UkPigeonRacing

daverscott wrote: ↑Mon Jan 27, 2025 8:24 pm I live near Marlborough in Wiltshire. But where have all the hawks come from and why are they picking on racing pigeons when I would have thought town pigeons would have been easier prey. I remember a few news reports back in the day and the presenters seemed to think it was funny that birds were being picked off. I'm sure this subject has already been debated to death but where do we go from here?

Not easy we are only small and the rspb massive yet they can’t see what is happening to there song birds or don’t want to

daverscott wrote: ↑Mon Jan 27, 2025 8:24 pm I live near Marlborough in Wiltshire. But where have all the hawks come from and why are they picking on racing pigeons when I would have thought town pigeons would have been easier prey. I remember a few news reports back in the day and the presenters seemed to think it was funny that birds were being picked off. I'm sure this subject has already been debated to death but where do we go from here?

The thing is with the peregrine they have to strike from above. The town pigeons have learnt that if they go down low the peregrine won’t hit them near the ground. I have seen my pigeons batch together and see a peregrine off. Provided they keep at the same height or above the peregrine they can out fly it. They will fly in circles towards the hawk until out of the area. It’s when the peregrine is in a 200mph dive that they get hit. The trouble is now so many artificial sites are being put up encouraging the hawks further in land and into towns and cities.

Andy wrote: ↑Mon Jan 27, 2025 2:39 pm

daverscott wrote: ↑Mon Jan 27, 2025 1:30 pm Yep definitely hope to return to the sport. It will mean moving house but I don't like the neighbours anyway . My hope is that the pair get to the end and I will be able to buy them back. I'm just worried about the hawk problem there were none to speak of in my day going back to the early 90's the biggest problem was cats. I think that's all changed now. From what I can gather they wait till you loft fly and pick of the YB's is that true?

It certainly is different nowadays. I lose birds from around home on a fairly regular basis, mainly due to Peregrines around here but have lost the odd ones to the sparrow hawk too.

There's two reasons for it, as I see it.
First, when they banned DDT there was a come back of all the predator species that were nearly driven to extinction. That is great, I don't like them but they shouldn't have been made extinct.
The second problem is the Muppet animal rights type cloth heads who still have the idea in their small brains that the hawks are still endangered. The idiots breed them in captivity and release them. 50 years ago, they probably did good work, but the place is crawling with them now. Here in Australia as you drive through the country there's a hawk of some type on every second power pole. And the clowns still run adverts seeking funding to breed more of them. And people give them money!
This is why you can't train your pigeons.

Hello I'm really please to say I managed to get a couple of Birds in a one loft. After the RPRA was cancelled. Luckily I managed to get a couple of entries into the UK Premier.
I visited Lee Painter over the weekend and he kindly let me have a pair at a fraction of their true value and refused to take a penny more. Lee is real credit to the sport. I then took the birds straight to Jeremy at the UK premier another truly nice guy. He took the trouble to show my son the impressive one loft set up.
If they get to the end its my intention to put up a small shed in the garden and buy them back. Thanks to everyone for their help and advice as I was getting nowhere fast

Glad it all worked out so well

daverscott wrote: ↑Mon Mar 31, 2025 1:19 pm Hello I'm really please to say I managed to get a couple of Birds in a one loft. After the RPRA was cancelled. Luckily I managed to get a couple of entries into the UK Premier.
I visited Lee Painter over the weekend and he kindly let me have a pair at a fraction of their true value and refused to take a penny more. Lee is real credit to the sport. I then took the birds straight to Jeremy at the UK premier another truly nice guy. He took the trouble to show my son the impressive one loft set up.
If they get to the end its my intention to put up a small shed in the garden and buy them back. Thanks to everyone for their help and advice as I was getting nowhere fast

Top lad is Lee, you can’t go wrong there

Known Lee very well for over 25 years now and we talk most days

daverscott wrote: ↑Mon Mar 31, 2025 1:19 pm Hello I'm really please to say I managed to get a couple of Birds in a one loft. After the RPRA was cancelled. Luckily I managed to get a couple of entries into the UK Premier.
I visited Lee Painter over the weekend and he kindly let me have a pair at a fraction of their true value and refused to take a penny more. Lee is real credit to the sport. I then took the birds straight to Jeremy at the UK premier another truly nice guy. He took the trouble to show my son the impressive one loft set up.
If they get to the end its my intention to put up a small shed in the garden and buy them back. Thanks to everyone for their help and advice as I was getting nowhere fast

Well done to Lee for helping you out and I wish you every success with them, look forward to following the updates as they progress

Excellent. That's just the tonic to get you keen about the sport. We need plenty of people like Lee and Jeremy to help those who are interested in beginning.

Lee’s bang on. Honest as the day is long

Previously he was 4th in the Sprint Category at the Olympics

If he doesn’t win he doesn’t run to the excuse box. I like that

Thanks Everyone. They have been entered under the name The Two Arthurs (after my dad and my son). If they get to the end I will be very pleased