Virtual Loft: Old Bird Shipping Night

To find out a little more about the Pigeon World, I attended an Old Bird Shipping Night a few weeks ago.
  

I arrived early, around 6:30 pm on a Friday Night.  Friday is when the birds are shipped out, depending on the weather.  Nick, my liasion into this unique subculture had me help him carry in his pigeons.  I cringed as I forgot to wear my grubby clothes.  I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw the bottoms were covered and no chance of pigeon poop making onto my clothes.  The baskets were not that heavy, but kind of awkward if you never carried one before.  They come in various styles:

This by far was the most popular model of carrier.  With wooden dowels at the top, and mesh side that allow for optimum ventilation, it's favoured by both pigeon and racer alike.

This similar model below was also popular, although the ventilation was not as great.

This model on the chair, is made from Aluminum.  It was not as common as other models.  To me it kind of looked like a 'paddy wagon' for birds.

I looked, but there was no 'Brinks' logo ;)

As the pigeons came in they would set the baskets down on chairs, like the one above.  Nick, meanwhile, set up the equipment that would register the birds in the race near the back of the clubhouse.

The Instrument below on the left is used for registering the birds.  The one on the right records the information.

After the birds are registered, they are loaded into a basket.  Which one depends on their gender, or what race they are flying in.

Next the birds carried out to the trucks waiting outside.

When the trucks were all loaded up they would travel to the 401 to meet a transport that was meeting other trucks from other clubs in the Combine.  Birds are usually raced Saturday morning, except in cases of inclement weather.  However, the day could be different, depending on the Club.

Coming Soon:  Waiting for the Birds to Come Home, and going to a Clock Off to find out the winner.

Who Wants to be a Pigeon Racer?

So you've become interested in racing pigeons.

Whatever the reason - you've always had a fascination with their innate homing abilities and incredible speed.  Or perhaps a friend or family racer races.  Or, you've driven by a loft and thought it looked neat.  Or could it be you heard of Mike Tyson's upcoming reality show on racing pigeons.


However you heard about it, your interest is piqued and you want to learn more.  Before you go nuts and starting building a loft ask yourself - am I the right kind of person for this?  What do I need to do?  How can I find out more information?  What are the benefits?

 

What Kind of Person Does it Take?


It helps if you like birds, especially pigeons, since that's the only bird that is raced in Pigeon Racing.  (In case you are wondering, it is one particular species - the Racing Homer (Columba livia).)


Most pigeon racers are pretty competitive.  It also takes some dedication, and hard work.  A positive attitude helps too - you can't be a poor sport, because odds are if you are new, you won't win right away.

Most importantly, you must like to keep pets and be a pretty responsible person - its going to take some work, but the rewards are going to be great.

What are the Benefits?



One of the common responses to this question is - seeing your hard work pay off. When you do start winning some races, the fact that something you raised, feed, cared for and trained has won, is a feeling of great satisfaction.


Meet new people - some if not all clubs have a clubhouse for socializing and there are events held around the country that you can travel to.


Teach responsibility, learn breeding techniques, how to care for animals. If you are a parent looking for an activity that would provide your child with some or all of those opportunities, it can be a great sport for the entire family to enjoy.


Research, Research, Research
Look more into the sport to know what to expect.

CRPU Website
American Racing Pigeon Union Website
Ad Schaerlaeckens
Racing Pigeon Digest
Racing Pigeon Mall


Check out the sidebar for some other informative links.
Ok, I'm still interested, how do I start?Still interested?  Phone Monik at the Canadian Racing Pigeon Union Head office 1-866-652-5704.  She's really nice and will be happy to answer all your questions!






Coming Soon - How to join the CU and a Pigeon Racing Club.

I Don't Know Squab

So what's my expertise in the pigeon-verse?


Virtually none.


The only thing I knew about pigeons before my gig as the CRPU's Special Events Coordinator, was that Pigeons were a pretty intelligent bird, forming the trifecta of animal behavioural research subjects (along with primates and lab mice).


In the past weeks, these are the most interesting things I learned about my new feathered BFFs:

Pigeons and Doves and Dodos, Oh my!


Pigeons belong to the family Columbidae which also includes Doves and the exinct Dodo bird. For more info on the family tree click here.


They have been used since ancient times



They are said to be the first domesticated bird.  Although there are disputes on the exact date, they may have been used for food as far back as 3000 BCE.  Click here for more info on pigeons in antiquity and other historical uses. 

They are war heroes


Although most think of GI Joe as a line of action figures, it was also the name of a carrier pigeon in the United States Army Pigeon Service that saved over one thousand lives.  For this he was awarded the Dickin Medal.  Click here for other famous War Pigeons.



Frequent Flyers


Although there is a discrepancy on the exact speed, homing pigeons can fly up to 95 km/h (59 mph), and average a speed around 48 km/h (30 mph).  Pigeons races are usually in kilometres between 150-250 (short) , 250-350 (medium) ,400-600 (long).  Although distances of up to 1000 km have been covered.


All the News that's Fit to Fly

New service Reuters used carrier pigeons to close the gap in the telegraph line between Brussels and Berlin in its early days.  This was not the first time pigeons have been used, to carry news.  Click here for a history of the pigeon post.


They have the world’s weirdest celebrity entourage


Noah, was a pigeon fancier of biblical proportions.  Even Royalty is a fan of our feathered friends.  Queen Elizabeth II, reigning monarch of England and the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley kept pigeons.    And, probably the biggest pigeon fan of all - former heavyweight champion Iron Mike Tyson, who has a reality show about pigeon racing to debut in 2011.


They produce milk for their young

Pigeons are one of three birds that produce 'milk' in their crop which they regurgitate for their young.  This highly nutritious substance is not like mammalian milk at all in appearance - it is said to more closely resemble cottage cheese. It does however produce sustenance for the young, and includes more fat and protein than human or cow milk.

How moo-ving.

Thank you, thank you, I'll be posting all week =)

Coming Soon:  Joining the World of Pigeon Racers, and Pigeon Terminology A-Z. 

Hello Blogosphere!

My first post!




I am relatively new to both the Blogging and Pigeon Racing Worlds.




Each month I will make about 2-3 posts about my new experiences in the Pigeon Racing World. I will also bring you interesting facts about pigeons, helpful links and friendly advice that will hopefully help pigeon racers both new and experienced.



I am going to be running a 'virtual loft' of 10-12 squeakers. I will not be in charge of the pigeons in an operational sense, nor is the loft at my house, but I will be posting my various experiences (banding birds, attending shippings, feeding them, etc).



If you would like to suggest topics or provide some constructive criticism, feel free to in the Comment section.






Coming Soon:


Fun Facts I learned about pigeons