Canary One Aviary

An Update On Bruce Thompson --- November 2024

I have enjoyed learning from Bruce, since my first visit in December 2010.

In our cattle ranching, there are cowboys, ranchers and stockmen. Of all the different types of People Who Work With Cattle, a stockman is the one who understands his animals the most, who is most seriously working on improvement, and who has the most thought and time invested.

Bruce is a canary stockman.

Bruce has been keeping canaries since he was a young kid. He got his first pair of canaries before his teen years, and through years of marriage, family and making a living, he has kept canaries nearly every year. Now in his 80's, that means a lifetime with birds.

When asked about some point of his care/breeding that produces such healthy, productive birds, Bruce's usual advice is: "Just keep breeding. You'll figure it out. Now, get on with it."

If you spend enough time with him, you will glean a few gems of advice. But, mostly he feels you learn best by doing, and nothing comes easily with living things. "Just get on with it." is his usual reply to most questions. He adds with a smile: "A bird person is always learning, as long as he has birds."

Personally, I feel Bruce's talents lie in understanding his birds. He watches and enjoys them, becoming familiar with each one. He has always been able to tell who are the parents and grandparents of an individual bird, or to point out who the nest mates are. This observation every day builds a sure knowledge of the good and bad points of each bird and how to use them to best improvement. Bruce's goals are good song, good color, and good parenting.

On a recent visit, I had the wonderful opportunity to watch Bruce as he sorted through his 2024 youngsters. He was selecting a few to keep for next year's breeding and sending the rest for me to sell. He no longer keeps the number of pairs that he did in the past. But, his 2024 breeding season was 'nearly perfect', with his best pairs and some new birds all producing two good rounds of youngsters.

Not much was said as he worked. Bruce watched the birds, observing nestmates and siblings. I am sure he was going over families in his head and selecting those he would need for pairs next year. Several times, he would smile and tell the story behind a pair.

It was fun to watch a stockman work among the birds he loves.

Bruce also tells of the past when there were more than one bird club in his local area, when there were bulk seed suppliers in the state, and when he advertised his canaries in the national magazine Mother Earth News, shipping across the US.

I am not surprised at the number of inquiries I get from people who remember and love their Thompson singers. Every one has their own 'Bruce Story' of how they went to his bird house to chose canaries. Just this month, an email came from Glen in South Carolina, reliving his memories of getting canaries from Bruce years ago.

I am included a few photos of Bruce for those of you who also love the Thompson birds they have in their homes, and consider Bruce a friend. Bruce is well, and still keeping canaries. If you wish, give him a call. Be prepared to leave a message on his machine, and he will call you back!

The 2024 Thompson birds for sale are listed on this site. Contact Debbie at Savoy Singers Aviary for more information, if interested in purchasing.