One for Murray

Murray · Tue Jul 14, 2026 11:31 am

No, not good at all, Devo. Still many out and they were still drifting in at dark.
I suspect the falcons have got into them and chased them for miles.

The place is crawling with them, the Raptor rescue people still falsely believe that they are endangered and raise and release them. The hawks have decimated the wildlife and now hunt the pigeons like never before.
It could be something else, but I can't imagine what else could cause such a bad fly from only 15 miles.
Both of ours, VeeBee, the Free Beer's daughter, and TNFS the grizzle are home, one in 1 hour 48 and the other in 2 hours. They'll have taken no harm. The poor birds that were arriving after five and a half hours are going to take some rebuilding.

Murray · Tue Jul 14, 2026 11:48 pm

It has dawned bright and sunny and the youngsters are arriving home. I see that about 50 have come in already, so hopefully they will drift in through the day. They've obviously been well chased.
Not great for them at this early stage but if most of them get home that's the main thing.

Murray · Tue Jul 14, 2026 11:54 pm

They are pouring in now so that is great to see.

Diamond Dave · Wed Jul 15, 2026 7:04 am

Are the hawks a "protected" species in oz mate?

Murray · Wed Jul 15, 2026 8:14 am

Hell yes. Shoot one and you are in a world of trouble.
That was required 50 years ago when DDT and other poisons had almost wiped them out. Now they are plague. Thousands of them.
I kid you not, out in the country there is one on nearly every power pole. The wild birds have been decimated.
The problem is the hawk blokes just have to say that the falcons are threatened, not evidence at all supplied, and the green left start chanting like zombies,
" The falcons are threatened, the falcons are threatened...." These are the same people who live in a city apartment and may have never seen a falcon, or a power pole.
They have infiltrated government to the point that sensible people are powerless.

Diamond Dave · Wed Jul 15, 2026 9:16 am

Same here Murray and they also have TV personalities among their ranks. The Rspb set up breeding programs for the ugly feckers but are blind to the fact that they are decimating the song bird population.
A friend of mine used to keep proper white doves in a cote for some 25years.The past3 or 4 years his flock has been decimated by hawks and he can't afford to keep replacing them so has given them up. They have no defence other than their fan tail which don't scare the hawks one bit.

Devo1956 · Wed Jul 15, 2026 9:31 am

Still 542 birds missing from the trainer yesterday atThe Meadows OLR.

https://oneloftrace.live/lofts/146/flig ... en&tab=one

Devo1956 · Wed Jul 15, 2026 9:45 am

How is the weather over there Murray?

Murray · Wed Jul 15, 2026 9:56 am

No, there were about 300 gone from the 1947 original entries before that toss, and about another 250 after the first proper training toss. From 15 miles.
That is not good, 30% of the pigeons entered are missing.
I will not criticize Steve. He puts his heart into this race, and we have seen some great races and all had a lot of enjoyment.
I am going to remain positive, one bad toss does not destroy a season. And as I somewhat cynically said to a bloke, It improves our chances.

Murray · Wed Jul 15, 2026 9:58 am

Devo1956 wrote: Wed Jul 15, 2026 9:45 am How is the weather over there Murray?

Cold.
Yesterday was cold and partly cloudy.
Today was cold and mostly sunny
Tomorrow will be cold and I don't really care.
I am sick of cold.