Vincent Coquet, the French connoisseur
“He’s a genuinely nice person, a caring friend, loyal, hospitable, generous, bird-wise his awards speak for themselves”. A tribute to Vincent Coquet by Joe Coakley... Read More
People
The English Cinnamon canary, Part 3
The Second World War had taken its toll of the Cinnamon canary. According to Mr. E. Jenkins, “the Cinnamon studs still in existence could be counted on one’s fingers” (1). His statement seems to be endorsed by the lower number of birds exhibited at the National Exhibition after the war. In 1947 some 24 Cinnamons, […]... Read More
Lizards at the National Exhibition during the 1950s
No other show has played such an important part in the affairs of the Lizard Canary Association as the National Exhibition (1). Sponsored by Cage Birds magazine (as it was then known), it was the ‘National’ that gave the nascent LCA the opportunity to demonstrate to the world its determination to save the oldest breed […]... Read More
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
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