THE NATURAL ELEMENTS
by Jim Emerton
I was walking across fields today in half a gale full of snowflakes, and the sheer force of freedom hit my face! How great it is to be out in nature. I must confess I hate to see and sense racing pigeons cooped up in little stuffy lofts, when they can be on instincts in the rain, snow, sun and wind honing their navigation skills and enriching their muscles with red blood cells. The central philosophy of Nic's and my Barcelona methodology is centered on fitness, familiarity and contentment with the home environment. They will face gruelling conditions on their long migration back home from Spain, and will not acquire race environmental experience in the loft! What a treat they are to behold swirling around in a snow flurry and then the sun as it reflects off dazzling feathers. I have enjoyed deserts, mountains, woods and seas and remain convinced from my biased perspective that pigeons need to have the freedom of the skies as they were born to fly. Freedom!
March 2013
A reply from John Ghent...
"Some of Jim Emerton's recent 'Insights' have been very interesting. I am blessed to work in the city and see various feral pigeons going about their daily work, in amongst the smog, the pollution, the houses and so forth, every minute of the day. It never ceases to amaze me how resilient our feathered friends truly are and do we wrap them up in too much cotton wool?
Jim highlights the views he has on the natural elements and for me there is nothing more riveting than hearing the rush off the street pecker flock dashing out to the fields, away from the rising sun, when I am just releasing my birds for their freedom which they receive from 6.30am until dusk every day.
Come wind, rain or shine these birds make this trip, and even in snow as the last 2 days have highlighted! Flying sidewards is not something I thought my birds would need to learn but learn they have in these blizzard conditions of the past 48 hours.
The contentment that the birds have is amazing for me to see, they learn quickly, don't go shooting off all over the sky like youngsters tend to do and I am surprised, despite all the boxes having bowls available, that all four of my yearling pairs have decided to nest on the floor. One of these pairs has nested behind the loft so I now need to construct some sort of rain proof hide for them. But they are happy... and for me that is the key. I cannot be there on a regimented basis, I cannot be Sergeant Ghent disciplining the birds and controlling them - my work and lifestyle don't allow this. So I would much prefer the relaxation this offers, targeting one or two races a season, getting a couple of races into the babies, and the results will eventually come. All hail 'The Natural Way'."
John Ghent
---
