bullcock

It was right at the quarry entrance!

Your right Gareth, I liberated 45 at Harthill at 06:50 this morning and Percy hit them within a minute of being liberated, it is gutting watching the slaughter of you young ones, I felt guilty as it was me who let them out, as i am on open hole i don't know if any are missing, but thats pigeon racing today.

Thanks, good information.

Hi guys, I was looking at your race program, is there a reason why you went straight to Otterburn, what about Hawick or St Boswell, is their a problem with this area? After you old bird season, do you think this program has been a success, Especially at the start from Otterburn and Hexam? Did Hexam get changed to Otterbun?

Sorry this is SU15 L 318, it's not mine, thanks.

SU15 1318 is mines, Thanks for bringing them up from Annan,where are you located? Morris Bros Johnstone

Stuart, every season it's groundhog day, we can race all year East to Dunbar with minimal losses, but as soon as we turn South, the losses are too great, we need a new program either step South from Dunbar in smalll steps, or go in a direct route to Ottersburn via St boswell / Kelso, I don't know the answer but repeating the same thing every year and expecting a different result is foolish. Most will now stop whats left as Acliff will probably be another grave yard, so next year we will all be racing yearling that haven't seen past 100miles and we will be moaning about yearling losses before 200mile, again. and so on ...

great job, now we know where some got to for whatever reason.

Another home today, you could shave on the poor wee thing, what are the rest that are lost like! 48/70,

We have an NEHU bird in from yesterday and will probalby sens it to Aycliff as a trainer to get it home, it has a number on it will call it later, it was probalby someone helping you, and it worked.

We haven't raced the west for years but the guy's who have got poor racing, the east was much better years ago but not so now, its the lesser of two evils.

Well that makes even more sense lol, we are at Aycliff next week and had to go today even though we were holding our breath for returns, but they have to go!

About 12 years ago we all race from the west Solway area with 50% losses every race, when we started going East the returns were much better, this is not so good now but the Wesy route still looks like lambs to the slaughter still. Like I said another world!

When we raced the west route we would half the convoy ever time we went to to Longtown or locherbriggs, you live in another world from us.

Your right Del, it shouldn't be an issue but our gut told us that this was going to be sticky and you have just said the 3-4 race is dodgy,Lanarkshire got far better returns than Glasgow by the looks of it one hour apart, the only difference seems to be yous where there last week and we were jumping from Dunbar. Big difference to us!

Sorry, central west, not south,lol

John, if the top birds home in a National race straight home then the west boys should race the west route, John Bosworth( one of the best in Scotland) races East staying in the East, every west fed who have tried the west route over the last 5 years have failed. the West boys would love to race the West route but, East is the way the birds home so "East is East", whether we like it or not.

John, we used to go from Dunbar to St Boswell, but last year it was a bad race and was dropped for this year, but going from Dunbar to Otterburn was about a 80 swing south, this isn't ideal and me and my brother thought this was going to be a sticky race but they have to go, we trained Thu & Fri from Newbiggins this week to give the birds a chance if they came this route, but it looks like they did the dog leg up and around, I don't kbow what the answer is but we expected this to happen this week, but hoped for the best, dreading Aycliff P.S my young birds have been training since MAY & June with all the National birds, same returns as everyone else.

Even if we did all race the west route, if we were all at penrith for instance, we would probably still lib 15 minutes apart!

Do you think it's time the whole west went back down the west route,Gareth?

The whole central west of Scotland was at Otterburn, are they all wrong?

Yes Robert, a lot of feds at Otterburn today so a bit of fed to fed cooperation IE all west feds going together, would have helped, we have in the past had races where the whole of Scotland have been liberating in a 15 mile radius and they can't see who is doing what, but with most at the same race point we as collective pigeon men need to work together to give the birds the best chance of getting them into there own areas. The whole west of Scotland should be liberating together in old birds and young birds after a certain distance, JMO.

71/71 last week at present 45/70 this week from Otterburn Not got a bad word to say about any race controllers as they do a great job, but does anyone else think liberating 15 minutes apart is too short, maybe 30 minute? and I would have like to have seen Glasgow aand Lanarkshire lib together when their was so many feds waiting for a slot, JMO. PS, I have 3 strays at my loft, one from NW fed.

I like most train in wicker baskets and mines have had plenty of training, but the first time in the Geraldy aluminum crates they where banging their heads off the roof, they quickly settled though.