Well I decided to take the plunge and begin to keep a blog about the trials of a complete beginner to the world of keeping, breeding and eventually keeping exhibition budgerigars. But before I go any further I thought I'd post a little bit about myself.

My name is Jon I'm a thirty something bloke with a young family and I have bi-polar disorder something some people reading this may or may not have heard about I won't go too far into it a Google search would explain it far better than I. This compared with social anxiety which seems to make the bipolar worse makes for some fun times in our house.

Anyway back to budgies... This year I forget exactly when I decided I wanted budgies I had kept them as a young boy and have always liked birds of one type or another. The wife being accepting as she usually is allowed me to get a few pet types and I was hooked. After a manic episode I ended up devouring as much information I could about the wee feathered beasties and ended up coming across these things called exhibition budgerigars and that was it I got myself a shed and had an outside flight constructed. Suffering with social anxiety leaves me not wanting to be in a situation where I'm among people I don't know so Actually getting hold of some birds to start me off has been hell. I can only guess that I come across as either ignorant to some or just plain anti-social.

Well I ended up reaching out to someone called Bobby newell on Facebook took a day trip from Stoke to north wales and ended up coming back with two pairs of birds a Nice skyblue spangle cock, a grey hen, a green opaline hen and a lutino cock. Bobby was a very nice chap and only ended up taking the sum of £20 from me. We rushed home I put the birds into a quarantine cage and was most pleased. My next birds came from a local auction I sometimes go to someone had entered them in the sale I instantly noticed them and put a cheeky bid of £9 on the birds and to my suprise I ended up winning them. they were a nice grey dom pied and a sky cinnamon opaline. Now I know that I'm going to get shouted at "OI WHAT ARE YOU DOING OPTFLOCK BUYING BIRDS FROM ALL OVER THE PLACE" well I don't claim to be an expert by any means but looking at some of the birds they seem to have the same sort of face to them and I know most budgies look the same but these really looked the same almost like they were related I even put them in cages side by side and the resemblance was striking. well I spoke to bobby and contacted the person whom put them in the auction and they are traceable to stoke. I believe they are from the same bloodline.

With a few birds in the shed I decided I needed more and ended up visiting a top bloke called Terry I got to see his bird room and again came away with several pairs of birds that I believe looking at them will enhance the birds I already have.

Anyway thats my first post sorry for boring you all to death, If you want me to post more I will