From The Chair "The Next Step" By Chris Williams
This time of year can seem a little slow, for what feels like the hundredth time I have pressed the delete button, as I search my book shelf and the internet trying find a topic or an idea for an article. In doing so I came across numerous despondent posts lamenting the end of the season and asking what are we going to do now then? I admit sometimes that happens to me too in the so called “closed season”, but thinking about it for a moment I find myself posing the question is there really such a thing? I mean, the turbulent 2021 race season is over and unfortunately because of the losses experienced by many fanciers no doubt some will say “thank goodness for that”, or words to that effect! Yes, racing is over but sat here on September 25th in a jumper looking at a wet grey sky my mind is already switching focus towards 2022. Some may say how can he be thinking about the 2022 racing season when the birds haven’t moulted yet? Well every serious fancier knows that this is a critical time in the life of our pigeons which is why I don’t think it is sensible to class this time of year as “the closed season because what happens now is of paramount importance if any of us are striving toward attaining success in the not too distant future. The moulting process is a physically demanding experience for our feathered friends, so we the fancier must do all we can for them at this time if our pigeons are to stand any serious chance future competitive success. The moult is therefore in fact the start of the new season and not the rest period your average fancier deems it to be, so far from a time to sit still it is a time to get ourselves motivated and move forward because as the Belgians say “you win your prizes in winter”. Some say it’s an old wives tale but in my mind it stands to reason that a healthy pigeon should want to bathe. Scientific studies conducted in Japan have shown reduction in stress, tension-anxiety, anger-hostility, and depression, in the people who took part, now at the risk of Anthropomorphism and applying this to our pigeons and thinking of physical demands they are under during the moult then surely along with helping to loosen the feathers and relaxing the muscles on some level there must also be mental benefits.
I always enjoy talking with fellow fanciers and a few weeks ago I received a nice phone call from a gentleman in Wales by the name of Graham telling me how much he enjoyed the article I wrote on Luc Vervoort and Nicole Van Nuffel from Hallaar in Belgium, thank you Graham I am glad you enjoyed reading the article as much as I did writing it. Speaking of Luc and Nicole I was thrilled to receive a message from them after I sent them a copy of the article after its publication in the BHW. Nicole writes: Hello Chris, I Just read your fabulous article .I must say that we are very pleased to read it You did a wonderful job and we wish to thank you from the bottom of our heart. What made this note of thanks extra special is that Nicole later told me that I was the first English scribe to cover Luc’s loft in a full length report, I must confess my relief at not knowing that at the time because my nerves may have got the better of me! This opportunity has taught me the importance of communication with other experienced fanciers because had Frank Bristow not mentioned Luc and Nicole to me I would have never known about them at that time so thanks again Frank I owe you one. We must always be willing to listen to others because as Victor Vansalen recorded in his great work Champions reveal “If we had to learn everything from our own experiences, reaching the age of one hundred would not give us time enough so we must try to learn from others and as much as possible”. Perhaps this is more relevant to the fancy of today than ever before because like everything else in this world things in pigeon racing are changing fast and so if we can talk to one another and learn at the same time then surely we will all l become better fanciers, after all isn’t that what we are aiming for?
A few nights ago, after locking up for the night Dad was in the conservatory when he spotted something on the loft, on going out to investigate he found that it was a youngster we lost in our first race, this pigeon had not been in anywhere as it was a little down but whatever happened it’s0 used its brain to right itself and get home in near darkness, I mention this not to brag but merely to demonstrate that pigeons can and will do all in their power to get home, even though the fancier may have his or her doubts which ultimately proves we still know very little about what goes on inside the hearts and minds of our winged warriors and what they experience on the way home. From speaking with fanciers in other parts of the UK we are not the only ones who have had this happen which leads us back to the question of where do they go, I doubt this will ever be answered but we can at least hope that they are more “Street wise” and all the better for it in the long run .
At the end of the season it was lovely to have a visit from “The dark Buschaert man”, Allen Concliffe his wife Alison and Jim Bennett, the social aspect of and racing pigeons has always been a great bonus for me and meeting up with these real honest Black country folk all three of whom are mad about pigeons, well you can’t beat it, or as they say in that part of the word “yow con beat it con ya” you could say it was a dress rehearsal for the 50th B.H.W Show of the year in January 2022 which we are all looking forward to immensely.
Making the most of the last of the good weather (left to right), my Dad Steve, Jim Bennet, myself, Alison and Allen Concliffe
Dad with Allen outside the lofts
Alison in training for Blackpool
