Mike Swanson is from Ft. Lupton, Colorado where he is a retired school teacher, avid big game hunter and champion pigeon breeder!
Mike has been raising blue white bar Fairy Swallows continually for over 40 years. He also raises silver and blue barless Silesian Swallows and Ice Pigeons.
Mike saw his first blue white bar Fairy Swallows in 1960 and it was a "love at first sight" that contunues to today! He promptly purchased both pairs of birds but found out eventually they were too old to produce youngsters. Later on he became acquainted with Dr. L. E. Hummel of Bonne
Terre, Missouri. He and his girlfriend Cathy, now his wife, would jump in the car and drive the 850 miles to socialize with Doc and his wife Ruth,spending hours looking at all of Doc's swallows and color pigeons.
In1973 he was finally able to purchase one blue white bar hen from Doc who never liked to part with any of his better birds. Doc told him the hen was out of his imports from the top breeder in the east zone of Germany.This bird became a foundation hen and Mike's stud of birds today can be
traced back to her.
After that Mike acquired more blue white bar fairys
from Judine Nelson of Iowa and later Bill Griebel of El Monte,
California. He quickly became competitive, winning at many of the top shows. Mike joined the swallow organization and during his time as a breeder has held all of the offices of the club.
Mike is also an established USC judge in the United States as well as Canada. He has shared knowledge and advice of breeding and has helped many other swallow club members get their start with blue white bar Fairy Swallows.
Mike has won numerous awards for his birds throughout the years and it can be said that he has the best blue white bar Fairys in the United States!
One of Mike's greatest honors came during the NPA Grand National in California in 2006. His young blue white bar was chosen the Champion Fairy and given the "E" rating by judge Reiner Wolf of Germany who also raises excellent blue white bar Fairys. In a conversation with Reiner afterwards
Mike learned that his champion was related to Reiner Wolf's blue white bar Fairys. Reiner Wolf was that top German breeder that Doc imported from back in the 1970's!
Mike continues to win at the shows each year. The bird pictured on the cover was the best Fairy Swallow at the USC Annual meet in 2008 in Des Moines Iowa.
