Les Parkinson - What’s going on this week.
Trapping
In my last notes I mentioned the ETS and I said there would be more on this subject, and there is. Several people have come forward and passed similar comments about how the ETS system is set on members lofts. Some have even admitted that they are trying to keep up with club members so have moved their ETS to a faster clocking position. This means that it is outside of the lofts framework, and the pigeons have not actually entered the loft before they have automatically clocked. It’s nature that we are always looking for improvement, or in this case faster ways of doing things, but what is seen as an improvement can also be classed as the incorrect way of doing things. I once had a lengthy conversation with the late Mel Bratt on this subject, and he said he would go to lofts unannounced to make sure that the ETS was in the right position. As Mel pointed out, any such visit would have to be on a race day and it’s finding the people to do such a job. Then we have the problem of entering a property without permission. So, after so many conversations on this subject I have concluded that we must trust in our fellow members to be honest and not effectively break the rules to gain an advantage through the ETS system. I am going to shred my notes, emails etc. on this subject and put it down to a part of our hobby that we may not like but will have to put up with. Let’s face it, winners don’t need to break the rules to win races, their pigeons will do the talking no matter what they do.
Old Hen’s National.
I really want to have a go at the old hen’s National because I have been so impressed by the way the hens have raced this year. I have not checked them yet, but I suspect that most of the top 3 positions gained at Elimar Lofts are with hens. As I continue with these notes, the young bird season is under way and as always in the early races there are mixed feelings at the way the races have started. Anyway, this is where the help comes in, training the old hens with the young birds. What I shall do is pair them up around the first weekend in August. That will give them 10 days for laying, if they are keen enough, they might be down a day or two earlier. Then we have the hatching date, which will probably be about the 5th September. So, all being well the young birds will be about one week old, and I expect that would be just about right. The old hens National is all new to me as I have never raced it before, we can always try something to give us a bit more interest in racing the pigeons.
Taming YB’s.
As we all know, the stomach is the way to anyone’s heart and no doubt that it includes racing pigeons. In mt last notes I mentioned the young birds not being as tame as I would like them to be. So, I decided to control them through their intake of feed which has certainly made a difference in the loft. I have gone back to my old method of feeding and that’s as soon as one goes to the drinker I stop giving them corn. Not sure if that’s the best way in modern day racing where fanciers are putting more work into training from down the road. One thing is for sure; it works because on their first training toss from Gypsie’s Corner which is about 1ml for the pigeons, they trapped well. I say that but that was after panic set in I thought I would not be seeing many of them again. I was on the phone to fellow club member Mark Smith telling him how long it was taking them to cover the mile, he had more confidence than me in them coming home, but they did. And with the new feeding method they were soon down and, in the loft, where they should have been if they were not flying. Three training tosses later I got them to Doddington Pool 12mls, I rushed home expecting them to be in the loft waiting for breakfast, not a feather. It was nearly 90mins when the first one dropped in and they were like that for the rest of the day. At locking up time I was up to 45 of the 61 that were liberated at 12mls with another 9 turning up later the second day. Later in the day Gordon Galletly called to say that he had one of our pigeons in his loft. Gordon lives in Mold, North Wales so I emailed his details over to Highflyers to get it picked up, thanks to Gordon for reporting the blue hen, she was returned to the loft to go back in training, what happens to her now is depending on how much she wants to be at Elimar. As I went out to the lofts just after 6 next morning there was a dark hen pacing up and down the landing board, I let her in and thought, there’s still time for more, so it wasn’t as bad as it might have been. I was talking to Nigel Shaw about bad tosses, and he said he liked his pigeons to have at least one bad toss during the training period. I understand that because when they are out pigeons can cover a large area, and the experience gained can stand them in good stead for the races when they are pulling to go in the right direction. It’s such a big learning curve getting pigeons trained well and on the right line to win races. I was thinking I need to get these going so that they are ready for the first young bird race, I was in fact rushing them too much. I then heard that most members were not sending because their birds are not ready. The fed has a week’s break to give fanciers a chance to work their birds up to the first ace but that doesn’t appear to help because as I say most don’t send to the first and sometimes second young bird races. Going back to North Wales, local fancier Mark Smith, was telling me that he had a bad toss from Doddington Pool last year and one ended up in North Wales, coincidence or are fanciers from North Wales training in the Cheshire area. I was just on my way from the office for breakfast when I noticed another youngster had decided her best place was to be in my loft, things are looking up, losses are not as bad as first thought.
Missing.
One thing is for sure; this batch of young birds have not had the attention that they have had in the two previous years with Ebony feeding them by hand. I do think she made a big difference to the young bird team and the way they were when we entered their sections. We had intended to start the season as we had for the last two but as we all know times change and Ebony has been heavy in her education at Edge Hill University so has not had the time this year to spend with the pigeons. Plus, she has a job near the University so we cannot expect her to travel daily down to do anything with the pigeons. Then we arrive at that point in lift that we all go through, a partner comes onto the scene, and the world turns upside down. We are still 9 missing but when we consider, I tossed 61 and 2hrs later we could barely make a handful. So, with 52 by the end of the second day and all but one had made their own way home in one’s or two’s I must be pleased. Could this be the making of what is potentially a good team of pigeons for the future, we live in hope. One thing is for sure, we never know what a pigeon is going to do.
Janet Hull
I received an email from one of the sports long time workers, Janet being part of the team who did such a good job with the Bamfords race. “Hi all just to let everyone know next week will be my last race. It’s the end of an era for both the Hulls who have raced in Preston for 60 to 70 years and the Harrisons and pigeon racing, there has been pigeon racing in my family since the late 1800s with me, my dad, G-dad, g-g-dad and g-g-g-dad flying and many of us doing jobs within the sport. But my life got turned upside down with Dave passing away and then 2 weeks ago a young bird went into the loft of Dave and Emma Armstrong at Highfield Lofts, I went to pick it up and came away with a job. So, on the 28th July I start a new chapter, my dream job which keeps me in the racing pigeon fraternity. How great is that part of the team at Highfield Lofts, it just shows how in the space of 9 weeks life has been turned on its head. I wish you all luck with your YB racing and I'll still be knocking around the pigeon scene, you won't get rid of me that easily. This is my new workplace, idyllic isn't it, Highfield Lofts”
New Loft
When we move pigeons into a new loft fanciers think it will affect the pigeons, and they don’t win. That’s not the case for Mark Smith who has a very nice new loft built and all the surrounding work done by Nigel Shaw and his team, see photo. Mark’s pigeons have won from the off, so they have not been affected. I think someone somewhere along the line has blamed the new loft for a lack of wins and it has stuck.
Thank you.
Both Elizabeth and I send out a big thank you to all those who have sent their best wishes since Elizabeth had the accident that broke her neck. We are moving on, but it is going to be a long job. Also thank you to those who have contacted me in one form or another since I started hitting the keyboard again. I am not sure how much coverage to local winners we are going to get but since I stopped writing the winners have received next to no coverage.
Photo
Well done to the members down at Middlewich moving the marking shed to the other end of the car park at the Boars Head Hotel. This is only a temporary measure because we have had some good donations to buy a new one, probably a bit bigger because we are a bit crammed, especially when it’s raining.
Les J Parkinson. 15 Rushton Drive, Middlewich, Cheshire, CW10 0NJ.
Tel: 01606 836036. Mob: +44 (0)7871 701585.
E-mail:
Web site: http://www.elimarpigeons.com
