Glassfeather

Yes, I expect you are right.

The tv program is seen by a minority, pigeon fanciers are a minority, to a non-pigeon fancier, one pigeon is pretty much like the next, they just don't differentiate. I'm not talking about a few people who saw something on tv, I'm talking about the people who see damage caused by pigeons on a daily basis, who see the figures, the expense, of trying to keep them off buildings. Perhaps you ought to concern yourself with their perception, because if it ever finds its way into parliament again, they will be voting for the guy who takes it there. That's all.

Actions speak louder than words, I don't think you will change anyone's perception of us or our pigeons by "telling" them anything. People see pigeons with rings on their legs in town squares, that translates as pigeon fanciers not being responsible. Just like when they see an unaccompanied dog taking a crap in the park = irresponsible owner. Full stop.

Bigda, I agree in principle with what you are saying, there is a great deal to be done in terms of publicity for this sport/hobby. I don't neccessarily agree with throwing money at high profile advertising campaigns, I think there is much more to be done at ground level. Feral pigeons, street pigeons, are a huge problem for councils, a very expensive problem. The best publicity we could generate would be for every flyer to take responsibility for their birds, so that birds with race rings and race rubbers are never seen in city centres pecking breadcrumbs. There is an organisation called PICAS UK, which offers advice on the control of feral pigeons and other birds, City Councils and the main Racing pigeon organisations should work alongside PICAS to help solve the problem of strays/ferals. If the general public saw us taking this responsibility, actively resolving the issue, then they might appreciate what we are about.

Hello, The pigeons were taken, in a basket, by the photographer, who waited at a suitable part of the river, photographed the raft and passengers, strapped the memory card to the pigeon, let it go. The pigeon returned to base camp, photos printed.....

Best to let them go to nest before you let them out, that way at least they are looking to return, and if they do stray a little bit far from the loft, or get a bit spooked, they will want to get back to the loft and won't just keep flying. The problem is if one starts heading for the wild blue yonder, others might follow.....

Wood Pigeon or Columba palumbus Collared dove or Streptopelia decaocto

The Viennese are very small too, and the short faced Budapest tumblers are also very tiny but I think that on average, all things considered including weight, height, overall length; the Valencian frill is smaller.

Quite difficult to give you an indication of size, they probably weigh around 250 grams. The one in the photo is stood in a 15" square pen......

There really isn't that much between them, I think it is more widely acknowledged that the figurita is the smallest.

Diamond doves are Geopelia cuneata, a different species from columba livia. The smallest variety of domestic pigeon is the Valencian frill or Spanish Figurita, although the Portuguese tumbler may be just as small, or smaller in some instances: Valencian Figurita: http://www.figurita.nl/ Portuguese tumbler: http://myworld.com.sapo.pt/ptumblers_page.html

Hi Craig, Glad you enjoyed them.

Some more photos, they are quite ornate:

Cheers Jimmy, Some people also attach bells to their birds as a hawk deterrent, I'm not sure if that is effective either, maybe it is enough just to make the hawk a bit wary, but I've seen Sparrow hawks with little fear of noise, whistling, shouting, waving arms, &c... Maybe the particular tone of a bell or whistle is something they find offensive, but I know of a guy in Khasakstan who plays the dobra to his Eagle and they don't seem to mind it, so the Sparrow hawk would probably just enjoy the music as she eats...... And some people just like to put jewelry on their pigeons:

I'm not sure that this is what the query was directed at. In China, they attach whistles to pigeons so that they sound as the birds fly. Timothy Hume in Canada uses them to good effect. I'm not sure what you mean when you say "Do they work?" They work as whistles, not sure if they deter hawks or anything. Photos and Info in German here: http://members.aol.com/woinem1/index/pigflut.htm Lama Temple Beijing's largest temple, a Tibetan style place, is ornamented with intriguing statuary, stunning frescoes, tapestries, incredible carpentry and a formidable pair of Chinese lions. Perhaps most impressive of all is an 60ft high sandalwood statue of the Maitreya or future Buddha in the Wanfu Pavilion, carved from a single tree. The first thing one will encounter is the holy shins, at eye level, and from there to the ceiling as the statue soars up and over the galleries. Flitting around the Buddha's head are what appear to be spinning prayer wheels, emitting a sweet, harmonious whine. Closer inspection reveals them to be pigeons with whistles attached. The temple is a working lamasery so it's closed early in the mornings for prayer.

Hi Jase, Sorry I'm not sure about quantity or colours. The bird in my Avatar is a Gorguero, you can find out more about them here: http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/Glassfeather/collar.htm and here in Spanish: http://www.clubnacionalbuchongorguero.com/ I don't keep these but I keep Jiennense, which are similar: These are my birds in the videos: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9oHkBoT3D-k http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=oPzYOUCa5Ww

Jase, It was Mario Fenech, do you know him? Would you like his email address? I will send it to you in a pm if you want it. Graeme

No worries Jase, I know one of the guys who exported a few years ago, he should have some nice ones. These are some pics of my brown bars:

Hi there, Someone said my name. I wouldn't say Marcheneros are common, there are a few breeders with them here in the UK, more in Holland, Germany, France, and of course, Spain. Ok there are some good videos on youtube of Marcheneros belonging to Tomas Delestal in Seville: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O498_Q8KWyU&hl=es http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ly0rvNO7tE&hl=es They are a very friendly race, quite difficult to breed, but a lot of fun. These are some of mine: I would direct you to my website but I am having some trouble with it at the minute. You will find an overview of all the Spanish Croppers at this page: http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/Glassfeather/giralda.htm This is the breed standard: Buchon Marchenero~Standard The ancient Marchenero was a pigeon of the same morphological characteristics as the current type and by genetic cultivation and selective accumulation of the determining factors of its ancestry, the present day characteristics have been formed. The breed originally appeared around the 15th or 16th century in Seville as the �Colitejo� or �tile-tail� pouter. It could be defined as having little flesh and light boned, abundant feathers making it appear larger. Its configuration is defined by the curly and spongy plumage. The Marchenero is a �posture pigeon�, so called for certain peculiarities adopted in flight. These are characterised by the wing tips being extended outwards, it never �rows� in flight and only glides in landing, the configuration does not allow it: the tail is tucked under the body acting as a brake and the concavity of the wings make it descend rapidly. In flight, one can apppreciate: A.)The tail is spread open and tucked inwards like a lobster tail. B.) The rump feathers give the impression of a double tail. C.) A full crop, rounded and hanging in such a way as not to affect its forward vision, giving the impression of a semi circle viewed from the front. It has a docile temperament though vigorous and arrogant. It has excellent talents for the conquest, which is why it is used in sporting flight without a female. Breed Characteristics General Aspect (20 pts): A relatively small pouter weighing 7 to 10.5 ounces. Very loose feathered and gives the impression of actually being larger than it is. It has a fine shaped head, fairly well inflated, creased globe, short keel, and flies with its tail scooped in a manner reminiscent of a lobster�s tail. Its rump feathers are abundant and long and form what is called the double tail. Neck & Crop (15 pts): The neck is short and fairly wide. The chest is broad. The Marchenero inflates a large round crop but also carries it in a draped fashion. The crop has a vertical crease. Feathering of the globe is loose, soft and rich and should always overlap onto the shoulders. Head (5 pts): Fine and rounded and profusely feathered, with loose feathers covering the tops of the eye ceres. These feathers sometimes stick out a bit forming what the Spaniards call �tufos�. Eyes (2 pts): Reddish orange in all but white and light splash which have bull eyes. Back (3 pts): Wide and profusely feathered with long, loose feathers. Finishing off at the wide rump. Rump (10 pts): Wide and showing long, loose feathers. When the bird coos and performs it should show a lot of hackle and the rump feathers stick out so as to give the impression of a second tail. Wings (10 pts): Strong and wide. The wing forms a deep curve on two planes when opened for inspection. Tail (20 pts): Short and wide feathers make up the tail. Usually, the centre feathers (6 to 8) are broken because of the bird�s constant scooping effect and the natural breaking of those feathers. The tail is always arched downwards and forwards during courtship or flying. The tail is always longer than the legs and should never clear the ground while it is scooped. Legs (5 pts): Short to medium, clean-legged and fine boned. The feathering of the hocks should be loose and form �basket-feathers�, what the Spaniards call �canastilla�. Feather Quality (10 pts): ): Abundant soft, loose feather. Never tight against the body and always interspersed with fine �filoplumes�. Bred in numerous colours; most common are ash red, blue, black, silver, splashed, white, etc. Clean, clear colour preferred. Serious Faults: High-held large crop with a back globe; broad head; heavy body; tight rump feathering showing no hackle; lacking scoop tail; long keel; wry tail. Ring Size: 8mm

Did it have food in its crop when you moved it? Was there food in its crop when you found it dead? Did you see the fosters feed it?

Hello Katmark, The birds will soon acclimatize. Performance is likely to be dependant on conditioning etc. You should make this enquiry on the Young Fanciers Pigeon club forum, I remember reading a post there where someone let their portuguese tumblers fly regularly. You will find the site here: http://pigeons4u.18.forumer.com/index.php

There is a new site just started, you might find someone there who can help you: http://thedookit.googlepages.com/dookit.htm

Peter Carruthers is selling a stud of seventeen Bokharas on the Yahoo! group: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Bokharas/

Hi Shadow, It is not something I would do myself, just for the sake of Aesthetics, and I don't keep overweight pigeons either. It's not for me to quantify cruelty, but I suspect worse things are done to pigeons, and it seems that depending on where you are standing, some aspects of racing pigeons are considered "cruel". I think the practice is restricted in Germany now. It's like with a lot of things, it probably started with one or two feathers out of place, then snow-balled until the pigeon was almost plucked bare, a bit like father Ted and that car donated as a prize for the church bingo, and he took a hammer to it to straighten out a little bubble, and ended up with a wreck. Did you see that one?

Ok I got it now, good work, nice site, smart set up, many thanks.