ByCandice Krieger, Candice Krieger
1 min read
Bournemouth's Simon Tammam has a good eye when it comes to birds - of the feathered variety, that is.
Mr Tammam, 62, has been breeding canaries since 1960, and keeps up to 20 of them in a special shed in the garden.
He was recently crowned the world champion canary keeper at the World Ornithological Championship in Portugal, where one of his birds won a gold medal.
So, what makes a quality breed? Mr Tammam, who co-owns Bournemouth's only kosher restaurant, Falafel, says: "People think that a canary is just a canary but there are 27 different varieties of Posture canaries, and more than 100 different types of coloured ones.
"I like canaries - they have a melodic song and are not as noisy as budgerigars. They are what I fell in love with."
A well-known exhibitor of his birds, Mr Tammam says the award is the most prestigious he has won. More than 19,000 birds from 20 countries were on show. Does he name all of his birds? Not all of them. "When the baby is five days old, you put a number on it and note which parents it came from."
He is president of Bournemouth Sephardi Minyan, and a Hebrew Congregation member.