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Copied from Facebook 5th October 2025 North of Scotland Federation Show Change of Date I have just received a call from the woman who is in charge of booking for the Whitehills Public Hall to inform me that she was very sorry but she is double booked for the hall however can move us to Sunday the 23rd of November. I asked if the hall would be fully utilised on the 22nd but is will be occupied by two Wreath making classes and I don't think the doos will fit in with that class and given their persuasion they will be busy on Sunday but they will put a word in for us. To recap the details are as follows:- North of Scotland Federation Show SUNDAY the 23rd of November Whitehills Public Hall Reidhaven Street Whitehills AB45 2NJ Sorry about that but if you check on FB those classes are booked!

Copied from Facebook 5th October 2025 WP Wortley with yet another cracking article 1 / 4 Some weeks ago I learned that the Solway Federation West Section Fancier of the Year for 2025 is Jim Russell from the Nith Valley Club, Dumfries. His achievement deserves special mention; it was known that due to advancing years and indifferent health the final race in the 2025 Federation race programme was to be Jim’s last ever race as he had decided to retire from the Fancy but for him to conclude his ‘pigeon adventure’ by being named West Section Fancier of the Year Federation was extra, extra special. There is a further story, however, as Jim Russell was one of four brothers who over a long number of years, successfully competed into the same Club into separate lofts, the brothers being Willie, Jim, Albion and Gordon. The story began in the 1960’s when Albion and Gordon left school and developed an interest in the pigeon hobby. Up went a loft at the family home and before long they were the proud owners of a squad of pigeons. Very soon their elder brothers Jim and Willie took an interest and for several years took the lead in the loft with the two younger brothers simply assisting as their concentration at the time wasn’t totally on pigeons. They joined the local Club as Russell Brothers and it wasn’t too long until they were amongst the winners. On forming their loft they worked with local stock. Consider, for example, that the partners shared a friendship with ‘Dinky’ Watson who was the proprietor of a busy Ice Cream business in Dumfries. ‘Dinky’ was a keen fancier who went out of his way to acquire quality bloodlines and amongst the pigeons introduced were Kirkpatrick’s from Arthur Hill from St Just. The ring slipped off the leg of one of the youngsters in the nest, bred from the A.R.Hill pigeons and this young Red hen was gifted by ‘Dinky’ to the brothers. At stock it left a number of good pigeons including one that was gifted to a fellow club member and it scored from the channel with the National on several occasions. The Club that the brothers joined was Dumfries Social Circle, which was at one time, the third largest Club in Scotland with in excess of 100 members that were drawn from a wide catchment area. Amongst the prominent members of the Club when they joined were J.Seaton and Son, Ally Aitken, Jimmy Cairns who competed as Cairns Brothers and Sloan, Tommy and Keith Lynn, ‘Pop’ Lundy and Jock Harding. I could go on and on … the list is endless. In the early days the brothers didn’t have a clock and it was Albion’s job to run with the rubber to neighbour ‘Piddy’ Hume to time in his clock. Across the country, the natural progression in our hobby was that larger Clubs were fragmenting and so was the case in Dumfries. The first Club to be formed in the town out-with the Social Circle was Dumfries Flying Club and then in the mid 1970’s the Nith Valley Club was formed, which attracted members from the westerly side of the river Nith. With the brothers then competing individually and residing in that catchment area, they were founder members of the new Club, the inaugural meeting of which was held in 1975 with the Club being formally formed in 1976 with circa 30 members. In time, Willie Russell and his family moved to live in England. Some five years later he returned to Dumfries and entered partnership with Gordon under the loft title ‘Russell Brothers’ and after several years formed his own loft under the loft title ‘W.Russell and Son’. On forming his loft he initially worked with local stock and then went out of his way to acquire proven bloodlines. In 1986 I attended the Club Prize Presentation when Willie was presented with a box full of trophies including the Combined Average, Old Bird Average, Channel Average etc. In 1986 also, he also won the West Section of the Fed. from the Federation Open race from Sartilly. The winning pigeon a yearling Blue cock, which was a grandson of ‘Lynne’ that was 2nd Open S.N.F.C. Rennes for Jimmy Aitchison from Tranent. It also contained the lines of Annan fanciers Donaldson & Graham and Bob Thomson. In 1989 he was 2nd Section 6th Open S.N.F.C. Niort with a Blue Chequer W.F. cock that was bred by brother Jim and contained the Busschaert lines of J.Kendall from Bideford. Further 2 / 4 Busschaerts were introduced from Louella these being closely related to Champions. He acquired, for example, a son and daughter of ‘Barney’, a daughter of ‘Mean Machine’ and a grandson of ‘Parkside Superman’. The daughter of ‘Barney’ and grandson of ‘Parkside Superman’ clicked immediately and left a host of winners. He introduced examples of the Highview Busschaert family and also brought pigeons into the loft from Annan fanciers, Roy Seaton and Robbie Rome. For a number of years, the loft was ‘alight’ and in 1993 I wrote a profile report for the RP on this super fancier. On visiting Willie’s home to pen the article I was ever so impressed with his loft, which was the best designed loft that I had ever seen Regrettably, Willie Russell died a number of years ago but there is absolutely no doubt, he was a really good fancier. Gordon is now also deceased but was also a good fancier and housed his pigeons some fifty yards from where he first set up home. Gordon worked his team totally Natural, old and young birds. The entire squad was separated in October and re-paired immediately after Blackpool Show. Whilst they were split between October and the end of January they were kept captive in the loft. Once they were down on eggs in early February, they are given an open hole. On once speaking to him I commented that I was surprised that he allowed the team to exercise at will and questioned if he was not troubled by hawks. He responded that his situation was no different than anyone else, living with the constant threat of attacks by cats and raptors. The birds accessed the loft through a cat trap, which to an extent addresses the problem with our feline friends. With regards raptors, he said that he chose to ‘run the gauntlet’ with the trust that the birds would become ‘street-wise’ and learn to live and cope with the ongoing raptor problem. When his young pigeons were twenty one days old they are separated from their parents until they could fend for themselves and were then allowed to run with the old birds. All racers reared a pair of youngsters and were thereafter dummied in a controlled manner. Gordon was a hard taskmaster with the pigeons being regularly basket trained from 35 to 45 miles. They were fed a traditional mixture that contained beans, in trays on the floor once a day, being allowed to eat as much as they desired. Once they were fed the trays were emptied. Birds were not set-up as such for individual races with Gordon selecting pigeons for races off the perch, taking cognisance of their physical appearance, nest condition and position in the moult. He worked with several different families including examples of the Van Hee, Busschaert and Andre Roodhooft families. He purchased really good bloodlines, indeed prior to his passing he obtained examples of the Jelle Jellema family from Dean Pallet with one of those topping the Fed. for brother Albion, during the season past. Albion is a very able fancier and has flown very consistently over a good number of years In 2017, for example, he enjoyed and extra special season, which prompted me to pen a profile report on him for the R.P. During the season he gained 11 x 1st, 9 x 2nd and 8 x 3rd in the Club and 7 x 1st, 6 x 2nd and 4 x 3rd West Section Federation. He additionally scored nine times with the National. The success story continued year after year and in 2025 he once again featured in the Club ad Federation results on a regular basis. As the years moved forward, Albion raced to several different locations. He, for example, initially raced into Dumfries and then for a time resided in the village of Holywood, north of Dumfries, where he raced under the loft title A. & M. Russell and Halliday. He is now retired, however and lives in Dumfries. Birds are coupled in early February and rear a pair of youngsters, the objective being to have the young pigeons away from the parents before racing commences. When covering their second round of eggs the racers are separated from their mates and put on Roundabout. They go through the Federation programme on Roundabout and are re-paired for the channel. Young pigeons were formerly worked on the conventional system but in 3 / 4 2017 he system was changed with the youngsters now being managed on the Darkness method. When Albion lived at Holywood he competed in partnership with Mervyn Halliday and they worked with best examples of the Jan Aarden family, which were obtained from Louella. Consider that the Sire of Skachill and McCormack’s super hen, ‘Abbey Lass’, that won the S.N.F.C. Alencon Classic in 2013,contained the Jan Aarden bloodlines, which the breeders obtained from Albion Russell. The years moved forward with the make-up of Albion’s team changing through the introduction of other lines, including for example Andre Roodhooft’s , which he obtained from fellow Club member, Billy Smith. Other lines were introduced including examples of the Van Lint family, which he received from friend, Angus Crosbie and as previously explained, during the season past he won the Federation with a Jelle Jellema, which emerged from stock that his brother Gordon obtained from Dean Pallet. To further supplement the team, Albion has made further occasional acquisitions; when for example birds were being sold following One Loft Races, he would purchase occasional cocks or hens to even up numbers. Albion has been very much involved in the Nith Valley Club since its inception and for a number of years, his wife, Mary was Club Secretary. Jim Russell is without question a very, very capable fancier. In former years he competed in partnership with ‘Pop’ Lundy as Lundy and Russell and my, could they race pigeons. When I began writing for the fancy press, in 1978, certain names became familiar to me as they featured in the results week after week and prominent amongst these top winning fanciers was the partnership of Lundy and Russell. The birds that he and ‘Pop’ Lundy worked with were in the main obtained from local fanciers with occasional quality pigeons being purchased. Amongst the birds that they bought were introductions from Bill Rear from Carlisle, which raced ever so well. In time he formed his own loft but differed from his brothers as he concentrated on inland racing, this being due to him not having the patience to sit for hours on end, awaiting birds return from the longer races. As the years passed, however, he found it difficult to cope with the ever increasing number of young bird losses and chose to leave our hobby. Nevertheless, as we all know, once you’ve had pigeons you can’t let go and he re-entered the sport and re-joined Nith Valley Club. I recollect writing about him in 2013 and learned that he had two lofts, the first being a 20’ x 6’ loft that contained three compartments and was used to house old birds and the second a 10’ x 8’ structure that accommodated the young birds. Pigeons accessed the lofts through Stall Traps. At that time his team comprised a squad of yearlings and a modest team of youngsters but he nevertheless was winning out of turn. Whilst in former years he had worked his birds on the Natural system, in time he managed them on the Roundabout method. They were coupled in mid-February with each pair rearing a pair of youngsters. He then split them from their mates when covering their second round of eggs and put on Roundabout. In recent years also the youngsters were worked on Darkness. Similar to when he raced in partnership with ‘Pop’ Lundy, he always had a good team of pigeons about him and when I wrote about him in 2013 the birds primarily housed were obtained from Louella, he had for example introduced Janssens through which had emerged several winners and subsequently acquired examples of the Vandenabeele family. He also had several pigeons that were obtained from Dennis Kirkup from Longtown with whom he became friendly when Dennis reported one of his pigeons. Other lines were introduced and in recent years he worked with examples of the Van den Bulck family, which he obtained from friend Mervyn Halliday who in turn purchased his stock from P and D Racing Stud and Ludo Claessens, which Jim obtained from Louella. In 2025 Albion assisted him each week to basket his race entry but when he arrived at Jim’s home to assist him for the last race the birds were already basketed. It is indeed a special story and in accord with his many friends I 4 / 4 compliment Jim not only on his recent success but on his many successes over the years and wish him well for the future. Billy Wortley

Copied from Facebook 5th October 2025 SNFC Season was brought to a close with the YB race from Huntingdon. Here's the best from SectA provided by WP Wortley. 1 / 2 Ryan Campbell from Langholm is probable 1st South Section. Ryan developed an interest in the pigeon hobby as a schoolboy at Canonbie and when nine years old became a member of Langholm Club in partnership with his grandfather, Bill Evans. The years moved forward and through his work he resided at different locations but retained and interest in the hobby being for a time a member of Dumfries Flying Club and subsequently Lockerbie Club. In recent years, Ryan has had to move residence once again to Langholm because of his work and is a member of the local Club. His pigeons are housed in a loft 32’ x 8’ located adjacent to his home. Birds trap through a Universal trap and are timed by ETS. Old birds are managed on the Natural system with Young Birds being worked in the conventional method. Birds are coupled following the Blackpool Show with the Section winner being a home bred first round youngster. Previous to going to the National it competed with the Solway Fed. from Stainmore and Charnock Richard. Race experience was limited due to Ryan’s work commitments but this was compensated for by intense basket training, including on build up to the National, his candidates being tossed every day from Longtown. The Section winner is a Slatey Blue Chequer Cock the Sire of which was bred from a latebred cock obtained from John Smart when coupled to a hen obtained from S.N.F.C. President Michael Currie and his daughter, Julie. The latebred cock from John Smart contains the lines of ‘Crosshill Ace’. The Chequer hen obtained from Michael and Julie Currie went to Ryan’s loft as a flyaway and he was allowed to keep it. It was bred from Michael and Julie’s noted stock cock ‘Charles Edward Stewart’ that has bred a number of winners including Andrew Suckle’s S.N.F.C. Silver Award winner ‘Aulton Mick’. Dam of the hen obtained from Michael and Julie was bred from the breeders Menne and daughters cock ‘Gerry’ that gained 3 x 1sts and was 16th Open S.N.F.C. Alencon. Dam of the Section winner from Huntingdon was bred from two pigeons, which Ryan received from friend George Firth from Lockerbie who has a very impressive team of pigeons and is a former winner of the Young Bird National. It was racing to the perch but looking at a hen for two days before basketing, going to the race on its 8th flight. In conversation it was apparent that work commitments restrict Ryan’s personal commitment to the hobby and he asked me to thank his fellow Club members for their ongoing assistance, which enables him to race his pigeons. He wished also to thank John Smart for the birds he has received from him, which have made a considerable impression on his loft. Stanley Boyd from Locharbriggs, Dumfries is probable 2nd Section. Stanley has had a long time association with the pigeon hobby having gained a number of good positions from the Classics over the years, working with local bloodlines. Noting what other fanciers were achieving with modern bloodlines, however he acquired examples of the Grondelaers family from Terry Lodge at ‘Top Lofts’ and when the ‘Top Lofts’ pigeons were sold, he made contact with Gerald Delaney at the O’Roory Hill Stud, to obtain further examples of the family and chose also to obtain examples of the Willy Jacobs family. When Gerald Delaney met Willy Jacobs for the first time in 2001 he only raced his pigeons out to 80 miles. Gerald extended their capability, however, getting them to win out of turn at 300+ miles with the family now being described as sprint/middle distance. Working with these new introductions Stanley saw an immediate improvement in the performance of his pigeons. In 2015, he won the S.N.F.C. Young Bird National from Buckingham with Blue hen ‘Annie B’. Notwithstanding the fact that there was a modest entry at the race from the Region, this game hen pulled out of the convoy and came across country to head the result into Locharbriggs, in the West Section of the Solway Federation. Stanley’s Young Bird National winner was indeed bred by Gerald Delaney in the O’Roory Hill Stud and contained Willy Jacobs bloodlines. In 2023 he was 2nd Section 2 / 2 from the Y.B. National with a further Willy Jacobs Chequer cock that was bred in the O’Roory Hill Stud and in 2024 he was 3rd Section from the Y.B. National, on this occasion from Kettering with a Willy Jacobs Blue Chequer hen that was once again bred by Gerald Delaney. His timer from the recent National is a Blue Chequer Willy Jacobs cock once more bred by Gerald Delaney. It was worked on Darkness, having gone through a total body moult and on its second primary flight. Stanley’s youngsters exercise well at the loft and were basket trained pre-season from High-Hesket. The cock that performed from the National entered the race basket at Lowgill, then went twice to Stainmore, went to Charnock Richard and thereafter competed from Lymm. It was flying to the perch but had been playing on with a young hen over the days prior to basketing. Dougie Ritchie from Gretna is probable 3rd Section. Dougie has quietly assembled a team of quality pigeons in recent years and gained a number of good positions in his Club and with the National. In in 2022 he gained 1st Federation with a yearling hen, the Sire of which contained the noted Vandenabeele bloodlines of Mick McMurchie from Glenrothes with the Dam being very well bred also having been purchased at the Clearance Sale of Willie Smart from Allanton. When the Nationals came round in 2022 Dougie was up with the leaders from Brighton to be 6th Section 36th Open with a 2 y.o. Blue hen. Move forward to 2023 and Dougie was along with the leaders from Upper Heyford to be 6th Section 7th Open, the winning pigeon on this occasion being a 2 y.o. Blue hen that was home bred from a pair of pigeons purchased from the very successful partnership of Armstrong, Shergold, Johnson and Moon from Plains Farm, Sunderland, who are four times winners of the UNC . In 2020 Dougie obtained a batch of six youngsters from the Sunderland partnership, one of the batch being the pigeon that scored from Brighton in 2022 with another two of the batch received breeding the bird that was up from Upper Heyford. In 2023 also he was 4th Section 6th Open from Brighton and in 2024 headed the Section result from the Y.B. National from Kettering. The Section winner from Kettering a Chequer hen, which was a single bred youngster, reared in February and worked on Darkness. It entered the race basket at Shap and went through the Solway Federation programme to the Fed. Open race from Lymm. Sire was purchased at the North East Show from Stuart Wilcox, being a grandson of Champion ‘Little Gem’. Dam is one of the batch of birds that was bred by Armstrong, Shergold, Johnson and Moon. The pigeon that was 3rd Section from Huntingdon is a Blue hen and contains similar lines to the 2024 Section winner but next generation. Parents were paired during the first week in February; it was worked on Darkness and prepared in a similar manner to the previous year’s Section winner and was flying to the perch.

Good morning folks

Morning folks

Just garden furniture blown around. But quite a few trees down at Letham Glen https://www.facebook.com/share/p/174Mj5Gpk8/

The Joe Murphy Column Received an email from my old friend Guy Reed of the Isle of White; who forwarded me an email to me from my old friend Bernard DeWeerdt and the family who are all well and the family birds all doing well too. He goes on to say that regarding his hen ‘Ishka’ who is currently a Belgium long distance champion. Filip (Bernard’s son) has been sending small teams and getting 100% returns with most of them on the sheet. Bernard too has been sending only small teams and is still giving the professionals a challenge. They have been reporting heavy predation in Belgium this year and the DeWeerdt’s have also been suffering losses at the loft due to BOP. The Belgium’s, like the UK have also suffered unusually high losses of old birds. ‘Ishka’ has been paired to retired successful racer a mealy called ‘Guy’. As he was one of a group of young birds I bred for him five years ago; another one of mine was called ‘Stuart’ as he was from the ‘Wilcox Hen’ that you collected for me from another Scottish fancier that you knew. The ‘Wilcox Hen’ is fast become the grandmother of the loft. One of her sons flew Tarbes this year for the third time. You may also be interested to know Bernard received a visit from PIPA but declined to sell his current prize winner ‘Ishka’. PIPA were taken by surprise, as this sale would also have given Bernard access to the current leading ‘Gene Pool’. I totally admire Bernard’s resilience to stick with his family of birds of well over 60 years that still are able to put up a major challenge, with the occasional cross introduced from top distance men. Yours truly (Guy)is still recovering from a recent hospital admission as he contracted Sepsis, Pneumonia and AF on his heart, a very close call for him, and very worrying for Carol. Thankfully he is recovering but it looks like a long-term recovery for him. Proving that we are not bulletproof proof any more, but knowing Guy the creator is not ready for him to join him yet, and hopefully he will get a few more attempts at winning ‘A Big One’. He said to me ‘Life on earth is about enjoying every moment, and for me even more time in the quietude of my field with the birds and the bees’. I do hope you & Margaret are both coping with life’s trials and tribulations too and wish you the best in health. All the best Guy’. I have added a photograph of Ishka along with her pedigree. My thanks to Guy and I asked him to pass on my good wishes to Bernard & Filip. Results Kingdom Racing Pigeon Association News from Pete Penman with the with the result from Alnwick young bird race flown on 2nd August with the convoy liberated 09-45am into a light north wind. Gary Hall from Coaltown of Balgonie club takes the first 2 places with J Proctor of St Serifs taking the next 4 places and Gary Hall from the Coaltown of Balgonie club with A Brunton of St Serfs winning 10th place. From our 3rd yb race from Alnwick on Sunday 10th of August the birds were liberated 08.30am. Taking the first two places is St. Serfs member Sandy Proctor with 2 gift birds from his good friend Brian Gorton. Next are Coaltown members Penman and Grubb with a dark pied hen who's sire was bred by John Proctor. John Proctor took the next four places. Darren Stonehouse won the Rosyth club and Alan Keanie led the way at Leuchars. Almond Valley Federation News from secretary Lynn Stewart with the Alnwick result flown on 10th August with the convoy of 807 birds liberated at 09:00 hours. D McBeath of Armadale club takes the first 3 places with the first 2 birds WHU rung. S Redmond of Fauldhouse club wins 4th open and J A Beaton of Armadale club is 5th & 6th with Fauldhouse T Gavin taking the next 12 positions from 7th to 18th open. John Hadfield of Armadale club wins 19th to 21st open. Armadale 188 birds; D McBeath 1322.987, 1322.613, 1320.186, J A Beaton 1312.524 Bonnybridge 214 birds; V Couper 1251.458, 1234.282, I McLelland 1208.084, 1207.940 Carnwath 12 birds; Dr J Salmond 1088.418, R Robertson 881.015, 739.979, 735.024 East Calder 57 birds; F Jamieson & Son 1183.259, 1129.087, 1086.286, I Jamieson 1078.919 Fauldhouse 197 birds; S Redmond 1317.108, T Gavin 1306.083, 1306.083, 1305.895 West Calder 139 birds; J Bird 1294.220, 1293.645, 1292.112, 1291.921 Fife Federation of Homing Pigeon Societies News from Geordie Todd who informs us that Methilhaven club sent 153 birds; Kennoway had 148 birds; St Andrews 75 birds and Novar & Leslie had 26 birds; to the 1st Alnwick young bird race flown on the 2nd August with 669 birds liberated at 09:45 into a light north west wind. Topping the federation and east section is Dave Armour of Methilhaven club he also wins 4th place as well. B Chalmers of Kennoway is 2nd & 7th with his father-in-law Tam Laing winning 3rd & 6th positions. Brian Kinnear also of Kennoway club wins 5th 8th 9th & 10th positions. The West section had Dunfermline club sending 152 birds and Lochgelly club sending 115 birds. J Beveridge of Lochgelly club wins the top spot with C Buchanan of Dunfermline club winning 2nd 3rd 5th 6th 8th & 9th positions. Harry Ireland of Lochgelly club wins 4th section and J Hynd & son Ian of the same Lochgelly club win 7th section. Dunfermline clubs A Simpson wins 10th section. Other clubs first birds were as follows Turpie & McCord and J Harcus. From the Alnwick 2 race the 525 birds were liberated at 08:30 into a light south west wind. Kennoway club had 144 birds with B Chalmers taking the first 3 places plus 9th; Methilhaven club had 148 birds entered and taking the 4th 5th 7th 8th & 10th is Dave Armour with Turpie & McCord of Novar & Leslie club in 6th place. The West Section of Lochgelly 52 birds & Dunfermline 101 birds was as follows; winning 1st place with C Buchanan of Dunfermline winning 2nd 3rd 7th 8th 9th & 10th places; with J Hynd & son of Lochgelly club taking 4th 5th & 6th positions. St Andrews club sent 52 birds with the winner John Harcus and A Wallace wins the Novar & Leslie who had 28 birds at the race. Angus Federation News from Charlie Cameron informing us the Arbroath club had 3 members sending 45 birds; these were liberated into a light west wind. Paul Cameron takes the top spot plus another 3 birds in 5th 6th & 7th positions. Graham McKenzie wins 2nd to 4th place with R Nowosad winning 8th 9th & 10th positions. For the 3rd young bird race of the season which was flown on the 9th August with the liberation taking place at 9am into a west to southwest wind. 2 members sent 25 birds and Graham McKenzie wins the first 4 places with Paul Cameron taking 5th spot. David Liddle forwarded the Forfar Club and Federation results for the Auchendinny young bird race; were 13 members sent 372 birds these were liberated at 09-00am into a light south west wind. D & D Hay of Gourdon club take the first 4 places plus 9th & 10th positions. A Golicki of Forfar club wins 5th 6th 7th & 8th positions. The West Section top 10 places with the winner A Golicki and Willie Nicol wins 5th to 8th with Leggett & Greig winning 9th place followed by J Scott of the Forfar club in 10th place. Club Winners as follows; Arbroath had 3 members sending 39 birds winning the club is Paul Cameron with his bird doing a velocity 953.75; Gourdon club had D & D Hay doing a velocity of 1051.20; Montrose club had One member sending 12 birds and the winners are M Wallace & son with a velocity 908.69. From the federation race from Auchendinny which was flown on the 26th July; there were 7 members sending 239 birds and these were liberated into a light south west wind. A Golicki took the first 4 places with W Nicol taking the next 4 places. For the 3rd young bird race of the season which was flown on the 9th August with the liberation taking place at 09-00am into a west to southwest wind. Arbroath club had 2 members sending 25 birds and Graham McKenzie wins the first 4 places with Paul Cameron taking 5th spot. Forfar had Leggett & Greig take the first 2 places with David J Liddle taking the next 2 plus 6th with Dave Glen taking the remaining places up to 11th. Davie Liddle wrote; ‘I have attached the results for the Forfar club and Angus Federation for our second young bird race from Auchendinny. It was a lower-than-normal entry with several members affected by the dreaded young bird sickness. The race was flown on 20th August with 14 members sending 306 birds these were liberated at 09.00 am into a light west wind. The partnership of Leggett & Greig took the first 2 places with David J Liddle winning 3rd 4th & 6th, Dave Glen took 5th 8th then 15th to 18th place. D & D Hay of Gourdon club won 7th 9th to 14th places with Paul Cameron of Arbroath winning 19th with A Golicki of Forfar making the top 20th spot. Arbroath club 3 members; 45 birds; winner P Cameron 1335.59 velocity Forfar club 7 members;189 birds; winner Leggett & Greig 1445.07 velocity Gourdon club 2 members; winner 32 birds; D & D Hay 1382.55 velocity Montrose club 2 members; 40 birds; winner M Wallace & Son 1316.31 velocity Forfar Racing Pigeon Club Leggett & Greig take the first 2 places with David J Liddle taking the next 2 plus 6th with Dave Glen taking the remaining places up to 11th. The North of Scotland Federation were at Strathkinness (1) young bird race flown on 2nd August with 44 members sending 1175 birds these were liberated with No wind at the race point. The East Section had 21 members sending 700 birds and N Holt of Peterhead & District club wins 1st 3rd & 4th section and open with S Glue of the same club taking 2nd 9th & 10th section and open. Maskame & Cordiner of the same club win 5th 6th & 7th positions and A Woodhouse of the same club wins 8th place. The West Section had 23 members sending 475 birds with A Hay of Deven Valley club taking the first 2 section places plus 7th section winning 27th 31st & 36th open. G McLeod wins 3rd 8th & 9th section plus 32nd 37th & 38th open with club mated J Abel winning 4th 5th & 6th section & 33rd 34th & 35th open. A Milne wins 10th section & 39th open. Clubs First Bird; Peterhead & District winner is N Holt velocity 1390.255. Fraserburgh & District winner A W Buchan velocity 1291.469; Inverurie winner is S Witherspoon velocity 1234.631; Devern Valley winner is A Hay velocity 1153.856; Fraserburgh West End winner is D Ward velocity 1143.280; Keith winners are Duncan & Thomson velocity 1033.420; Elgin & District winner is W Ritchie with a velocity of 939.527. Well done of N Holt on topping the federation and also well done to A Hay on winning the west section. From the Strathkinness 2 young bird race flown on the 9th August; 33 members sent 872 birds these were liberated into a south west wind. The East Section had 24 members sending 620 birds; and topping the section and open is the Peterhead club’s Neil Holt who takes the first 3 place with the winner doing a velocity of 1893. S Glue of the same club is 4th 5th & 6th followed by A Woodhouse who takes the next 3 places and my old mate Stewart Maskame & Cordiner taking 10th spot. The west section had 9 members sending 252 birds; Devern Valley’s G McLeod wins 1st 2nd & 6th section 31st 32nd & 36th open. Keith club member A J Reid wins 3rd 7th & 10th section 33rd 37th & 40th open. R Wilson of the same club wins 4th 9th & 10th section 34th 38th & 39th open with Duncan & Thomson of Keith club winning 5th section 35th open. Clubs First Bird N Holt wins Peterhead & District velocity 1893.254 A W Buchan wins Fraserburgh & District velocity 1700.259 A Higgins wins Fraserburgh West End velocity 1669.880 S Witherspoon wins Inverurie velocity 1643.644 G McLeod wins Devern Valley velocity 1521.579 A J Reid wins Keith velocity 1386.410 J Jack wins Elgin & District velocity 1160.187 Well done to N Hold on topping the federation and also, Well done to G McLeod on winning the west section Pentland Hills Federation; News from Andy Miller with the Consett race result with the birds being liberated on Friday 8th August at 08-30am into a south west wind; with 51 lofts sending 1579 birds. Andy writes ‘Hi Joe, for the third young bird race of the season for the Pentland Hills Federation race from Consett on Friday 8th August. Flying a distance of 84-96 miles for the members. Winning 1st 2nd & 9th open Pentland Hills Federation from 1800+ birds liberated is the form loft of Freddie & Willie Robertson from Danderhall club, who timed their two darkies together on a velocity of 1390 & 1389. The winning pigeon was home bred from stock obtained from Premier Stud Hereman Ceusters. The second was CA rung bred by Tam Manger from Bo’ness again from Hereman Ceuster stock. Returns for the first 15 minutes were excellent; with D Brown of Danderhall club winning the next 4 place with A W Robertson winning 7th open. B Thomas & son of East Houses are 8th with W Kinnear & son of Danderhall club in 10th spot. Helen Aitken & sons are 11th with Mr & Mrs Girdwood of Sighthill club winning 12th & 13th places. A & A Baillie are 14th with R Simpson of Easthouses in 15th place K Wright of Danderhall club wins 16th 17th & 18th positions with B Thomas & Son of Easthouses in 19th spot and making the top 20 are S & S Tierney from Danderhall club. Thereafter they just dried up, with approximately a third of the convoy missing. The graveyard of racing out of Durham strikes again with birds reportedly flying up and down the valley once again! My opinion is fanciers sending birds with little or no training and hoping they’ll keep up with the guys who have been working their birds for weeks, which only hold a percentage of the others back creating a panic in youngsters: regards Andy Joe Murphy Mystical Rose Cottage 2 Flutorum Avenue Thornton by Kirkcaldy KY1 4BD or phone 01592 770331 or Email to joejmurphy1@gmail.com REMEMBER THE J IN THE MIDDLE or log onto www.elimarpigeons.com - cogeco.ca -forum@pigeonbasics.com who wish my weekly contribution portfolio on pigeon topics from Scotland © Compiled by Joe Murphy

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Hope all is good after that heavy winds yesterday, small damage here, but all good,thank god.

Copied from Facebook 3rd October North of Scotland Show Morning all, the next step is for fanciers who have entered pigeons please check that you have your fancier number and the correct allocation of pen numbers that you have requested. A week today I will put your pen numbers onto the sheet so that when you arrive at the hall you will have in your possession your pen numbers and can therefor enter you birds into the allocated pens. Please check to ensure the info on the sheet is correct if not contact me ASAP Sandy

Congratulations all

Copied from Facebook 2nd October Ypres was the final channel race for the SNFC. Here are the top guys from SectA. Many thanks to WPW. 1 / 2 Billy Van Nuil from Gretna 1st Section 42nd Open Ypres. The winning pigeon is 4 y.o. Blue Pied Cock ‘The Bishop’ which was previously 1st Open S.N.F.C. Upper Heyford 2023. Sire and Dam of the Pied cock are Kavanagh Busschaerts, which Billy obtained from friend John Hillery from Consett. The Pied Cock was put on the road as a y.b. but was lost from Lymm and was reported in Bishop Auckland. Billy arranged to get the bird back and in 2022 he scored from Wollaston in 2022. In 2023 it was paired in on 1st March, reared a single youngster and was thereafter split from its mate and put on widowhood it scored on several occasions through to Wollaston and was then sent to the National from Upper Heyford and won the race. Because the pigeon was reported in Bishop Auckland as a youngster it was named ‘The Bishop’. It was paired on 1st March 2025 and was thereafter separated from its mate and put on Widowhood. It went to the first race from Shap and the following week went to Low Gill. The intention was to send him through the programme but when he was being basketing for Charnock Richard the end of his tail was protruding out of the basket through the spars and Billy’s dog instinctively caught hold of it and pulled it out with only two tail flights remaining. The bird was therefore ‘put by’ until the tail feathers regrew with his next race being from the Inland National from Reading when he was up with the leaders to be 7th Section 61st Open. He then went to the Gold Cup race from Alencon and was 66th Open. It then went to Ypres being basketed on 10 days eggs with his second flight half grown. Dennis Anderson Jnr. from Annan 2nd Section Ypres. Dennis is the grandson of Dennis Anderson Snr., who over the years has owned a number of superb pigeons. In 2021 Dennis built at a small loft for his grandson and competing to that loft he was 27th Section 44th Open Alencon and the following season he was 6th Section again from the Gold Cup race. Competing to that loft also he has on two occasions gained the Under 18 Trophy with the S.N.F.C. Whilst he was an independent member of the Club he was never out of his grandfather’s loft and additionally assisted in the Club at race marking etc. His interest was such that at the gateway to the current season Dennis Senior decided to transfer all the birds into his grandson’s name and he has very successfully raced the team with the highlight being winning the Section from S.N.F.C. Billericay. The pigeon that is probable 2nd Section Ypres is a yearling Blue Chequer hen, she was originally worked celibate, then paired up for Billericay where she was 16th Section 110th Open. She was set up to be sitting deep for Ypres and was given a small youngster on basketing. Dam is a Blue Grizzle that was bred by Alasdair Mclean from Oban and the Sire is a Blue Pied, bred by G Turnbull of Chirnside out of his 2nd open Brighton 2022. Scott Irving from Annan 3rd Section Ypres. Scott entered the hobby as a schoolboy at Brydekirk, competing in partnership with his father as Scott Irving and Son and together they won Niort National and Sartilly Nationals . In time, Scott Junior acquired his own property in Annan and formed his own loft and has gained a host of good positions from the Classics. in 2013, for example, he headed the Section result from four races and 2 / 2 won the extreme distance event from Ancenis with the only arrival on the day of liberation and in 2017 was 1st, 2nd and 3rd Section, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Open Falaise. The winning pigeon from Ypres is a 2 y.o. Blue hen that went to the Y.B. Nation in its maiden season and to Cheltenham as a yearling. It was paired in March this term and reared a pair of youngsters. It was then split from its mate and put on Roundabout; it entered the race basket at Lymm and progressed through the Federation programme, it competed from the Reading National being 8th Section 67th Open, went to Brighton and thereafter went to Billericay being 27th Section. It was then re-paired and went to Ypres covering overdue eggs. Her Sire was the Sire also of the bird that was 2nd Open S.N.F.C. Liege 2018, being is direct Son of George Hilson’s ‘Tyson’. Dam is from ‘Mr. Lambrini when paired to ‘Ouija Board’. ‘Mr.Lambrini’ was an outstanding stock cock that was bred by Stevie Ferguson from Annan direct from Stevie’s 2008 Tours winner. ‘Ouija Board’ was three times in the first 21 in the Open in the National from the Channel and was named after the famous racehorse.

Try RV Woodcraft Limited Aka Alex Wight of Kennoway Fife https://www.facebook.com/share/16PcAhrkX4/

Looking for a sputnik trap in fife area for daughters fantails

Copied from Facebook 30th Sept North Fed Show - Outstanding Trophies! All we are still missing three trophies as the Best in Show one has been handed back to Eric Outstanding are :- Best opposite sex Best young bird Best opposite sex young bird Be a pity of some one has them and the winners of these trophies do not receive at the show!

This slatey blue hen flew well for Henry towards the end of the young bird season picking up 1st club 129 birds 9th fed 310 birds Cheltenham and also picked up a couple more fed positions for him .

This Is For My Son Ted This Is His Idea And I Hope People Support It Westbury Bro’s “Super Star Family ⭐️” 2025 Teds First Season Results - National Results - Old Birds Maidstone 1 3rd & 12th North Section Maidstone 2 8th, 21st, 31st, 35th, 46th, 63rd, 81st, 84th, 116th North Section Ramsgate 1 15th, 22nd, 26th, 53rd, 58th, 76th, 87th, 93rd North Section Ramsgate 2 15th, 22nd, 23rd, 26th, 36th, 38th, 44th, 49th North Section National Results - Young Birds Ramsgate 6th, 9th, 10th North Section Club Racing 1 x 1st 3 x 2nd 4 x 4th 5 x 5th 4 x 6th 3 x 7th 2 x 8th Etc…. Moving Forward For The 2026 Season Teds Own Family Ted Chose The Name “Super Star” Because Of The Super Mario Bro’s Film Which Made Mario & Luigi Invincible For Those Who Aren’t Familiar With The “Super Mario Bro’s” Film Ted Loves That Film Which Reminds Him Of Himself And His Brother Arthur, In The Super Mario Bro’s Film There Is A Magic Star You Collect Which Makes You Invincible And Thats How Ted See’s His Birds “Invincible” After This Young Birds Racing Season Ted And His Little Brother Arthur Have There Own Loft Arthur Is Little Bit To Young To Have His Own But Helps Ted, These Are Teds Birds He Chose To Create His Family He Named “Super Star Birds” Because They “Fly Their Hearts Out” And “Don’t Give Up” (For The Whole Of The 2025 Young Bird Season We Only Lost 4 Birds Racing 3 Of Those Were In The National Flicking Them From South To South East 234+ Miles) Which To Ted Makes Them Invincible These Are A Combination Of The Best Birds Ted Has Selected From All Our Families And Principal Birds All Crossed And Proven These Have Had To Fly Against The Odds To Our Loft 25 Miles To The West Of The Federation Up A Valley On Their Own As We Are The Only Fancier Up Here (Believe Me When I Say Not Many Birds/Families Can Hack It) What Isn’t Good Enough Does Not Make It This Is Where The Basket Plays Its Roll On Which Are Good Enough They Have To Battle Head Winds, Peregrines (Up A Renowned Valley For Ringing Has Its Own Warden There’s That Many Breeding Pairs) And With Having To Keep Alert They Also Have To Keep Ahead Of The Competing Birds To Be Able To Win Or Score As Ted Has To Give 6 Miles Over Fly To The Club Members These Will Be From Teds Birds That Have Raced And Scored For Him And Brothers And Sisters To Them Birds From All Different Families He’s Combined To Create His Own Family That Have Done Him Justice As A Father I Am Extremely Proud Of Ted He Has Selected The Birds Raced The Birds And Won, Ted Likes To Do Everything For His Birds Cleaning, Feeding, Exercising And Wants To Pay His Way For The Birds Keep He Likes Doing Chores And Things For Us And For His Grandparents To Earn Money To Be Able To Do This These Birds Are Teds And All The Money From Selling These Kits For Racing Is Teds For Him To Spend On Whatever He Likes Which Knowing Ted Will Be His Pigeons For His Corn His Bits And Bobs He Wants For Them And If He Sees A Bird He Would Like To Bring In To Try Teds Kits Of “Super Star” Birds Carry The Bloodlines Of The Westbury Bro’s European Imports That Ted Has Raced And Scored With And From Brothers And Sisters To Them Birds, No Pedigree Supplied As There Bred Out Of A Mixture Of Everything We House That Ted Has Selected Himself That Has Scored And Won For Him, Limited Numbers Available, Please Private Message If Your Interested, Thank You.

Congratulations

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