|
The "world of birds" is different in Europe. I'm not sure if it is
cultural, historical, or a life style difference, but keeping birds
is a much more important part of people's lives there. Attending a
major bird show in Europe is totally different from one held here
in the States.
Jeff and I attended the World Bird Show in Bad Salsfluzen, Germany
in 2005. What an incredible experience. This show was sponsored by
Quiko. Mr. Erich Peters (the owner of Quiko ) was kind enough to
invite us to the show. We paid our own airfare and meals, but
everything else was a gift from him. I can’t begin to tell you how
well we were treated by our German friends. Neither Jeff nor I
speak German, but we were made to feel right at home, as most of
them speak English with varying degrees of fluency. I guess that
the common interest in birds overcomes language barriers.
The first two days we wandered around in a fog brought on by jet
lag, lack of sleep, and an overwhelming number of birds exhibited.
Angela Peters (Erich’s wife) told us that over 23,000 birds had
been registered for exhibition. 23,000 birds displayed in one huge
convention center. Over half of them were canaries. Believe me when
I tell you that 12,000 plus singing canaries is an almost deafening
cacophony. In addition to the canaries, there were hook-bills,
finches, soft-bills, and hard-bills. I saw birds that I’ve only
heard about, and others that I’ve only dreamed about keeping.
We took hundreds of pictures to try to share the experience with
you, but the camera doesn’t really do justice to the beauty of the
birds on display. Jeff is still struggling to learn the ins and
outs of digital photography so some of the photos aren’t as good as
we would have liked. I am posting some of the better shots here for
your enjoyment. Regardless of these short comings I hope that you
enjoy the show.
On Saturday we tried to help work the Quiko booth. Language was
definitely an issue, but I discovered the key words; “ A little bit
of English?” opened doors and I was able to communicate with people
from many different countries and cultures a “ little bit at a
time." What Fun!
Janis
|
 |
