Had one reported this afternoon

[Buster121]

Nice to see they being reported, makes you wonder if they got scattered and working back or went to ground avoiding hawks

[Buster121]

Nice to see they being reported, makes you wonder if they got scattered and working back or went to ground avoiding hawks

Yes either that or they clashed with birds heading east !! I think sometimes there are too many organisations at the same lib point and they don't give enough time between liberations !! Or the lib points are too close together and the race controllers don't take all this into consideration, I think the other thing that is poor these days is that the controllers only look at the weather either end of the race and not what they might hit on route. I might be wrong but back in the day the controller would have several contacts on route he would get advice from before making his decision to release.

I'm hoping to pick your bird up later today Andy, I'll contact Fred in a while.

I have to agree with that Trev

[Buster121]

I had another one reported this afternoon in Guildford which is almost due north of where they were liberated. He has a couple of secondary feathers missing so obviously had a lucky escape. The person who has him is training this way a bit tomorrow weather permitting. He said that he is in good condition so will let him up if ok tomorrow and hopefully he will make his way back home.

Hope he does Andy

[Buster121]

Shame that is was hoping he would do it under his own steam, didn't know he had been hawked, hope he recovers well

[Buster121]

I had yet another one reported from last Fridays race this evening. He is a cock that came well in his first couple of races. He is Ross on Wye, Gloucestershire. The combine winners from last week’s were up that way so I would imagine he went up that way with the drag. Apparently he is completely flown out with not much left to him. Hopefully he is going to be put on our transporter on Friday and as we are last pick up, and it is my turn to wait to help load the lorry, I can collect him off the transporter. That does leave me with just one unaccounted for from last weeks race.

That is good news mate, hope he goes on to make a full recovery

[Buster121]

I do agree Murray. I have kept pigeons in for fanciers and later liberated them and they have got home. But others I never hear of so probably not got home. I think on most occasions all you’re doing is moving the problem from one place to another. I think that unless a pigeon is right both physically and mentally they won’t get home. I’ve probably had more success just leaving them to come and go. Quite often after a while they leave on their own accord.

I tend to agree with you Andy that most strays if given their liberty will head off on their own in time. I have a stray here at the moment from Kent, it came into me on the last bank holiday Monday. I put it straight in a basket in the shed and next day called its owner, I agreed that I'd give it a couple of days and take it with me to work on the Thursday when I was working about 10 miles closer to its home. I wasn't convinced it was quite ready but knew it would be another week before I was that way again so let him go anyway, he seemed to clear ok so I thought maybe he had a chance. I got home that evening to find him back in my loft I tried him from a different place earlier this week as he felt like he was almost there but this week we have had a chilly easterly wind so he obviously didn't fancy flying into it so once again came back to mine. He certainly isn't settled at mine so in time I think he will head off but sadly I've probably done him no favours as he will have to fly over my place from most of his races so is likely to drop in again. I am going to contact his owner tomorrow and maybe put him on the transporter Friday night to liberated from Retford which is North West of his home so he has a 50/50 chance of choosing the right route home.
The other funny thing about this particular stray is that the same day I had this bird come into me I had one of mine reported just South of where this bird comes from which begs the question of did the two federations clash on the Sunday !!!

Reminds me of couple years ago I had a mealy come in got the owners details and took it to his house he said he had sent it to Wolverhampton for a trainer anyway few days later back at mine this happened several times every time he sent it training it came to me so we decided I would keep it, I tried it on trainer to Bromsgrove after several 20 milers bloody thing went straight down and someone took it to a vet who charged me about £40 for looking at it and a injection of vitamins or something never trained it since