Stafford Spring Bird Show 2019
Storm Freya is raging across the UK. Yet, she didn’t keep the bird-keeping community away from this springs must see show. The Stafford Spring Bird show is the largest bird-keeping event of the year and once again it proved to be a roaring success.
Shows like these are bastions of care. Vital for keeping up standards in a hobby which isn’t going away anytime soon. Today proved it; with stall after stall, filled with birds of infinite variety.
The list of bird species wasn’t the only thing that was from around the world. Walking through the densely packed crowd, dozens of differing languages could be heard. From Arabic to German, all the way to Chinese.
One prominent figure at the show was world renowned strongman, Olympic champion and world class budgie breeder, Geoff Capes. In a quick discussion, the two time commonwealth champion shot-putter assured me that his passion for budgies was still as strong as ever after over forty five years within the industry. He was also happy to mention that his indoor aviary was thriving and back up to his usual numbers after having a tough time in the previous years. However, Geoff wasn’t the only one happy to share a chat, as knowledgeable breeders offering their surplus stock were more than happy to share plenty of advice.
Most importantly, the organisers gave the rest of the birding world a lesson in animal welfare standards.
All birds and cages being inspected by a DEFRA approved vet and a RSPCA officer. Welfare checks were also implemented throughout the day by the stewards.
Being only short lived, the Stafford Bird show only runs for a single day. Yet those intense few hours continue to advance the shows ethos of sharing and advancing avicultural practices.
An important act in an industry which could easily turn sour. Yes, birds are better in the wild but whether you agree with these practices or not. Shows like this are vital in keeping up industry standards. Organizers and the industry work closely with the RSPCA to ensure birds are kept healthy and that you, the public know how to care for them and that is certainly something I can get behind.
If you’re sorry you missed this year’s show, don’t worry because next year will be here in a blink of an eye…
See you at next spring’s not to miss event, the Stafford Spring Bird show 2020.