By Marc Larocque

NORTHBORO — As she was heading out for lunch on Aug. 4 at 10:30 a.m., Danielle Bucchieri spotted a pigeon hobbled on the sidewalk looking aimless and wanted to help it.

“I saw her hanging out on the sidewalk against the brick wall,” said Bucchieri, who works at Profilo Wellness Center, in Westborough. “You could tell she was kind of sickly. She had her shoulders hunched, head down, her eyes weren’t bright. She wasn’t trying to go anywhere.”

Bucchieri later fed the bird some seed that she bought after it wouldn’t eat bread. Bucchieri’s allergies kicked in, but she wanted to help the bird so much that she moved in with her parents to allow the bird free reign in her home for a couple of days.

She and her daughter Isabella named the bird Stella, but wanted to find out where it was from. The pigeon had a blue tag on it, so she called the veterinary school at Tufts University to help use the tag to find the owner.

It turns out that Stella was actually a male, a racing pigeon based in Taunton. Bucchieri discovered that the owner of the bird is Dan Santos, of Norton, who maintains a pigeon “loft” at his father’s house on Floral Street in Taunton.

“We were making phone calls all day,” said Bucchieri, a Northboro resident. “It went from Stella to Stanley overnight.”

Santos picked up the bird from Bucchieri on Sunday. Santos has been training racing pigeons since 1991 — this was the fourth time that one of his bird’s has gone astray and was recovered.

“It’s always nice to get the call,” Santos said. “If you got a dog at home and the thing wanders away and you never hear about you say, ‘Geez, did a coyote get it? Did it get stolen?’”

Santos added that many of the pigeons, which can’t see as well in the dark as birds of prey, are hunted down or end up flying into electrical wires.

“There are an awful lot of falcons out there,” he said. “They pick them off. They don’t have a chance against them. If you lose half of your pigeons, you are lucky to get a call. A hawk gets them, an owl gets them, or they make a mistake, and they are more vulnerable to get picked off. Not many birds can see in the dark.”

While Santos is working, he said, his father tends to their pigeons, numbering about 50.

“He loves them,” Santos said of his father. “Those are his babies. He doesn’t like to drive much so I get stuck with the training most of the time.”

Santos is part of the Rhode Island Racing Pigeon Club, based in Attleboro. The group has been around since 1938, and now has about 60 members.

The racing club participates in several races each year, ranging from a 150-mile race starting in Albany to a 600-mile race starting in Sandusky, Ohio. The winner is determined by which bird went the highest amount of yards per minute in terms of their route home.

However, the bird that got lost recently wasn’t old enough to participate in a longer event, like a race that took place at the end of June starting in Sandusky, Santos said.

The bird that got lost was in training. The bird was under a year old, and was coming home from Uxbridge. Santos said young birds usually can only fly home from 100 to 350 miles out.

Before training, young pigeons go through a phase called “ranging,” in which they leave as a group, called a “kit”, from the loft and leave the sight of their owner.

“They start to kit up,” Santos said. “Once they are ranging in the yard, that means they are traveling 10 or 20 miles on their own, meaning you can take me 20 miles down the road because I’ve been there already. It takes at least a couple of weeks before they start ranging.”

He said next year, the pigeon will become a “yearling,” participating in what pigeon trainers call the “Old Bird Series,” which includes races that range from 150 to 600 miles. There are 11 total races each year in the Old Bird Series, from the middle of April to the end of June.

“Normally, we train the younger birds up to Palmer, Massachusetts,” Santos said. “That’s far enough. They go from there. You put them in these crates and you let them go. Once they are doing really good you get home and they are already there. That’s when they are really in form. It’s just like you were going to run a marathon. You couldn’t run the marathon next year and just go and do it. You run five miles a day. You start them out like that. I find it amazing that you can take them further, they recognize landmarks, and can find their way home.”

Santos said the racing birds are nothing like ordinary pigeons that forage for food on the streets.

“Nobody likes the common birds when you go to Boston,” Santos said. “These birds here are athletes. Those birds you see under bridges you’d never see going to Ohio. These are a different breed, a purebred bird. They are carrying pigeons. You’ve got to get that stubborn one with the real desire to get home to his perch or his box.”

His father, who also goes by Daniel, said that taking care of the birds for two or three hours a day, feeding, watering and cleaning is a pleasure.

“The ones that come fast is the ones I love,” the elder Santos said. “Some have more brains than others.”

Bucchieri said that when Santos stopped by to pick up the bird, she was sure her Stella, now known as Stanley, was in good hands.

“It was a really sweet and kind bird,” she said. “I’ll be honest. When we figured out she was a racing pigeon, my friends asked if the owner takes good care of her. You hear about racing horses and racing dogs. I said if he doesn’t take good care of her I’d keep it.

“He came and told us so much about what he does with the birds,” Bucchieri said. “He knew how to handle it. You could tell that he was a very kind-hearted man and the fact that the bird was so friendly — sometimes a bird might peck, and this one didn’t at all. My daughter and her friends all petted it. It was really good natured.”

By Keith Mott

The 2010 NFC Tarbes Grand National turned out to be a very hard race with only 481 birds on the final result, but it was particularly hard for the lofts in the north of England. Whether it is a hard or easy race, Brian Denney’s fantastic ‘Bri-Den’ 700 mile family of pigeons always hold their own and give a great account of them selves in any competition. Brian sent eight birds to the Tarbes National held in July and recorded 1st, 4th, 6th Section K, 80th, 241st, 317th open flying 748 miles to his loft in York. The first pigeon on the clock from Tarbes was a seven year old blue chequer hen named ‘Maxine’, raced on the widowhood system and this was her third time at Tarbes, previously recording 109th open in 2007. Brian’s latest Section K winner is a full sister to his champion stock cock ‘Maxi’ and he is a son of Campion ‘Classic Lad’, winner of 1st open Northern Classic Saintes, and ‘Lynnetta’ a daughter of Champion ‘Tuff Nut’. Champion ‘Maxi’ is one of best 750 mile stock cocks in Europe, being the sire and grandsire of many premier racers including: Champion ‘Dark Charm’, winner of 1st section K, 5th open NFC Tarbes and his nest mate Champion ‘Dark Dancer’, winner of 1st section K, 48th open NFC Fougeres, 2nd section K, 4th open NFC Tarbes. A fantastic family of 750 mile pigeons! The London & South East Classic purchased a new transporter at the beginning of the 2010 season and when we were having it sign written for the road, we used Champion ‘Dark Dancer’s’ photo on the lorries side panels. Not only is he one of the premier 750 mile racers in the UK, but he is also a good looker!

I first visited Brian and Thelma Denney in 1999 when I went to the Yorkshire loft to video ‘Mr Long Distance’ for my ‘Many Miles with Mott’ video series and since then we have met up at the BHW Blackpool Show every year, and I keep saying, ‘I will pop up and see you both this summer’. Well ten years have flown by and I still had not been back to Strensall, although a visit was arranged in November 2008, when I was to stop off on my journey up to South Shields to judge the NEHU Show, but had to call it off as I had Gout in my foot. In late April 2009, Peter Taylor and I ‘bit the bullet’ and headed north armed with my pigeon photography box and a battery of cameras, including the video units. We left Claygate on the Monday morning at 06.00hrs and had a really good 240 miles drive up to York and were greeted by Brian on his front drive at 10.30 hrs. The weather was brilliant and the thought of looking at one of the best long distance lofts of pigeon in the sport excited me and Peter! After some tea and a chat I set up my pigeon box in Brian’s garage and photographed 13 of the current ‘Bri-Den’ 750 mile champions. I took over a hundred photos of Brian and Thelma, and the lofts, which has brought my file up to date on this fancier, who is one of our greatest long distance champions of all time. I shot nearly an hour of video and just like those ten years since my last visit, the time flew by and after a nice lunch put on our Thelma, it was 14.30hrs and time to make the 240 mile drive home. What a great day we had!

The month of June 2009 saw Brian’s favourite race take place, the NFC Tarbes Grand National, and the Denney’s enjoyed a brilliant race of a lifetime! The 3,800 birds were liberated at 13.45hrs on the Friday in no wind situation and with adverse weather in northern France that evening, the convoy experienced a very difficult race, with many members not clocking in on the Saturday. Brian and Thelma sent a team of 20 birds and flying 748 miles in to Yorkshire, clocked seven of their entry on the Saturday, to record a fantastic 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th, 11th section K, 3rd, 4th, 12th, 19th, 30th, 56th,153rd open NFC and 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th open North East 700 Mile Club . The Denney’s first two birds were on the clock within three minutes, with the 1st section K, 3rd open winner being the five year old widowhood blue chequer hen, ‘Northern Lady’, and she has previously won 6th section K, 217th NFC Tarbes. She is a daughter of the sire of the Brian’s loft, Champion ‘Tuff Nut’, winner of 1st section K, 5th open NFC Pau, when mated to ‘Brian’s Prize’ winner of 4th open Northern Classic Saintes, being clocked at 573 miles on the day of liberation, and is a full sister to the champion breeding hen, ‘Dark Jan’. Those who were present on our visit to the Strensall loft in April will recall that I picked out ‘Northern Lady’ as my fancy and I’m happy to say she hit the jackpot in the very hard Tarbes Grand National! This champion hen has every thing being appled bodied and medium sized, with wonderful feather, eye and good balance in the hand. She was paired up on 10th February, being raced on total widowhood and had three inland races up to 180 miles, before going in to the NFC Fougeres and Alencon races for training, then went to the NFC Tarbes Grand National. A wonderful hen! The star of the Brian Denney loft in 2009 must be the champion dark pied cock, ‘Dark Dancer’, being clocked three minutes after ‘Northern Lady’ in the NFC Tarbes race to win 2nd section K, 4th open. A fantastic 750 mile racing widowhood cock and his full performance is: 2009: 1st section K, 4th open NFC Fougeres, 2nd section K, 4th open NFC Tarbes, and previously won 6th section K, 27th open NFC Tarbes, 4th section K, 208th open NFC Tarbes, 4th section K NFC Fougeres. An absolutely fantastic performance!

L&SECC Merit Award 2010

The L&SECC presents any pigeon that records three positions in the first fifty of the open result in the longest old bird race a Merit Award. These beautiful diplomas have the pigeon’s photo and full race details on, ready to be framed and hung on the wall at home. These wards are very hard to win and through the years only a small number pigeons have achieved it. The 2010 season has proved to be a ‘bumper’ time for the L&SECC Merit Award and I have heard of three pigeons that have won the award at Tarbes this time. Of course Amin and Shabir Khan’s champion blue hen, ‘The L Ring Hen’, has secured her diploma by winning our 2010 Tarbes race, but former Classic President, Alistair Muir of Abinger Hammer, has won the Merit Award with a grand daughter of his 1996 L&SECC Pau winner, ‘Andy’s Boy’, who also won the Merit Award. Alistair is enjoying a great 2010 season and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on winning 1st open BICC Tarbes recently. Fred Emberson of Godmersham in Kent recently told me he had been waiting 25 years to win the Merit Award when he won it in 2009 with his Blue Chequer Pied ‘Links Show Girl’, winner of 2007: 23rd open L&SECC Pau, 2008: 22nd open L&SECC Tarbes, 2009: 28th open L&SECC Tarbes. Fred has enjoyed another great Tarbes Classic this season and won another Merit Award with his Blue Chequer WF hen ‘Links Confidence’, a fantastic long distance racer and winner of 2007: 43rd open L&SECC Pau, 2008: 15th open BICC Tarbes, 2009: 1st SE section, 13th open Tarbes: 2010: 17th open L&SECC Tarbes. He waits 25 years to win a Merit Award and then wins two in two years!

2010 L&SECC Brooker Gold Cup Winners.

1st: Gosling & Jarvis of Mountnessing: GB09H46049: 1207.812

2nd: Gosling & Jarvis of Mountnessing: GB09N92027: 1204.135

3rd: Skeete & Keen of Merton Park: GB09R22676: 1196.919

2010 L&SECC Tours Yearlings Derby Winners.

1st: Wilton & Orton of Chadwell St Mary: GB09N90218: 1277.889

2nd: Mr & Mrs Streatfield of Snodland: GB09N96658: 1273.050

3rd: H Miller of Tilbury: NWHU09E1434: 1272.772

4th: Wilton & Orton of Chadwell St Mary: GB09N90203: 1270.371

5th: H Miller of Tilbury: NWHU09E1396: 1265.492

6th: M Bulled of Harlow: GB09N28563: 1247.941

7th: D C Squire of Addlestone: GB09N87587: 1244.990

8th: Meg Murray of Burnham on Crouch: GB09T05792: 1241.329

9th: Chitty Brothers of Kings Langley: GB09A00666: 1241.197

10th: I. Malik & Partners of Tolworth: GB09N10036: 1239.677

That’s it for this week! I have included the L&SECC Tours Yearling Derby and ‘Gold Cup’ winners for your information. I can be contact with any pigeon comments on telephone number: 01372 463480. See yer!

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT.

By Valerie Schremp Hahn - Of the Post-Dispatch

County man's hobby takes flight

A single dove release at the end of a funeral costs $100; a 10-dove release along with a single dove released by the family to represent the deceased costs $275.

Watching the flock of white doves fly lazy circles above Steve Fortner's house in St. Charles County, you might get so taken by the sight you'll forget you're getting dizzy.

The sun shines through the birds' wings and gives them a hazy glow. The distinct flap-flap-whoosh-whoosh sound of their wings grows louder, as the birds fly closer to the ground.

Back in their coop, the birds sit in their crates and coo a constant, soft symphony.

This is everyday life in Fortner's little corner of the world, which includes an 8-by-24-foot coop in his backyard off Laura Hill Road. Fortner markets the beauty of his birds for his business, Show Me Doves, which offers ceremonial dove releases at weddings, funerals and other special events.

The flaps of the dove's wings at these events blend with the guests' ooohs and aaahs, and then the doves circle low to get their bearings and fly away in a single group.

"It's a pretty uplifting experience," said Fortner, 41, who also owns a candy and soda-vending business.

Fortner believes that Show Me Doves is the only such business in the metro area in Missouri, and he often refers Metro East customers to a man in Belleville with a similar business.

The birds are white homing pigeons, which are still considered doves. All doves and pigeons descended from the rock dove, and selective breeding created the homing pigeon. Fortner keeps about 110 white homing pigeons in his coop. He uses about 50 of them for racing and releasing, and the rest are for breeding or are too young to race or fly long distances.

No matter where the doves get released, they almost always make their way back home to the coop. When Fortner does lose a dove, it's to the usual enemies: hawks, power lines, storms or extreme temperatures.

Fortner generally goes to weddings or other events within a 50-mile radius of his home, but for occasions such as races, the birds can find their way home from hundreds of miles away.

Fortner first started keeping birds in 1996, when he kept quails to train his hunting dogs. He had always been interested in racing pigeons, so he got connected with the St. Charles County-based North End Racing Pigeon Club and started keeping some.

Friends started asking to borrow his white pigeons for release at weddings. He eventually sold all of his dark-colored pigeons and started keeping white ones only; and Show Me Doves started as a business in May 2000.

These birds are different from the smaller, ring-necked doves you might see at pet stores - those wouldn't survive in the wild at all, Fortner says. The pigeons are born with a natural homing instinct, but they still need to be trained, to build strength and endurance. Fortner begins training when they are at least 3 months old, after they first start to perch on top of the coop and look around outside. They eventually join the rest of the birds on their daily flights around his house and neighborhood.

To continue the training, Fortner puts the birds in crates, drives about one mile from his house, releases them and lets them find their way back. He continues this several times a week, working up to five miles, then 10 miles, then 20 miles, until the birds can find their way home from about 75 miles away. They're usually fully trained by the time they're 6 months old.

In addition to their daily flights, which last about an hour, Fortner tries to give the birds about 50 to 75 miles in extra exercise a week. He spends a lot of time driving the birds in his truck west on Interstate 70 to the Truxton exit, so he can release them.

The doves can cost as little as $5. In rare cases, they have been sold for $25,000. Caring for them is a daily undertaking of feeding, exercising and scraping waste off the coop floor. "You don't just throw them food and water," Fortner said. "I've got a milk crate in there that has $300 worth of medication, to just keep on hand."

Fortner averages about 50 weddings and about 70 funerals a year. A single dove release at the end of a funeral costs $100, and a 10-dove release along with a single dove released by the family to represent the deceased costs $275.

Weddings are always happy occasions, and he's always happy to add his dramatic touch. Two doves for the bride and groom to release from a decorated basket costs $100, and an additional 24 more doves in two more decorated baskets costs $350. Fortner's wife, Sharon, often helps him at wedding releases.

Only once has a bird had an "accident" on a guest, and the person laughed about it and jokingly blamed the bride, he said.

Fortner is grateful he's turned a hobby into a business.

"Everybody's always appreciative," he said.

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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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