CASTLETON - Unbeknownst to many, except those directly involved, there is a silent flock of feathered athletes in the skies overhead on any given weekend these days as racing pigeon fanciers test the mettle of their new batch of young birds.
"Pigeon racing is the sport of one starting line and a thousand finish lines," said Naomi Armstrong, special event co-ordinator with the Canadian Racing Pigeon Union.
For some owners of racing pigeons, it is all about the competition, for others it is about the fun of having a hobby that can be done from the comfort of one's home (and loft).
Al Wilson of Castleton is one of those pigeon fanciers and he has been involved with these birds for 34 years. He is well known for releasing 21 of his pigeons at each repatriation ceremony for Canadian soldiers (in keeping with the 21-gun salute) as the cavalcade travels along the Highway of Heroes past the Little Lake Road overpass.
He talked with Northumberland Today about how he got started with pigeon racing.
"I took a pair of barn pigeons out of a friend's barn one day and raised a pair and they followed me around the yard. I decided when I was older and on my own I wanted to raise homing pigeons."
His loft, which he designed and built himself, houses close to 150 of these winged athletes, and includes about 50 stock birds, 50 young birds and 50 older birds.
"When I fly my birds I am quite competitive," said Wilson, "but I enjoy going to the loft in the morning looking at the babies, watching the pigeons fly.... It's soothing," he added.
The older birds had their turn at racing earlier this year and were taken as far north as Englehart and Cochrane or LongLac. The latter is a designated 600-mile station.
Now it's the young birds, those born after January of this year, that are out there proving what they can do. Some of the clubs are having their birds trailered to places like Kingston, where they are released and their trip home is timed. They will be out every weekend until the last week of September. They can be released up to 350 miles away from home and so conditioning and training are an important part of raising these birds.
The sport itself, in Canada, is made up of clubs, combines, concourses, associations, federations and national organizations.
As a member of the Tri-County Flyers, Wilson's birds often race with those of other clubs nearby such as the Quinte Racing Pigeon Club.
They are part of what is known as the Eastern Ontario Combine which has 13 different clubs and they are in turn part of the national organization known as the "CU" (Canadian Racing Pigeon Union) founded in 1929.
The CU issues club charters to groups who have a minimum of five members. The national organization sets uniform rules of conduct and where necessary, national race rules.
Wilson explained how the electronic age has become a part of pigeon racing.
"When I started out you had a clock, eight inches square, and you would take the rubber band off the bird's leg and put it into the hole at the top of the clock and turn the striker so it punched the day, hour and second the bird arrived back at the loft," he said.
Now most pigeon fanciers have an electronic system and the birds wear a band with a sensor that is set off when it goes into the loft.
"They hit the landing board and the band sends a signal to the main timer inside the loft. You open it later at the clubhouse on the master timer to record the information. You can clock six birds in the same one-hundredth of a second," he said.
Because Wilson is competitive he, like some other pigeon fanciers, buys imported birds from Belgium and Holland, where modern day pigeon racing had its beginning in the early-1800s.
"It's no different than horse racing. You try to improve your bloodline and breed winners. I've paid $1,000, even $1,400 for a bird and there are birds with pedigrees as long as your arm that you can buy for $60,000," he said.
Wilson likes to race the one-loft race out of Brighton organized by pigeon fancier and breeder, Jim McInnes, who is well known to other pigeon racing enthusiasts in the area for his commitment and passion to the sport and the birds.
He has about 30 pairs of breeders as well as 50 older birds and 50 of the young birds that he is racing now.
"Most breeders and racers will keep detailed records of the lineage of their bird," he told Northumberland Today.
"In my case, since a lot of my pigeons go throughout the country to other pigeon owners, my records have to be impeccable. I have pedigrees on birds that go back many, many generations. Some can be traced back 100 years," he added, noting that homing pigeons can be traced back as far as the Romans, and Alexander the Great.
"That's what our pigeons have evolved from."
McInnes talked about the different races a pigeon fancier can enter such as the one-loft race in South Africa where fanciers from all over the world take their young pigeons where they are looked after as babies so they know where to home.
This is known as the Sun City Million Dollar Pigeon Race which pits as many as 4,300 birds from 25 countries against each other for a share of $1.3 million in prize money.
"To race the birds yourself is satisfying but it can require a lot of time and money -so some people breed birds to send to one-loft races," McInnes said.
One of the most important races in the world is flown from Barcelona with birds from a number of countries including France, Belgium, Switzerland and Germany.
"It is the most prestigious race and the winning bird of that usually sells for somewhere in the area of $300,000," he explained.
But for McInnes (and other pigeon fanciers) it's all about their fascination with pigeons.
"Think about it. You go and put them in a box and take them 600 miles north to a place they've never been before and they will fly home non-stop the same day."
His commitment to pigeon racing was demonstrated many years ago when he and a small group of about 10 people brought the electronic clocking system to North America.
"We have always tried to encourage new people to get involved in the sport -once they get exposure to it they are like the rest of us -they are fascinated," he concluded.
For information on McInnes and his one-loft race which is held every year (this year it is taking place on Sept. 5) details can be found at www.eijerkampamerica.com/EMPIRE%20CLASSIC%20HOME%20 PAGE. htm . or he can be contacted at 613-475-6052.
For more information on pigeon racing go to www.crpu.ca.
National racing is keenly fought in Belgium no matter what the level of competition, they all count and are high priority. They too like the UK fanciers have hard races and that was the case in the Limoges yearlings 2005 that will always be remembered as one of the hardest Limoges races in recent years. The winning pigeon was racing to the lofts of Deno-Herbots in this 600KM race recording a velocity of 1242.62m/m, they don't work on yards in Belgium. The second pigeon was racing to the lofts of Luc, Bart and Jurgen Geerinckx, who were only a few seconds away from taking the much converted top spot their pigeon recording a velocity of 1242.26 m/m. In theory third position was won by Demey Remi from Booischoot, but everything was not right so the pigeon of Remi wasn't clocked on time and that's why this pigeon will only finish with 30 th National instead of 3 rd National. Now the famous loft of André Roodhooft wins 3 rd place, his pigeon recorded a velocity of 1225.17 m/m.
Their team is not only the combination Deno-Herbots but also incorporates a few people who help a lot to take care of these extensive racing and breeding lofts. They handle everything in a very professional way and try to leave no room for mistakes or in fact missing anything within the lofts. For example the famous Philip Herbots puts a considerable amount of work and time into these lofts, as does Jos, also Jean D'haeseleer is someone who is always ready to help out when and where necessary. He knows how to work with the computer, which is a great help in the modern days of pigeon racing, and he is also a pigeon-know-it-all. Someone else who helps a lot is Edward Van Herck. So you might ask what is left for Jos Deno, that's what you all think now? Jos is the 'racer' of the team. He knows everything about it and he has successfully raced pigeons for many, many years. To give you some idea of how much work there is and why so many are needed there is a total 1,000 pigeons in these lofts. They also send pigeons around the world so they do quarantine pigeons before they leave to some other countries so that is an area that takes time. Jos Deno raced for many years under his own name but then his results started to be noticed in Belgium by Philip Herbots who later held discussions with Jos that resulted in forming their partnership. This was when the present team of Deno-Herbots was born.
Their methods are the traditional widowhood system that so many fanciers now race and a system that much has been written about. The hens are also raced with the widowhood system and are always paired to the same partner who does not race. They generally start the season with about 80 widow cocks and about 30 widow hens. There are presently about 120 young birds in the race team that are trained twice each week with the point of liberation being Fleurs, which is about 50KM. The young pigeons do not have any exercise prior to being basketed for these training races but on all the other days they do go out around the lofts.
For the Limoges Yearling race there was a total of Yearlings basketed at the club of Local Unique in Waver. They participate in this club because like many UK clubs they can also double bank in the middle distance races of "Petit Club de Fleurus", which is a club that is well supported and has large numbers participating in each race, the main races are Toury and Orleans. The sire of the Limoges winner "Broer Stier" who was lost and later reported in Germany and returned to the lofts so he was a further 600KM from where he should have been. Because of the breeding they went to pick up the pigeon but later decided to sell it, that's why the parents aren't in the lofts anymore. Deno-Herbots do appreciate it when such good pigeons are and because the German fancier was so honest to report the pigeon Jos sent him a couple of youngsters. This loft doesn't only compete in the middle distance they like to compete in the entire programme so take an interest in the Barcelona race. In the 2005 Barcelona race the partnership finished 16 th National and 39 th International on the preliminary result with their "Dikke Witpen" strain Verbruggen/Florizoone/Hausoul.
Some of their results from 2005 are as follows. Toury 1191 Yearlings. 14 th 16 th 55 th 88 th 97 th . Etc. Old birds in the Toury race saw 1877 pigeons where they finished 11 th 40 th 89 th etc. It was then on to Orléans 2310 Old Pigeons. 2 nd 10 th 12 th 46 th etc. Bourges 5877 Yearlings. 211 th 280 th etc. followed by another race from Bourges for the yearlings, 8 th 23 rd 30 th 40 th 61 st 67 th 98 th etc. Brive 3163 pigeons. 306th 490th etc. Montélimar 1207 pigeons. 19th 26th 33rd etc. Groupement : 623 pigeons. 11 th 15 th 17 th 72 nd 73 rd etc. Toury 235 Yearlings 1 st 3 rd 13 th 14 th 16 th 19 th 22 nd 29 th etc. Petit Club: 1492 pigeons 22 nd 37 th etc. Toury 1966 Yearlings 14 th 61 st 62 nd 74 th 96 th etc. Toury 1332 Old pigeons. 15 th 32 nd 44 th 72 nd 81 st 83 rd 99 th 100 th etc. Barcelona 1881 pigeons 3 rd 25 th etc. Orléans 158 young pigeons 2 nd 4 th 5 th 6 th 7 th 8 th 9 th 10 th etc. This is only a limited list of their results.
'It's a ball, it's a wheel, no, it's a rolling pigeon'
Carrier pigeons may be the most famous variety of the bird, but those who attend this year's Festival on the Crooked Road will see "rolling" pigeons.
As the name implies, these pigeons roll rather than fly.
Connie Marsh of Wirtz raises these "parlor rollers," birds bred in the mid-1850s in England and in this country, she said.
"There is a breed that rolls in mid-flight, and these were bred from that variety," she said, explaining that the flying rollers will, while in the air, suddenly start tumbling backwards, dropping a distance before taking flight again.
The parlor rollers probably received that name because they could provide entertainment in people's living rooms, she said.
Marsh demonstrated the distinctive talent outside her house on the grass. Pigeon in hand facing her, with a little nudge the bird did a sort of back-flip and rolled, or tumbled, on the grass backwards, making quite a few turns before stopping.
In fact, according a website on parlor rollers, the world record distance for a roll stands at 662 feet. The average roll is between 20 and 30 feet, and competitions are often held with prizes for the longest rollers.
Marsh, a Pennsylvania native who moved to Franklin County nine years ago, is not after a world record. Rather, she said she breeds them because she loves pigeons and enjoys showing them to people.
"I like to take the various breeds to festivals to let people know about the hobby," she said.
That's why she will have her parlor rollers at the Franklin Street Festival on the Crooked Road, set for Saturday, Aug. 29 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
With 13 varieties and about 100 pigeons, she has plenty to show besides the parlor rollers.
One of the most unusual breeds is the "frillback" pigeon, which has curly feathers, giving it the appearance of a curly-haired bird.
"These are hard to find," she said. "I have two males but no females, so I need to find a female."
That will mean a trip to Louisville, Ky., where she found the males.
Marsh said she took an interest in pigeons when she was teenager mainly because she has always been a bird lover.
A member of the Roanoke Valley Bird Club and the Richmond Pigeon Club, she travels to quite a few shows, she said, and won best in show with one of her pigeons, an Egyptian Swift, at the Virginia State Fair three years ago.
Although Marsh doesn't have any carrier pigeons, she does keep homing pigeons, which will find their way back to their roost, even from hundreds of miles away.
But they have to be trained, she said, by starting out at very short distances from the roost and increasing the distance.
Marsh also raises pheasants and has a Himalayan Monal and a Peacock pheasant.
Raising pigeons and other birds is a great hobby, she said.
"It's fun taking care of them, and I go to a lot of (pigeon show) events," she said.
Marsh said her birds are relatively easy to take care of and require many of the same vaccinations and treatments that most pets need.
"The babies get tame very quickly," she said. "And they don't bite (like some other pets). They're not dangerous."
Although a visitor may first notice all the pigeons in their fenced-in pen beside her house, an item on her front porch will also draw some interest.
A small yellow airplane, without the wings, is parked there like a grounded canary.
"I flew it all over the place," she said of her plane, one she built with the help of a mechanic friend. "It took five years to build it."
With a lifelong interest in birds, maybe it should not be surprising that she loves to fly.
But she did more than just fly. Her in-air antics may have rivaled the flying rolling pigeons.
"I did aerobatics," she said, referring to stunts pilots do at air shows. "I also raced."
Marsh said that was back in the 1960s and up until the mid-80s, when she chose a bit more sedate lifestyle.
It also would eventually lead to a move to Franklin County, the motivation for which was part a love of the area and part financial.
"I checked the region and Franklin County had the lowest (real estate) tax rate," she said, adding that she was also surprised at the difference in the cost of housing here compared to where she lived in New Jersey.
"I saw the price of this (her house and land) and I couldn't believe it," she said.
Regardless of the financial reasons, Marsh said this is her home now and she's not going anywhere.
"I love Franklin County," she said.
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Racing Pigeon News
MAN BARTERS 2009-MODEL CAR WITH 2 PIGEONS
Mr Halil Kabakçıoğlu, a pigeon lover, bartered his 2009-model Ford Focus with two pigeons at an auction at Pigeon Lovers Association in Nilüfer town of Bursa, western Turkey .
Have a pigeon related article? Send it to our article archives for others to see! Send us your article to Racing Pigen Newsletter now! newsletter@racingpigeonforum.com
Bij de uitkomst van het vorig nummer sloten wij voor het blad Aviculture Europe een succesperiode af van vijf jaar, maar wat wij ons toen nog niet volledig realiseerden, was dat dit tevens een voorlopig einde betekende van het blad.
De reden dat u hierbij toch, een weliswaar wat beknopter nummer, gaat ontvangen, is dat er nog redelijk wat kopij naar ons onderweg bleek te zijn. Uit respect voor die mensen die de moeite hebben genomen om dit ons ter beschikking te stellen, bieden wij u dit graag aan.
Ondertussen blijven we open staan voor goede ideeën, of mensen die het blad willen voortzetten op de wijze zoals u dat van ons gewend was de afgelopen jaren
De volgende artikelen zijn te lezen in het oktobernummer:
Op bezoek bij Kurt Härle, de kundige Duitse pluimvee- en duivenfokker, door Mick Bassett
Onder de naam Klein maar fijn, beschrijft Luuk Hans de Belgische Vechthoenderrassen
Isabel Patrijs, de nieuwe kleurslag bij de Leghorn en de Brahmahoenders, door Geri Glastra
De Almond kleur bij de Kortvoorhoofdtuimelaar. Gebaseerd op het boek Fancy Pigeons by James C. Lyell
In de rubriek Over Pluimvee beschrijft K.J. Theodore (USA), de emotionele kant van pluimvee houden.
De okerborstkleur bij leeuwerik kleurslagen van sierduiven, door Mick Bassett
Een wetenschappelijke verhandeling over de ware toedracht en afstamming van de Orpington eend, door Jonathan M. Thompson (UK)
64e KAMPIOENSSHOw van de SOUTH AFRICAN FANCY PIGEON ASSOCIATION, door Jan Lombard (SA)
En vele korte wetenswaardigheden
Ook in dit nummer zijn er nog vele oproepen voor bezoek of deelname aan allerlei (inter)nationale kleindiertentoonstellingen opgenomen, waarvoor wij graag uw aandacht vragen. Enkele van die shows betreffen jubilea, waarvoor wij hierbij de betreffende verenigingen en organisaties, graag onze felicitaties willen aanbieden
Wij wensen u weer veel leesplezier.
Met dank aan alle medewerkers, abonnees en adverteerders,
N PEIREN, E & F DEVOS, J POLDER, DEPASSE-LARDENOYE, M VANLINT, A DELHOVE, H van de ZANDE, R BEN, BOURLARD & fils, E LIMBOURG, ... te volgen in ons auctie
Objet : LES NEWS DE LA FREGATE - Bientôt notre vente aux enchères ... Voyez déjà notre liste de vente ... des Vedettes à foison... !
21.10.2010 Le Club de Fond de Pont-à-Celles vous invite à sa remise de prix, à son banquet et à sa soirée dansante du dimanche 31 octobre 2010 (lire la suite)
21.10.2010 Championnat 2010 du Club de Fond de Pont-à-Celles
Eddy SPRUYT , HENNEBERT-MICHAUX & DEPASSE-LARDENOY sont Champions (Voir classements)
20.10.2010 Vente aux enchères de La Frégate Les bons continuent d'arriver... et de quelle qualité !!!
Chris SUTTON de Leicester (Grande-Bretagne)
Luc GOETHALS de Villers-Perwin
Joël & Christophe VIDEAU de Champniers (France)
Jean-Paul BADOUX de Onoz
...
Merci encore à tous nos donateurs
20.10.2010 La Frégate Saint-Amand est aussi sur Facebook
20.10.2010 L'Union et Progrès de Lobbes vous invite à son banquet annuel du 6 novembre 2010(lire la suite)
19.10.2010 L'Union Colombophile de Bergues vous invite à son LOTO du 20 novembre 2010(lire la suite)
- Mariën Fernand & Koen - 1e Nationaal Asduif - Kleine Halve Fond 2010
- Sittner Premier UK - de revalatie van het jaar 2010 met kettinguitslagen op halve fond en fond in Union Antwerpen - Struyf François - gewezen nationaal kampioen op de zware fond
- Hermans Rik - de blikvanger in Antwerpen op de zware halve fond met oude, jaarse en jonge duiven
- Dirk Van Dyck - internationale naambekendheid en superuitslagen van Quiévrain tot Limoges
- Berckmoes Eric - bezitter van het erfgoed van wijlen Albert Marcelis en die de snelheidsduivels van Albert op de lichte fond nationaal top deed vliegen
- Steveninck Benny - deze jonge ambitieuze Oostvlaamse vedette is een vaste waarde in de nationale kampioenschappen
en nog zoveel meer van de kampioenen uit de regio.
How to SELL pigeons by Owner on Internet - even if you have no website?
How to sell more pigeons on Internet -
even if you have no website ?
Dear friends,
If you have good results ? If you have not pigeon website or it is not ready yet ? If you have a website, but you want to make it more popular ? If you have no your own online pigeon auction system develop for you ? If you have high quality pigeons and wish to sell some of them ? If you want to make money ? If you want to save your time and enjoy ?
If your answer is YES even one of these questions, we are sure we can help you.
AMaster24 Team decided to develop World Information System for Pigeons for Sell - Auction Master, where every fancier can publish his racing pigeons for sell.
The idea of the system is - to give you actual information about newest pigeons for sell, who sell and where, We created a speacial search engine where you can search by location. - connecting people - buyers and trader, ask for more information for pigeons, make a deal, information about payment and delivery. - collect at one place more useful information for you, save your time. - subscribe for pigeons from your favorite strains. It is mean if you are interested in pigeons Batenburg or Janssen and if somebody somewhere publish the pigeon from these strains you will recieve email with information - help fanciers publish their pigeons on their websites too. even without a special knowledge - help websites with good pigeons become more visited. - when you publish pigeons for sell in AMaster24 - many people all around the world will se you and your pigeons
Wilt u een bod of kooporder uitbrengen, maar registreren of inloggen lukt u niet? Stuur dan een email naar support@pigeonplaza.nl of bel naar onderstaand nummer.
Dear sport friends, Sold pigeon escaped in Budapest, returned in Den Hoorn, Holland!!! Not too long ago we sold a few birds from our own loft to a guy in Albania. Two days later the guy called me that one of the birds escaped from his the airport in Budapest the NL.05-1319821 was gone His brother took them for him by plane and one escaped from the box at his journey to home.... I felt bad for the guy because he did spend a lot of many for this bird A bird from my very best bloodlines Grandson of the 8th National Barcelona and 2nd National Tarbes At the end of the phone call I told the guy that there was a minimum chance this bird would return at my loft as we are talking about 1500+ kilometers from the North East.... But the unbelievable happened The bird arrived in my loft!!! He lost his tail is wounded his leg BUT returned!!! A great feeling for both of us Last week the owner (see above) came from Albania to collect the bird for the second time, let hope this time he makes it into in Albania!!!!
Reminder!!!! We have a shipment to Malta on October 29th!!!! Don't forget to!!! Visit my personal blog, and to subsribe at our Free Daily Episode....
Good news for fanciers in Taiwan!!! Our business is growing at full speed, to keep up we are constantly looking for good, reliable and enthusiastic partners around the globe. Guys who can help our clients in their own language and help to get high class pigeons to fanciers around the globe for workingman prices. Today we contracted Danny Lee Chen as official partner forTaiwan. He has transports to Taiwan a regular base and for a fair price. Shortly, if you are fromTaiwan and thinking about buying some birds from us, feel free to contact Danny at any time. He will be happy to help you all You can reach him at 886916777752 or send an email to twndanny@gmail.com Reminder!!!! We have a shipment to Malta on October 29th!!!! Don't forget to!!! Visit my personal blog, and to subsribe at our Free Daily Episode....
20-10-2010- Angelo vd Veeken Een leuke uitslag op Dax 30-07-10 en Perpignan Perpignan 31-07-10. Op Dax waren in Rayon 3, Zeeland '96, 182 duiven ingekorfd. Ik had er zelf 8 mee... lees meer >>
19-10-2010- Gert Krab Naar aanleiding van een eerder geplaatste publicatie op deze website, ontvingen wij de volgende email van de programmamakers van 'Bonje met de buren': Graag wil ik jullie informeren over de mogelijkheid dat wij met het programma 'Bonje met de buren' kunnen bieden. lees meer >>
19-10-2010- Van de NPO Degenen die vorig jaar hebben deelgenomen aan de jeugddag ontvangen begin november een inschrijfformulier in de bus. Heb je vorig jaar niet meegedaan of wil je daar niet op wachten? lees meer >>
18-10-2010 Laatste dag van de veiling van het gezamelijke kweekhok van Anton Hendriksen, het Dagfondkanon van 2010 in afdeling 8! Nu 13 jonge duiven van het gezamelijke kweekhok Geerenstein-Hendriksen in deze veiling en uw kans iets te bemachtigen van dit tophok. Sla tijdig uw slag. De veiling loopt tot 22:00 uur. lees meer >>
17-10-2010- Johan Hamstra Zo, daar zijn we weer. Soms weet ik van gekkigheid niet meer hoe ik nou eens me wekelijkse verhaaltje zou moeten beginnen. "Het is nog vroeg deze .....", "Na de hond uitgelaten te hebben .....", "Terwijl de koffie doorloopt .....". lees meer >>
17-10-2010- Van de NPO Het traject dat enige tijd geleden ingezet is om de duivensport te vernieuwen is nog steeds in volle gang. Op dit moment worden voor deze 'Vlucht naar de Toekomst' kandidaten gezocht om mee te denken in de verschillende werkgroepen. lees meer >>
16-10-2010- Heimen Huisman Het valt niet mee om bij de competitie van Stichting Marathon Noord in de kop te eindigen dat weten de deelnemers aan deze competitie maar al te goed. Dat iedereen maar met twee duiven meespeelt, maakt de kansen voor iedereen gelijk maar die duiven dan ook nog vroeg pakken is een hele kunst. lees meer >>
15-10-2010- Gert Jan Beute Deel 1 van de trein naar succes heeft veel stof doen opwaaien, vooral fondspelers waren op hun teentjes getrapt (overnachtspelers met de grote mand). Natuurlijk heb ik niets tegen overnachtspelers op zich, haha ik heb enkele zeer goede vrienden onder deze mensen zitten, maar het wil niet altijd zeggen dat ik het met hun methode eens ben. lees meer >>
15-10-2010 Momenteel drie actuele veilingen met interessant aanbod voor de kenner. Wat denkt u van dertien jonge duiven rechtstreeks kweekhok Anton Hendriksen? En de PigeonPlaza Oktober Parade met geweldig aanbod? En dan nog de Noordbrabantse top van Comb. Wellens. lees meer >>
14-10-2010- Falco Ebben Ondertussen hebben andere websites mijn nieuwsbericht van 10 oktober ook overgenomen. Ik had niet verwacht dat er zoveel reacties zouden komen op het vliegschema dat ik op deze website heb geplaatst. lees meer >>
Advertenties
Wilt u de nieuwsbrief van Duivensites.nl niet meer ontvangen? Klik dan op de link hieronder om af te melden of stuur een email naar info@duivensites.nl.
Good news for fanciers in the United States Yesterday I received a call from Bert Oostlander from the United States. Bert is the man who makes it possible for us to export pigeons to the U.S. He is importing pigeons for since the beginning and delivers a great service for a payable price so you can all understand why we do business with him. Our mission is to sell high quality pigeons for fixes payable prices No auctions!!! No false bidding to take extra money out of your pocket, for promotion reason or whatever . The good news is that there is an new shipment in the first few weeks of November. If you need to get in touch with Bert about import fees and procedures call 0019123561320 or send an email to GPSWO@aol.com If you have any question about us or the birds we sell call our official partner in the U.S. John Froelich at 216-970-5242 (cell) / 440-614-0210 (office) or send an email to john@pigeontv.com
And more good news . We have a new permit to import pigeons into South Africa . We will organize a new shipment 15 February 2011!!! We know it a long time but the space is limited!!! Don't forget to!!! Visit my personal blog, and to subsribe at our Free Daily Episode....
Laatjes en zomerjongen op het Barcelonahok Marc Lemahieu
Er zijn laatjes en zomerjongen te koop(beperkt aantal) op het Barcelonahok Marc Lemahieu te Burcht Jaarlijks top prestaties op de overnacht,sterke stam ingeteelde duiven Aan aanvaardbare vriendenprijs Pasoor Coplaan 239 2070 Burcht 03/2540057 of 0498/856882
Wilt u een bod of kooporder uitbrengen, maar registreren of inloggen lukt u niet? Stuur dan een email naar support@pigeonplaza.nl of bel naar onderstaand nummer.
Late jongen van het kweekhok J & B. Geerenstein - A. Hendriksen. Voorheen als combinatie spelend vanuit Scherpenzeel en bekend van o.a. hun Magistraal. Deze Magistraal speelde het klaar om Beste doffer WHZB te worden in 2006, Beste Asduif WHZB 2006 en Olympiade Deelnemer Sportklasse Allround Oostende 2007. Vloog o.a. NPO Blois 6/7606, Epehy, 1/2562 Creil, 9/9778 Morlincourt, 2/1830 St.Quentin, 2/1492, kortom een superduif die voor heel veel geld is verkocht aan Herbots.
Anton Hendriksen is verhuisd naar Lunteren en heeft dit jaar maar liefst 6 maal Teletekst gevlogen in Afdeling 8!
3e NPO Morlincourt totaal 11000 duiven
5e Nationaal Orleans totaal 4530 duiven
7e Nationaal Blois totaal 4801 duiven
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The white-winged pigeon had flown 150 miles when it finally landed atop its home in Wayne Rozendaal's backyard.
"Come on now. Get on inside," says Rozendaal, checking his watch. "Many, many a race has been lost on the roof."
As if hearing his owner's plea, the bird squeezes through a tiny one-way gate, where a scanner reads a computerized chip in the pedigreed pigeon's leg band.
A quick calculation shows the bird â?? one of about 1,100 released by the Foothills Racing Pigeon Club a little more than three hours earlier in Burlington â?? had flown home at about 41 mph.
"Pretty fast," Rozendaal says with a shrug. "If he keeps it up, he could be a champion."
There are six racing-pigeon clubs in Colorado, most dating to the 1960s. While the venerable sport â?? its roots trace back to ancient Greece â?? has not seen robust growth in the past four decades, it remains vibrant.
The state's roughly 150 fliers, known as fanciers, race thousands of homing pigeons in 20 weekend races every year.
"I do it with my kids, and we get to see the benefits of our work every time we see our birds come home," said Tim Calerich, a Brighton racer with a 250-bird loft whose passion for pigeons was seeded by his late father.
The sport got a bit of a boost last week, when Boulder County zoning leaders categorized pigeons as pets, ending an argument raised by neighbors of a Gunbarrel pigeon racer.
Those neighbors, irked by fancier Jim Williams' 35-bird backyard loft, argued he was raising poultry, violating zoning codes against residential livestock.
Denver's zoning codes consider pigeons "household animals" and allow for lofts of up to 25 birds.
In the U.S., where there are about 15,000 registered racing-pigeon lofts, racing has remained a hobby, whereas in Europe or Taiwan, contest purses rival American horse racing. Breeders here can sell a race-proven champion for several thousand dollars, but most birds trade for a few hundred or less.
"It used to be the sport of kings," said Al Christeleit, a nationally recognized pigeon racer from Gypsum. "It's amazing when you raise a bird from an egg and watch it race 500 miles in a single day. It's a real sense of accomplishment."
Every flier gets the same age-old question from kids and newcomers: How do pigeons know the way home?
The birds are trucked in crates across open plains in the middle of the night and released shortly after dawn in areas they've never visited. Circling up from the release, they'll take a couple of short laps and then, invariably, fly straight home for hundreds of miles at speeds that can top 70 mph. How?
"God has kept that little secret locked up," Rozendaal said.
While the source of a pigeon's uncanny sense of direction remains something of a mystery, fanciers have strong ideas about what makes a pigeon fly faster. Breeding, training and diet have reached an art form for most racers.
"You might have strains that are better suited to shorter distances and faster speeds and some for longer distances," said Deone Roberts with the American Racing Pigeon Union. "It's all about finding that individual bird that separates itself from the group."
Animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals recently turned on pigeon racing, which will be featured in an upcoming cable series starring former pugilist Mike Tyson and his racing birds. The group thinks it's cruel to make birds fly long distances for sport and has piggybacked Tyson's planned show with announcements trumpeting their angst.
"Those people are crazy," Christeleit said. "These birds are taken care of better than some humans."
The biggest threat to racing pigeons is other birds. Hawks and even owls can terrorize racers, and some pigeons return to their lofts scarred from encounters with the winged predators. Rozendaal has seen his birds hobble home with crooked wings and broken legs, which seem to heal with rest.
"Their metabolism is something I can't comprehend," he said, cradling one of his racers. "They are amazing animals, that's for sure."
A loft profile on John Wills and his family of long distance racers
Most modern day fanciers are quite content to breed, feed and race pigeons on a short term basis, with no thought to putting down roots and building a family of winning pigeons that can stand the test of time. However, there are still a number of top class fanciers who, when selecting their initial stock, were conscious that the job in hand would be a long term project and set out with the objective to build for the future. Fanciers such as the late Peter Titmuss, Eric Cannon and Fear Brothers as well as the present day aces Geoff Cooper, Brian Denney, Jim Donaldson and the Bush family spring easily to mind as fanciers who set out with firm objectives. The above named are all top class, highly successful long distance fanciers who built their success on the firm foundations of a strong family of related pigeons which have been consistently successful at the distance. John Wills, the subject of this article, can also be classed alongside the aforementioned aces, as he has developed a truly outstanding FAMILY of long distance racers which has been winning top prizes in hard long distance Classic and National races for more than three decades. This long term success can, in turn, be traced back to pigeons that were winning long distance races at the turn of the 20th Century, and which formed the basis of the present day Wills family of pigeons.
It could be said that John Wills was weaned on pigeon milk as he was racing pigeons into the London area with his father from the time he took his first steps, and for nearly sixty years he has continued to enjoy the sport of pigeon racing.
As mentioned in the opening paragraph, the origins of the present day family of pigeons can be traced back more than 100 years to birds of the A. E. Sheppard strain which were winning long distance races from Lerwick and Thurso with the mighty London North Road Combine in the early part of the 20th Century. However, I think it would be true to say that one of the foundation stones of the present day Wills team was a red chequer cock bred in 1978. This pigeon, later named Rollercoaster, was to prove to be not only a terrific long distance racer, but also a prepotent breeder, as nearly all of Johns subsequent long distance winners after 1978 exhibit his genes in their make up. Rollercoaster won many prizes in difficult long distance races and amongst these was 1st Dax [only bird in race time] and 1st BICC Pau 565 miles. His direct progeny were none too clever as racers but as stock pigeons they all, almost without exception, produced top class long distance racers. Rollercoaster was himself something of a hybrid as his father was bred from an Ian Benstead Cock of the old Sheppard strain, when crossed with a red Kirkpatrick hen that had won 47th Open NFC Pau for Mr Tyler of Swindon. This red cock was then mated to a Burgher x Backs hen to breed Rollercoaster.
Now this is where John Wills was to prove to be inspired in the selection of his foundation stock, as he subsequently mated Rollercoaster to further introductions from Ian Benstead, thus strengthening the Sheppard influence in his embryonic family.
Ian Benstead was a top class long distance racer who was also a race horse trainer. Amongst his horse racing clients was A. E. Sheppard whose family of racing pigeons had won 1st LNRC from Lerwick or Thurso on six occasions between 1930 and 1937. Ian was amongst the major purchasers at Sheppards entire clearance sale and these Sheppard pigeons were to prove invaluable in the continuing long distance successes of the Benstead and subsequently, the Wills lofts.
John mated Rollercoaster with Benstead hens and also with hens bred down from his old West London family of pigeons which contained the bloodlines of Butlers Hill Queen who won 1st NFC San Sebastian; Priory Pride 1st LNRC Thurso 1947 and birds from Tubby Tate, George Lovell and Arthur White with some Slabbinck Cattrysse thrown into the melting pot for good measure. It should be noted that, for the most part, the old West London family was based on performance pigeons and not on pigeons with fancy sounding strain names generations removed from proven racers or breeders.
The Benstead pigeons were however to prove to be the dominant influence in the further development of the Wills family as more introductions were made from Ian Benstead right up to the time that Ian retired from the sport.
Let me illustrate here the breeding methods used by John Wills and in particular the use he made of Rollercoaster in building his present day family. Initially, Rollercoaster was mated to his cousin that had won 4th & 7th Open Marseille. This mating produced a Red Chequer Cock named Rollers Legacy. John mated Rollers Legacy to his aunt to produce a mealy hen named Violet Lady who was to win 4th Open NFC Pau. The next mating saw Violet Lady mated to her own sire to breed red cock Rollers Image. This cock was kept for stock and in his early nests bred Gail Supreme, winner of 1st Open BICC Pau. John then mated a son of Gail Supreme with a grand daughter of Gail Supreme [uncle x niece mating] to breed Del Boy, the 2009 winner of the London & South East Yearling Classic from Tours for John and the culmination of 30 years of line and inbreeding using proven racers or producers in each generation.
That then is a brief outline of the origins and structure of the present day family of pigeons raced by John Wills. I say family as they truly are a well defined family of birds that look and handle as one, being in genetic terms phenotypically identical that is they all look alike and they all handle similarly. The cocks are just above medium sized with noble looking bold heads and extensive wattle development, superb feather quality and outstanding eyesign. The hens were just below medium sized with excellent eyesign and feather quality and both cocks and hens exhibited excellent skeletal structure fine boned and as strong as spring steel with not a weak back in sight. Incidentally, some of the hens could quite easily be mistaken for cocks, as they too possessed bold heads and large wattles like the cocks. Another characteristic of the family was the wing structure - when opening the wing it appeared as if the wing would extend forever with the last three flights long and narrow with large gaps between. Little wonder then with such impressive aerodynamic wings, that the Wills family can undertake long and arduous flights with seemingly little difficulty!
John has produced this family by inbreeding to the best performance pigeons. He is particularly keen on mating his best hens to one of their best sons in order to fix the genes, the emphasis being on the word BEST as he does not believe in inbreeding for the sake of inbreeding, it must be for the purpose of strengthening and consolidating the family gene pool, based on racing or breeding capabilities. When introducing a cross into the family John immediately mates it to his best pigeons. He then keeps the offspring that most resembles his own family and pairs it to one of the best of the old family. The resultant offspring from this pairing, which is in reality 3/4 old family and 1/4 cross, is then tested on the road.
It is often said that the mark of a truly great family of pigeons is not so much what they achieve in the hands of the founder but just as importantly what they win in other lofts. I can tell you that although John Wills is not commercially minded, the few pigeons that he has allowed to leave his lofts have done exceptionally well in those lofts fortunate to obtain the Wills strain as they are winning in long distance races for other fanciers, both pure and crossed.
Once he has produced the raw materials to work on the road, John is not in too much of a hurry to get them to the far off distance racepoints. The Wills pigeons are rarely raced as young birds but they are extensively trained. This begins with an initial 20 mile toss single up! This is repeated a number of times before moving on to 40 and 50 miles where the process of singling or doubling up is repeated. John never releases his pigeons in large groups. Nor is he worried if the young birds make a mess of these early training tosses. All they have to do is get home and hopefully learn to become independent and rely on their own homing ability in the process. As yearlings they are usually expected to go out to 300 350 miles and in fact John has won the Saintes race at more than 350 miles with pigeons that were having the first race of their lives. Two year olds, if fit and well, go to the NFC Pau/Tarbes race and as three year olds some may be ready to face the acid test of International racing out to Barcelona 700 miles. This schedule is not set in stone as John may adjust things as he sees fit, watching the birds and assessing their condition and form allied to their past experience.
An example of this softly, softly approach to racing his birds is Johns good hen Gails Supreme, which won 1st BICC Pau, 565 miles, when having only the FIFTH race of her life. Ian Benstead regularly entered pigeons in International 600 mile races for their first ever encounter with the race basket and he rarely failed to clock them. The homing ability is so strongly bred into the family that they do not need to have seen every lamp post on the way home in the build up to their long distance tests. In order to emphasise this point I give you the example of Darren Roberts of Wrexham in North Wales who, in 2009, copied this preparatory schedule when sending six three year old latebreds of John Wills bloodlines to Tarbes at 686 miles, for only the third race of their lives. Result six from six with three on the NFC result at 2nd, 9th & 22nd section; 73rd, 216th & 483rd Open with more than 3,800 birds competing.
Johns policy has been to retire his best racers to the stock loft once they have put up an outstanding performance such as winning the BICC in a long distance race. This has ensured that the family can be maintained as he is constantly breeding from top class performers in long distance races along with their parents and selected sons or daughters. This policy has brought unbroken success at the distance for the past thirty years. However, due to personal circumstances, John has not done a lot of racing in recent years and he is now in the process of rebuilding a team of two, three and four year olds so that he can hopefully compete at the extreme distance in the near future.
As a result of this rebuilding process, John has extended his loft space and now has three lofts in the garden at the rear of his home. The main racing loft, to which all the main performers raced is a three-sectioned structure which faces north. This north facing aspect ensures that the internal environment is on the cool side at the beginning of the season, which is ideal for Johns pigeons as he doesnt want the form to develop until late June when it will hopefully continue through to early August when the main long distance classics are being flown. However, skylights have been inserted on the southerly facing roof surface so that some sunlight can enter and warm up the floor area in front of the nest boxes. The other lofts are new additions that face south and house yearlings and some youngsters which will be brought on quietly in readiness for future International racing. The photographs that accompany this article will give the reader a good idea of the overall loft set up.
When ready for the test, the team will be hopper fed on yearling tic beans. This high protein feed is supplemented with peanuts in the final days build up to basketting. John rarely, if ever, feeds maize or seed and is reluctant to treat for any of the main ailments. He only does so if a problem arises or if he thinks the birds are not quite firing on all cylinders. Although the birds do not see a great deal of the inside of a race basket they are extensively trained from points on the south coast of England in preparation for their long distance tests. They also enjoy an open loft as often as John can allow. This keeps them fresh and raring to go. As one top class Welsh long distance fancier once told me: pigeons are like boxers - they can only take so many hammerings and if they have to take one then its better that they do it when it matters, not in the preparation.
Because of his concentration on long distance racing, John does not mate the birds early in the year, the time may vary and very often he is only weaning his first round of youngsters in late May. Everything is geared to attaining top form in late June, July and early August when he hopes to be entering his team in each individual pigeons favoured nest position, whether it be sitting eggs or feeding youngsters. John is not afraid to send his birds feeding squabs on soft food as he does not believe that this does them any harm whatsoever quite the contrary in fact.
That then is brief outline of the birds and methods of a master of long distance pigeon racing. With these simple, yet practical methods applied to his carefully developed family of long distance racers, John is one of only a handful of present day British fanciers to win consistently at the extreme distance. Between 1992 and 2000 only nineteen fanciers in the whole of the UK appeared on the results of the NFC Pau race each year one of those nineteen was John Wills of Frimley. Add to these impressive NFC performances further top prizes with the London & South East Classic, not forgetting his six outright wins plus many more top ten finishes in BICC long distance races and you have one of the best records of any fancier in England at the present time. Long may the success continue and my thanks go to you John for allowing me to visit and handle your magnificent family of long distance racing pigeons. Thanks also to Keith Mott for allowing the use of the pigeon portraits that accompany this report.
Bill Leskovisek is the biggest pigeon fan this side of Bert from Sesame Street. Sometime today, some of Bills racing pigeons will arrive at Bills home in Virden after a 500-mile flight from Oklahoma City.
Sometime tomorrow, other racing pigeons Bill owns will arrive at Bills home in Virden after a 650-mile flight from Shamrock, Texas.
The racers have computer-coded bands on their legs. When one lights at Bills pigeon pen, the band will be scanned, just as if the bird was a bag of celery on the checkout conveyor belt at the Piggly Wiggly, and the time of its arrival will be recorded. Owners with birds in the race will then compare times to see which bird won.
Bills Most Memorable Pigeons Numbers One and Two: He and his brother, Sonny Leskovisek, got their first two pigeons when they were just kids. Their father brought them two barn pigeons. Those arent racing pigeons, but that got me going, Bill says. He and Sonny named those two pigeons Mama and Papa.
Bill was about 10 when he got into the pigeon game. Hes 78 years old now. Thats a lot of pigeons.
At one time, Auburn, Bills hometown, had more pigeon fanciers per capita than any other town in the United States. There are only a handful of true pigeon people remaining in central Illinois. Most have died.
Bills Most Memorable Pigeon Number Three: She was a yearling hen known only by her band number, 1449. What did you think, he named them all? He got this one from Bone Helms, who was a butcher in Auburn. Bone didnt like that bird. Bill did.
I liked something about its personality, he says. Pigeons have personalities. Oh yes, just like dogs and people.
That pigeon made it home from Oklahoma City in a day, making it what they call a day bird. This was about 30 years ago.
Bill has sold pigeons to fanciers from Taiwan, where racing pigeons is a very popular hobby. He has about 120 pigeons in his pen right now, but only about 20 are racers. He works hard to keep the pen and the birds clean for two reasons: because the birds like to take baths and because the neighbors are pretty close.
Bills Most Memorable Pigeon Number Four: I called her Midnight. She was one of 400-some birds released at Pauls Valley, Okla. Thats about 600 miles from Virden. She was released at 6 a.m. and arrived home at 4:19 that afternoon. Thats moving right along. That was probably in 1982. Midnight died in 1983.
He feeds his birds pigeon grain and pellets for the main part of their diet. But he also gives them honey, garlic and vitamins. The birds are vaccinated once a year. They are susceptible to PMV virus. If well taken care of, a pigeon can live 12 to14 years.
A white racing pigeon is a pretty good bet to end up hawk food. A hawk will go after the white ones first.
Homing pigeons brains were studied at Cornell University. Researchers believe the birds have some sort of radar-like capability in their brains that enables them to find their way home from hundreds of miles away. However, more pigeons than ever are getting lost. Bill says the theory is that the microwave towers that have sprung up to enable cellular communication are throwing the birds off.
Bills Most Memorable Pigeon Number Five: Her name was Sweetheart. She was a red pigeon. She made it 920 air miles from Albuquerque in three days. That was a great bird, Bill says, but she was not that handsome. He describes her as Ugly. Square head. Flat head. Thats unfortunate, but she was still a darn good racer.
I said all those birds at Bills house must be a temptation for Virdens cat population. He has that covered. Two dogs in the yard.
Bills Most Memorable Pigeon Number Six: Shes on her way home now from Texas. No name, just band number 322. Shes three years old. Guys say shes a good one, says Bill. Shes my favorite. Her personality trait is that she is very protective of her eggs. Most pigeons dont much care when Bill reaches under them to grab an egg. This one minds. Shell peck him. He says it doesnt hurt.
Speaking of pigeon eggs, Bill bought fake ones. They are made out of wood. He puts them in the breeder pigeons nest, and it keeps the pigeons from laying real eggs.
You learn something new every day. When someone asks you what you learned today, you can just read this to them.
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Racing Pigeon News
MAN BARTERS 2009-MODEL CAR WITH 2 PIGEONS
Mr Halil Kabakçıoğlu, a pigeon lover, bartered his 2009-model Ford Focus with two pigeons at an auction at Pigeon Lovers Association in Nilüfer town of Bursa, western Turkey .
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Tot vanavond 22:00 uur kunt u bieden op de verkoop van Comb. Wellens, Noordbrabantse top. U heeft de keuze uit één van beide nestliggers van hun beste kweekkoppels. Zojuist zijn tevens enkele foto's van de duiven toegevoegd. Laat deze kans niet voorbij gaan!
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CASTLETON - Unbeknownst to many, except those directly involved, there is a silent flock of feathered athletes in the skies overhead on any given weekend these days as racing pigeon fanciers test the mettle of their new batch of young birds. 
Carrier pigeons may be the most famous variety of the bird, but those who attend this year's Festival on the Crooked Road will see "rolling" pigeons. 
20-10-2010- Angelo vd Veeken
19-10-2010- Gert Krab
19-10-2010- Van de NPO
17-10-2010- Johan Hamstra
16-10-2010- Heimen Huisman
15-10-2010- Gert Jan Beute
14-10-2010- Falco Ebben
The white-winged pigeon had flown 150 miles when it finally landed atop its home in Wayne Rozendaal's backyard. 
There are six racing-pigeon clubs in Colorado, most dating to the 1960s. While the venerable sport â?? its roots trace back to ancient Greece â?? has not seen robust growth in the past four decades, it remains vibrant. 
"It used to be the sport of kings," said Al Christeleit, a nationally recognized pigeon racer from Gypsum. "It's amazing when you raise a bird from an egg and watch it race 500 miles in a single day. It's a real sense of accomplishment." 
Bill Leskovisek is the biggest pigeon fan this side of Bert from Sesame Street. Sometime today, some of Bills racing pigeons will arrive at Bills home in Virden after a 500-mile flight from Oklahoma City. 
