Hundreds of budgerigars compete in championship

1 hour ago

Allison Ferns,BBC Radio Surreyand

Tanya Gupta,South East

News image — A prize-winning budgie sits among rosettes at the championship

Wayne Greening A green-and-yellow budgerigar sits inside a white show cage surrounded by red, white and blue rosettes and award ribbons. Championship signs and certificates are visible behind the cage. — A prize-winning budgie sits among rosettes at the championship

Hundreds of budgerigars and their owners have gathered in Surrey for a championship show celebrating a hobby that enthusiasts say has been passed down through generations.

A total of 468 birds were entered into the Gold Open Championship Show in Smallfield, near Horley, organiser Wayne Greening said.

Competitors took part in a range of classes, with birds judged on their quality and condition as they compete for rosettes and prize money.

The chairman of the South Eastern Budgerigar Club said his love of budgerigars began at the age of five.

"Everyone, dad, granddad, great granddad, kept chickens, pigeons, canaries or budgies," Greening said.

"I got hooked on budgies, and that was it."

Wayne Greening A composite image showing three budgerigars in judging cages. From left to right: a blue-and-white exhibition budgerigar with prominent feathering around its head, a yellow-and-green budgerigar perched on a wooden rod, and a green budgerigar with black markings perched inside a white judging cage. — More than 400 budgies were entered into the contest

Greening, who currently has about 50 budgies in his aviary, said many people remembered the budgies their grandparents kept in cages in their front rooms, which were mainly blue.

But he said there were also larger exhibition budgerigars and newer mutations, including the Blackface and Blackwing.

Budgies on display on Saturday included the Texas Clearbody, the Spangle and the Cinnamon Blue.

Stages were put up for the event and judges travelled from Southampton to assess the birds in their show cages, Greening said.

"The initial thing that the judges will look for is the condition of the bird," he added.

"Is it fit? Has it got all its feathers? Does it look good?"

Owners arrived with their birds from about 10:00 BST, with judging starting at midday and the event was open to the public from 14:00 to 16:00.

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