LES J. PARKINSON'S
NEWS-REPORTS-ARTICLES
Loft visit
I missed out on the Blackpool Show this year with having so much work to get through so that the new office is done and dusted. Elizabeth said I had mentioned the show that much over the weekend it would have been easier to be there. What we did do was go over to see John Whitaker whose pigeons I have heard so much about but is one of those lofts I have not visited. This is quite a set up with lofts that I would like in my own garden if I had the room but I haven't so they are out of the question. What good condition the pigeons were in and how well looked after they are. There were different sizes but they all had one thing in common and that is they were well balanced with some being power houses while others were built for distance. I am talking of them being built the same way as you would look at the sprinters of this world as opposed to the likes of Cram, Ovett & Coe who in their day were class middle-distance type runners or more to the point 800 & 1500mtr runners, the sprinters being the 100mtr runners who were solid. The "41 Cock" who is now 14yrs old handled more like a 5yr old and what shoulders he had. His son "528" is more or less his double but with slightly less broad shoulders and I mean only slightly. The son like his sire is also breeding winners and one for any stock loft; he is pure quality and a pigeon that once handled you don't forget. As I say, the pigeons were in cracking condition and I asked what he gave them but the answer was nothing special and he did point out that he does not use antibiotics. I was also surprised that I didn't start sneezing and coughing when I was in the lofts because I generally do when I visit lofts and I was wondering if it was the fine shavings that are used as compared to a cleaned floor. The lofts are on quite a slope as can be seen from the photos and are well made and all nest boxes that I saw had the belt cleaning system so were easy to keep clean. There is no doubt that John has gone out to buy the best and with the pigeons that are breeding winners you can see that he knows what he is doing. I would have liked to spend more time and gather more info but the days are short and I didn't want to be travelling over Buxton in the dark. I must be getting old. We have been talking about lofts and I have included a couple of John Whitaker’s that I took over the weekend to compare the way fanciers build their lofts and this reflects on the way they race their pigeons.
Platform view of the lofts
Boxes in the race lofts that have the belt system for easy cleaning
Full view of the lofts
Radius
I was impressed when I heard that the Acton Bridge club had opened their radius so that the winning partnership of Curtis, Wall & Lunt could actually get in a club to competitively race their pigeons in the coming season. Well done to the members of the club. There should be more like them. The partnership have enquired to a few clubs but kept getting knocked back so this is a break for them so that they can get their birds ready for the Nationals that they now want to have a go at. Everyone is beatable as long as you don't brainwash yourself into defeat before you even start. Anyone can be beat and when you look at the Mid Cheshire Fed results you can see that there are some good performances put up on the west side of the fed so the other members will win their share if CWL do join. I also think that where members are turned down the RPRA should stand up and intervene because turning members away is not what the sport needs. I was talking to Ray about what they had won and as he said, they have made mistakes in the past when they have had a good race by clocking too many in but they now understand that this is not the thing to do and he also pointed out that they need to move on to the classic and national racing. I remember when I first started racing in Middlewich, we had a few good fanciers who were all competing hard to beat the late Denis Gleave and even though he won more than the rest, others still got into the winner’s enclosure. Everyone is there to be beaten and it is up to everyone to work on their pigeons to get in the prizes. I was once told it was easy to win a race and it is through hard work - the problem is staying there!
Pigeons for sale
I was talking to Gary Hodkinson recently about a particular pigeon that had been sold 4 times that I know of. We were saying how pigeons go round before they really have a chance to breed winners. This particular pigeon is not the best of handlers and lookers but boy did he breed winners. With writing I get a chance to see who is winning what when I am putting my notes together. This pigeon first came to light when its offspring started winning for a fancier in Warrington. The fancier sold the pigeon on the auction site and the buyer did not keep it very long before he sent it packing but before he did he had bred some off it and they were in his race team. He then sold the pigeon again on the auction site and it ended up in the North-Eeast where it did not last long before going to a loft in Crewe. By this time the second owner of the pigeon had realised that he had bred 5 differnet winners from him. This led him to going looking for this pied cock and he purchased it back and it is now one of his best stock cocks. What the problem is, some pigeons are never given a chance and many fanciers are guilty of the same thing.
FUGARE 2014: birds of a feather
There is just over a month to go before thousands of international pigeon fanciers flock to the most important rendezvous of the year in Belgium. FUGARE will be held on Saturday 15 (9 17 hrs) and Sunday 16 February 2014 (9 16 hrs) in Hall 6 at Kortrijk Xpo. The organisers are getting FUGARE geared up for the fourth edition of this eagerly awaited event for the pigeon racing world. Over 100 exhibitors have signed up to play their part in this success story. Newcomers like Hans & Evert Jan Eijerkamp, DHP Cultura, BAKA Chalets, Benzing all the way from Austria and many others have realised that this is an event they cannot afford to miss. And they will be delighted to welcome valued past exhibitors once again, including Bricon, Vanrobaeys, Polmark, Beyers, Holland Diervoeders, Geraldy, Habru Aluminium Lastechniek, Vanhee Products, Smisdom Plastics etc. In short, FUGARE will again be presenting exhibitors from Belgium and far beyond. As usual, FUGARE 2014 will include a wide-ranging programme of interesting fringe events. For example, this year’s visitors can learn Tips & Tricks from a pigeon vet, listen to the debate in the conversation café between father-and-son duos such as Herbots & son, Roger Pierre & son, Platteeuw & son and others. And once again, FUGARE will be welcoming the Royal Belgian Pigeon Racing Association’s national president Stefaan Van Bockstaele and the chairman of the national sports committee Dirk Schreel for an open discussion. These talk sessions will be followed by the presentation of the prizes: the Bricon Trophy, La France Colombophile, the Vlaamse Jeugd, Derby Brod, Croatian Adriatic Cup, FCI Thailand, FCI Hungary, BCK-CBJS
don’t miss it! Entrance tickets cost 8 and women and children can visit the event free of charge. This year, tickets can be purchased at the door or online at our website www.fugare.be . Reduction vouchers for 1 reduction can be ordered at the website and are also available in all pigeon racing clubhouses. Once again, there are special terms for clubs arranging a coach to visit FUGARE: free parking for the coach plus 1 free entrance ticket per 10 paying visitors (to be ordered at
Lofts
I mentioned the best loft I had had in the garden and I have been asked about it by a few fanciers and by luck I was in the attic after a job for Elizabeth and came across a box of photos. I never flew pigeons to that loft but if I had the space I would have the same one built again.
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Elimar - January 2014
