FOLLOWING A SUPER WEEKEND IN AUGUST, 2011 JUDGING THE 26TH INTERNATIONAL ZEWA SHOW IN SWITZERLAND WHERE I JUDGED OVER 300 TOP QUALITY BIRDS, FROM ALL THE TOP SWISS STUDS, I WAS DELIGHTED THAT THE ORGANISERS HAD ARRANGED A SURPRISE VISIT ON THE MONDAY TO THE WONDERFUL STUD OF DANIEL LUTOLF.

I WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZED BY THE QUALITY OF THE LUTOLF SHOW TEAM AND THIS WAS EMPHASISED BY THE FACT THAT OUT OF 27 BIRDS DANIEL BENCHED, HE HAD 25 FIRST PLACED BIRDS. HE THEN WENT ON TO WIN THE FOUR MAJOR AWARDS OF BEST IN SHOW, BEST YOUNG BIRD IN SHOW, BEST OPPOSITE SEX ANY AGE AND BEST OPPOSITE SEX YOUNG BIRD. THIS WAS AN AMAZING FEAT AND IT IS THE FIRST TIME IN THE 26 YEAR HISTORY OF ZEWA THAT THIS HAS BEEN ACHIEVED.

BEST IN SHOW WAS A SUPER CINNAMON GREY COCK SHOWN IN GREAT CONDITION. A LARGE BIRD WITH SUPER HEAD QUALITIES. HOWEVER, FOR ME THE BEST BIRD WAS THE WHITE GREY COCK THAT WON BEST YOUNG BIRD IN SHOW. THIS WAS A FANTASTIC YOUNG BUDGIE WITH SUPERB WIDTH AND SIZE AND THE BEST WHITE I HAVE EVER SEEN AND I DON'T THINK THERE WILL BE A BETTER YOUNG BIRD SHOWN THROUGHOUT EUROPE THIS YEAR. UNFORTUNATELY, DUE TO ITS FLIGHTS AND TAIL NOT YET BEING FULLY DOWN IT WAS NOT QUITE IN THE SAME SHOW CONDITION AS THE OVERALL BEST IN SHOW CINNAMON. DANIEL ALSO WON BOTH OPPOSITE SEX AWARDS WITH TWO FANTASTIC HENS A CINNAMON GREY AND A SPANGLE GREY.

SO IT WAS WITH SOME ANTICIPATION THAT I MET DANIEL AT ZURICH RAILWAY STATION AND HE ACCOMPANIED ME, ALONG WITH HIS TWO LOVELY YOUNG DAUGHTERS, ON THE SHORT TRAIN JOURNEY TO HIS FANTASTIC NEW HOME SOME 30 MINUTES FROM CENTRAL ZURICH.

DANIEL'S PARTNER MET US FROM THE TRAIN AND TRANSPORTED US THE VERY SHORT JOURNEY HOME WHERE I WAS SHOWN ROUND THE NEW HOME WITH ITS SUPER VIEWS AND LOVELY PRIVATE GARDENS. THEN IT WAS DOWN TO THE BASEMENT TO SEE THE TWO VERY LARGE BIRDROOMS. ONE IS USED AS A BREEDING ROOM AND HAS A FLIGHT FOR THE SHOW TEAM AND THE OTHER WAS A VAST FLIGHT FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE NON BREEDING AND SHOWING STOCK.

THE QUALITY OF THE STUD IS SOMETHING TO BEHOLD AND WILL STAY WITH ME FOREVER. IT JUST OOZED SHEER QUALITY WITH DIRECTIONAL FEATHERING ON VIRTUALLY EVERY BIRD VISIBLE. NOT ONLY HAS DANIEL MANAGED TO FIX THIS MUCH SOUGHT AFTER FEATURE IN THE MODERN BUDGERIGAR, THIS FEATHERING WAS ON BIRDS THAT HAD THE DESIRED SIZE, SHAPE AND DEPORTMENT. I WAS PARTICULARLY IMPRESSED THA T ALL THE BIRDS HAD WONDERFUL BACKSKULL A FEATURE THAT IS SOMETIMES LOST IN THE QUEST TO IMPROVE THE WIDTH OF SKULL.

THESE BIRDS WERE APPARENT IN ALMOST EVERY COLOUR AND VARIETY FROM NORMALS, OPALINES, CINNAMONS, SPANGLES, CLEARBODIES, DOMINANT PIEDS , RECESSIVE PIEDS, GREYWINGS, LUTINOS, LACEWINGS & ALBINOS. THERE IS STRENGTH THROUGHOUT IN THESE VARIETIES AND, IN MY OPINION, PARTICULARLY THE NORMALS WHERE DANIEL DELIGHTED IN SHOWING EXAMPLE AFTER EXAMPLE OF TOP QUALITY BIRDS WITH EITHER EXCELLENT SHOW FEATURES OR BREEDING FEATURES.

DANIEL HAS PROVEN IN THE PAST THAT HE HAS HUGE ABILITY TO IMPROVE MOST VARIETIES AND HE HAS PRODUCED SOME OF THE BEST LUTINOS, RECESSIVE PIEDS AND CLEARBODIES THAT I HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO VIEW IN MY ONLY OTHER VISIT SOME 7 YEARS AGO. HOWEVER DANIEL'S LATEST CHALLENGE MAY JUST PROVE TO BE A CHALLENGE TOO FAR EVEN FOR SOMEONE OF HIS UNDOUBTED ABILITY. HE IS NOW EXPERIMENTING WITH CLEARWINGS!!!

IT WAS WEIRD TO SEE A FEW PAIRS UP TO BREED CLEARWINGS WITH HUGE NORMAL COCKS PAIRED TO SOME OF THE SMALLEST CLEARWING HENS AND SOME OF THESE WERE HATCHING CHICKS WHEN I WAS THERE AND I LOOK FORWARD TO LEARNING IF DANIEL HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL?? EVEN WITH HIS SKILLS AND TOP QUALITY NORMALS, TO SACRIFICE IN ABUNDANCE, IT WILL BE AN EXTREMELY LONG ROAD.

FERTILITY IS NO PROBLEM IN THIS STUD AND DANIEL HAS BRED WELL OVER 600 YOUNGSTERS THIS YEAR FROM 60 BREEDING CAGES. DANIEL HAS TAKEN A YEAR OUT OF HIS TEACHING PROFESSION AND IT HAS OBVIOUSLY PAID OFF. I WAS IMPRESSED THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE STUD WAS FREE OF FLECKING, FEATHER AND CYST PROBLEMS WHICH CAN BE A MAJOR PROBLEM IN SOME STUDS OF LARGE QUALITY BUDGIES.

I ASKED DANIEL HOW HE COULD POSSIBLY IMPROVE HIS STUD? IF HE CAN SEE A BIRD WITH A SPECIAL FEATURE, HE TRIES TO GET IT, SOMETIMES ALSO JUST TO GET SOME OF THAT BLOODLINE. HE BELIEVES, THAT BREEDING BUDGIES IS LIKE CREATING A PIECE OF ART OR CAN BE COMPARED TO A PUZZLE THAT’S ONLY COMPLETE AFTER ALL THE MISSING PARTS ARE PUT TOGETHER.

HE IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON THE HEAD QUALITIES TO SEE THE DIRECTIONAL FEATHERING NOT ONLY IMPROVING WIDTH WISE BUT ALSO HEIGHT WISE AS WELL TO GIVE MORE BLOW ON THE TOP END. I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT DANIEL WILL BE SUCCESSFUL WITH HIS AIMS.

I WAS ENJOYING DANIEL'S COMPANY SO MUCH AND VIEWING THE MANY QUALITY BIRDS THAT HE CAUGHT UP TO VIEW. THE BIRDS ARE SO STEADY AND LOVE TO BE PHOTOGRAPHED IN OPEN FRONTED SHOW CAGES. I COULD HAVE STAYED THERE ALL DAY, HOWEVER, SADLY THE AFTERNOON WAS OVER ALL TOO QUICKLY AND I HAD TO RUSH TO CATCH MY TRAIN BACK TO THE STATION FOR THE FLIGHT HOME TO SCOTLAND.

I WAS SO ENTHUSED BY THE QUALITY OF THE STUD AND IMPRESSED WITH DANIEL'S UNDOUBTED SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE THAT THIS IS ONE AVIARY VISIT THAT WILL STAY WITH ME FOREVER. I LOOK FORWARD TO PAYING A RETURN VISIT......HOPEFULLY VERY SOON!!

GRANT FINDLAY