Show hails our feathered friends

Thousands of bird breeders and fans of all things feathered flocked to Stafford for the Spring Bird Show held at the County Showground.

The annual event is a highlight in the bird breeding calendar with breeders travelling from all over the country to exhibit and sell birds to each other.

It is one of the greatest gatherings in the aviculture world and the vent on Sunday drew a healthy crowd to Stafford.

As well as breeders at the show there were also numerous societies and groups including Birmingham based rescue centre A1 Petline, the Avicultural and Zoological Organisation of Europe, The Canary Colour Breeders Association, the Foreign Softbill Society, the International Ornithological Association and dozens of other specialists.

The Spring Bird Show is not a pet fair where people can buy pet birds individually. The show is designed for the sale of mostly British, captive bred birds by breeders to breeders.

The show aims to advance avicultural practices by encouraging knowledge sharing among breeders.

A spokesman for the show said: "Staffordshire Spring Bird Show remains the greatest gathering in the country for aviculture. Nowhere else can you find such a vast array of healthy, well-kept avicultural specimens available from experienced breeders ready to share their knowledge freely.

"Throughout the show breeders are inspected by representatives from Defra and the RSPCA with all birds and cages being inspected prior to being offered for sale.