Sweetening Up The Song - Sweet Song Tea

 Lucca, my Belgian Malinois, likes to help train the German rollers. Maybe because before I stack them I remove yesterdays old dry bread and Lucca is happy to dispose of it for me!

 He is vigilantly keeping a close watch on them.

 Lucca loves hollow roll and if they are really good, they put him to sleep.

Often I stack the teams with a last year bird tutor in the middle. Especially when there is a tempo problem like to slow hollow roll, too fast hollow bell and high flutes.

 If they get the tempo right I move the tutor to the top but keep reinforcing the tempo till they give up and sing the right tempo.

A few minutes ago, my favorite team let out a rare obnoxious high pitch route rou ou. I was watching the birds at the time and for the life  of me, I couldn't figure out who did it. Then promptly it came again route rooou. I thought that sounds familiar like a rooster crowing. I look over to see Lucca laughing as he promptly jumped on his real sound rooster toy!

Yesterday I use a new water concoction which Almin shared with me that is to sweeten the song and I am quite pleased with the result!

Sweet Song Tea

1 Liter boiling water
2 tsp fennel seed or 2 fennel tea bags
2 tsp brown sugar

Cool and use for the birds water periodically and 3 days before the show.