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PAGE A-4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNISDAK SEPTEMBER 4, 200).
413st on Pioneer Tlir er Reurfiion
Miniature animals on display this year only
Pint-sized pony
John Siertsema of Bayfield will bring his miniature ponies to the Thresher
Reunion for the enjoyment of tiny tots and adults alike. (Janice Becker photo)
Tiny goats
A large part of Siertsema's collection of miniature animals consists of goats.
(Janice Becker photo)
By Janice Becker
Citizen sie
The Huron Pioneer Thresher Reunion and
Hobby Show will be featuring a new exhibit
this year that is sure to elicit some oohs and
aahs.
John Siertsema of Bayfield will be
bringing his tropical and ornamental birds
and miniature mammals to the reunion.
Siertsema has been interested in birds since
his childhood in Blyth. "I have had pigeons
most of my life," he says.
Today, in a barn on his 7.5 acres near Lake
Huron, Siertsema cares for a wide assortment
of budgies, finches, canaries, parakeets,
quails and other tiny birds, with most being
only three to four inches in length.
The one fowl of size is a homing pigeon
that Siertsema rs nursing back to health. AS a
lover of birds, he says he is often called upon
to heal the sick and injured.
His tropical species have just been
acquired in the last two years since his move
to Bayfield.
Outside in the paddocks, a number of
miniature goats roam the first enclosure.
While the babies, only about a foot in length
and no taller, are exceptionally cute, the
adults are able to grab equal attention with
their short stature.
Next door, catadon sheep and miniature
horses nibble the grass.
The longhaired sheep do not have to be
sheared, says Siertsema, the wool just falls
off. Interestingly, two -had not yet lost their
wool by mid-August despite the sweltering
July weather.
He is hoping one of the sheep will lamb in
time for the reunion.
The horses, which stand about waist-high
on the average person, scamper across the
pen as they see visitors approach. While
Siertsema says the animals can be used for
children to ride, they are not yet
trained.
When he brings his animals to the Thresher
Reunion; i,t will be a display, not a petting
zoo. He prefers to keep the animals at a
distance as both they and the spectators can
be unpredictable.
As Siertsema does not display his
collection regularly, this will be a one-time
event at the Thresher Reunion, so visitors are
encouraged to check out the birds and
miniatures in the tent at the show.