The New North Road Amalgamation

The New North Road Amalgamation held its fourth old bird race of the season from Elgin town in Murray, North central Scotland. The liberation site has always been a favourite of mine which I’ve attended on many occasions with the site being on a wide open field or a wide open carpark which ever you like, right next to Elgin City Football Club and the local scenic park with a large lake and river flowing through it plus a five minute walk to the town centre where you have all your shops and amenities and also a big plus side is the local pigeon fancier lads always come down to see you and help out in anyway they can and will do anything for you which is a great asset.

The convoyer team consisted of Clarance and Steve which are both pigeon fanciers themselves which again is a plus so you know the birds are cared for on Friday arrival at Elgin. The birds were fed and watered and fed on the best of BJF farms premium energy mix and glucose applied to the drinking water troughs and allowed time to rest, hydrate and digest their food and liquid intake ready for the liberation day.

The liberation day took place on Saturday 17/7/21 at 05.45am in full sunshine and blue skies as this fell on the hottest day of the year at present so far so it was a challenge for the birds. We knew the sun was out all day and clear visibility, it was just the heat that was the factor of an obstacle for the birds to face but that’s out your hands so into a light south west wind the birds were away and cleared well and witnessed by the local Elgin flying club members and thanks to Michael Stephen and the lads for filming it for us.

Over to the result now of the top ten birds in the North section and the west section, unfortunately the Welsh Section did not send to this race as their birds are all new to the north road route so after flying Creiff they ended their old bird season to concentrate on the young birds where I know some extreme young bird professional fanciers have started on the north road route for this with some well-known pro’s like Ken Darlington and Anthony Buttigieg and others have taken up and joined on board.

To the main result in the North section taking 1st open & 1st North section was Mr & Mrs David Lee of Long Eaton/ Chilwell border after I had finished the result and knowing Dave had won the race I don’t really see anything of him so I really wanted a photograph of him for this article so I obtained his number from the Derbyshire NR Fed secretary and I called him explaining the subject he said pop on over so that’s what I did. Ever since I have flew pigeons since a young boy the name Dave Lee was always mentioned by fanciers and the name always printed in the top or top half of results but I’ve never really associated or known nothing about him, anyway I was warmly welcomed and offered my favourite drink (apart from beer) what I survive on from day to day, of a cup of coffee and a good old chin wag on some witnessing images and facts when working in and around where he lives I see but never knowing pigeons were kept on flood plains I’d like to share them and a short story with you.

Dave’s loft is situated on his back end of what I can describe is a sea of colour of a garden with a wonderful well established full blooming garden jammed packed with well-established flowering plants and fragrance and when you get the facts you can understand this helps the plants thrive with rich fertile soil and natural silt and minerals supplied to them when as natures fertiliser witnessing it I was in shock at the far end of the Garden is a large field which in fact is a flood plain were my local towns river the river Erewash meets the great mighty River Trent and when the rain levels and water levels are high this entire field and Dave’s garden and lofts flood and this happens quite regularly if a heavy down poor occurs and has done for many many years ever since he has lived there and raised his family there but the house never floods when I asked the question yet even though the lofts are high off the ground they always flood and when looking in the lofts you can see the water lines left from previous floods on the loft floors. 

    
Garden & Lofts Flooded

One year when a young man Dave said I had to feed my pigeons for weeks off a boat please see the pictures in the article I saw and would like to share with you this I found amazing and interesting that Dave puts up with this and can still condition pigeons in a wet damp environment and maintain their health and still win.


Dave back in the day feeding his pigeons in a boat

I guess quality can maintain itself I think and pigeons can adapt to anything as they are sure a Hardy bird. On visiting the loft I also enjoyed eating fresh grapes from outside the loft where a grape vine grows on the loft which again I was intrigued to see.


Grape vines in and out of the loft

To Dave’s winning pigeon which also has a small story attached to it the bird is a 3y Dark hen sent sitting nest eggs at 10 days old her breeding is of one of Dave’s Louella Jansen’s crossed with a Roy Madley of Rotherham gift pigeon how Dave got this pigeon off Roy Madley is that Roy, for many many years operated an old bird and young bird training trailer service bringing south road Rotherham fanciers pigeons to liberate in the south at Nottingham and then take the local North Road fanciers birds back to Rotherham to release.


Dave Lee with Elgin Winner

Roy became close friends with many local north road fanciers over the years with Dave Lee and the late NRCC big gun David Rouse who pulled off some great achievements when Dave Lee would take his grandchildren to the trainer trailer to place his birds on the trailer they would always watch Roy release the Rotherham pigeons out the trailer and Dave’s grandchildren would always comment on the grizzles reds and white pigeons that would be in the shake up as Dave being a Keeper of mostly all blue or slate Jansen pigeons had no colourful birds so Roy kindly bred and gave Dave and his two Grandchildren 2 x baby blood red pigeons bred out his distance family of birds obviously these became family favourites of the grandchildren and one day they lost one flying around the garden loft so only one was left and in time Dave paired this blood red to one of his blue Jansen’s and has bred this Elgin winner.

Roy has since packed up with his training service and pigeons due to ill health but was a good chap in what he did I would also like to thank Dave Lee for inviting myself round to take a quick look in my work break time Dave also mentioned when in the garden on the day of the race his hen arrived from Elgin landed with another pigeon that was extremely thirsty hence the extreme hot heat once Dave’s hen had clocked he got this bird in and gave it some water and small seed and telephoned the owners number from off its ETS ring and it belonged David Smith of Thornbury Bristol and this hen was in the same race from Elgin, these two birds had definitely came down from Elgin together and Dave Smith’s hen was heading down to Bristol in the right way but the heat was that bit too much without a break so after a rest drink and some small feed Dave Lee released this hen and off she went back down to Bristol remarkable Dave Lee flew 338 miles doing 1050 winning £45.

Taking 2nd section and 2nd open plus 7th open 6th section 10th open 8th section 11th open 9th section 12th open 10th section flying 329 miles and winning £25 was Richard Oldham Richard informs us all his scoring birds are of his old kept Wildesmersch strain crossed with Louella Anton Schultz birds flown on the roundabout system his velocities were 992, 906, 859 & 2x 818.

3rd open 3rd section & 8th open 7th section was Mr & Mrs Tommy Mounsey flying 326 miles and winning £20 both their birds were flown on the natural system sent sitting nest eggs their first bird a 2y blue feather legged hen is bred off a pair of gift pigeons from the late Jonny Bradford of Blidworth that Barbara Knowles got for them their second bird a 2y Dark white flight Louella Jan Arden Hen their velocities was 988 & 900.

4th open & 4th section winning £15 was Gregg Johnson flying 332 miles with a 4y chequer white flight natural cock sent sitting a chipping nest egg he is of his own created blending of birds strain with a velocity of 978. 5th open & 5th section was John Hendy flying 322 miles and winning £10 with a 1y chequer white flight Edgar Murray and Brian Bennett strain doing 977.

Over to the West section taking 1st section and 6th open winning £73 flying 425 miles was Chris & John Adams with their remarkable scoring hen every time she flies from Scotland she wins dominating the south west of England Lerwick Club now for two years running with her performances and always scoring in the Amalgamation a class hen sent feeding a nest baby which is of a Hardy Kruger crossed a gift pigeon from Joe the Plumber Thompson of Bristol her winning velocity was 920.

Taking 2nd section 9th open was Steve Moseley winning £20 flying 432 Miles with a 1y Brian Milkins of Bristol famous blue bar strain X a Geoff Kirkland Flourengles blue hen flying on the widowhood doing 863.


Steve Moseley

3rd section & 17th open and being the furthest flyer at 448 miles was Steve Willis winning £66 with his 5y chequer white flight hen which is a Jan Arden bred from a pair of gift pigeons from Morris Spraggs of Bridgewater Steve informs us this hen is unfortunately Barron and never lays an egg yet she is so tame and a loving gentle bird in the loft and will just sit eggs or youngsters you place in her nest box bowl and for this race Steve just placed a young chick under her to sit for a few days she last season for Steve achieved 2nd open South West of England Lerwick club from Thurso some 550 plus miles for Steve her velocity was 758.

Steve Willis

4th section 23rd open, 9th section 31st open & 10th section & 33rd open was A & R Smith flying 424 miles and winning £22.45p with 3 x of his own Created Frank Tasker based natural flown birds with velocities of 633, 408 & 397.

5th section & 24th open winning £46.80p was Dave Smith flying 422 miles doing 616 with a 2y blue chequer Soojen hen of Paul Stobbs based Soojen that was sent sitting 14 day old nest eggs.

6th section & 25th open was David Fox winning £19.95p flying 410 miles with a 2y blue chequer natural flown cock which is a Van Hee X Stichenbart which his parents were both gift birds to David from Ken Bucannon of Hamilton Scotland Ken is a previous Scottish National flying Club Winner David’s velocity was 608.

7th section & 29th open was M & J Caudle flying 401 miles with a 1y chequer pied hen doing 455.

8th section 30th open was Roger Flew flying 427 miles winning £5.80p with his own created strain for the years he’s kept pigeons flown on natural with a 2y blue cock doing 446.

Well done to all I just hope you did not get sun stroke or sun burnt outside your lofts for this race.

The Rat Man.