1st and 4th places in one class and second in another and a further Scots won its class as well. All in all a great start to what is a very reduced show season this year. 

This is a film of him made last year.

This post isn't entirely Scots Fancy related. I entered 3 birds at the World Show held last weekend in Matosinhos, Porto, Portugal. My two Scots were awarded 88 points each which isn't really very good.

As many will know, however, I keep Belgian Fancies also known as the Bossu Belge or Belgian Bump. The Scots Fancy mutated from the Belgian. Out of 76 Belgian birds exhibited, my white, unflighted cock bird was awarded 94 points. That is the top score which I bird can achieve and has to be signed off by the senior judge as well as the class judge. Only one other Bossu was awarded 94 points. As you can see below, the bird is a World Champion. I am amazed and delighted.

Today was Kelso Ornithological Society show at the Tait Hall. It's the last show on my UK season. I won all eight classes, against competition, which I entered and took the awards for Best Scots Fancy, Best Opposite Sex Scots Fancy (that means the opposite sex to the overall winner) and Best Any Other Variety with a Belgian.

Kelso is a lovely town with excellent shopping and watering holes. Well worth the visit.

Time for some rest now after all the travelling around the UK.

The Olympiad of the Lothians is the title of the Linlithgow CBS annual show and it is deserved. An entry of 538 birds across a wide range of species is a great event.

I've had faith in two birds this year but it took this event to have that faith rewarded. My bird, ring no 44/19, a clear yellow Scots Fancy took the award for Best Scots in Show. Of the 11 classes I entered, my birds took first place in 10 of those classes.

In the Belgian class, ring no 8/19 took the award for Best Champion Old Variety. I was very pleased with these results, especially taking so many first places in the Scots section.

No 44/19 seemed very spooked after the judging and the photo does him no favours so I have included one of him as a younger bird.

On 10 November 2019, the North of England Gloster Club and Old Variety Canary Association northern show was held at Bomersund in Northumberland. This OVCA section has been running since 2014 and I have attended each of those events.

This year saw the highest ever Scots Fancy entry - 61 birds from 7 champion exhibitors, 2 novices and 1 junior. It's a great achievement for the breed to see this increase.

Similarly in the Old Variety and Rare Section, the numbers have increased dramatically.

There were six classes for champion Scots Fancies and I won two of them and took three second places, three third places, two fourths and two fifths and one seventh. Canaries in the UK are judged from first to seventh places. Best Scots in Show and Third Best Old Variety was taken by Allan Rundell.

In the Rare Section, my Gibosos espanol took First, Second and Fourth places (against competition) and won Best Rare in Show.

In the Belgian section, I had my greatest success, taking first and Best Belgian which was also Second Best Old Variety in Show and Second Best Belgian - all against competition.

To win Second Best Old Variety was a delight as was being awarded by the OVCA with one of the Brian Hogg Memorial Rosettes. Brian was a giant of the fancy and instrumental in the recreation of the Lancashire canary which had become extinct. It was an honour to be awarded a rosette in his memory.

One of the pleasures of writing for "Cage & Aviary Birds" newspaper is being put in touch with other fanciers. Today I spoke to Mr Brian Toghill who gave me permission to post his 1997 article from the newsletter of the Old Varieties Canary Association. The Mr Holland to whom he refers is mentioned in Wil Cummings book on the Glasgow Don. This helped Mr Toghill find the identity of the Scotsman to whom Mr Holland referred. In a memorable phrase, Mr Toghill described the Scots Fancy as "an exhibitor's bird". I couldn't agree more.

Here is the article.