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Ornithea 2011

A truly exceptional show - by Tony Pittman

The end of October is Ornithea time for me. This extraordinary unique show organised by Vogelfreunde Porz, the aviculturists’ club in Cologne, Germany, never ceases to amaze, and this year was no exception. In fact the members’ surpassed themselves as they were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the club’s formation.

The club was formed in 1961 and has at present some 55 members. It has a club-house in a suburb of Cologne and the members meet regularly there to exchange information on keeping and breeding birds of all types, eat a communal meal and drink some of the popular local Kölsch beer. Sometimes they also invite a speaker and that is how I got to know them many years ago and then became a member of the club.

The show is held in the hall of a local high school, which they take over for two weeks for a small fee. The layout is very carefully planned and then virtually all the members become involved in build-up and break-down. This year the show was open to the public from Saturday, 29th October to Tuesday, 1st November, which is a public holiday in Germany.