Les J Parkinson - What’s on my mind this week.
Exercise.
It was a couple of days short of seeing the end of the first month of the new year when I decided to let the pigeons out for their first exercise of the new year. It was a nice sunny day that saw them in the air for no more than 10mins, with some not even making that time. Some were a bit nervous at first, but they did eventually settle down and looked as if they were beginning to enjoy it. Some were enjoying it that much they took their time trapping back into the loft, in fact the light was on its way out when the last one decided enough was enough. This was the start of me preparing them to go to nest so I didn’t want to rush them. Settling pairs together can be hard at times but on the other hand as easy as you make it. Pairing them up is exactly what I did by letting them select their own partners. I have only done this once before and there were some good pairings that bred good pigeons. The following year we had what was probably our best club/fed racing season that we have ever done. I must admit I did not breed off them all, there were a few pairings that did nothing for me. What it meant was, I had the chance to single rear most of the young birds, so I had a good strong team. Also, just before they were paired up Peter Latham came round to make the trio up to vaccinate them all. This job was arranged for Friday, but I think Peter had seen the weather forecast, so Thursday was the day, and it was decided. Anyway, they started to go down on 7 days, so I was pleased with that. With the stock birds there are 46prs so they are not all going to bred off, between Ebony and myself we only need about 40 young birds, that will be enough.
Middlewich night out.
Last year we had a get-together at the Boars Head Hotel Middlewich as a warm-up for the season ahead. A good idea but the food did not go as planned so a damper was on the event. Having said that I am reliably informed that club/fed Secretary Lesley did a good job of the evening, and it was the work she put in that made the night enjoyable. The games that were organised added enjoyment to the evening.
It is always nice to have a gathering or two over winter and losing the series of shows was a setback with wither gatherings. The event will be on the 16th March 2025 at 2pm. Tickets are available at £10 each with a buffet.
Loses
I was talking to a fancier about losses of racing pigeons, at the time I was clearing my desk and the surrounding area. I don’t know what made me look at the side of my PC, but I did and I could see the corner of a bit of paper sticking out. I said, you won’t believe this, but I have just pulled a piece of paper from under my PC and it’s about losses in racing pigeons. As a read it the thought was, “Times haven’t changed” Anyway so that you know what I am on about here is the story, pity it doesn’t say who has written it. “Slowly the toll became known and although a few heroic survivors struggled home, completely exhausted, it became obvious after time that 97out of every hundred had been lost. This is no war story extract, it is a tale to be heard wherever there are cloth caps, for the missing and the dead are pigeons that perished or went astray in the ill-fated Gloucester race where mow Cock FC lost 97%of all their birds are now counting the cost” That reminds me of the Cheltenham race, I think in the mid 70’s when only a handful made it home to Middlewich on the day. There have been some disasters over the years including the National FC, so we are not all free from heavy losses. When we send them, we always hope that we are going to have a good race to be fair most of the time they are good.
New Loft
Seem to be the new thing in Middlewich at the moment with a very good all-round job done by Nigel Shaw with both loft and garden for Mark Smith. The other loft had come to the end of its life after being with Mark for over 40yrs. The next job is getting the pigeons settled to it and a round of young birds. Not much time left now but no doubt Mark will be ready for the racing season.
Avian influenza
Is in Middlewich after several swans and ducks were found dead on the canal. You can see swans in numbers along the canal on Booth Lane, yes they look nice but not what we pigeon fancies want at any time of the year.
Les Parkinson. 11 Rushton Drive, Middlewich, Cheshire, CW10 0NJ.
Tel: +44 (0)1606 836036. Mob: +44 (0)7871 701585.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web site: http://www.elimarpigeons.com