Parkinson. LJ.
Well I have had a bit of a lean time with writing this year, not done much at all, I have been too busy with the web site. When I have these break’s, I do miss writing because we all have our views. Well what has been happening, well if you remember I wrote about the wild pigeons hanging about the solar panels on the house. Mick Stockton came and blocked the access off but they are still here. We are not the only ones who are suffering with stray pigeons trying to make a home under the panels. In the cul-de-sac across the road there are 5 on one roof while a furth 7 are hanging around in the houses in Algleave Close. One of the neighbours thought we had pigeons in the back garden again, unfortunately not, but I do have a few in other lofts that are getting a bit old now. It looks like there is going to be an amount of uncertainty with what is happening with racing next year. What racing did take place during the last year was always going to see mixed results even so some did do well but there were many who failed to get anywhere near where they wanted to be. I think that was always going to be the case because some fanciers set out for a normal season while others waited and waited until they were too late to get into racing mode. There is so much uncertainty about what we are doing in all parts of our lives and will that change, I am not sure what is going to happen mind you I doubt if anyone knows. The problem we have is the National media appear to be pressing the government on the way forward which is not helping and all just to get a story. Anyway, back to racing and what is likely to happen next year, what I say is carry on as normal and hope for the best, that way you will be ready if everything gets under way. In November I had a photo on Whatsapp from Craig showing me his good breeding hen on her first nest of the season.
I wrote an obituary for the late Joe Shore from Comberbach and mentioned the pigeons that he had many years ago and had a reply. “Hi Les, I see in one of your articles you refer to the white pigeons I had from Joe Shore. This is correct! I purchased 50 in 1990 and 25 in 1991 (all 75 youngsters) and flew them all out. They were very good birds, and the whites were particularly outstanding and bred quite a number of other whites with the tips of their tail feathers black! They came in all colours but threw a number of slate blues and chequers and powdered birds in 1992 onwards. The blacks bred Barless Mealies when paired onto a Red or mealy. The whites were equally as hardy as all the other colours. All the birds were trained up to 100 miles every year up to 2000. That is the entire loft, cocks, and hens, including the 1990 and 1991 bred birds. I had not been racing due to lack of time as I had gone into property! In 2000 I had to bite the bullet and dispose of all of them. Around 420 if I recall. During that period, I let a small number go at no charge to Dave Pratt and a couple of Kent fanciers. Years ago, there was a fancier called John Banks from Folkestone who had funny coloured pigeons. Geoff Hunt was always speaking of him. He had all the normal colours but also Silvers, Grizzles, (and hence Silver Grizzles, Chocolates and Yellows) but none of those colours were in the Fred Shore pigeons! When ringing the Fred Shore youngsters in following years I notice a large percentage with five toes. Three at the back and two at the front! No problem ringing them! There were none in the 75 originals but all were powdered youngsters. When it came to singling up at 100 miles as youngsters, they were no different to all the other Joe Shore pigeons. In the late 1960s I visited Alf Baker who had made his name with Stassaerts and a touch of Ameel. One cock I believe which bred the occasional silver hen. I think Alf Baker was the best fancier I did ever meet in Britain. He went over to Belgium to Cattrysse and purchased from them. All blues from what I can remember. The earlier pigeons were Red and Mealies through Red Admiral as well as blues and chequers. In the 1970s I thought the Cattrysse had become the base and overtaken the Stassarts. In the Mid 1960s a man called A H Bridge from Thundersley Essex was doing well from Lerwick with some blue cocks bred out of silver hens. He told me he was the President of the NRCC. After I finished at University, I acquired some Dr Rigg Barkers from specific pairs which included two Silver Hens and eight Blues of which three were hens giving me 5 pairs. I was fortunate enough to win the Young Bird National in 1973 with a Delbar x Bricoux. I purchased the Bricoux Hen on the Friday Night at the 1966 Old Comrades Show in London. She was a mealy with a nut-brown eye and her nest sister was purchased by Tommy Buck before I got there! Anthony Bolton attended to do some photographs for the RP and mentioned to a fancier he saw later in London that he had photographed Two Silver Hens at my loft. The fancier called me. Do I have any Silver Hens? Well actually I have two! Did I want to sell them? No, I said. Will you breed me a pair from them? Well not really, but I suppose it is a question of what you want to pay. Well £25! Each I said or per pair? What about a Silver hen youngster? Well £50. Not enough! What about £75? What about £100? Yes, OK how many have you got? How many do you want? You have only got two Silver hens. Yes, I know but I have five Blue Cocks who will breed Silver Hens. How do you know? I know! Can you breed me six? With a Fair Wind yes! Depends on what they throw but I should get 5 or 6 out of two rounds. OK six silver blue hens it is! What about a Silver Cock? Have you got one? No but I can breed you one next year! Are you sure? Very sure? What price £250 each! How many do you want? How can you be sure? I will repair accordingly. Can you breed me two from different pairs? Yes, I can do that! Will I be able to breed Silvers from them the following year? Well by pairing Silver Cocks to Silver Hens you can breed all you like! You problem is you do not understand avian genetics! I do! Alf Baker did not appreciate the genetics but was an outstanding fancier. He told me he had purchased two Silver Cocks back which he had sold as youngsters believing they were hens! Now to answer the question do Silvers breed better youngsters to race my answer is I do not know one way or the other but the perception was that they do! If you are a Corner Shop and customers only wish to purchase Cornflakes then you only stock Cornflakes! Regards, Furgus Wilson”
My Silvers
The first good team of Silvers that I ever saw were at the lofts of Frank Gough at Marston he had them from the legendary Dick Baldwin from Rufford. A few years later I visited Dick and then several more times after that. He had quite a team of silver’s both cocks and hens, these were based on the old Barkers. I had a few but never had any luck with them and later and I mean much later I bred several out of the Dordins and they all came down from one cock. I never got to try them because I had left them down the side in the stock loft and then one day a couple of fanciers called, saw them, and took the lot. I still had the blue’s thinking that I could breed more and race them but for some reason I never bred another silver off them. I thought it might be down to inbreeding but when I looked at the breeding the only link was that they were all Dordins and like most families they were from different lines. I still hear Elizabeth commenting about how she liked the Dordins, mind you at the time were doing a lot of showing so they went down well. At one time we used to show nearly every day and would travel to a few of them. Over the years I have not seen many silver’s win the races but no doubt there will be a few that have won that I don’t know about.
Rings
I recently received an email from Russell Peach about a couple of pigeon rings that he had found while out treasure hunting. “I wonder if you might be able to shed some light on a pigeon ring I found many moons ago BSF08 3133 , dreadnoughts is 244 off I’ve been told, I wondered if there were any records of feds to help with an id? it was a metal detecting find not far from Birmingham. Thank you, Thanks in Anticipation Russell”
Mid Cheshire Fed
Talking about rings I like many more had an email from the Fed secretary Steve Harvey about the Gold Ring race to be held in 2021. Prize money is 1st £1000. 2nd £500. 3rd £250. 4th £150. 5th “100. 6th £80. 7th £70. 8th £50. 9th £30. 10th £20. Rings at a rate of 10 per member/loft will be available from the secretary on the 1st January 2021. 90% to prize money with 10% to Fed funds. The race will be from the longest young bird race yet to be announced. What Kind of racing will we have in 2021, a good question but once they got going this year they didn’t do too bad so I se no reason why racing cannot start as normal and carry on that way.
Les J Parkinson. 11 Rushton Drive, Middlewich, Cheshire, CW10 0NJ. 01606836036 Mobile 07871701585. Email
