Terry Halifax
Northern News Services
Hay River (Apr 23/01) - Darm Crook first got interested in birds growing up on a farm in Humboldt, Sask., where he raised pigeons. At 15, Crook got interested in canaries and raised the songbirds until he was married at 19.
"I just enjoyed their song and their colour," Crook said. "They're a pretty little bird."
"When I got married, I got rid of them all," he said. "Starting a new life and a family, I just never had the time."
He started raising canaries again in Hay River in 1991 and now retired he finds the hobby very relaxing. Now he has 20 birds, but has had as many as 70.
The little yellow birds were originally only found on the Canary Islands. They were domesticated and later crossed with a South American Red Ciscan, to produce the red and orange varieties that Crook raises.
"Some people breed them for song, others will breed them for colour," Crook said. The colours range from red and yellow to blue and spotted. "Back when I was a young fellow, there was no such thing as a red or orange canary."
He breeds the Roller and Border varieties for their warm colours and sweet song.
"I get them from five different locations, so there is less chance of getting birds that are related," he said, adding that his birds came from pet stores in Port Alberni, Vancouver, Calgary, Regina and Ottawa, to build strong bloodlines.
During the cold months, Crook keeps his birds in a large enclosure in his basement, but during the summer he uses an outdoor aviary where the birds thrive in the fresh air and sunshine.
"Their colours really develop in the sunshine," he said. "They tend to live longer in an aviary setting."
The open space and exercise add and extra three or four years to the birds' lives, compared to caged birds.
He says there are too many birds in his aviary to name, but did name one little chick he got attached to when the bird's mother died.
"I had to take that bird and raise him by hand and I called him Mighty Bird," he chuckled.
Crook has a hospital cage he uses to isolate sick birds from the flock and has nursed many sick birds back to health from a variety of illnesses.
He raises a few cockatiels, but dosen't like the sound the birds make.
"They're just a squaking bird, like a budgie -- they're pretty but they're just a noisemaker," he said. "With a canary, the song is nice."
Raising songbirds is more than a hobby to Crook, he has collected a group of friends who enjoy his company just as they enjoy his.
"In the summertime I can sit in the aviary with them for a couple hours and just listen to their singing," he smiled. "You get to know them and they get to know you."
