Merlin

Aw come on guys,surely age is honourable,in this instance,remembering my old teachers mantra,if ya want the best ,it can only be got from the best,so come on give an older guy a break,and form a queue,behind me 8) 8)

Many thanks Mick,an absolute privilege to have birds from such a discerning fancier as yourself,and have no doubt they will make the heavens smile

Not this season but next,got to look ahead in this game,these would be bred from some top class stock of Ronnie De Dobbelarr, hope spelling is correct,from the nicest guy on the planet aka Gangster,well actually this is to be hoped for,as Mick is not aware of it yet 8)

Lots of birds irrespective of "names" are capable of flying for a 12/14 hr race and also sprinting 3/5 hrs,its about preparation,birds in any of these races must have their homing ability honed by their preparation,which is obviously quite different for both participants re,breeding dates,exercise,feed,motivation,training,previous racing,would reckon there are more birds go missing,never to be seen again,in sprint to middle distance,than any long distance event,the distance bird is prepared for hours on wing,and the many other eventualities it may encounter on its journey,while the sprint/middle distance,are prepared for mainly speed only,and when they encounter any delays for whatever reasons,they are gone down,almost like a horse prepared for The Champion Hurdle,asked to race round Aintree in The Grand National,it may be capable of doing it,but it has got to be prepared properly,but there is no doubt all race birds possess homing ability,but when pressure comes on,lots just simply quit,or get lost,by not being prepared for the unexpected in a sport that's so full of so much b/s the input and knowledge of a fancier is often more important than line/or breed of bird he is flying,look around he /she is out there,the one who would get one from a Church,and do well with it,often against all the odds

Birds of various species including pigeons will often "buzz" a Kestrel in their own area,but the above posts and on other sites,are only the tip of the iceberg as far as Hawk predation is concerned,and if we think it is bad now,its a fact that come this time next season,there will be twice as many Hawks getting set to go to nest,and again twice as many the following year,which leaves the outlook re saftey of our birds pretty bleak.

Different thread,see Grand Slam Champs aka Triple Crown ;D ;D ;D

Sprint or distance ,many birds can do both quite successfully for 12/14 hours,if the methods employed by the fancier are done properly,for two day long distance events,its much harder,but as regards their homing ability,again this is in tandem with their condition,when racing,their homing ability is present in them all,its the fanciers general knowledge and input that enhances this.

In defense of,I had a pair of youngsters from the late Tommy Ingram of Newport,the line of Bellevue Princess,they turned out cracking birds, winning on the road,and breeding some good uns,when crossed.

What a fight,best I ever see Brendan fight,and he had to because Cordobba was no mug,Brendan's Father is also a pigeon fancier,and a former Olympian boxer in the Montreal Olympics,well done to both boxers on providing a thriller.

They are all superb :)

It keeps getting better,Cheltenham,Grand Slam,and Bernard Dunne to night (hopefully)hard luck to Wales,they fought the good fight,definitely the most exciting game of the series,right down to the wire.

Wishing you all the best Ted,and do miss your input on site,get well soon

Got to agree with above,and all things being equal,a good loft location is also an added bonus,especially in the sprint type racing.

Its it me,or do to days birds have less wattle than birds of yesteryear,or maybe its they are not around long enough,to compare.

Would imagine lots of lines will do these distances,with success usually decided by the ability and know how of fancier flying them

My method is work them out to about 25 mile on line of flight,late evenings only,keep them there making sure its a safe lib spot,BOPs etc,always late evening,4 or 5 times per week previous to racing,teaching them,release,straight home,if they do encounter any difficulties,they are close enough to get home next morning,as stated this is my way,sure there are numerous others

Another classic Roland ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

They are Hotrod,right bad,Cheltenham last week, Murray field last Sat,St Pats yesterday,on to Cardiff this Sat,win the Grand Slam"fingers crossed"at least another week with this celebrating lark, small wonder 80 million people claim to have Irish bloodlines,hope they don't all come to the party lol

Cmon Mick listen to Micko ;) ;D

Wishing you all the best Rose,one of the more logical and practical tpersonalities on site, a very nice lady,look forward to your return soon.

Got to agree with Fair Play re clash of heads,it spoiled the "fight" but in fairness Khan looked and boxed very well,with Barrera unable to offer very little,but the question still remains,what happens when Khan gets one on the chin,can he take a punch. ??

They looked impressive last night Vic but ya gotta ask yerself ,how they cant produce that style of play more often.

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D The above has got be the quip of the year!!

Not so much the skin,but I do often get a darker down,a shade of red/brown rather than that golden colour

Very nice Bandit,strong and healthy,very nice batch,wish you well with them.