KEITH MOTT'S

TARBES LIBERATION SITE REPORT 2008 (AND OTHER SITE PHOTOS)

Full site address: GEANT CASINO SUPER MARKET,  BOULEVARD CLAUDE DE BUSSY, (RUE DU MARECHAL FOCH – D935), LALOBERE, TARBES, FRANCE.

I made my first trip convoying to the south of France twelve years ago, when Doug Went and I took the L&SECC birds to Pau for the longest old bird race. Doug had a very bad opinion of the site at that time and I must say on my first visit I was shocked how bad this famous liberation site was. I came back and wrote how bad it was at the Camping Municipal and even with back up photographs and video, no one seemed to take any notice or be bothered. The 2007 season saw me visit Pau with the L&SECC pigeons for the sixth time and as I’ve pointed out, I think its common knowledge that I don’t like the site. The car park site, in my opinion, is far too small and it is sited next to playing fields which have large light staunching, with thick wires strewn between them.

On my first visit to Pau, I pointed out how bad the site was and was told that I could liberate on the playing field, which I did in the 2000 season, but this was far from perfect, with birds flying near the staunching and wires. Big liberations, including the National Flying Club liberated on the playing field and not in the car park area. This site must rate as one of the most important liberation sites on the Continent as many National and International races are liberated there. I don’t know how they liberate more than a thousand pigeons in comfort, as the site is far too small and has all those obstacles. In every other aspect, the site is first class, with full watering for the birds and facilities for the convoyer, although in recent season there has been a few problems with gipsies. About 300 yards down the road there is a massive car park, which serves the local sports stadium and this would be a brilliant new liberation site, in fact it is now used for releasing the International birds at Pau instead the now deleted railway site.

I had a good feeling about the Tarbes site, with the excellent results achieved by the National Flying Club out of there in recent seasons and Geoff Allan, the NFC convoyer, had always said he likes the site very much. We, the London & South East Classic Club committee, gave Tarbes a try this season on my recommendation that the Pau site was a very poor liberation site and it proved to be a good move, as it was one of the best sites in France that I’ve visited. The liberation site is the very big car park of Geant Casino Super Market in Laldbere, Tarbes and it is quiet there, being mostly empty as it is the over flow parking at the rear of the complex. The liberation area is vast, with a few light stanches in it, but they are not to close to the transporters and do not impede the safe release of the pigeons. The site has the supermarket, toilets for the convoyers, a limited water supply and no shower facilities. One of the best sites in France, I think! Tarbes is a lot closer to the Pyrenees Mountains than Pau and with the wonderful clear condition, the snow covered peaks made a brilliant back drop to the liberation site. Our liberation at 05.00hrs on the Saturday morning was a bit magical with the sun on the Pyrenees behind the liberation site! This was my seventh trip to the south of France with the L&SECC pigeons and I have only seen the Pyrenees Mountains once before, as they are normal clouded out and this was about eleven years ago, on a trip to Pau with Doug Went. I hope we go back to Tarbes next season, it would be very disappointing to see the L&SECC and CSCFC go back to the Camping Municipal at Pau, which I think is no where near as good as the Supermarket car park at Tarbes.

We arrived at the Tarbes Geant Casino Supermarket liberation site at to the welcoming site of blue sky and sun shine. My assistant for the race Brian Goodwin and I kept the water topped up all day because of the 30 plus degree temperature and lack of shade at the site and at the end of the first day we had nearly run out of water again. One phone call from our French site agent, Jacques Cenac, and the Tarbes fire brigade came and filled up our water tank at 06.45hrs on the Friday morning. Jacques is school head master and pigeon fancier, and I must say he is a great site agent, with nothing being to much trouble for him to make us welcome at Tarbes. He has a nice wife and three wonderful daughters who came to the liberation site for a chat. Mrs. Cenac told us it hadn’t stopped raining at Tarbes for a month and only cleared up couple of days before we arrived. The very high temperature was a great concern to me, but with the water toughs being filled up all the time the birds looked in ‘mint’ condition. I hang rows of baskets out of the transporter during the cool hours and this gives the inmates fresh air and a complete change of air in the lorry. The convoy had several water changes on their stay at Tarbes and were fed at 13.00hrs every day. I awoke on the Friday morning to a clear blue sky and sunshine at Tarbes, but after receiving a bad weather report of rain in the English Channel and Southern England from Steve Appleby back in Guildford, I decided to hold over. Friday evening saw a French transporter pull up on site with 1,200 birds from the Somme area (550 miles) to be liberated early on the Saturday morning. On the Saturday morning we were getting the transporter ready for liberation at 04.00hrs in anticipation of a good weather forecast from Steve and when I phone him at 04.45hrs he answered all my prays, with first class conditions right through the whole race course. With a clear sky and the sun coming up in the East, I cut the strings and liberated the convoy at 05.30hrs in no wind. The birds cleared instantly in to the cloudless sky in one big batch and headed in a northerly direction. The French convoy were liberated at 06.15hrs and they also cleared outstandingly. The weather conditions on our drive back to Caen docks were perfect for 550 mile racing and the wind picked up to be light South on route.

OTHER SITES