NEWS FROM DOWN UNDER
by Doug McClary
SEPTEMBER 2014
What is this life...
if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare. The lines of W.H.Davies often spring to mind and recently the magical sound of the blackbird singing his last song at dusk has been a real treat as well as an indication that spring is almost here. Down in these parts, the wondrous blackbird is about the only real songbird and fortunately it has adapted really well to Australian conditions. Hearing a blackbird in full song never fails to impress me and in the past week or so one has been perched on the house next door giving full voice. Disappointingly this year, the gannets have failed to put in an appearance and seem to be staying further down the bay towards the heads and the cliffs there. I guess that the fish have failed to move up the bay, so depriving us of that great sight of gannets fishing seriously. However, almost as I wrote these words, we could see hump back whales out in the bay with their spouts and huge tails flapping the water, and this was seen from our lounge windows. The whales start to migrate at this time of the year and very occasionally they find their way into the bay through the Heads a quite narrow neck of water. Australia, at this time of the year is a sea of green and gold thanks to the wattle bushes which are in full yellow flower and present a wonderful sight. Of course, I miss the changing seasons of the English countryside but some of the ones we experience over here are quite impressive. It only takes a warm sunny day for the birds to obtain vibrancy and they seem different pigeons on such days.
Another show
Geoff Nelson and I made the trip across the Bay to Geelong, Victoria’s second city. It is only forty kilometres across the bay as the crow flies but we have to drive all the way around the bay via Melbourne. It was a Sunday show so traffic was light on the way there and not too bad for the return. I took eight birds only and was pleased to win best, reserve best and BYB. It was the final showing event of the season and an unusually late one for Australia. However, it paid off for the entry was a record for the Geelong club and just goes to show that trying new ideas can often work.
Timekeeping
Roland Thresher seems to be taking early arrivals too seriously. Following his arrival at the Devon County show a week early, he recently went across to Guernsey for the attractions of Dennis McKane hospitality. This included Dennis getting up early to prepare lunch boxes for a fishing trip, only to find that the intrepid Minehead pair were already up and waiting, having used a phone alarm which was an hour fast. That was only the start of an unusual day, for when some twenty miles out from the island, the McKane engine failed (again) and it was only a mate from the island who motored back to base to obtain a new battery. Therefore the services of the lifeboat were not required and I have no reports on whether any fish were landed. Knowing Roland, if he had landed a good catch of skate, her would have phoned everyone in reach.
Stithians show
Dennis McKane and his wife travelled across to the mainland from Guernsey to judge at the annual Stithians show where he was impressed with the quality of birds on offer. His choice of best was a yearling chequer cock owned by Nigel Rescorla, just pipping an opal mosaic hen owned by Colin Carter. Nigel also won the award for best young bird. One disappointment for Dennis was that he found a number of birds carrying passengers, echoing my experience at the Royal Cornwall in June. Dennis mentioned that he had in mind coming to the Royal Cornwall to meet up with me but it was a toss-up between that and a cruise and the cruise won! I can only say that it would have been such an honour to meet up with the chairman of the British Show Racer Federation!
Australian National Show
As stated last time I was unable to get to Queensland for the annual National show. My place was taken by Mark Tung who provided plenty of success for Fred Frendo who took ten of the twenty classes on offer. He won all the main specials but the best young bird award went to Glyn Williams, a Welshman. Glyn tells me that he has lived in Australia for most of his life but was born at Swansea and given the name Glyndwer Francis Williams. When he arrived in this country he spoke the Welsh language but after being dragged to the front at school assembly to say a few words in Welsh. This was an experience a young shy Welsh laddo didn’t enjoy and soon forgot how to speak the language. I believe that he still has a hankering after his old country for he found himself supporting Welsh competitors in the recent Commonwealth Games. His winning pigeon from the National show is a silver chequer cock bred out of a hen he calls Silver Dollar which he purchased from me a few years ago, when paired to a blue chequer hen of Scottish lines purchased from Chris Schutz of South Australia.
Glyn Williams
Glyn's silver chequer hen, best YB at the Australian National Show.
Mealy hen, Fred Frendo's BIS
Blue cock, Fred's BOS winner.
It looks as though next year’s National will be held at Penrith in New South Wales. Apparently this is a very good venue and work is in progress to bring the event off. It will be the first National in the State for many years. The cause of this has been mainly the lack of good venues at half a reasonable cost as well as lack of pens. The PFS club at Sydney has a very good venue but the shed is not large enough for a National and the pens are mainly fixtures and not very portable. That is a pity for they have several very good members and a long history of service to the showing hobby. With New South Wales being in a generally central location on the East side of Australia, it will mean that the majority of fanciers will feel able to drive there and thus avoid air travel with all the frustrations involved.
He’s Back
Tony Baugh enjoyed a most successful Royal Welsh show under the judging of Les Petty, winning several classes and taking out the main special awards. As a man who has worked to hard for this show over the years, these wins will have provided him with considerable pleasure especially as he is virtually starting from new. It would seem that he still knows how to condition pigeons! Paul Cammock was snapping at his heels and won the trophy for most points and the Likeliest flyer winner was S.Cale.
Breeding
I know that over the years, I have mentioned this many times, but to find a half- shell on the floor of a hatched young pigeon is one of the most satisfying in the pigeon year. It seems to signify a new beginning, a new year in the loft with all the hopes and expectations that pigeon fanciers enjoy. Generally however the breeding is going very slowly with quite a few clear eggs and other problems. One young hen has failed to lay at all. The older pigeons I have placed in the spare former Dragoon loft where they are enjoying life going through all the motions of parenthood but with little prospect of producing anything. I have already split a couple of pairs in the hope of obtaining a fully settled loft. I would like to be finished by Christmas with the few birds I need for the showing here in Australia. So, now it is a case of following the season through and hoping that numbers appear, especially powder blues as I have become quite light in numbers in this colour. I really need to produce two or three really top class pairs of powders to carry me through to the future in my favourite colour. Having said that, I am breeding beautiful mealies at the moment and am more than happy to pair these to blue from time to time.
Dilutes
Last month I mentioned a visit to my loft by Murray Hayes of New South Wales. I have some photos of his birds from 2013 showing that he has produced a wealth of dilutes. These mainly came from a pair of my birds, namely a mealy cock bred from a red dilute, or pastel red as I preferred to call him, and a silver chequer hen which carries a great deal of yellow colour in her neck. In all they bred four yellow chequers and four cream bars. I thought I would produce the photos this month to indicate the quality of the birds Murray is producing.
Cream Bar hen
Dilutes
In close up
Raptors
The situation here in Australian is probably as dire as in GB although they do not have the pernicious sparrowhawk here. Fanciers have expressed their frustration at the situation over the loss of so many good racers to the aerial murderers. This stirred a response from the Australasian Raptor Association who sounded just like the RSPB and their typical and patronising responses. The writer who described himself as the editor tore into the pigeon fancier who dared raise the awareness, describing his words as rantings, yet at the same time making allegations that the PMV outbreak in Australia was caused by the illegal smuggling of eggs. This has never been proved certainly not scientifically and this is the proof he demands on assertions about raptor numbers. The ARA could have been using the same material that the RSPB disseminates. They always retreat into the scientific route using apparently learned material to demean those with contrary views. Worse still, he referred to the pigeon fancier involved by his surname only which is another act of superiority being expressed. The writer, Mr Debus ended with a classic statement as follows: ‘I don’t know where the pigeon lobby’s myths and untruths about raptors come from, and suspect that it will be a long time before fact and reason filter through to a group that evidently believes what it wants to believe .’. Isn’t this the exact position of Mr Debus and his Raptor Group, believing only what they want to believe. The words Pot, kettle and black come to mind.
In Conclusion
Another article produced out of not very much information. I really would like to receive input from readers to make my task a little easier. My addres is still 3 Kunyung Road, Mount Eliza, Victoria, Australia 3930, and my email is
Douglas McClary
Kemyel Lofts of British Show Racers
douglas-mcclary.blogspot.com.au
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