We always kept the best singer upstairs in
the family room where we could enjoy him all day. I spent many hours listening
to the beautiful song and observing the birds behavior.
When I was 14 years old and allowed to drive
the family car, my mother introduced me to an elderly lady known to all as
"Grandma Gardner". This special lady was like a grandmother to me. At
least once a week, I would drive ten miles to her house to visit. Grandma
Gardner raised German roller canaries. She was especially fond of the green
roller singers. I was fascinated by her rollers and by her love and appreciation
of the birds and their song. Grandma Gardner was very strict about what sounds
her birds heard. She had no use for any other kind of canary. Even so, some of
her best birds, made their way home with me to my mothers mixed aviary. Grandma
Gardner died while I was in college.
In June 1974, my mother was diagnosed as
having a malignant lymphoma (cancer). We offered her trips, visits to relatives
or whatever. But what she wanted to do, during her remaining life, was to get
back into raising canaries! Since it was already June, I frantically searched
for birds she could breed. I finally located a red factor male and one cinnamon
hen. Despite the late start, she managed to raise one nest of five. That Fall,
we decided to start a contest to see who could raise the darkest red birds. We
bought stock from the same breeder, taking brothers or sisters so that neither
one of us had a distinct advantage going into the competition. After the baby
molt, we would bring out our best and compare and then congratulate the winner.
This competition went on about four years. By the fifth year, her health was so
poor that she was not physically able to breed canaries anymore. She gave me all
but two of her favorite singers. She also bought me the second nest offspring
(12 birds) from the best red factor breeder in our area. That Spring, I did not
mention our contest. I knew she was sad about not being able to raise her
beloved canaries. We continued to talk about my canaries which now numbered over
50. After breeding season, she asked me to again bring my darkest red offspring
to her house for her to see. When I got there with the bird, she looked it over
carefully, complimented me but declared herself the contest winner! Not one foot
from her bedroom window, where she lay nearly bedfast, a cardinal had a nest of
three babies in the old cedar tree!
After mother's death, I continued breeding
canaries. I joined the Kansas Avicultural Society and began showing canaries. I
initially raised and studied a lot of different kinds; color-bred red factor,
rose and yellow ivory, yellow lipochrome, dimorphics in red, rose, yellow and
melanin, dominant and recessive whites, bronze, agate, isabel, pastel and
satinet, type: border, fife, parisian frill and norwich, and song: German
rollers. I won many trophies in type and color-bred canaries at local and
national shows. As a result, I achieved a master breeder status in color-bred
canaries and had raised a number of birds that had won enough points to be
champions. I apprenticed under Harold Sodamann, Tony Munoz and David Guinn and
subsequently passed the NCA examination that qualified me as a judge in 1987.
Since that time, I have judged both type and color-bred canaries all over the
United States and Puerto Rico in 1990 and 1995. In 1991, I judged lipochrome at
the National Cage-Bird Show in Detroit, Michigan, the Greater American Kaytee
Show in Clearwater, Florida and the Canadian National in 1995...
My interest in rollers really developed
because of my close friendship with Janice Klein also from Wichita, Kansas. She
had always bred birds for song. Earlier she bred roller/border crosses but after
a few years she decided to breed rollers exclusively. We were so excited about
rollers that we decided to meet once a week for lunch to discuss our songsters.
In 1982, I joined the nearest roller club,
Lou Abbott in Chicago and banded my first rollers with Central States bands.
Janice went to the Oakland Roller Show in December 1982 and brought back some
rollers for us that were purchased from Dan Agrella. She also purchased some
rollers from Haig Sarkisian.
Janice and I made a couple of trips to
Oklahoma to spend the day with Milo Wells, the nearest roller judge. On October
26, 1984, Milo judged a demonstration roller show in Tulsa, Oklahoma in
conjunction with the all cage-bird show. Milo was so impressed by our birds
performance and kept questioning us about how we got them in full song so early.
I distinctly remember learning to recognize hollow bell at that show. Janice won
the top roller prize at this show! Unfortunately, Milo died a short time later.
A club was promptly formed in his honor. The new club called the Milo Wells
German Roller Club affiliated with Central States and held its first show in
January 1986. Our first show was judged by Milo's close friend Billy Richardson
of Chicago. Janice won grand champion with a young team and advanced to amateur
class at that show. In December 1986, we drove two days to take our rollers to
the Chicago Lou Abbott Show. The following year, I won novice class under Haig
Sarkisian at the Chicago Show.
In January 1986, even though we had limited
knowledge about rollers, we presented a program on rollers to the local bird
club. Unfortunately, the business meeting was so long it was 9:00 p.m. before we
got to speak and demonstrate our birds! Luckily we had a tape with us and some
of the males sang along! At 10:00 p.m. we were still talking rollers and
commenting on the birds song!
Janice and I have always shared our stock
freely with each other. But our major breakthrough in breeding quality toned
rollers came when Robert Gattus gave us a vocal hollow roll male (#1644 CA87).
That first Spring (1988), this male (called 44) was kept busy breeding. He
started at my house, then to Janice's house and finally traveling over 200 miles
to Oklahoma City for the last breeder to use him. This male (44) produced about
100 offspring that year! On one occasion, I was so desperate to breed him, that
I took my hen to Janice's house, we put her in a large four foot flight cage and
introduced the male (44). At the end of our Saturday afternoon visit (probably
about two hours), I took the hen home. She built her nest and produced five
offspring from 44 as a result of that one Saturday afternoon breeding!
We shipped our rollers for the first time in
1988 to the Central States Shows. The following year, Janice won amateur class
at the Midwest Show (Minneapolis) under David Bopp and again in 1990 at Lou
Abbott under Lou Vacca. I won best young champion team at Lou Abbott under Merle
Feia in 1988 and best young champion team at Milo Wells under Jose Huergo in
1990. Also in 1990, we showed under Manfred Gebauer at the Greater New York
Roller Show.
I was extremely happy to win the flute trophy
and also to have one of my birds scored seven in hollow roll and bass and a
perfect six in both hollow bell and flute for a total of 30 points (3-6-9
scale)! This bird (#3601 CA90) was the very first bird I bred in 1990! That was
especially nice because he came from the nest that I had predicted would produce
my best that year and therefore, had set up first! His brothers made up the rest
of the team and likewise scored very well in hollow bell and flute. That hen
produced five outstanding males in one nest! Janice's team scored 28 in hollow
roll. The hollow roll tour special went to Robert Gattus with a 29 team score in
hollow roll!
In 1991, I won best young champion at the
Milo Wells German Roller Show under Billy Richardson. The birds on this team
were sons of 3601 and his brothers 3602 and 3604. I won again in 1992 at the Lou
Abbott Show under David Bopp and became a master breeder of roller canaries. My
first big win as a master breeder was in 1995 at Sunshine Roller Show in Miami,
judged by Billy Richardson, were I won Grand Champion Team (highest scoring
team), Derby Team (best young team), Sweepstakes (best bird), and Tour Specials
in hollow roll and water tour. Janice and I are the only serious roller breeders
in Kansas. During show season, we have our own mini roller show every Saturday
afternoon. We love to drink Dr. Pepper and listen to our birds. Janice is an
invaluable friend, an excellent listener and a good person to discuss my ideas
and theories. She never tires of roller talk and always cheerfully looks
something up for me, even when I call late at night to ask about some rollers
pedigree from years ago!
I have met many wonderful people through the
birds. One in particular was Ken Swann with Dominion Roller Canary News in
Canada who wrote and asked permission to reprint an article on Canary Diets
which had appeared in Bird Talk. I subscribed and have been an active
contributor ever since. I really enjoy the roller news and the many worldwide
friendships!
I have well written over 60 articles on
canaries. They have been published in Modern Veterinary Practice, Bird Breeder,
Finch and Canary World, American Cage-bird Magazine, Canary Finch Journal, Bird
Talk, Dominion Roller Canary News and many other club newsletters.
The last few years my breeding program has concentrated on roller canaries. I have recently completed a major roller project spanning six generations and nearly 100 birds where I was able to show the hen line transmission of the percentage of male offspring produced. This article has been submitted to Dominion Roller Canary News and is entitled "Daughters of Utah". In addition, I have another extensive research project underway on roller song inheritance. I belong to the following roller clubs: Milo Wells, Lou Abbott, Midwest, and Oakland and to eight other bird clubs. My avicultural goals to breed high quality canaries and to continue judging and sharing my understandings of the fancy.
