Katherine Weir

2 months ago | cageandaviarybirds.com | Katherine Weir

I can well remember one of the first bird-club talks I ever attended. It was by the late Tony Roke, a dedicated Border canary man. Tony made a quip about how often a budgie man wouldn’t want to listen to a canary man and vice versa, on the grounds that budgies and canaries were outwardly quite different types of birds. Tony then used the line: “But at the end of the day, they all lay eggs!”Tony was of course quite right.

2 months ago | cageandaviarybirds.com | Katherine Weir

As zebra finch breeder specialising in combining different mutations, I found it a nice challenge to make a combination of topaz and charcoal. But first I had best describe the charcoal and topaz separately, since they are relatively new mutations. This mutation provides a brightening of the plumage. Topaz reduces the amount of dark pigments, making the plumage lighter and revealing more subtle colour nuances.

Jan 16, 2025 | cageandaviarybirds.com | Katherine Weir

SATURDAY morning at around 9am, there was a knock at our hotel door. It was an old friend, David Collier, who’d moved out to the US a few years back. Good chat with him then we headed to the show. I was made very welcome. Along with my judging, I was asked to make a commentary, which I was happy to do. The pairs class came first, so that the birds could then compete individually too. Next up, the novice birds. Some good birds in this line-up, especially a cinnamon skyblue cock.

Jan 16, 2025 | cageandaviarybirds.com | Katherine Weir

LAST year, I was messaged by the American budgie breeder Joshua Anthony about judging the Grand National Show for the BAA (Budgerigar Association of America). We discussed dates and details and I said that I would be honoured to judge for them. The agreed date of the show was October 12, 2024. The event would be held in Texas and hosted by two clubs: Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) and Houston Budgerigar Society (HBS).

Oct 3, 2022 | cpm-magazine.co.uk | Katherine Weir