L J Parkinson

Nearly all done for another season with the last races either this or next weekend, many will no doubt be looking at changes to the lofts. We have changes in mind with working out a young bird section for the darkness, one of those jobs that is in the mind, but no action has taken place so far. Elizabeth wants me to put a stock loft up in the garden next to the race loft so that we don’t have to have those birds down the side of the house. The better option which I am in the process of doing would be to get rid of the stock birds altogether and cut the time spent looking after them out. It is a fact that the older we get the more precious time becomes, what used to take 15 mins to do is now extended to 25mins. Changes will need to be made because Ebony goes to University in September so will have less time with the pigeons, but she is only an hour or so down the road at Edge Hill Uni. Think dad Steve will be needed at times to help on Ebony’s behalf, the thought of her not having a break from them while at Uni has not arisen, but it is going to happen especially during the old bird season. The best part is she has her break from Uni when the young birds need more attention so that will suit us both. I did try to find out if we could use one ETS system to print off our separate race’s so that all traps are covered when any decide to go in the wrong section. However, there was no response from Unikon so we are going to look at the Benzing “M” system where we can both use the same system to print off out entry and race forms.

Training.

This year I have not understood how the birds have reacted to training tosses in comparison to the races. We have had training tosses where they have taken longer from 30mls than they have from races at 70 to 120mls. We had one toss on a reasonably good afternoon from 17mls when they were liberated at 4-45pm and were still coming as dusk settled on the lofts, one missing. As we stood there, I said to Steve that I am at a loss as to why this happens, it has never happened before with such consistency over the young bird season. The other Tuesday they were tossed at Penkridge 30mls, we had a small batch come together from the Knutsford direction. We stood there and a couple more came and after that they came as if they were being singled up somewhere like the Knutsford area every 2 mins. The only one that was missing was a red hen and that was noticeable because we only have two of that colour. This made me think a BOP had hit them and the red cock was the one singled out because of its colour. The two reds had been coming well and one was my nom pigeon. I had great hope for these two because of their breeding and how well they were covering both the training tosses and the races. I had heard how bad the BOP attacks have increased since I last raced, but I now know how bad they are and it’s not good. Every time we have had birds missing from training there have always been signs that an attack has taken place. When Houdini came back injured, we lost birds and that also happened with a blue cock who had to go, and we had a late bred dark hen that had to go for the same reason. Houdini is one of Ebony’s that we kept and was not too bad and is now flying as normal with the rest of the team.

Talking to.

Was having communications with Mike and in fact spoken to a few fanciers about the number of birds that go on a race result. In the Mid Cheshire Federation, the numbers going on results has changed from an open result with as many as you want on to a max of 4 birds per loft. There is no doubt those who are going to say that the result isn’t a true one without all the birds clocked going on at the end of any race. Fanciers such as Curtis-Wall-Lunt would have filled the results a few times during most years. Take Mr & Mrs Carl Hickman who have had some good results in the last few years, they could have shown many more in the results. There was a race this year where Eric Taylor took the first four in the federation and could have had many more included. Geoff Bebbington, the then secretary of the Acton Bridge club was telling me that Ray Lunt and C-W-L could have filled the results on many occasions, but they are quite content to put 4 forward as many other fanciers in the Mid Cheshire Fed have done in recent years under the gentleman’s agreement within the fed. I don’t think it’s a bad thing long term, there are many teams of fanciers about nowadays who could if tested fill federation results but are content to participate in the sport they love so much. I personally know two fanciers who have left the sport because, in their words, “The big team fanciers have spoilt the sport, it’s meant to be a hobby and if you are not living in the right place you are out of it” As I said I cannot totally agree with that because if the pigeons are not right it doesn’t matter if you send 1 or 101, if they are not in the right condition on the day they are not going to win. Yes, we know the wind direction does make a difference to a race, but we can put up with that because the wind varies all the time. Look at the start of this year and all those east winds, the winning area changed. As I told Dave Healey recently during a discussion on the National, if you send often enough everything will suit you one day and that is where you get the pleasure from and those are the results that you remember into your old age. There are clubs around here where you only get two prizes per member, is it a bad thing, the way the sport is going. We must give and take all the time thinking about the bigger picture. The young bird season has not been a good one and this was the subject when I was talking to Adam Davies about the season in general. Even though he has been winning prizes most weeks, he was saying that he has never had such a bad season racing young birds. The one benefit he has and that is he has not lost many and still has a good team racing. From what I can gather that has been the case with many fanciers who have called it a day because they don’t want to lose any more. The problem is we need young birds because they are the future of the loft and if they are mostly lost you also lose them from the follow-on generations. You suffer with yearlings and more importantly the 2yo stage for the longer National races. Yes, we can send yearlings that do well, but it is nice to have a team of 2yo’s that are experienced and reliable. We still have just short of 80 young birds that have been heavily trained and had either two, three or four races so we can’t complain. Craig Wilkinson was saying that he has packed up for the season and now has the biggest team (18prs) to take forward and race as old birds. It’s always nice when you can look at the pigeons in the loft at the end of the season knowing that you have a cracking team for the next season. I am hoping that Ebony and I will have a good team of yearlings to take forward. As I sit here typing away and talking on the phone, I am also thinking about the last two weekends of racing. Do we carry on or do we call it a day with 2024 being a racing priority. Between us we could take forward nearly 80 young birds that have all been given a chance, and that I am happy about. Having said that I am keeping them in training just in case I get tempted come Friday evening when they are marking for the next race. For the past few weeks, I have been calling Joe Glover after he had a fall which resulted in a few weeks in hospital. I worked on the basis that if I called often enough, he would eventually be at home, and he was. He was saying that he has had a rough time but now that he is home, he is feeling much better. What spurred him on was the physio told him that if he could get out of bed by the weekend he could go home. What better words while you are in hospital than those to get you up and going. Anyway, he is back at home and was saying that a friend Jimmy Smith had been doing such a good job with his pigeons he has carried on his winning ways. Keep improving Joe for your 90^th birthday in February and let’s see you winning into another decade.

Results.

The fifth young bird race for the South West Cheshire Fed saw 41 members enter 673 birds that were liberated at 10.15am in a west southwest wind. Leading the way are Mainwaring & Simkin from the Halmer End FC with a vel of 1464ypm. Also, from the same club we have C Gill 2^nd fed on 1430ypm with fellow club members S Moss 3^rd on 1406ypm and N & S Harvey who take the next four with their best vel being 1395ypm. Jimmy Smith from the Hankelow FC is 3^rd fed on 1425ypm ahead of Nigel & Wendy Shaw who take the next 4 places on 1391/1367/1360/ypm. Crewe West End members had a good race taking the next five in the fed with young bird expert Colin Lindop being 1^st & 2^nd club 4^th & 5^th fed with vels of 1417/1416ypm. The next three positions in club and fed go to Bob Humphries with three on 1416ypm. That leaves 9^th & 10^th fed that go to Mick Stockton from the Greenbank club with Tommy Hulme & Son 3^rd on 1397ypm and Turner & Son 4^th with vel of 1390ypm. Other club’s who entered the race are Duddon PFC where K W Walker & Sons top the list on 1356ypm with Gary Adamson taking the next 4 places with his best vel being 1314ypm. In the Middlewich clubs Peter & Dawn Latham did the double, winning both clubs. In the 5B they topped the list on 1403ypm ahead of Dave Pritchard 2^nd with a vel of 1373ypm. Jones Bros & Karen Jones are 3^rd also clocking up 1373ypm with Les Parkinson & Elizabeth Wilkinson 4^th on 1361ypm. Moving on to Winsford HS where Chris Hitchin continues his good spell with another red card on 1392ypm. G&A&C Jones are 2^nd with a vel of 1392ypm followed by Mike & Keith Hitchin taking the next three with their best vels being 1374/1372 (2) ypm. The Mid Cheshire Fed were also at Mangotsfield when 78 members entered 1,377 birds to be liberated at 8am in a southwest wind. The earlier lib gave them much better vels by over 130ypm. Heading the list, we have Eric Taylor from the Acton Bridge club taking the top three places in the club section and fed plus 10^th recording vels of 1593ypm (2) 1573/1552ypm. Still with the same club we have Curtis-Wall-Lunt 10^th fed on 1557ypm. The next 4 places go to Ray Lunt racing in the Lymm FC on 1568/1567 (3) ypm, these finish with the first 4 in club and section to go with 4^th 5^th 6^th 7^th Fed. Middlewich Winners Peter & Dawn Latham are 1^st club 4^th section 8^th fed on 1563ypm. Ebony Crowley is 2^nd club on 1481.673ypm beating Les Parkinson & Elizabeth Wilkinson with a vel of 1481.141ypm. I bet the neighbours were wondering what was going on as we were both shouting the pigeons in. Ebony’s did a Usain Bolt along the landing board to beat me and win another £5 off Dave Healey who said he would give Ebony £5 every time she beats me, and he has. Now onto the clubs starting with Ashton in Makerfield HS where William Buxton secured the top wo places with two on 1531ypm finishing ahead of John Hankey with a vel of 1325ypm. In the Cheshire FC John Hill takes top spot on 1478ypm followed by D Risley & Shaw who take the next two positions on 1420/1418ypm. In the Earlestown FC W & P Brown return to the top spot by decimals after clocking up 1497.8ypm with Bob & Brian Smith taking the next two places on 1497.4/1483ypm. Mick Stockton rounded off a good day taking the top three places in the Greenbank club with vels of 1514/1497/1431ypm. Mr & Mrs Carl Hickman also took the top three positions in their club the Kingsway HS on 1533 (2)/1530ypm. Another fancier taking the top three in the club is T Cunliffe from the Leigh & Atherton HS with vels of 1449 (2)/1445ypm. Arnold & Jackson collect 1^st & 3^rd places in the Newton FC recording vels of 1502/1489ypm being split by C Johnson & Son who clocked up 1500ypm. In the Rudheath WMHS Dave Pritchard tops the list on 1448ypm ahead of previous fed topper Gary Hodgkinson on 1446ypm just in front of Kenny Burke 1431ypm. Mark Kneale takes the top three in the Runcorn DHS on 1462/1431/1429ypm. Over in Sankey Bridges HS I Hill is on top of the pile with a vel of 1512ypm ahead of Martin Magee 2^nd & 3^rd with two on 1511ypm. We now move on to the St Helens FC where Arnold & Johnson are 1^st & 2^nd recording vels of 1505/1482ypm followed by J Tunstall 3^rd on 1436ypm. In the Tyldesley IC the top three places go to R&D Gaskell clocking up 1493/1443/1442ypm. N&S Harvey led the way in the Wrinehill club with vels of 1545/1482/1436ypm. The fed also had an old bird race where Nigel & Wendy Shaw took the top two positions with vels of 1463/1455ypm. Also from the same club N & S Harvey are 3^rd on 1418ypm with D Skinner 4^th recording a vel of 1383ypm.  

Les Parkinson. 11 Rushton Drive, Middlewich, Cheshire, CW10 0NJ.
Tel: +44 (0)1606 836036. Mob: +44 (0)7871 701585.
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Web site: http://www.elimarpigeons.com