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Terry Haley's Misty Lady

 

 

TOP RACING PIGEONS

TERRY HALEY'S

MISTY LADY

Terry's great hen appears elsewhere on Elimar in Keith Mott's article on Terry and his family of pigeons but of course she also merits a stand alone feature in our Top Racing Pigeons series. I met Terry for the first time in December 2013 when on a flying visit to Keith Mott's in south London; he was there to have one of his recent combine winners photographed. Anyway, I was able to tell Terry something he didn't know about Misty Lady's final performance out of Thurso when she was nine years of age. On that day, from the same liberation, I was waiting with a Northamptonshire friend of mine, Pete Chamberlain, who had his good red chequer Barker/Silvere Toye hen away. We waited and waited and the sky got deader and deader as the night closed in. It was looking desparate but out of the gloom at gone well past 9pm his red chequer turned up. It was a special moment and I think I'm right in saying that she was the only bird on the day into the Northampton Town & District Federation. Unbeknown to both of us however, Misty Lady, who by this stage of her career was already famous, was also in the sky that night. I don't know how she did it but she made her own solo passage through the gloom, arriving home at five to ten to cap a wonderful career by topping her respective federation, also being the only bird on the day. Terry told me that he had in fact given up as it was dark and he had come away from the loft, only to be called back by a friend who thought he had spotted something. Pete's hen was special but Misty Lady was just on another level. And one thing's for sure - there was magic in the air that night. - Cameron Stansfield.

As a yearling in 1990 she won 1st club, 1st Thames Valley Federation, 3rd open North Thames NR Combine (2,412 birds) Thurso (492 miles) velocity 980ypm. She won the Federation (740 birds) by 90 minutes in a south east head wind.

In 1991 she recorded 1st club, 1st Thames Valley Federation (1,099 birds), 3rd North Thames NR Combine (3,265 birds) Banff (420 miles) velocity 980ypm. Just three weeks later she was put back to Thurso and once again won 1st club, 2nd Thames Valley Federation, 2nd open North Thames NR Combine (2,200 birds) velocity 1281ypm.

In 1992 she was 29th Thames Valley Federation Banff, beaten by five loft mates, all of which figured in the first 20 of the Federation result, with 1,051 birds competing. Three weeks later she was sent back to Thurso and recorded 3rd club, 9th Thames Valley Federation, 39th open North Thames N.R. Combine (1,749 birds) velocity 620ypm, in a south east head wind.

She was entered in to Thurso in 1993 but due to bad weather the Combine brought the convoy back to Berwick and after a five day holdover they liberated from the 288 miles race point, and she arrived home late on the day.

In 1994 she won 1st club, 1st Thames Valley Federation, 1st open North Thames NR Combine (1,914 birds) Fraserburgh (419 miles) velocity 1024ypm, in a South West wind.

In 1995 she won 4th Club, 29th Thames Valley Federation, 78th North Thames Combine (1,951 birds) Fraserburgh. Then three weeks later went back again to Thurso (492 miles), to win 1st club, 2nd Thames Valley Federation, 8th North Thames Combine (1,613 birds), vel. 822ypm, in a South East head wind.

In the 1996 she recorded 6th Federation, 13th Combine (1,597 birds) Thurso.

In 1997, at the age of nine years old, she won in the three longest races: 35th Federation, 80th Combine (3695 birds) Berwick (289 miles), 19th Federation, 42nd Combine (1,708 birds) Stonehaven (372 miles), 1st club, 1st Thames Valley Federation (only bird on the day of liberation in the Federation being clocked in darkness at 21.55hrs), 3rd North Thames Combine, 1,832 birds (only four birds home on the day in the Combine). She won all the club and Federation major trophies on her own and also won the London Region and Osman Memorial Trophies in the past seasons. This wonderful hen also won many prizes from the shorter race points, including 1st club Nottingham (91 miles) etc.

Terry retired her after that race at nine years of age, although she still looked and acted like a yearling. She died in the autumn of 2005 but has left her legacy through her offspring.

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Elimar - January 2014