The Joe Murphy Column

 

The SHU are holding their annual pigeon show and trophy presentation in Lawrie & Symington Market in Lanark on Saturday 14th December entries can be obtained from the office via telephone 01698 768939 or email; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  They are also holding a Grand Raffle at the show with tickets being £1 each or £5 a book; cash prizes are 1st £200; 2nd £100; 3rd £50 and 7 prizes of £25. Other prizes include bottles of Whisky etc., you can obtain tickets from Linda Brooks at SHU offices 386a Stewarton Street Wishaw Lanarkshire ML2 8DU, who will add you details to the stubs for the draw and return the other half of the ticket to you. There will also be a venue for volunteers to help the British Pigeon Fanciers Genetics of ILD who wish to understand pigeon lung. They want to discover WHY some people develop pigeon lung but others do not!  How will they do this?

 

Pigeon fanciers use their knowledge of pigeon’s genetics to breed winning pigeons. They will use other knowledge of human genetics to investigate why some pigeon fanciers get pigeon lung. They will compare genetic differences between pigeon fanciers with and without pigeon lung. They will also study the differences in blood tests that tell them how the body responds to the dust in pigeon lofts. WHAT WILL IT INVOLVE?

Questions about how long you have kept pigeons and your general health.

Simple breathing tests

A small blood sample

 They will also write to you afterwards to update then about a change in your breathing. This research would not be possible with the help of fanciers and they are incredibly grateful for your generosity. It is worth visiting the British Lung Foundation at the show.

 

Good SNFC Birds

 

I have been going over the national results and was quite astounded to notice that there are 174 birds that have won 3 times or more in previous SNFC races up to this 2019 season. I will try and highlight as many of these as I possibly can in my column over the closed season. However if you are one of these fanciers and wish to supply me with a photograph or some information about your pigeon then I would be gratefully appreciated. The more information on these winning pigeons makes for more interesting reading for readers of the column. One of the items that I have noticed since doing this feature are the amount of birds that have scored from the Bedhampton (Portsmouth) race point that feature in these good birds. We had one of the highest entries in years with 6065 birds entered and I don’t have to tell you this race point is in the centre of the south coast of England.

 

These pigeons must have gained excellent knowledge of the terrain home as many of them have gone on to win other national certificates. To start off this feature I’m going to highlight the 13 pigeons who won a SNFC Silver Award in 2019 and my the first bird I start off with is an outstanding black hen raced by John Gilmour of Ecclefechan SU16S2465 as a yearling she won 44th section A 223rd open from Bedhampton flying 306 miles , this race had an entry of 6065 birds entered by 634 members. She then went to the Falaise race point a distance of 451 miles to her loft and she won 5th section A 6th open from an entry of 802 birds entered by 199 members. In 2018 she was entered into the Liege race and was once again up with the leaders and won 3rd section A 3rd open flying 477 miles competing against 1072 birds entered by 327 members.

 

 

 

This year she was entered into the Burdinne Gold Cup race and once again proved her quality by winning 1st section A 2nd open flying 466 miles flying against 1251 birds entered by 358 members, this last win also achieves a SNFC Silver Award for her multiple performances from channel racing. Her sire is a DeWeerdt from my good friend Andy Gregson of Preston, while her dam is a Koopman from Ernie Goodyear; congratulations go to John and his black hen on achieving the Silver Award. My next pigeon is a chequer pied cock SU12CA3718 named ‘Something Special’ raced by Martin Sneddon of Bo’ness. As a youngster he won 12th section D for Paul Morrison who lived near Martin and later moved to ‘The Bing’. Martin visited Paul the following year purchased the chequer pied cock and broke him quite easily to his loft.

 

As a 2 year old Martin sent him to the national and he won 7th section D 60th open Clermont from an entry of 1169 birds flying 524 miles. The following year he was again set up for Clermont race and was timed on the day to win won 6th section D 88th open flying against 1547 birds, he competed from Alencon in the same season but did not win a section prize. As a 4 year old he timed from the national but Martin did not know until an hour or so later that his battery on his clock was flat after putting on the solar panel to get a charge he sadly won 23rd section but did not win his award. In 2017 he was sent to Consett and never returned home till months later when he returned injured with a lump on his breast as if he had hit something. The following year he was not the same pigeon and was not flying about the loft like he did before.

 

 

Then in 2019 he was sent to the Gold Cup race from Burdinne and returned home at 21-18 hours. He was then left on an open bowl and had a young bird in the nest and his hen had laid her first egg, He looked and handled well and between eggs was race basketed for the longest race in the national programme from Reims a distance of 568 miles and he was right to the fore wining 1st section D 2nd open flying against 334 birds sent by 127 members thus winning his Silver Award at the age of 7 years old and aptly named ‘Something Special’. We congratulate Walter on achieving his Silver Award in 2019. The next quality pigeons I highlight is raced by Davie Jamieson of East Calder whose chequer cock SU13CA 3481 who in 2016 scored from Ancenis a distance of 598 miles winning 3rd section D 21st open competing against 294 birds sent by 100 members.

 

His sire was bred by Brian Denny being a son of his number one stock pair ‘Maxi’ and ‘Dark Jan’. The dam of the chequer cock is ‘The Cholet Hen’ purchased at the J & J Keir & son of Thornton’s entire clearance sale. As a 600 mile racer she was without doubt a true champion winning from this distance on 4 occasions from 3 different race points. She won 11th and 60th open Chenoise, plus 5th open Tours ALL with the SNFC, before going onto win 3rd open SNRPC Cholet and earning her retirement.  Her breeding is from the very best of Fife fanciers being down through the Keir’s own champion ‘My Little Lady’ who won 4th open SNFC Rennes as well as many of the near neighbour and great friend John Traill reference pigeons.

 

John was without doubt one of the greatest fanciers within the SNFC when it came to the clubs longest race. Over a course of 4 seasons in the mid - 1990s he was amassed the following positions; 1st , 8th and 30th open Niort flying 690 miles as well as 1st , 2nd  and 30th open Nantes at 620 miles. He was a true legend of long distance racing into Scotland. Therefore it is little wonder that the Cholet Hen has been an exceptional breeder hen for Davie Jamieson. To continue with the SNFC Silver Award winning chequer cock in 2017 he scored from Bedhampton from an entry of 6065 birds entered by 634 member and flying a distance of 363 miles won 58th section D 497 open flying 363 miles.

 

 

 

He was then sent to the Ancenis national were the convoy of 184 birds entered by 76 members and the chequer cock won 2nd section D 16th open. This year 2019 he was entered into the Reims national a distance of 558 miles and he won 6th section D 45th open from an entry of 334 birds entered by 127 members to gloriously win his SNFC Silver Award and we congratulate Davie on his success with this pigeon.

 

Fife fancier Jocky Scott of Kennoway also in the past 2 years has had 6 birds in his loft going for a Silver Award, 2 of them were killed by the hawk from a training toss from the Fife east coast village of Crail while others were lost during the racing season. He did however manage to achieve this goal when he won a Silver Award with his dark chequer hen SU16F1730 named ‘Annie’ after his wife. As a yearling she won 15th section C 38th open doing a velocity of 1009 ypm from Ypres flying a distance of 444 miles competing against a convoy of 2320 birds entered by 409 members. 

 

In 2018 she again went to Ypres and was once again up with the leaders winning 14th section C 24th open doing a velocity of 11280 ypm from an entry of 2541 birds sent by 433 members. This year she was set up for the Gold Cup race from Burdinne a distance of 513 miles and once again she was to the fore being timed in 7 minutes behind her loft mate ‘Whisky’ the 2019 Dewar Trophy Winner and she won 2nd Fife Federation 2nd section C 18th open doing a velocity of 1402 ypm from an entry of 1251 birds entered by 358 members, thus winning her SNFC Silver Award for her 3 wins from over the channel. From the 3 races she competed in a total of 6112 birds were entered and she beat 6035 of them to win her award.

 

 

 

 

Her sire was a Jan Aarden from past SNFC president John McCord while her dam was a Gaby Vandenabeele from Red Star Lofts being Jocky’s number one racing hen she won 3 x 1st club Leicester; 1st open Leicester Fife Federation; 2nd open Fife Federation Maidstone plus many more club prizes unfortunately was the only bird lost from the loft from the Bedhampton national race. I have attached a photo of ‘Annie’ to go with this article JM.  

 

  

Your Assistance Required

 

I hope that readers of the column have enjoyed reading about the above good pigeons and their owner fanciers who have achieved a Silver Awards. The breeding details and any other material regarding these winning birds make this feature all the more appealing for readers. Therefore I ask fanciers who have achieved an award with the SHU or SNFC to forward details on their winning pigeons and I will have great pleasure in highlighting their pigeon. My details are at the end of my column i.e. email; address plus phone number; Joe M. Jim Hannah has kindly forwarded to me 3 photographs of Fred Robertson of Edinburgh young bird national winners for the column.

 

Joe’s Joke

I got home this morning and my dog is lying on my porch covered in dirt and mud and has a rabbit in his mouth. He's not bloody, just dirty. Now, my neighbours raised these rabbits for show and have blue ribbon winners. I instantly knew it was one of theirs. So I get the rabbit away from my dog, I take it inside, wash all the dirt off and before my neighbours got home I took it over, put him back in the cage and went back home. Not 30 minutes later I hear my neighbours screaming, so I go out and ask them what's wrong? They tell me their rabbit died three days ago and they buried it but now it's back in the cage.

 

 

 

Please continue to keep the news flowing; to Joe Murphy Mystical Rose Cottage 2 Flutorum Avenue Thornton by Kirkcaldy KY1 4BD or phone 01592 770331 or Email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. REMEMBER THE J IN THE MIDDLE or you can also view online editions on: www.elimarpigeons.com www.fancierchat.co.uk www.pigeon-chat.co.uk - www.Pigeonbasics.com - Pigeon Racing the Basics! - thecanadianpigeoninternational.com www.internationalracingpigeon.com or

https://sites.google.com/site/internationalracingpigeon/

Who wish my weekly contribution portfolio on pigeon topics from Scotland

© Compiled by Joe Murphy