Sing a song of sixpence
“Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye, Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie. When the pie was opened the birds began to sing, Oh wasn’t that a dainty dish to set before the king?”... Read More
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David Newton 2019
My pictorial review of David Newton’s Lizard canaries is a perennial favourite, so I make no apologies for adding photos of his 2019 crop to my blog. David has the smallest stud of any of the world’s top breeders, usually just 6 pairs. His stud may be low in number, but it is high […]... Read More
London Fancies at the National Exhibition 2019
Thirty birds entered, 22 benched. It doesn’t sound much, but 20 years ago I’d never have believed that any London Fancies would have been exhibited at all, yet here they were, and so was I to judge them. Better still, many of the over-year birds looked like the real thing: almost clear bodies with dark […]... Read More
Brian Hogg
Many of you will have heard the sad news that Brian Hogg has died (1). I’m sure there will be many tributes to him in a forthcoming edition of Cage and Aviary Birds, but I wanted to add my own appreciation of Brian, one of the canary fancy’s great ambassadors.... Read More
Book review: “A Passion for Natural History”
“. . . and when I saw him on his knees, having spread my drawings on the floor, the better to compare them, I forgot he was Lord Stanley, I knew only that he too loved Nature.” John James Audubon (1)... Read More
Six of the best
David Newton keeps a small stud of Lizard canaries; normally just six pairs of birds. His focus is on quality, not quantity.... Read More
Iain H Leach, photographer
My darling wife has bought a Fitbit; suddenly long walks are on her agenda. Wollaton Park is the obvious choice with its handsome architecture, grand landscapes and herds of red and fallow deer, but today we head for Martin’s Pond, a local nature reserve.... Read More