Bowbroom wrote: Tue Nov 18, 2025 7:16 pm
I think the problem must be en route home Neil, I have a couple of friends in the Worksop area and one has not had a strike in 3 years and the other was hit at home once last year but it was a hen sparrowhawk
The Peregrine falcon problem is EVERYWHERE. Most cities have had them nesting for years, Web cams are everywhere. The starting race point for one fancier is the race ending for another fancier. The Peregrine hunting range can be typical ranges spanning from a relatively small (38.6 square miles) in prey-rich areas to a much larger (579 square miles) or more where food is scarce. That is the WHOLE country covered.
As for being hit that is down to bad luck. The larger the flock/group of birds the more attraction they get. That's why race days are the most likely day to lose birds. Here in York we have had a pair of Peregrine falcons on the Minster for around 5 years. I live less than 2 miles from it and NEVER been bothered by them despite my birds being on open hole 3 hours a day during the racing season, other fanciers with much larger teams have. I rarely see the Peregrine falcons but often see several Sparrowhawks everyday. I've lost just ONE bird in the last 3 years.
Not sure what the last part means king
If you think you birds got street wise I can’t agree I think it’s the peregrine has other easier food sources than your birds if them optioned were gone it would wipe you out if your birds are flying you may get away with it if the on your garden
Plus you can’t race on a open hole these days you would be destroyed in good competition I have had people here in open hole there 10-15 mins behind each week
No Neil there's no such thing as street wise. Wild birds are born street wise they still get killed. A bird is either lucky or it isn't. The point I was making is small flocks like mine 10 birds flying out attract less interest than other fanciers around me with flocks of 30-60 flying round. When I raced I trained my 24 ybs in 2 teams 12 in each and lost less than a handful training in the last 5 years I raced. Others training ybs letting them up in one large group again 40, 50, 60 were often getting hit.
The open hole was nothing to do with racing, just saying what I do now. It was showing mine are out more than most other fanciers birds and still not getting hit.
Lads in Boston don't get hit much around home loft flying any one who liberates there gets hit same as Sleaford you can even train there zero trouble race liberation they get hit ,ymr fed 2nd yb race got destroyed at liberation conveyer told me he's self ,,at Eastbourne peregrines chase em of cliff or down in two the bowl by the cafe there slaughtered there that's where damaged done on route after 10,20 miles the batch is breaking up in two smaller groups and peregrines don't hit many batches when there bombing along
Bowbroom wrote: Tue Nov 18, 2025 7:16 pm
I think the problem must be en route home Neil, I have a couple of friends in the Worksop area and one has not had a strike in 3 years and the other was hit at home once last year but it was a hen sparrowhawk
The Peregrine falcon problem is EVERYWHERE. Most cities have had them nesting for years, Web cams are everywhere. The starting race point for one fancier is the race ending for another fancier. The Peregrine hunting range can be typical ranges spanning from a relatively small (38.6 square miles) in prey-rich areas to a much larger (579 square miles) or more where food is scarce. That is the WHOLE country covered.
As for being hit that is down to bad luck. The larger the flock/group of birds the more attraction they get. That's why race days are the most likely day to lose birds. Here in York we have had a pair of Peregrine falcons on the Minster for around 5 years. I live less than 2 miles from it and NEVER been bothered by them despite my birds being on open hole 3 hours a day during the racing season, other fanciers with much larger teams have. I rarely see the Peregrine falcons but often see several Sparrowhawks everyday. I've lost just ONE bird in the last 3 years.
Not sure what the last part means king
If you think you birds got street wise I can’t agree I think it’s the peregrine has other easier food sources than your birds if them optioned were gone it would wipe you out if your birds are flying you may get away with it if the on your garden
Plus you can’t race on a open hole these days you would be destroyed in good competition I have had people here in open hole there 10-15 mins behind each week
I can't speak for racing in your locality Neil, but most fanciers I know that are on open hole all day, are only interested in racing 400 +, and being 10-15 mins of the pace, in races up to 400, wouldn't be worrying.
To be fair Neil, we have a lot of members, that don't compete after 250-300 and I don't always agree with that, as the fed puts up a program that I think all members should strive to complete, and I also find that a lot of these members,( unlike yourself) keep very large teams, and yet cannot complete the program, and If they go to a National race, its only the shorter ones.
Albert wrote: Wed Nov 19, 2025 12:56 pm
To be fair Neil, we have a lot of members, that don't compete after 250-300 and I don't always agree with that, as the fed puts up a program that I think all members should strive to complete, and I also find that a lot of these members,( unlike yourself) keep very large teams, and yet cannot complete the program, and If they go to a National race, its only the shorter ones.
I was guilty of that Albert I use to race to 285 miles
All my selection was based on that
We only have 348 miles and 480 miles after that so I thought with 20 cocks why have say 6 in the team for one race a year when I have 11 other short races
It was not to the year before last I thought with facing peregrine issues need to make use of my hens going froward as I had 8 injured by BOP of my 20 at one point ,so I could keep 16 to 20 cocks and 20 hens once I sort out what’s what although currently I have more there 47 out there what with only having one yb race
Then I started to think although living right down the long end I could include the 4 nrcc races of 310-480 in the program and try in the section for prizes and one day hope with the winds help we get a bit of luck down here
Now I found I really in enjoyed them races
And that to me is pigeon racing, the satisfaction of getting them home from 350 to 650 mile races in race time, and if you get a ticket all the better, especially if you are up among the winners. And striving to breed birds with that capability.
I don't agree with race time ,,if there's birds in your area and your a day later for me that's failure, but clocking in ya area on time from 500 miles is brilliant but race time I'm not so sure some of these velocity u see birds being clocked are like jogging pace .
When you are flying these distances a lot every year, you are not going to be with the winners all the time, but there is still a lot of pleasure and achievement to be gained, and when you go down this road, in pigeon racing, you soon find out how very few birds can do these distances in race time, and an even smaller amount, that can get you among the top prizes, when flying with a modest team.
Albert wrote: Wed Nov 19, 2025 4:02 pm
When you are flying these distances a lot every year, you are not going to be with the winners all the time, but there is still a lot of pleasure and achievement to be gained, and when you go down this road, in pigeon racing, you soon find out how very few birds can do these distances in race time, and an even smaller amount, that can get you among the top prizes, when flying with a modest team.
I understand that Albert but I couldn't look at a any animal not just pigeons that fail pal ,a pigeon being a day or 2 days after birds in uk from distance I couldn't look at them for another 52 weeks, may be when I'm older I may fill different but at moment I couldn't look at a bird doing 650ypm and winners doing 1050ypm .
