The House Of Crests - An Educational Website Dedicated To The Gloster Fancy Canary

Welcome To My "House"! Please Allow The House of Crests to Illuminate your Path to Success.

Let me escort you on an exciting journey that will help you achieve your success in the shortest time possible!

Please feel free to by-pass the upper part of this Home Page which is more of a 'Blog' to spread the knowledge of my varied interests as relates to this planet we ALL live on by simply scrolling down to any of the various canary articles or items of interest you may like to see or scroll all the way down this page to see a complete listing of all the many canary articles that are considered valuable for ALL canary aficionados whether you're a beginner or a seasoned fancier! It does not matter if you raise Glosters, Norwich, Yorkshires, American Singers, Russian, Parisian Frills, German Rollers, Belgium Waterslagers, Border Fancy, Fife Fancy, Columbus Fancy, Old Varieties, or any other breed I neglected to mention, this is the site for you to expand your horizons! I guarantee that there is always something new to learn at THE HOUSE OF CRESTS!

Thank you for stopping by! For almost 15 years this site has been growing and growing! Please note that this page is a rather large page on an already huge website! This page alone is sort of like a newspaper or a 'blog' in format, style and content and requires continual scrolling to read the next informative and exciting news item. I appreciate your patience as this page downloads. There are as of this update, over 35 pages on a website that changes daily! Each page will download quickly if you have High Speed Internet Service. If you have dial-up as an ISP (Internet Service Provider), this page will certainly take a while to download.

Once downloaded though, in order take advantage of what is offered here, please take your time as you scroll down this page ALL the way to the bottom. Enjoy and absorb the content provided here to expand your vision. If your quest is to raise the best, I suggest that you read every article so as not to miss a single exciting and valuable bit of knowledge!

There are indeed loads of articles on this site to hopefully help you in your quest with not only Glosters but canaries in general. The list of winners with offspring from my line continues to grow year after year and this year is no exception! (Scroll down to learn more!)

There is also special information on this site on what we should all be doing to improve our environment and why it's important that we do so. Let's learn to reduce our carbon footprint on the planet! Learn more about it here off the links from on this site!

You will find more photos of quality Glosters on this site than on any other website, anywhere on the World Wide Web! This is the home of the original "Gloster Head Studies", a style often copied by others but never duplicated!! This is indeed the most extensive avian website on the Internet dedicated to exhibition Type Canaries as it focuses on the Gloster Fancy! Sit back and enjoy the journey as you let your fingers and eyes guide you to your success.

As you wait for this page to download, I sincerely hope your patience will be rewarded and you find the information here valuable as well as useful. I do hope that you enjoy your visit to my "House of Crests", a place that is filled with links to some of my favorite places as well as worldly information that impacts all of us!

Welcome! And again, thank you for visiting! I hope your visit is enjoyable, educational and illuminating!

This site is also on the Internet to help people with the desire of having a lovely companion pet that would bring their household happiness and joy. Sometimes I have a spare canary or two available and when I don't have any available, I send them to others in their area who may have a canary for them. This time I was able to assist one such couple in their quest of obtaining a companion pet.

Let me share a story with you about this sweet, elderly couple who came to my home on Friday, November 12th, 2010 to collect their young, Gloster Canary.

They had originally e-mailed a couple weeks or so ago asking if I had a Gloster Canary for sale They described in detail what they wanted and I told them I might have just the perfect Gloster available for them. They were so thrilled to hear the good news and were anxious to come to see him. They especially wanted him before Thanksgiving to impress their dinner guests with their new family member.

My quest of fulfilling their hopes of finding such a canary for them came true as they fell in love with him immediately! As my gift to them I set them up with a couple pounds of basic canary seed, a pound or so of song/condition seed mix, as well as drinkers, feeders, a treat cup, 3 twist-on perches, a traveling bird cage and even a CD of canary songs to help "set the mood" in his new home. They also wanted to purchase a 2-ounce bottle of AVI-CULTURE^® as they had read of its value and wanted only the best diet supplements for their new pet bird.

Well, they left The House of Crests both impressed and overjoyed! It gives me pleasure to share their e-mail of appreciation to me a little over 2 hours later when they arrived home and their new family member was settled in:

Thank you so much for the LOVELY, LOVELY bird. He has made it safely to his permanent cage. I put on the CD as soon as we walked in the door, let him listen for a bit while I did the food and water, then moved him to his cage. He is quiet, listening and looking. He seems so intelligent, not crazy flying and nervousness.

When the grandfather clock chimed, he looked around to see where the sound was coming from. John and I are delighted, so much delighted with him.

It was wonderful to meet you. You are indeed a special man with a special mission. You have brought a beautiful soul to us, and we appreciate your sharing the beautiful picture of your daughter Stephanie Sue. We will look at her video later today. Right now we are just watching that food and water are being consumed. He did drink water and snack a little on the song food.

Another "mission" accomplished! Speaking of missions, there is no greater mission than to serve and then that makes it our mission to honor those who have served...

Please return to this page and scroll down as we pay tribute to our U.S. soldiers in words and music. As John Lennon sang in his well-known song, "All we are saying, is GIVE PEACE A CHANCE!" Then pray daily for world peace.

What is prayer some may ask. Click on the image below to listen to a lovely explanation of what prayer is and what it can do for you and others:

Peace
*Let no man pull you low enough to hate him. Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek,
but a means by which we arrive at that goal.
...Martin Luther King, Jr.

*Peace is possible. Think it. Plan it. Do it.
...Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict & Violence

*Non-violence means positive action. You have to work for whatever you want.
You just do not sit there doing nothing and hope to get what you want.
...Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

*For it isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it.
And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.
...Eleanor Roosevelt

*When peace has been broken anywhere, the peace of all countries everywhere is in danger.
...President Franklin D. Roosevelt

*Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations - entangling alliances with none.
...President Thomas Jefferson

*Ah! when shall all men’s good Be each man’s rule, and universal Peace, Lie like a shaft of light across the land,
And like a lane of beams athwart the sea,
Thro’ all the circle of the golden year?
...Alfred Lloyd Tennyson

A Veterans Day or Memorial Day Prayer for Our Troops:

'Please Bless the souls of all who have come before us to blaze the path and secure our lives and freedoms and watch over all our troops now who are in harms way. Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen.'

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly.
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Give PEACE a Chance by John Lennon with lyrics click on image below and turn up the volume:

Give PEACE a Chance by John Lennon longer version without lyrics click on image below and turn up the volume:

Click on the hands for peace below to listen to Playing For Change sing Stand By Me

Click on the Peace Sign below to listen to Playing For Change sing War/No More Trouble

Click on the dove and earth below to listen to Playing For Change sing Don't Worry

Click on the dog below and know that He watches over all of us, each man and living creature.

THE HOUSE OF CRESTS 2012 DIET PLAN is working and is available for your review. It has been improved with the addition of a wonderful, specific blend of Certified Organic Seeds specifically designed for sprouting. Read the new article, THE BENEFITS OF FEEDING SPROUTS by Animal Wellness Coach, Leslie Morán found on the HOC 2012 DIET PLAN PAGE . There you will find out how you too can order yourself a batch and not only feed it to all your birds but also your other pets and even yourself and your family members!

There were some fantastic changes made in mid-year 2010 that you just might want to check out on how to keep your canaries in prime condition and keep them healthy year 'round! On this page you will find out what fresh, locally-grown, natural, organic foods are fed here and the filtered water that are used to keep the Glosters and other canaries in The House in tip- top condition. It also lists the best sources for those products which are considered most important in keeping canaries in prime condition not only during the breeding & molting seasons but year 'round.

Are you sprouting Certified Organic sprouting seeds yet? Certified Organic, home grown sprouts will insure that your birds are getting the live enzymes and essential amino acids (proteins) they need for a healthy digestive system. You should sprinkle these sprouts with AVI-CULTURE^® a live (viable), avian-specific, gluten-free, dairy-free and GMO-free probiotic to insure that each and every canary absorbs most all the natural nutrients and antioxidants they need for a strong immune system. The stronger the immune system, the healthier the canary and the healthier the canary, the happier the canary and you will be! Learn what your birds may have been missing by visiting the HOC 2012 DIET PLAN PAGE .

Are you still using highly-processed, commercial nestling foods be they imported or domestically-produced, not to forget those various extruded "complete diet" products of which most all contain loads of sugar in one form or another as well as synthetic vitamins and minerals to replace those that were lost in the processing? Are you having issues with your birds not meeting your expectations in the nest and on the showbench and feel it may be time for a change?

Then I suggest you take the time to reconsider your canary diet plan and look at the healthy, holistic alternative that awaits you on the HOC 2012 DIET PLAN PAGE . You as the companion pet owner or breeder must insure your birds will be healthy enough to experience a long life and your youngsters will develop to their fullest genetic potential! Only you have control over two of the most important issues in a successful birdroom; environment and diet! Find out more now!

What you are about to see are small samples of my attempt at recording six different videos of some of the things going on this year in The House of Crests birdroom. You'll see some pairings of the Glosters, Belgium Waterslagers, Colorbred Lipochrome & Bronze and lastly, Glosters to Colorbred for the creation of a line of Stafford Canaries. You'll even see a nest of Bronze Colorbred. You will also see some nests of newly-hatched Waterslagers as well as Waterslager to American Singer crossings to offer to those people who are referred to me by vets in the Midwest and who would like a great and colorful singing canary as a pet.

Learn more by clicking on the photos below to view each video. Please know that they will each link to a different video which may take a while to download before you can view it if you have dial-up as your Internet Service. The first four videos were recorded on May, 1st, 2009 and the last 2 were recorded April 27th, 2009.

More current videos & photos to follow showing you my new bird rooms in my new home and aviary! Stay tuned and come back again!

If your plan is to exhibit Glosters (and most all other birds) on the National level and you want to see the finest "traveling bird show" in North America, you must join and become a member of this club and exhibit at the NATIONAL CAGE BIRD SHOW in St. Louis, Missouri in 2012!

Remember, you must be a current NCBS member in order to exhibit at this event. To be awarded the top award in each of the canary divisions, your canary must be bred and banded by you, the exhibitor. Don't miss this event! As it has always been said, the National is indeed your "Show of Shows"! Come join the celebration! In fact, join this national organization while you're there!

This is where you'll find a great article I've written asking that all clubs and especially the National Cage Bird Club encourage and support the NOVICE BREEDER.

If not, you should be. If you are, did you renew your membership dues for 2012? Please remember to join and support this fine North American organization dedicated to the Gloster!

Just click on the logo below to enter this educational and informative site and while you're there, don't forget to join and order your Gloster leg bands:

UNITED GLOSTER BREEDERS CLUB is the only authorized site featuring two important articles which I've written; one is on what to expect when pairing your Glosters and the other is on preparing your Glosters for the show arena.

Please click on the logo below to go to the Official GCCBC Web Page. On the Chicagoland local level, this is indeed one of the two organizations you must join if you love birds and want to support the bird fancy! The other club you want to join is NIROC. Click on http://www.niroc.org to get your application while it's fresh on your mind!

Earth Day 2012: A Billion Acts of Green®

Defend the Amazon

Can you imagine a world without the Amazon Rainforest? It is the single largest tropical rainforest in the world with ten percent of the planet's known flora and fauna. Described as the "lungs of the planet" about twenty percent of the Earth's oxygen is produced here. The Amazon also functions as a huge carbon sink storing massive amounts of C02--which if permitted to be released into the atmosphere would be catastrophic. Life on planet Earth would not be the same as we now know it.

It is unthinkable that Brazil would seek to remove laws protecting the Amazon and open it up to clear cutting. The good news is that seventy nine percent of Brazilians oppose these laws and that President Dilma Rousseff is open to vetoing this legislation. We must stand with our fellow Brazilians and send a global message to defend the Amazon!

There was also a program on PBS the other night hosted by Matt Damon which described the current impact of global warming on birds, ocean life and life as we know it. The glaciers in the Andes in Peru alone are forcing the native people to move closer to coastal areas and the raw sewage is being dumped into the sea polluting the waters and creating dead zones! These dead zones, if allowed to increase in size, will impact areas like the Canary Islands, the original home of the ancestors of our sweet-singing birds we love so much.

Read about the National Latino Congress & what the Latino Communities will continue to do.

Imagenes de La Hora del Planeta 2009

Yes indeed, it was Green Week! If you've visited my site over the years, you would know that I find it important to always promote that everyone do their part to keep the planet green.

In November of 2007, NBC Universal launched its first official Green Week. Throughout the week, NBC Universal presented over 150 hours of environmentally themed content across multiple platforms. Then, in April of 2008, NBC Universal celebrated Earth Day with over 100 hours of green-themed content over multiple platforms during what was coined Earth Week 2008.

NBC Universal was proud to present Green Week 2008 & 2009. With a new theme and message of "Green Your Routine," NBC Universal has set out to provide actionable content and entertainment for its viewers and users across multiple platforms. The Green Page is still up on NBC.COM, so check it out!!

In the UK, they too along with the rest of the planet continue "Doing the Green Routine" as they to celebrated National Go Green Week:

Green Economy: Does it include you?

The 2012 theme for World Environment Day is Green Economy: Does it include you? Evidently, there are two parts to this theme and the first tackles the subject of the Green Economy. This is where some people shut off their minds because they find the concept of the Green Economy a little too complex to understand.

On the contrary, the Green Economy is really something that is applicable all around you and it is easy to imagine how you fit in it. Visit the ‘What is the Green Economy?’ page to read a layman’s narrative of this concept.

World Environment Day (WED) is an annual event that is aimed at being the biggest and most widely celebrated global day for positive environmental action. WED activities take place all year round but climax on 5 June every year, involving everyone from everywhere.

WED celebration began in 1972 and has grown to become the one of the main vehicles through which the UN stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and encourages political attention and action.

Through WED, the UN Environment Programme is able to personalize environmental issues and enable everyone to realize not only their responsibility, but also their power to become agents for change in support of sustainable and equitable development.

WED is also a day for people from all walks of life to come together to ensure a cleaner, greener and brighter outlook for themselves and future generations.

Click on the Forest landscape below to learn more and enjoy all the beautiful music of WED:

...sent me a wonderful blessing in the form of a lovely movie. I would like at this time to share that blessing with every single canary-loving person who visits this website. Simply turn up your speakers and click on the words or image below:

We should all do our part to preserve our planet, Earth, not just on Earth Day but everyday we are lucky enough to live here! My niece, Sandra sent me an e-mail several years ago. She wanted to share a conversation she had with her then 4-year-old daughter, Olivia. Here it is in its entirety:

Olivia and I were in bed last night and we were saying our prayers. She heard me thanking God for things and asked if she could, but I had to do it for her. I said OK. So she whispered to me to thank God for letting me have her, then she asked me to thank God for having Cameron and Sofia in my belly. Then she asked me to thank God for the rain and trees.

I thought, wow, I didn't think she even understood all that but I was impressed.

Then we went to bed and when we woke up in the morning she told me she wanted to thank God for one more thing and I said, sure, what? And she said, I want you to thank God for making the world.

It's amazing what comes out of the mouths of children! Let's please, do our part to make sure Olivia and young children everywhere have a great green Earth to enjoy with her grandchildren and so on and so on! Our Creator provided us this beautiful Earth and every living creature and plant in it, let's keep it beautiful for our children's children's children and beyond!

Below are three clips each representing a different video featuring the works of the artist, Ilana Yahav. These clips certainly can be considered part of our continued awareness of Earth Day which should also include World Peace! Please click on the Baby Sandy DVD to visit Llana's SAND FANTASY website and purchase what is certainly a magnificent DVD! Enjoy the clips and have a wonderful Earth Day now and always!

Just turn up the volume on your speakers and click on each of the drawings then wait for them to download to see the video clip.

Tony and I in his birdroom last year admiring a fine example of a Yorkshire Canary.

Click on the photo above to visit the Tony's Yorkshire Canary website which is the finest on the Internet!

The Voca People are "Canaries in their own right" and that's why they're here! The Voca People is an international vocal theater performance that combines vocal sounds and an A Cappella singing with the art of modern beat-box. Artistic Director: Lior Kalfo Musical Director: Shai Fishman Producers: Revital & Lior Kalfo Created and Directed by:Lior Kalfo.

The Voca People is a new phenomenal international vocal theater performance that combines amazing vocal sounds and an acapella singing with the art of modern beat-box which imitates the sounds of drums, trumpets, guitars and other instruments and musical effects without using any musical instrument on stage, performed in a humoristic way and with audience participation.

The Voca people are 8 friendly aliens from the planet Voca, a musical planet that has no verbal communication but use vocal expressions only.

They have heard the music from earth for decades now and with their imitation abilities they have decided to pay a one evening tribute to humanity and to perform the songs they love as musical- gratitude.

The Voca People is an ensemble of 8 talented musician-actors; 3 female singers that bring the very best female sounds (alt, mezzo, soprano) and

3 male singers (bass, baritone, tenor. In addition there are 2 beat box artists that create extraordinary human beat box sounds and are considered to be the best performers in their field.

This innovative performance is one of the only acts in the world that combines singers and beat box performers to bring an entire orchestra without any musical instruments.

This unique comical and theatrical framework and the mega mixes they bring to the stage - distinguish them from other vocal groups.

My good friend, Kimberly is shown here holding and promoting our probiotic at the National Cage Bird Show held in Schaumburg, Illinois. There was plenty of this high-quality probiotic for sale direct from the NBD deep freezers. It was amazing just how many fanciers out there have become more and more educated about being 'proactive' with their birds! Visit the National Bird Designs, Inc. website and learn ABOUT US, MISSION STATEMENT and NEWS & EVENTS! There is also a Legal Notice & Disclaimer Page as well as a Testimonials & Endorsement Page on this site!

An article that has appeared in the Border Convention Journal in the United Kingdom and in EL Canario Magazine in Argentina, titled, "PMS" PREMATURE MORTALITY SYNDROME is available for you to read in English as well as in Spanish.

After 8 years of success with AVI-CULTURE^®NBD, INC.™ proudly introduces PRO-LIF™

Probiotic - Living Intestinal Flora specifically developed for ALL CATS & DOGS!

Probiotic - Living Intestinal Flora specifically developed for ALL REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS!

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has developed a CD and a Video DVD containing valuable information on Biosecurity for the Birds . I encourage everyone visiting my site to visit their site and see how you may obtain one or learn more about this effort on " pet bird biosecurity!" Please help to spread the word on how to keep ALL birds safe and healthy, not just here in America but everywhere! Help promote this important campaign by clicking on the icon above or below! Thank you for your kind support!!

Transcript available as well to use as a great bird discussion topic at an upcoming club meeting that would be of interest to ALL bird breeders!

PBS WTTW Channel 11 TV ran a NOVA segment back in July of 2005 devoted to Genetics and more exactly, RNAi. Learn how RNAi is being researched in the hope they may hold the answer in possibly trying to cure diseases with gene replacement or manipulation.

One of the reasons I wanted to write about genetics with our canaries was for us to understand that when we pair our birds, we need to focus attention to preventing the passing on of those genes that may promote the proliferation of disease that may be inherent in our birds already.

This segment will give you an idea of just what is involved when scientists experiment with advanced methods in genetics.

SPEAKING OF GENETICS, HAVE YOU READ THESE THREE PAGES ON GENETICS AND JUDGING YET?

The House of Crests is pleased to announce that there are three new pages in the Gallery of Articles! The first two pages contain the original articles that appeared in the September and November, 1984 issues of AMERICAN CAGE-BIRD MAGAZINE, written by and offered to you here in memory of Claudia Perez called, LAWS OF INHERITANCE - Part 1 & Part 2.

The third new page contains an original article that also appeared in the November, 1984 issue of AMERICAN CAGE-BIRD MAGAZINE written by yours truly called, HERE COME THE JUDGE! There is also a sample classified advertisement page showing what adverts looked like 20-plus years ago! To access those articles, please click on their titles or scroll down to the bottom of this page to see the vast array of articles to help you in your "quest to raise the best!".

This is a two-part article on how to evaluate your youngsters with ease and purpose! It is also an article on the best way to pair your Glosters in the coming years with success as the end result! Anytime is always the right time to evaluate your Glosters! Study this two-part article and start right now! If you want to succeed in this sport, you must follow the articles on this site in order to insure your success in your "quest to raise the best!"

Yes, huge! In fact, the amount of requests I've received has been amazing. Fanciers worldwide have been asking when the page on how to build the English-Style, box-type, canary breeding cages I use in The House of Crests would appear on this site! I'm pleased to inform you that it's finally ready for viewing! How To Build a Breeding Cage - Part One can be accessed by clicking on the carpenter below:

Now these are huge and I mean really huge files! The first two thumbnails are just a couple of the many photos taken on Saturday the 6th of May at The Chicago Botanical Garden. The second two are but a small sampling of shots taken a couple of days later of "Cloud Gate" affectionately known as 'The Electric Kidney Bean' or just 'The Bean' and designed by artist, Anish Kapoor. "Cloud Gate" is one of the highlights of Millennium Park in Chicago. Millennium Park is located just north of Grant park and south of The Prudential Building. I snapped these photos along with other shoreline shots from the 32nd floor of The 150 North Michigan Avenue building across the street from the Park.

Again, these thumbnails will take a while to open as they are indeed huge! Even when they open, some of you, depending upon your browser will be able to click on the icon in the lower right-hand corner to enlarge the image even more! Go ahead, click on one of these four photos to enlarge it then click on the 'back arrow' to return to this page!

They say that dinosaurs like Sue were indeed "our very first birds"! What do you think?

Click on each of the photos above to enlarge them. Then use the back arrow on your browser toolbar to come back to this site.

On May 17, 2000, The Field Museum unveiled Sue, the largest, most complete, and best preserved T. rex fossil yet discovered.
The skeleton on display is the real thing. Not a plastic model or a plaster cast. Not a patchwork or composite of bones from different specimens. Sue stands 13 feet high at the hips and 42 feet long from head to tail. One of the only pieces of Sue that is not mounted is her 5-foot-long skull, which is too heavy to be placed on the steel armature that holds together her more than 200 fossilized bones. In its place, the Museum has installed a cast replica. Sue’s real skull is on display in an exhibit on the second-floor balcony overlooking Stanley Field Hall.
Learn what's new with Sue Continue >>

Click on the Heavy Variegated Cinnamon Corona Hen above to download the PDF file of this very important article well worth the read!

Is filled with photos of some of the best HOC 2004 Gloster youngsters, the birdroom, the bonsai and The 2005 Stable of Stars. This page is so huge, that I must ask that you be patient, as it will take a while to download!!

A program note: additional pages of annual photos of the Stable of Stars series have been temporarily halted since Microsoft has long since, stopped their support of the FrontPage software thus preventing me from adding additional pages to this site. I am currently waiting to purchase then take a course in Adobe Dreamweaver, which is to many, the finest website creation and maintenance software available to date.

This spring remember to visit the Chicago Botanic Garden and lose yourself in an oasis of beautiful springtime flowers. Flowering bulbs, including narcissus, tulips and grape hyacinth, are at their peak at that time. Crabapples and azaleas will be showing color and waiting to burst open as soon as the weather warms up. Perennials including bleeding hearts, Virginia bluebells and Siberian bugloss will be in full bloom. McDonald Woods is carpeted with delicate native wildflowers, including trilliums, spring cress, toothwort, buttercups and the showy yellow marsh marigolds. Fantastic color combinations of annuals and bulbs in raised beds can be enjoyed in the Sensory Garden and many other areas. Catch spring fever at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022
The Chicago Botanic Garden is owned by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County.

Check out some photos I've taken at the world-famous Chicago Botanic Garden and other places in a page aptly named, The Gallery of Floral Stars! This page has some huge files which will take a while to download but certainly worth viewing!!

An Adobe® Acrobat PDF file of the article, NINE STEPS TO SUCCESS has been added to the page by the same name. This article may be accessed by scrolling down to the bottom of this page and clicking on it. The PDF file can be opened immediately if you have Adobe® Reader® installed on your computer by clicking on the little magazine cover. If you do not have this software, you may download it free on this same page. This will allow you to view the article and print it for later reading off the Internet! The Canary & Finch Journal magazine cover as well as the original Kellogg Seed endorsement ad are also in this file for printing and framing should you desire to do so!

My good friend and Master Craftsman, Ernie Cobb, impressed me so at the National Cage Bird Show, it was decided then and there that a page on this site be dedicated to his craftsmanship! Ernie had a booth beside mine at the National Cage Bird Show in 2006 and I'd watch in amazement as he built a Frill show cage then a Yorkshire show cage. In fact, he sold everything he brought to the event including the two cages he built there!! He had several show cages on hand which indeed displayed nothing but the best in master craftsmanship. I could not believe the countless number of fanciers who came up to his booth to chat with him and watch him solder up the wire and purchase examples of his 'artwork'!

A full series of photos of Ernie building a Yorkshire show cage and the final results can be found on this page dedicated to Ernie and his craftsmanship!

THE HISTORY OF THE CANARY - PART ONE PRESENTATION GIVEN AT THE VICTORY CENTRE OF BARTLETT SENIOR COMMUNITY FACILITY IN MARCH

Learn more by clicking on the photo below then clicking on that image to read the content:

The "Birdman of Illinois" bringing back memories to the Senior residents at the VICTORY CENTRE of Bartlett.

ANOTHER PRESENTATION OF THE HISTORY OF THE CANARY WAS GIVEN AT THE CONCORD PLACE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

Concord Place Retirement Community

Do you know of a facility for seniors or other facilities where people are confined and feel they would like a form of entertainment such as this and are in the 50 mile surrounding area of Chicago proper, send me an e-mail for details for a presentation for the residents and patients. Even bird clubs and 4-H and other organizations like presentations such as this one.

Any questions, ideas, comments or link info, please feel free to send me by e-mail by clicking the icon below:

National Bird Designs, Inc. is proud to have had a both promoting their Holistic Animal Wellness Probiotic Products at the Fall, 2010 Bird Fair which was held on Saturday, September 4th in Wheaton at the DuPage County Fairgrounds. Across the driveway from the GCCBC Bird Fair was SCOTT SMITH'S ALL ANIMAL EXPO which was a place loaded with reptiles and amphibians which was great since it was at this event that I introduced for the first time in public, our PRO-LIF™ Reptile & Amphibian-Specific Probiotic! What a success!!

National Bird Designs, Inc. is proud to be both a Veggie Fest Friend & Vendor promoting their Animal Wellness probiotic products at the popular event known as Veggie Fest 2010 which was held on August 7 & 8 in Naperville, Illinois and which proved to be a huge success!

Special Guest Speaker Saturday on Spiritual Well-being and the Vegetarian Diet

H.H. Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj

Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj is respected by the international community of spiritual and interfaith leaders as one of the great spiritual Masters of our time. He has received five honorary doctorates, and many honors and awards from universities, governments, and organizations around the world for his work toward world peace and human unity. He has given talks at the United Nations, universities and many major international conferences.

A proponent of vegetarianism, he teaches a meditation practice on the inner Light and Sound, the core of which is personal inner experience. Through his numerous tours, television appearances, radio interviews, books, and articles, he has brought the message of spirituality to people all over the globe.

His best-selling book, Empowering Your Soul Through Meditation, explores the power and energy of the soul within each of us. The text provides simple techniques for accessing the riches within so the reader can discover his or her great potential. Another best-seller, Inner and Outer Peace through Meditation, helps people experience peace within themselves and with those around them. Highlights include spiritual exercise techniques that can be done in the comfort of one's home. Although he frequently travels the world, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj is in the Chicagoland area for several stays throughout the year.

Master H.H. Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj and Donald Perez promoting Animal Wellness in the NBD., Inc. Booth Saturday, August 7th at VEGGIE FEST 2010

Master H.H. Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj, his wife, Mata Rita Ji, his mother, Mata Harbhajan Kaur Ji and Donald Perez of NBD., Inc., manufacturer of AVI-CULTURE^® and PRO-LIF™ Probiotics

Don and his sister, Laura in the NBD., INC. vendor booth on Sunday, August 8th, 2010

My good friend, Perry Skiffington, a new American Singer breeder located in Georgetown, Ontario, Canada recently received his new handmade winnowing machine. A winnowing machine is used in some bird rooms in order to save money by separating seed from husks and other debris that may be in the seed. Below are four photos of his device:

For those of you who want to make one using PVC piping, you can visit this site for instructions on making your own device:

Please know that while I have added these images and link to my site, and the fact that I may advocate the use of a winnowing machine to clean dusty, dirty newly-purchased seeds or freshly-harvested seed you may collect in the fields on your own like the various thistles and teazle, I do not recommend one use the device to 'clean' or 're-use' seeds that one collects in birdroom cages, seed hoppers or the floor of flight cages or the birdroom.

Re-cycling seed in this manner is one sure way of spreading any virus by cross-contamination of seed and feeding it from one bird to another. Fecal matter of any sort that may come in contact with seeds should not then be fed to others in a birdroom. I would not tolerate any transfer of disease in this manner in my room. This would be as bad as rotating drinkers from cage to cage without having properly disinfected and washed them first.

I know there are some of you who may have done this year in and year out in your lifetimes and you've been lucky that nothing ever happened that you may have been quick enough to attribute to this method of contamination or spreading of disease.

However in these times of the spread of Avian Influenza (AI), Exotic Newcastle Disease (END) and other diseases, unless you have a totally and completely closed room (no birds or bird people other than yourself in or out) and do not attend bird marts, bird fairs, bird shows or bird feed stores you might get away with seed recycling but personally I would not recommend it.

Someone wrote me privately asking when author and C.O.M. Judge, Geoff Walker and I first met. He and I judged canaries in Texas in the mid-late 80's some years back. He did the Colorbred and I did the Type Canaries. But it was really in 1980 when I first met Geoff in Miami, Florida where he had judged Colorbred and I the Type Canaries. Here are three photos for your review of how young manly men looked back then! I was 30 years of age but have no idea how young Geoff was then. I also have no clue as to how old Ignacio Perea is. His company, Higgins, is the main sponsor of the National Cage Bird Show.

Click on each thumbnail image to enlarge it then click on the 'back' arrow to return to this page.

If so, where do you put them for safekeeping until you put them under the hens?

I use a wooden shadowbox for knick-knacks (also spelled, nic-nacs which were creations from the mid-century period of the 1950s to the 1970s) which holds the eggs of up to 24 hens at a time. I purchased mine for $12.00 from a local Wal-Mart store. I cut up a manila file folder into strips to slide down into some Aspen-chip bedding material which supports the eggs until I decide when to place them under the hens. I can then use a superfine Sharpie marker to write down the cock and hen band number and the date the first egg was laid and a similar manila 'chip' is attached to the cage housing the hen so each day I know where to go to begin my daily 'egg-collecting'!

The next three thumbnails are images of my nest-base-units, nesting material racks and nesting material which is washed and shredded natural jute

Click on the thumbnails below to get a larger view of the images. Once the image downloads, pass your curser on the image itself and you will find a small image in the lower right-hand corner which if clicked on will open the image even larger.

Whether this is your first visit to this site or you are a frequent visitor, welcome! Begin your tour of The House of Crests by clicking on the above Gloster photos or by scrolling through this Home Page and then selecting one of the many exciting pages of this site dedicated to the Gloster Fancy Canary! The House Of Crests continues to be the premier website with the largest and most concise collection of what I would like to think, are some of the finest examples of Glosters on the planet today!

"Please come back and visit often as this site is continually being updated and revised!"

Many new links have been added to The Gallery Of Links Page. New banners have been added to The Banners & Awards Page as well, so please, take the time to visit those pages and please visit those sites listed. Please note that if you are accessing the Internet using dial-up, many of the pages on this site will take a while to download. I can assure you however, that the wait is indeed worth your while! Note: If you would like your site reviewed for insertion, please e-mail me.

ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH AVI-CULTURE^® ? IT'S THE LIVE, AVIAN-SPECIFIC PROBIOTIC THAT ACTUALLY WORKS!

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If you are interested in a distributorship of this product, please click below!!

STUDY THE FEATHER OF YOUR GLOSTERS! In order to continually succeed with Glosters one MUST understand feather texture and use proper specimens in their birdroom. Here are some fine examples for your study purposes. Learn a little about long and short feather right here and now. Either click the underlined text above now or scroll down this page to continue reading and visit that page later by clicking the button toward the bottom of this page.

GLOSTER EXPECTATIONS One must also understand the expectations of each pairing when setting up a line of Glosters.

Click here to visit THE GALLERY OF STARS to try out The Viewer! This is another way to be able to enlarge any of the Gloster photos. This was added due to the tremendous amount of pirating of photos from this site and other sites like mine without regard to copyright infringements.

It is my hope that you enjoy all the continual updates to what I like to call, "The Ultimate Gloster Site!" This site is constantly updated with all sorts of applets, music and images to allow you, the fancier, to be introduced to the Gloster with an educated mind, then hopefully, decide to raise Glosters! The Ultimate Canary deserves a site such as this and it is my hope that you will return time and time again to view new photos and information to assist you in raising and/or developing or perfecting your own line of Glosters. It is my hope that it will help to guide you on your own quest, whatever that quest may be! If there are any questions or any items you'd like answered or displayed on this site, you need only send me an e-mail or call me at: 630-664-4649. I'd love to hear from you!

Merely scroll down this page to view all linked pages of articles, photos, ideas and more that may be of interest to the novice and seasoned fancier.

Any questions, ideas, comments or link info, please feel free to send me by e-mail by clicking the icon below:

THE HOUSE OF CRESTS is located in Glendale Heights, Illinois, United States of America, 15 minutes from O'Hare International Airport. During certain times of the year, fanciers are cordially invited to visit THE HOUSE OF CRESTS with an advance appointment.

Feel free to call me anytime at: 630-664-4649, should you have any questions or have something to share.

OR click on my name or the sketch below it to send me an e-mail. How can I help you?

Click on any of the headings below to go on to the next exciting article page!

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