On Saturday, the first yearling pigeon races of the 2018 season took place from Vrede (135km) and Paul Roux (180km). 78 Ladysmith pigeons were sent to Vrede and 140 to Paul Roux.
The first Vrede pigeon was clocked by Paul Manuel at 10:01, 17 minutes ahead of the second pigeon clocked by Lappies from Labusch Lofts. The pigeons from Paul Roux arrived at 9:50, but were still very energetic.
Most people struggled to get their pigeons in because they were flying around at home.
Jimmy Hanlon clocked the winning pigeon, beating Tiekie Crouse by 37 seconds into second place.
The winning pigeon from Vrede flew an average speed of 66km/h and from Paul Roux, the average speed was 99km/h.
The full results are as follows:
Vrede: Paul Manuel 1,21; Labusch Lofts (Lappies) 2,7,8,12,16,17,19,20,24,26; Tiekie Crouse 3,4,6,9,10,18,23,27; Mark Clayton 5,11,13,14,15,22,25.
Paul Roux: Jimmy Hanlon 1,11; Tiekie Crouse 2,9,18,28,29; Lewis Hay 3,4,5,6,7,8,14,21,24,25,26,27; Mark Clayton 10,12,13,20,23,30; Labusch Lofts (Lappies) 15,16,17; Imraan Kader 19; Paul Manuel 22.
The previous weekend, Tiekie Crouse won the KZN race from Middelburg by five minutes. Congratulations to him.
The open series continues this weekend, with races from Middelburg and Dealesville.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
While many Chicagoans might think pigeon racing is rushing to their bedroom windows at 4:30 a.m. to chase away the birds and their infernal cooing, aldermen have introduced a proposal to bring back the sport of racing homing pigeons.
It’s a pastime beloved by many people of Polish descent, so Northwest Side Ald. Gilbert Villegas, 36th, took a plan to the City Council this week to legalize it in the city. It was banned more than a decade ago.
“Pigeon racing is a sport that receives no attention in the United States but is deeply loved in Poland,” Villegas said in a statement. “A number of residents in my ward have brought that love to their new country and would like to bring the sport to Chicago.”
Villegas’ proposal says the pigeons must be kept in enclosures “except for limited periods necessary for exercise, training and competition” between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. and “such pigeons shall not be released for flying which have been fed within the previous four hours.”
The ordinance would let breeders of “pedigreed rock doves” keep the birds at their homes in lofts “that are inspected and certified on a regular basis to ensure the birds are kept in clean, sanitary and healthy conditions.”
The City Council outlawed homing pigeons in residential areas in 2004 after people living near residents who kept the birds complained about getting “splattered” when they tried to hang out laundry or sunbathe. At the time, pigeon supporters said their pets are unfairly derided as “rats with wings.”
Pigeon fans then said aldermen and other critics were erroneously confusing their birds, which are registered and vaccinated, with common street pigeons that can transmit diseases.
Members of Chicago racing clubs went to federal court, but in 2005 the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge upheld an earlier district court ruling that found the city was within its rights to ban racing pigeons as pets.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Residents in a Victorian building in south west London are being ‘cooped’ up in the sweltering heat, because pigeons keep invading their homes. They’ve been warned not to open their windows in a desperate bid to keep the birds out. One resident at the block of four flats in Wandsworth said she found a pigeon sat on her hob when she went to make a cup of tea. Other residents have reported pigeons watching them in the bathroom and pecking at windows to be let in. HEY! (Picture: SWNS) One resident said: ‘I don’t know what’s gone on in our building in the past, but these birds definitely have an uncanny interest in it. What makes things stranger is that you never see any other birds in the area.’ A 24-year-old court clerk who lives in the block said she found a pigeon in her kitchen this morning. ‘As I walked into the kitchen, I couldn’t believe my eyes – this massive fat pigeon was sat right on the middle of my hob. I could see the bird eyeing me up through the glass panes in the door.’ The pigeon only left when her boyfriend came to shoo it away with a broom. ‘There’s another pigeon too that keeps sitting on the windowsill in our bathroom and stares at me when I’m in the shower. It’s really unnerving – if I hang a towel over the window, it just pecks the glass. I’m terrified it’s going to break in one day,’ she added. One resident found a pigeon sitting on her hob (Picture: SWNS) The situation seems to have now reached breaking-point as a sign has been affixed to the communal notice board warning residents not to open the windows. A 27-year-old, who did not wish to be named, said: ‘They’re getting really bold at the moment. ‘One nearly got in yesterday, but I managed to shoo it just in time. It’s so hot, and it would be great to have the windows wide open. But the pigeons are keeping us cooped up in here.’ A sign has been fixed to the communal notice board warning residents not to open the windows (Picture: SWNS) One of the pigeons made its way inside the building (Picture: SWNS) In a video taken by the resident, another pigeon can be seen staring through the bathroom window. He said: ‘I noticed the pigeon while I was brushing my teeth. It was probably there for a full minute in total. I know this sounds silly, but I found it really arrogant.’ His flatmate added: ‘It’s a power struggle. I really do not like them, and the issue is that they defecate everywhere which is really an unsanitary way to live.’ Wandsworth Council, who are in charge of pest control in the area, have been approached for a comment.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
On Saturday 14 July, the Cumbrian Region of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association will be commemorating the centenary of World War 1 with an open race from Ypres in Belgium.
Pigeon fanciers within the Cumbrian region want to recognise the sacrifice that the armed forces took in the First World War and the bravery of the homing pigeons involved.
Carrier pigeons played a vital part in World War One acting as military messengers with their homing ability and speed. Over 100,000 pigeons were used in the war with a success rate of 95% in delivering their messages.
Pigeons from the Royal Loft were also used as carrier pigeons in both World Wars. 32 pigeons were presented with the Dickin Medal including Royal Blue from the Sandringham Estate who was recognised for gallantry in its role of reporting a lost aircraft in 1940.
The pigeons involved in the race will fly from Ypres back to their individual lofts located in Cumbria and the surrounding areas. The journey by car is 444.5 miles and would take over 8 and a half hours – but these incredible birds can travel at speeds of 70 mph and are estimated to complete the race within 5-6 hours.
Leslie Blacklock, Secretary of the Cumbria Region for the Royal Pigeon Racing Association comments: “The Ypres open race is a great opportunity for pigeon fanciers within the Cumbrian region to commemorate 100 years since the end of WWI. Pigeons played such vital role in both World Wars and it seems only natural to celebrate their bravery with this race.”
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
It may not seem like one of life’s great mysteries, but a quick internet search reveals that people from across the world – London to Hong Kong, Cape Town to Buenos Aires – are asking this same question: for all the pigeons out there in our cities, where are all the dead ones? Alas they’re not pondering the presence of pigeon heaven, but rather, where are all the bodies?
Pigeons are as ubiquitous in the world’s cities as bad traffic, buskers, and late-night takeaways. London alone is estimated to contain more than a million pigeons, inhabiting the many parks and gardens that crisscross its 1,000 square miles. Given these vast numbers – and the fact that an urban pigeon seldom lives for more than three or four years – it’s a wonder why they are not strewn across city streets.
There are several possible reasons for this. First, pigeons are just one part of a wide array of creatures to have adopted our cities as their home. Foxes, rats, gulls, crows and ravens all do a wonderful job of cleaning up any carrion they come across, including deceased pigeons. These species perform inestimable services to the urban ecosystem, reducing human exposure to rotting matter and helping cut the transmission of infectious diseases.
Alongside these native janitors, domestic cats are equally happy to take care of a dead or injured pigeon. It is estimated that there are half a million cats living in London alone – roughly two pigeons per cat – and if you’re “lucky” they might bring one home as a present. Whether a resident moggy or some other carnivore, this network of surreptitious street cleaners will usually whisk away any pigeon corpses long before they’re seen by human eyes.
High-rise hideaways
Most pigeons, however, don’t simply drop dead on the ground. To understand where pigeons themselves are likely to go when feeling vulnerable or unwell, we need to delve into their origins. The pigeons we see in cities are domestic pigeons who have undergone some serious “rewilding”. They were originally bred as homing pigeons, trained birds who relayed important messages over large distances long before telephones. These pigeons even won prestigious medals in both world wars.
Going back further, the original homing pigeons were bred centuries ago from wild rock doves, a species which inhabits sea cliffs and coastal caves. Cities, with their high-rise buildings and elevated ledges, provide ideal nest sites for feral pigeons, and create an environment reminiscent of their ancestral homes. This background means that, when sick or injured, pigeons instinctively retreat to dark, remote places – ventilation systems, attics, building ledges – hoping to remain out of reach and unnoticed by predators. The predators don’t see them, but neither do we: often when pigeons expire, they are in hiding.
Gone before their time
But what actually causes a pigeon to die? As they get older, pigeons become more susceptible to disease, and often become slower to react to oncoming predators. It is well-established that when a predator attacks a flock of birds, slower individuals can become isolated from the group, making them easy prey. Dying of old age is not a luxury afforded to most pigeons: as soon as they shows signs of slowness or sickness, many are snapped up by peregrine falcons, sparrowhawks, or other predators.
One slightly macabre alternative that occurs in big cities, involves the netting that often hangs around buildings. Birds can easily fly into it and become entangled: not just old or sick pigeons, but any bird unfortunate enough not to notice it. Netting is usually high above the ground, so after some fruitless struggling dead pigeons usually hang there, away from the scavengers below.
Whether snatched midair by birds of prey, entangled by man made obstacles or alone in a remote corner of a skyscraper’s roof garden, there are many ways that pigeons pass on from this world. But they all take place within an internal urban ecosystem, that, for the most part, is hidden from our sight.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
