Sunday, October 27, 2013

Bringing On Song - Freedom


The Lone Star Canary Show also had American Singer competition. Before starting judging, I visited the American Singers and visited with some of their exhibitors.

These especially lovely American Singers belong to Brenda Varhola. She explained that when American Singers are judged the first ten minutes in the judging room is evaluation of freedom or how freely they sing while the last ten minutes looks at their actual song. Winning birds must sing well all twenty minutes for the judge. Exhibitors are disappointed when their birds fail to start singing quickly.

Last year, I evaluated a Biodecken product called Jingle. The product is a mineral vitamin supplement that potentates secondary sexual characteristics in songbird males. This time of year, it is used three times a week in the water and is invaluable to the songbird exhibitor because it increases the frequency of singing without destroying the song quality associated with coming into breeding condition. When I cage up my German Rollers about three weeks before the competition, I begin giving Jingle.

Ingredients: Vitamin A Palmitate, Alpha Tocopherol acetate, Cholecalciferol, Sucrose,  Glycerin,  and Sodium Selenite To order contact Ricardo Sanchez  214 998-7474

Jingle is also used later for male conditioning for breeding but should not be given to females. I plan to evaluate how well it conditions males for breeding this season.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Show and Tell Bird Show San Diego California

What a fantastic show! It is a very friendly club that is focused on education and sharing.

David Benites, President, show manager and club founder, is pictured in the tall hat.

David Shared the following tips with me:

1. To increase feather luster feed thistle (nyger).

2. When preparing birds for show be sure and change all perches and grills so that the bird will not soil itself after bathing.

3. Ten days before the show let all birds bath in treated bath water. Treated Bath Water: To 1/2 gallon of water add 1 cap of Listerine or generic and 1 teaspoon  witch hazel. Every 20 minutes change the bowl water four times.

4. His wife Edith shared that when cooking quinoa (keen-wah), to six cups of quinoa add 7 cups of water instead of the 2 times water as quinoa that I had been using. Her quinoa texture is excellent. She called it the plus one rule.

Type Canary Winners

 Best Fife and Best Novice Exhibited by Johan Otter

 Best Gloster Corona Exhibited by Salvador Servin

 Best Gloster Consort Exhibited byDavid and Edith Benites.


 Best Columbus Fancy Crested Exhibited by Ray Mena

Best Columbus Fancy Smoothhead Exhibited by Ray Mena

Best Stafford Exhibited byNino Hernnandez


 Best Norwich Exhibited by Ray Mena


 Best Border Exhibited by Mike Mojhedi


 Best Lizard Exhibited by Donna Minor


Best Parisian Frill Exhibited by Mike Mojhedi


 Best Japanese Hoso Exhibited by Mario Garcia


 Best Type Canary in Show Parisian Frill Exhibited by Mike Mojhedi


Best Canary in Show and Winner of Traveling Trophy Parisian Frill Exhibited by Mike Mojedi

 Club member artist Carol Whelan created this Linda Doll which she presented to me at the banquet.

 Thanks everyone for the record breaking 176 birds and all of your fine hospitality.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Wild At Heart - San Diego Safari Park

 San Diego Club Member Andrea Cabibi is a manager of the Avian Section at San Diego Safari Park and graciously gave me and David and Edith Benites a back scene tour of the bird facilities and tour inside the exhibits of the other animals.

 Many of the park animals are from Africa because the weather conditions are most similar. Most animals at the park are endangered species and ova and sperm are stored frozen.


 Great Hornbill
Andrea explained the fascinating process of artificial insemination in birds which she with a helper do.











 After the bird facility tour, we climbed in the four wheeler and rode up and down inside the animal exhibits.




The giraffe came right up to the vehicle and took carrots from our hands!










Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Colorbred Winners San Diego Show


Best Lipochrome Yellow Frost Exhibited by David and Edith Benites


Best Melanin Classic Bronze Mosaic Hen Exhibited by David and Edith Benites


Best Melanin New Color Bronze Cobalt Exhibited by David and Edith Benites


Best Colorbred in Show Bronze Mosaic Exhibited by David and Edith Benites