Prior to the shama song competition held at AMK, Block 159, on 13th January 2011, Apache had already shown signs of having his annual molt with the loss of some small feathers on the head and breast.  Nevertheless, he is a top competitor and he performed well in the competition, coming in joint first with Sky Hawk.

Within a week of the competition, Apache dropped his 2 longest tails.  They both shed on the same day.  The rest of his tails dropped in the next few days.  I am happy when I see a rapid shedding of feathers as this confirms that the bird is in in good condition and ready for the molt.

Apache is molting well and his primary tails are now about 4".  The molt will complete in about 2 months and another month or two will be needed for him to regain top form.  He is therefore out of competitions for the next 3 months.

I had intended to keep Apache, Sky Hawk, Pretty Boy and Piston for shama song competitions.  With Apache having his molt, I still had 3 potential competitors immediately available for competitions.  However, there was no scheduled date for the next competition and it seemed such a waste to keep my top birds idle.   I therefore paired Pretty Boy and the pair should have little Pretty Boys by the end of this week. I also recently paired Sky Hawk and the female laid first egg of the clutch this morning.

Apart from the above birds, I have 2 other male shamas that I would like to compete.  One is a second-generation captive bred that belongs to Michael.  The other is Jeffrey's Funkie.  Both are now boarding in my home and having their annual molt. They will be available for competition in 2 to 3 months.

I was informed over the weekend that a night competition will be held at Bishan towards the end of April.  I do not particularly like night competitions as I don't generally take my birds to night gatherings.  I might enter Piston to see how he performs.