Enjoy your Judging

I truly believe you must first of all enjoy judging. This is particularly true as you know that criticism comes with the territory. I have heard it said "you can only please one person, yourself!" I believe you can please two people, including the winner, but sometimes even then, you can be told "it should have been my Light Green that won not the Blue!"

I actually turned up at my first trainee judging assessment on crutches so I must enjoy it.

Training Scheme

I found the nine assessments I underwent most useful. Maybe I was lucky, but all nine judges under whom I took my assessments were helpful and very fair. It gave me an opportunity to officiate at Championship shows that would have been denied me otherwise. I judged the Any Other Colour classes four times, and seemed to get more than my fair share of red-eye classes also. I would not claim to be an expert in either, even now, but learned much about these varieties from the respective senior judges on the day. I had not bred these colours, so the chance over the nine assessments to judge most, if not all, of the eighteen certificates was a great help to me.

I judged some of the best birds in the country which I would never have seen otherwise. I was able to come to grips with the paperwork involved, but more of that later. I did not always choose the same bird as my assessors, but found them willing to listen to my justifications. As Derrick Bowley said to me "I still prefer my choice, but at least you have a reason for your choice." I certainly would support the concept of the assessments and hope it is retained in any future training schemes.

Final Test

I cannot say the same in respect of the final test taken at the BS Club Show. I enjoyed judging the rare varieties, indeed all the practical judging which was very similar to what I had experienced during the three years of assessments. I cannot say something similar about the written examination, which I failed the first time, and passed the following year. I don't hesitate to say that failing this was the most humiliating experience of my life. As a driving instructor, it gave me an insight into how my students who fail, must feel. Being positive, it has made me more determined to ensure they pass, so they never feel the way I felt that day

Once I travelled to Exeter to take an assessment. The BS office thought I lived in Southampton not Stoke, for some reason. They offered to change the venue but I declined. As I said at the start I enjoy judging and fortunately, I enjoy travelling too. By judging in different parts of the country I detected differences in the birds compared to those I was used to in Lancashire and the Midlands. Larger, coarser-feathered birds were prevalent some places, but smaller, finer-feathered birds were in the ascendency elsewhere.

Judging style

I must admit I like to get on with it. My stewards have to work hard as I hate waiting for the next class. Once the birds are on the judging table, I will give them plenty of time, but I want them ready and waiting for me. If I turn round to face an empty table I do get irritated, and my concentration is broken. I will have a chat with my stewards and explain points of interest, but I feel that I should determine when, and how much, conversation takes place. Sorry, but stewards who initiate too much talk can break your concentration also. Lastly, I don't like it when people put the best bird up on the left-hand side. It soon becomes obvious when this is going on. Put them up as they come and let the judge do his job.

I must confess that normally I do judge left-to-right which is the traditional way. With smaller classes, sometimes the way the birds are on the bench lends itself to the opposite way, if only to reduce the extent to which you must move birds. It confuses those behind who think you are making an almighty mess, but if it saves time it is best and it keeps them on their toes! I have seen a judge place them where they stood, but cannot fathom how this is possible.

What I look for

How important is condition? Clearly the Budgerigar Society rules state it is essential. Like all things written down, this is subject to interpretation. I cannot accept this is one feather missing for example, but a budgerigar in a rough condition should not win all things being equal. An ugly, out-of-condition bird should not be presented in that style. I look first for a fit, healthy bird. It will not necessarily have the bright blue or nut-brown cere. Nowadays some hens, especially, are very fit without ever having the prospect of a proper brown cere. Neither does a flight or two missing debar a bird from winning a class, though it may prevent the bird going further later on in the show.

As far as the mask is concerned, I don't like missing spots which spoil the balance of a bird. Neither do I like surplus spots which again, spoil the appearance of the mask and indicate that the exhibitor has failed to pay sufficient attention to preparing the bird for the show. I like a wide, deep mask and from experience, have found this feature a difficult one to breed into stock. Like many judges, my pet hate is the hinged tail. Nothing looks more terrible when you are looking at a bird.

Comparison is the Key

When all is said and done you are, as a judge, seeking the most balanced bird in each class. You seek to get the most obvious quality bird to the left, and then find those near it, leaving the inferior exhibits on the right-hand side of the table. I like to stand back a bit, which usually means standing on top of some exhibitor who is breathing down your neck! What I want to see most of all is a wide face and a budgerigar with powerful shoulders. I like a bit of style, which means I find some birds, even some that win, to be ugly. A good back line is important. It is important to look at every bird in the class. It seems obvious but inevitably, one that is missed will sit like a champion in the afternoon.

Of course the variety must also be taken into account when weighing up your decision. I disliked ticking in Recessive Pieds long before the BS changed the colour standard. Similarly, I perhaps place more weight on the correct wing markings than some judges. Similarly, contrast must be given its due place when doing Clearwings and so on.

Major Awards

This can be quite a different matter depending on the method. If, as at most major shows, you simply choose your bird and tell the show manager, it is straightforward. Otherwise it can be awkward when a debate ensues between judges, advancing the merits or otherwise of their respective choices. The in-between case is where you look at the contenders and speak, but ultimately make your choice and tell the show official. Ideally, all judges should be confident of their choice and remain uninfluenced, but the reality is different. Anything which reduces the effect of the "loud" judge is to be welcomed. The strengths of the judges' personalities should not decide best in show.

Another pressure at this point is the "well-known bird". Everything is unspoken, but sometimes you all know that you have a bird up which is sweeping the boards, week in, week out. Again the unsure judge can be tempted to "play safe", though I would argue it is anything but safe to do anything other than put up the best bird on the day. I honestly try to remain unaffected by previous results. Again, words from Derrick Bowley stick in my mind. "Always be your own man and put up your bird" he said. I once felt under pressure when judging what I thought was a particular Yellowface of some repute. I could almost feel the crowd behind gasp as I placed it second after some considerable deliberation. In actual fact, it was all in my mind and the bird I had placed first, which later won the CC, was the famous one. Had I bowed to the pressure, and placed the second bird first, I would have made the very mistake I feared I would be accused of.

All Things being Equal

If it's close, what decides the winner? Well it is not the cage. I think it is important and believe that cages should be clean and painted, but the bird is what is important. If someone has not properly spotted out a bird it should not be placed in front of birds of equal merit. Similarly, a flecked bird should not be last, because of its flecking, but should be where it deserves to be, given the rest of the class.

To finish off, let me touch on several minor points. If I wrong-class a bird, I always note on my schedule why. It can take the heat out of confrontations with an exhibitor later. When suddenly faced with an irate exhibitor it is possible to become flustered and be unable to explain. A sure way of making matters worse. To come back quietly and explain yes it is a Blue but it is an adult in a young bird class defuses the situation quickly. Of course, if in doubt consult, and if still in doubt leave well alone.

Smaller shows can be difficult, as you judge the birds in sections then seem to get them all back to judge for all manner of weird and wonderful specials. I really like the standard BS classifications and wish more smaller societies would adopt them.

Paperwork

While on the subject of the standard classification, everyone knows there is a mountain of paperwork to be completed nowadays, especially at championship shows. One form I feel unecessary, is the judge recording all the benched entries. What a pity we cannot trust our show officials to complete this. I don't mind ring checking CC winners, but sometimes the forms appear to duplicate information already recorded elsewhere. Procedure certainly can be taught. What cannot be taught is that natural eye for a good budgerigar.

I have judged at Budgerigar World, and a number of Championship Shows as a trainee, now. As far as judging in the future is concerned, my real hope is that I keep getting invited. If the show officials enjoyed my company, and the exhibitors were satisfied by my performance, I hope to continue to enjoy my judging.

Original text Copyright 1995 Terry Jukes

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