Cage & Aviary Birds Magazine No.5794 Flawless Makes Perfect Back Issue

WE HAD A very decent post-Stafford mailbag last week, with some typical
comments reproduced opposite. Not one negative criticism came to light, which is remarkable for a massive, complicated event such as a huge bird sale. In fact the closest thing to criticism was voiced by event co-organiser Shaun Smith, who commented he couldn’t believe how long the queues
were (see our Stafford round-up on page 5)! It certainly is a bit odd, given that it’s so simple to pre-order entry wrist-bands. At equivalent events with other types of livestock you don’t see whopping queues, even the
well-attended ones. Maybe it’s actually part of the attraction of Stafford. Or perhaps there’s just something about bird fanciers... anyway, my colleagues Laura Welch and Laura Keens enjoyed a superb day out meeting friends new and old, as you can see on page 5. Plainly, this event is going from strength to strength and long may it continue to do so. ■ If you have a friend at or approaching retirement age and in search of a suitable hobby, chances are you’ve thought of encouraging them into birdkeeping. To help with that encouragement, today we start a series of short articles, penned by long-time contributor Bob Baggs, called “Senior Starters”. This aims to provide a broad introduction to practical birdkeeping for those who, shall we say, aren’t quite as agile as they used to be. Bob’s first article is on page 13 – look out for his future instalments. ■ As noted on this page, we also feature that majestic
canary the Lancashire this week, with insight provided by our foremost authority, Brian Hogg (see page 12). I’m struck by Brian’s comment that rare breed enthusiasts tend to make friends from all over the world – but how typical of birdkeeping. Enjoy your week.