Les Parkinson - What’s going on this week.
I have been asked a few times about the loft I purchased a couple of years ago and how the pigeons have settled into it. When I bought the loft, everything was as I saw it spot on, but as we know through experience as times change ideas change. In general, the loft was good but as we went along bits and pieces were not what I wanted, and I saw those bits and pieces as an issue within the loft. The first thing that needed changing were the perches that had plastic shelves to slide in and catch the droppings, a good idea on face value but they became hard work having to keep taking them out and keep scrubbing them to make them look clean and part of the loft. I had a word with Craig, and he sorted them out, so he made trays to fit each row of perches, so they are now spot on and much easier to look after. The stock birds are in the end section to the right as you view the loft from the front. To make the section lighter and give the section a free flow of air I put Netting on the inside so that the door can be open all day and closed at night. What was next, yes, the trapping system, although they had spent two years racing to the original traps I decided to buy 3 of the more modern traps. Would they make a difference, you bet your life they do, and it shows when they are clocking in on the Benzing 3 system. There are three that were fitted by Nigel Shaw and his son. Nigel did say that they would be better fitted lower down but I felt and still do that they are better fitted at the top of the loft which is where they are. I spent three days patiently getting the pigeons used to the traps but after spending two nights on the tiles they decided their bellies were more important than their personal feelings for the traps. When it was all done, I stood back looking at the end product when Elizabeth slowly walked up behind me, "Are you happy now?" "Yes, I think I am" those famous last words. The other addition was the pen that Craig made for the young birds to sit in all day long and get used to the trapping system. Going back to Elizabeth's question about if I was happy, well as sitting here typing I am also thinking about the stock section. I might just part with the stock birds and just breed off the racers which would give me a section to have a few distant pairs just for the 500ml plus races which are the races that I like to compete in. As Ray pointed out, you can always breed off your race team and just as good a chance of breeding winners.
Training
Don't know whether it's in the air or what it is and I am hearing that there have been a lot of losses during April. Not sure why because we started with 70 and they have been to two races and trained most days with no losses. However, we have two injuries that will probably keep them out of the race team for the rest of the year. Yes, I know there have been east winds but there have been glorious days. I have put our numbers down to the heavy training they had as young birds. During that period, they rarely came as a batch, they were mostly split up and coming on their own, I am sure they learnt a better lesson than coming home in batches all the time. Mt trainer Steve has never been soft with them, when he took them up for me, they were tossed no matter what the weather, Steve was never going to waste his time going up the road to bring them back.
Racing
The second race of the season saw the wind change when the Mid Cheshire Fed saw 34 members send 597 birds that were liberated at 10am with no wind but there was east towards home. Top spot goes to Mr & Mrs Nigel Shaw racing with the Wrinehill club with a yearling to record a vel of 1652ypm. The same club saw J Smith 2nd & 19th clocking up 1648/1611ypm with two yearlings while Joe Glover was 5th also with a ylg on 1633ypm. The other member of the club to get on the Fed sheet is Martin Williams 10th & 18th Fed on 1630/1616ypm. The first 4 in the club and 3rd 4th 8th 9th fed go to Ray Lunt from the Acton Bridge club record vels of 1634 (2) 1632 (2). Eric Taylor is also in the same club 11th 12th 15th 20th fed on 1630/1629/1625/1610ypm. In Middlewich FC Les Parkinson Elimar Lofts collects 6th & 7th Fed with the first in the trap being bred by Ray Lunt and the second bred by Slav over in Macclesfield. This is a good hen winner of 11 prizes plus 100th Open in the National FC and previously topping the SWC Fed. The Rudheath winner is Dave Pritchard DS Lofts collecting 13th 14th 17th fed on 1629/1626/1619ypm with fellow club member Gary Hodgkinson 1620ypm. Just missing the fed sheet are N & S Harvey from the Halmer End club and W Walker & Son with Duddon FC. The South West Cheshire Fed were also on the same liberation when 46 members sent 773 birds. Top spot goes to Mr & Mrs Keith Lovatt from the Crewe West End winning 1st & 16th Fed on 1654/1614ypm with a 4yo and yearling. Also in the same club we see the Speedster himself Colin Lindop 3rd 4th 8th just ahead of Turner & Son 5th. Over at Hankelow Mr & Mrs Nigel Shaw nearly made it a double after topping the other fed when in this race they are 2nd 13th 14th fed racing with the Hankelow club with vels of 1653 & 2 on 1619ypm. James Smith is 6th & 20th Fed after recording vels of 1645/1609ypm. In the Middlewich 5B Jones Bros & Kaen Jones top the club list and are 7th fed on 1642ypm with fellow club member Bob Humphries 15th with a vel of 1618ypm. The Winsford HS sees Chris Hitchin have 4 dropping sharpish to record vels of 1628 (2) 1626/1623ypm. Also, in the same club is J Thornley 17th & 19th Fed with vels of 1614/1610yopm. Finishing off the top 20 in the fed we have Gary Adamson from the Duddon PFC recording a vel of 1610ypm.
Cheshire Combine
In my previous notes I referred to the first Cheshire Combine result of the season, please ignore those references. The officials have now put out a fully amended result with all birds clocked with the best 100 velocities, but we will only include the first 20 plus the winners of each fed if they don’t make the top 20. We now have the amended result of the first Cheltenham race when 96 members entered 1550 birds that were liberated at 10am in a light west wind. The Wrekin Fed had a good starter with 9 of the first 10 positions with P Buttery leading the way with a vel f 1564ypm. Then we have Holland Bros, who had a good race with 2nd 4th 5th 6th 19th 20th with their leading vel being 1553ypm. 3rd & 7th go to A Craig on 1552/1549ypm just in front of Peter Symcox who ends up 8th & 10th. A name that is always going to feature towards the top of the list is Ray Lunt who in this race has a great team performance with 29 in the first 100 whose first vel is 1548ypm. The second Combine race was also from Cheltenham when 106 members entered 1821 birds to be liberated at 10am with no wind. For the second week Wrekin members top the list with Holland Bros 1st & 2nd recording vels of 1666ypm (2). Paul Whitfield is 3rd on 1658ypm, there are some good fanciers in the Wrekin as there are in the other Combine members, it’s not going to be the easiest of feds to win. The South West Cheshire fed members had a good race with five in the first 10 with Mr & Mrs Keith Lovatt4th on 1654ypm. Mr & Mrs Nigal Shaw had two dropped together, their first in the South West Cheshire Fed at 1653ypm while their second tops Mid Cheshire on 1652ypm. Colin Lindop also had two hitting the trap together for 7th & 8th positions recording the same vel to a third decimal place 1650ypm with a third entry 19th on 1631ypm. Turner & Son are on 1649ypm while Jimmy Smith also had two close together on 1648/1645ypm one for each of the clubs he entered his birds in. Jones Bros & Karen Jones are 12th on 1642ypm. Ray Lunt once again had them drop close together with the first of 15 to appear on the result clocking up a vel of 1634ypm for 13th Combine. The ever-present Joe Glover is 15th with a vel of 1633ypm which is the same vel as Kevin Tagell who is 16th Open. That leaves 17th & 18th to Les J Parkinson at Elimar Lofts, the first bred by Ray Lunt while the other was bred by our friend Slav over at Macclesfield, they are both first prize winners. We can’t list all the positions from the first 100 but when you look at it there are many good fanciers competing and clocking several to appear on the result. There is a wide spread of fanciers from east to west with the first bird from each of the three federations appearing in the top 6 of the open. Be interesting to see how they go the further down the road we go, pity we cannot get the Combine across the channel.
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
