LES J. PARKINSON'S
NEWS-REPORTS-ARTICLES
What a funny old game pigeon racing is, the first two National FC races have been easy and this has benefited the longer flying members. On the other hand the federation races have suffered with heavy losses and no easy return journey on the following weekends. We spent so many years racing in the NFC and not the local club but this year we have gone back to the club and hey presto in the two races so far we have lost more pigeons than we did in 13yrs racing with the National FC in total. What I must add is the fact that this year it is not down to anyone other than the weather and atmospherics which has not been good to us. I must also add that even the hard races with the NFC saw the birds return on following days but very few are returning from the federation races and I am hearing of experienced pigeons going down when they would not have been expected too. This latest race weekend for the Three Counties Combine channel birds has seen fanciers suffer heavy losses and this is not just in this organisation but all over the country. I was looking at the early times in the BICC and they have not had such a good race from Poitiers with only 34 on the early times making over 1000ypm, there will no doubt be more with other birds clocked by those already verified but it is not a lot in comparison to what we are used to from such an experienced organisation. None of us racing can even point a finger and say it was such and such an organisation because everyone was in the same boat. Even now on Sunday morning there are fanciers who have said they are finished for the old bird season because they don’t have enough birds to carry on with the 2015 season in mind. I don’t have a big team left but they are all going to the bitter end which is Niort nearly 500mls and practically all those left by them will have flown the whole programme. There have been all sorts of ideas banded about as to why this happened, up in this part of the world the idea is that the UK weather has not been good for them and that is the reason why they have not returned. Hang on a minute many of the members of the BICC are down on the south coast racing from Poitiers and they are the same with their birds covering comparatively little distance here in the UK. The MNFC held and did no better on Sunday and put a report out to explain the facts. It might be worth looking into the atmospheric pressure and when this is high not racing no matter what the weather is like, something out there stops large numbers of racing pigeons homing and it looks like that pressure is the reason so why can’t we do something about it.
Young birds
Well it’s getting close to the young bird season and there are plenty training for the early races and no doubt many will be burnt out before we get to the coast. Ours are still not flying around home for as long as I would like them to and they are not ranging as we would expect young birds to do. The most I have had out of them is 45mins and that was because Elizabeth moved a chair just as they were coming down on 30mins. It would be quite easy to shift them up but there is always the odd one that decides to land down the road and that leads to them all following suit. I did have one that would not fly and in the end he had to go, the disruption he was causing was too much for the rest of the team. There is a slatey now who brings them down on about 25/30mins and if she carries on she will be going. But are we doing right with parting with such birds, I think it could be a mistake because in the fast early races those are the pigeons that are more likely to drop out of the batches going over instead of going with the fast flow a bit longer. Having said that there are still pigeons that have their mind on the job and do not go over fanciers lofts, these are the keenest of the batch. As we all know the early young bird races are never easy because more often than not we finds them coming from all directions then after a few races they soon settle down. In the modern day of pigeon racing there are quite a number of fanciers who prefer to miss the first race and come it at about the 100ml stage when they are hoping the youngsters have settled down. The problem is there are far more fanciers starting their young birds in the later races than ever before and many still trying to find their wings at the 120ml stages. This means that they are not settling down to the season until about the fourth race which is a time when they should be settled and know what the game is. Mind you before all that I have got to get our 32 youngsters into the training mode but with them not ranging I am undecided at what distance to start them. Mind you at the time of making these notes we have 5 weeks to go before the first young bird race and by then they might have decided to seek out now areas to explore. I hope that happens because I can start them further down the road instead of those short tosses to get them used to where they are. I think we fuss too much about young birds because as i have said before, in the old days when the Mid Cheshire had the old ridged vehicle we would put them on for their first toss at Market Drayton and then on to Newport no messing. They would also only have about half a dozen tosses before the first races and they still came home OK.
Cheshire Show
We were at the Cheshire Show and looking in on the pigeon classes that are always there and I don’t know whether it was me but there looked to be more entries this year. We were looking at the Show pigeons while the judging was in progress and Elizabeth picked a very nice looking mealy out that went on to collect a red card. Little did we know this one belonged to Bill Carney a fancier who we have not seen for quite a number of years? I first came into contact with Bill over an eye sign show when the original judge was unable to attend. So I phoned Alan Winstanley and asked him who I could get to judge this show and he said that Bill Carney had a good reputation at judging eye sign classes so I gave him a call and he came up and selected the winners. After he had finished I took a look at them and asked his opinion on the winners and from what I can remember he did a good job. This led to a trip down to see his birds and loft and I also compiled a loft report on his pigeons. I must admit that the loft itself was one of the best I had ever seen and a lot of thought had gone into the construction of the loft. While we were in the loft talking Bill stood next to the boxes and this chequer cock took Bill’s hat off and dropped it on the nest box floor. This showed me that both fancier and pigeons were content with each other’s company and they all stayed in their boxes even when I was in the loft. Getting everything right in a loft needs a lot of thought and this one was right. I remember someone saying that Bill didn’t race very often so I asked him the question in the early part of the year. The first headline I saw in the pigeon paper that year was that he had taken nearly all the top 18 positions in an open race and didn’t send many more, I think it was 17 of the first 18 but not quite sure. That same year another result I noticed was at Rennes with the MNFC where I think he finished 3rd open so he proved the point that he could win. Bill had his knockers over the years but he was the best I saw handling and selecting winners, maybe not 100% but there again are any of us and I don’t think there are many about who do not have fanciers who knock whatever they do. It’s a part of life. Going back to the Cheshire Show when we visited on the Wednesday it was a really hot day. While walking around the various stands we noticed the Willows Veterinary Group stand so went and sat down under cover. The vet from the group who sorts out the Australian pigeons is Simon Jones who was on the stand. As we sat there he was about 15ft away so I sent him a couple of texts from my private phone so it would not come up as me as would have been the case if I had used the other mobile. I could see him looking at his phone and wondering who it was so as he was leaving the stand I spoke and he came across. Simon asked one of the girls to make us a much needed brew and a cake that went down well and set us on the road to another walking session, so thanks to Simon and the girls on the stand. Caroline also came across to where we were sitting, she does know how to take blood from a pigeon, Simon was saying that it makes it easier for the girls with having smaller hands, I just think she is good at it and knows exactly where and how to draw blood.
Bill Carney's Cheshire Show winner
The sire of Bill Carney's winner
Bill Carney & Les J Parkinson at the Cheshire Show
Les J Parkinson, Caroline and Simon from Willows Vets who deal with pigeons that we export to Australia
Club/Fed News
As always the Moulton club are hot on with their results and the latest is from Fougeres when club secretary’s Mr & Mrs Chris Herbert had a good race in what was hard for many with no need to take the clock in on the first race night. Mind you they have a good team of Dordin’s and they like it when the going gets tough. The winner is a 3yo mealy cock, then a 5yo blue pied hen and a 3yo chequer pied hen recording vels of 941/871/857ypm. 2nd goes to Colin Bell who saw home a 2yo chequer cock on 872ypm. Fougeres was the next race for the Sandbach members when another red card plus 3rd go to the hard working fancier Eric Taylor recording vels of 1110/1062ypm. They are both 2yo chequer cocks from the Van De Rhee family raced on the widowhood system. 2nd goes to John Allbutt on 1985ypm after clocking a 2yo chequer cock raced on the traditional widowhood. The breeding is from the Willy Thas lines crossed with the Staf Van Reet’s and bred by John’s long time good friend Tommy Hulme, this one was a winner of 1st South West Cheshire Fed Wincanton last year. 4th goes to Tommy Hulme & Son recording a vel of 1039ypm with a yearling Willy Thas cross Staf Van Reet widowhood cock. Poynton RBLHS. 11 members sent160 birds to Frome when Pete Stanway was 1st & 2nd Club and Federation with two Wimy Moens vels 1992/1991ypm. His winner has previously won minor prizes while his second bird has already won 2nd Fed in 2014, won Vire in 2013 and has won 5x1sts in total. Bradbury & Barnes were 3rd Club and Fed vel 1987ypm with another son off their good cock Bobby. Mike Webb was 4th Club & Fed vel 1981ypm with a bird out of a cock from club member Geoff Townley cross Koopman that won 2x1sts in 2013 and has already prized this year. In the Middlewich FC race from Fougeres saw Mike O’Hare & Ron Woodward take the red card with the same hen that won Falaise in the 5B a couple of weeks earlier. They are continuing to have a good series of races in the Nationals so well done to them. In this race their winner is a slatey yearling hen having her second look at the channel and wins them both. Sire is a Frans Vanwildersmeerch cock from Bertie Fletcher stock who was bird of the year in 2007 with North West Classic while her dam is De Klak from Mr & Mrs Turner of Crewe who had a clearance sale a few years ago when they were at the height of their winning and has since bred many winners. This was a hard race with only four on the day and they only sent two so hats off to them on another good race. 2nd & 4th go to Parkinson & Wilkinson who’s first in the clock is a blue cock that was bought at a breeder/buyer in 2012 and was bred by John Allbutt. The sire was one of John’s best pigeons but like many more eventually went to one race too many, having said that John said he did expect him from that race. He did win many prizes racing both on land and on the channel. The dam is a direct daughter of John’s number one stock pair that have bred many winners including “Superstar” who was a real good racing machine, the pair were 9yo when they bred the dam. This blue cock went missing from a race and came back some time after, I said to John at the time I was going to keep him because I felt that he would come good sooner or later, one of those pigeons you spot and keep an eye on. The team then saw a P & J Boal blue cock go through the trap for 4th position being the same one that was 1st club 10th fed the previous week. These Heremans/Ceuster lines are winning well and this blue cock is a brother to winners. The dam was bred by Leo Heremans out of a grandson of “De Jan” one of the top pigeons from these lines and was paired to a daughter of “Bokita”an exceptional stock hen who was paired to a son of “Kenzo” 1st National Ace Pigeon with winners all the way in the breeding. 3rd goes to Peter & Dawn Latham who had a good weekend this one being a chequer w/f cock that has had a couple of prizes in the past and his brother is their good pigeon raced with the Lancashire Social, brothers and sisters to these are winners so a good line of Busschaerts. I was asking Peter why he had so many pigeons flying round and he was saying that they decided to race on the natural because of his unsocial working hours. They also have two young bird teams so there are pigeons flying around home most of the day. News from Mel Bratt this week is that the members of Winsford sent 88 pigeons to Fougeres with South West Federation in what turned out to be a very hard race. Leading the way plus 3rd was Richard Ormandy on a velocity of 1031ypm with a yearling but no further information. In 2nd position were Jones Bros vel 1030ypm with a yearling chequer hen having her first channel race. The sire of this hen is their very good black cock a winner from Niort two years on the run with Middlewich 2B a distance of 484 miles. In 4th was H.Bratt & Son vel 970ypm with a 3yo chequer cock from the Van den Bosche lines the sire coming from Roy Spruce. The dam is a Janssen bred from stock purchased off Mark Kidby and this was a very good racing hen that was retired when only 2yo after winning her third 1st prize, only 6 members timed in. On Sunday I had a telephone call from an English man living in France reporting a yearling cock and he only lives about 30 miles from Fougeres. The club also had a comeback race from Frome with members sending 124 birds. Taking the first three places were Jones Bros. Leading the way in first place vel 1217ypm was a yearling chequer cock flown that won first club 4 weeks ago. In 2nd vel 1216ypm was a yearling blue cock on which won 2nd & 3rd as a YB. In 3rd position vel 1209ypm was a 2yo all on widowhood. I have no further details as at the time Karen did not know they had taken the first three positions other than all three cocks are off their Andre Clemens lines. In 4th place are the ever consistent partnership of Mr & Mrs Albert Austin. Albert and Margarite clocked a yearling blue cock with a vel of 1207ypm. This young Lambrecht cock has already won twice this year from Portland and Yeovil and also won as a YB. That's it for this week other than to say happy birthday Yvonne and good luck with the new laptop, Mel Bratt, Winsford PO. Does that mean with this new piece of up to date equipment you are going to do more Mel, sorry Yvonne is going to do more and we also wish the young lady a happy birthday. The Mid Cheshire fed saw 46 members send 285 birds to Fougeres to be liberated at 8.30am in a North East wind. The first two races for the channel season with the fed have not been good to us and this is no doubt affecting the birdage figures. In these first two races there have been a number of fanciers not clocking on the day, it’s been like going back to channel races in the late 60’s and early 70’s when getting them on the day into this part of the world was not everyone’s cup of tea. In those days the longest club race was Nantes and that was not the easiest of races, in fact the first year I joined Tommy Smallwood had the only bird on the day from this longest club race with a light chequer widowhood cock. There were only three birds that topped the 1100ypm mark and a further 10 in the 1000ypm range so a tough race all round where the average distance would be about 340mls. No matter what and where the races are from there are always winners and in this race the top spot plus 11th were taken by last year’s top man Graham Davies who took the top two in his club at Wrinehill. Eric Taylor is 2nd & 7th with his entries in the Sandbach club while the red card in the Crewe Premier went to Mellor Bros being 3rd & 5th fed. John Allbutt is 4th with Middlewich FC winners Mike O’Hare & Ron Woodward being 6th. John Peever is 8th followed by Dave Jenks 9th, Tommy Hulme & Son 10th, Mick Stockton 12th Mr & Mrs Geoff Matthews 13th. The Kingsway club saw Tommy Davies collect the red card and 14th fed while Eddie Platt is 15th just in front of Rudheath winner Ian Cooper. 17th goes to Frank Speed followed by Parkinson & Wilkinson 18th, Pete Berry 19th and Peter & Dawn Latham 20th. Just the Moulton club missing the top twenty and they are over at Moulton where Mr & Mrs Chris Herbert topped the list. The West Coast Fed race from Falaise saw 370 birds entered by 43 members to be liberated at 8.00hrs in a light North West wind. Paul Fisher & Son enter their birds in two clubs and they are the Staining HS & Queens Inv winning them both to go with 1st 4th 5th & 20th fed. The Marton Village saw Cornel Lofts secure the red card and 2nd fed while Ron & Shirley Mott are 3rd & 16th after topping the list in the Blackpool Col. 6th goes to Dave Farrell with Fleetwood & Dist winner George Anyon being 7th in front of Thornton & Cleveleys winners C Mellor & Son who finish 8th & 18th fed. JA Devalle is 9th while 10th & 11th go to I Culshaw who clocked two in less than 2mins after such a hard race. Mr & Mrs Holloway & Family are 12th followed by Fleetwood HS winners Blane, Edge & Blane 13th and Roskell & Williamson who topped the list in the Pilling and Stalmine & Dist club’s is 14th. Kenny Cardwell is 15th, J Hassall & Jackson 17th with G Wilkinson 19th fed. Old Lodge HS held their second open race on Saturday the 14th of June this time from Cheltenham with a total payout of £295.35 in prizes and pool monies. The birds were liberated into a Northerly wind at 10.45am so it was on the nose all the way home. The race whilst a hard one with the winning birds doing around 43 mph was yet again a good one with the first four pigeon’s home clocked within 1 yard of each other. Mr and Mrs D Jennings and Son of Chorley took the top two positions with a pair of Van Lint Hens. This family of Van Lints are extremely versatile, winning at all distances, in all weathers, week in week out for the Jennings Family. The hen taking the red card on a velocity of 1277.7 is bred from top Van Lint pair Amos and Christine. She was 4th in the last Open race 2 weeks ago from Portland and has previously won 2 x 1sts as a youngster and was 2nd Club at Niort last year. She also looks like being fairly high up in last week’s NFC Cholet result as David had clocked her in 2 minutes after his 1st pigeon that was lying 4th section and 9th open prov. Next in the clock 7 seconds later recording a velocity of 1276.8 was a late bred from Amos and Mysterious Lady, this hen has had a few races this year picking up minor prizes along the way. The Bamber Bridge partnership of Harrison and Hull clocked a widowhood cock doing a velocity of 1276.7 to take 3rd open. The yearling chequer cock is a Jan Van Coors who was 2nd club earlier in the year at Mangotsfield. The 4th prize doing a velocity of 1276.6 went to Tim Webster another Chorley based Fancier who timed a 4yoGabby cock no 32 that has won 3 x 1st Federations and 7 x 1st clubs during his racing career. This cocks’ sire has bred 9 x 1st Federation winners and no 32 is a grandson off Tim’s good breeder Forty who came from Dave and Emma Armstrong. Next two Open races 28th June Cheltenham for Old Birds and 12th July Wollaston any age race for young and old birds. In the Middlewich 5B Fougeres race the red card went to Ken & Stan Bosson who saw home a yearling blue hen on 996ypm so no easy flight in this one. Peter & Dawn Latham are next on the result with a 3yo blue Busschaert hen who is a half sister to the cock that was 3rd in the other local club on the same day and in this race records a vel of 981ypm. DJ&CJ Wilkinson are 3rd after David clocked a 2yo chequer hen on 972ypm with 4th going to Dave 7 Lynn Healey who saw home a 3yo blue cock with a vel of 914ypm to collect the pools. The club also had a land race from Frome on the same day when 9 members sent 87 birds. Mark & Heather clocked a 2yo blue and a yearling blue w/f both cocks for 1st & 4th positions and record vels of 1214/1200ypm, their second in the clock picks up the first share of pools. Peter & Dawn Latham were also pipped for the red card in this race collecting 2nd with a Willy Jacobs yearling blue cock on `1213ypm. Dave & Lynn Healey are 3rd with a yearling chequer cock on 1202ypm and collect the second share of the pools with their second pigeon that finished 5th. I notice that there are 10 pigeons on the result and they are all cocks and six are yearlings. In the South West Cheshire Fed race from Fougeres 41 members sent 265 birds that were liberated at 8.30am in a North East wind. My mate Bob Humphries takes the top spot after leading the way in the Crewe West End club who took the top six positions. 2nd & 9th go to Rob Bennett with 3th & 5th seeing Mr & Mrs Richard Young claim another two channel cards. 4th goes to Mr & Mrs Roy Parker & Son with the remaining member of this club to figure being Mr & Mrs K Jennings in 6th place. K Powell won the Greenbank club and is 7th fed ahead of fellow club member Mick Stockton 8th while the Winsford club was won by Richard Ormandy who claims 10th fed. There are just the Middlewich 5B winners Ken Bosson & Son missing out on the top fed positions. The club also had a land race from Frome on the same day with an entry of 550 birds from 46 members being liberated at 10.30am in a North East Wind with all four competing clubs being on the result. Mr & Mrs Geoff Matthews from the Greenbank club had a good race and finish with 1st 5th & 6th fed. Mr & Mrs Richard Young are there again in the strong Crewe West End where they top the list but are beaten into 2nd place in the fed. The ever consistent Jones Bros from Winsford are 3rd & 4th with Dave & Baz Mellor who are having a good season being 7th. Middlewich 5B winners Mark & Heather Smith are 8th followed by fellow club members Peter & Dawn Latham 9th leaving 10th to Bob Humphries.
Les J Parkinson. 11 Rushton Drive, Middlewich, Cheshire, CW10 0NJ, +44 (0)1606 836036. +44 (0)7871 701585. E-mail:
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