Leroy

pigeons owned by a fancier are his property and therefore can be illegally damaged by someone. Criminal damage can be caused intentionally i.e. setting his hawk onto your birds, or recklessly i.e. flying his hawk where pigeons are flown and it is reasonably forseeable by a reasonable person that damage will occur. The problem we face with this though is that if your birds are killed in their loft, it is obviously intentional and criminal damage, BUT once you release your birds from the loft you open them up to risk from attack. It is arguable whether someone is guilty of an offence, but i suspect the police will say they can do nothing and pursue a civil action yourself unfortunately

cant find the above, any clues please??? Lee

I kind of am now a token claret, went to wembley and everything!!! It hurt though being a preston fan, I couldnt decide who to shout for!!! and i now know im never going anywhere by coach ever again!

Slipped disk sounds like an excuse to me!!! If you need any help with the birds while you're laid up let me know, we are finally due to move house next week so I'll be nearer if you need any assistance, but only with the birds, I dont make a good nurse!!!

i think it was a hen harrier or something similar, sadly they couldnt prosecute without direct corroborating evidence ;D

Thanks Sue, I was prepared to say I was involved in pigeons but didnt get much chance. The usual host Tony Livesey may have given me more time had he been on, in fact, we use the same gym and he is friends with one of my staff, so it might be worth getting some facts and figures together and seeing if he'd be prepared to give it some more air-time....not sure how much good it will do, but the more people that hear our side of it, the more likely it is that the public will stop lending the RSPB it's support...

Cheers I was fuming at how the woman came on and gave such a one-sided view, not once mentioning the increase in BOP.

This is interesting now, because a lady from the RSPB was on radio Lancashire this morning saying that their figures were out about how many species are endangered, including cuckoos and lapwings. Specifically she was saying that part of the reason for cuckoos declining was the reduction in numbers of dunnocks whose nests they use to lay their eggs. We should try to help by encouraging catapillars for them to eat!!! So, I hear this driving to work and decide to phone in, because it is JUST possible that the decline in dunnocks could be something to do with increased numbers of sparrowhawks...perhaps... I also remembered Craig05's post about the peregrines and the RSPB admitting their prey includes lapwings - which this morning they said were also now endangered. So I rang in, and managed about two minutes uninterupted telling the folk of Lancashire that the RSPB have created this problem by asking for money to protect BOP that are artificially high in number and killing off the song birds. I didnt get chance to go onto the pere's and lapwings but every little helps!!! Lee

I'm hopefully racing whites next year so am looking to intro some good racing blood. What have the parents won please mate? Lee

I currently keep my racers in two kit box type lofts. The biggest is 4 feet x 3 feet, and 3 feet high. It is on legs, like a large rabbit hutch, with a wire front, and a wire bottom, but also a solid bottom that slides in and out. I have 8 birds in there at the moment and wouldnt like to keep anymore. It wouldnt be any good for breeding purposes though. Oh it also has a small all-wire flight attached to the front so the birds can look around!

Does anybody know the website addresses of the roller forums? Maybe someone on there local to Goshawk could show him around. Lee

great minds think alike BUT fools seldom differ!!!

we mustve been typing at the same time mate!!!

finally some sensible talking from both sides!!! as I see it, and I know I don't yet race, but I have kept free flying pigeons for 15 yrs, there are always going to be some BOP about, and the very nature of pigeon racing means that at some point our pigeons are going to be at risk from attack from BOP, either around the loft or on their way home. From a pigeon fanciers point of view, we want to be able to protect our birds when they are at home, around the loft by whatever means are appropriate. Of course some people will take illegal action, others take legal precautions. Any person should be entitled to protect their own property. BUT we have to accept that by sending our birds hundreds of miles from home, they are likely to be attacked and we SHOULD accept that. If precautions were taken around the loft i.e. fireworks before exercise, BOP strikes should be kept to a minimum. If pigeon fanciers were allowed to take action at their lofts, then we would be less likely to go out looking for nests to destroy and to kill BOP, wouldn't we???

someone will correct me if im wrong but sparrowhawks attack differently and usually take birds that are sat on the lofts, an issue which some fliers find ways of preventing. The peres are more difficult because they attack in the air Lee

Sam what sort of fantail are you after, indian, exhibition or garden??? Lee

i dont think they have much guarding instinct though, certainly not enough to attack a trespasser. I might be wrong.

Ironic don't you think that the RSPB say this about eagle owls??? "It would be very unfortunate to discover in 20 years time that they were devastating native birds and, by then, it would be very difficult to do anything about it." surely that describes perfectly what the peregrines and other BOP are doing...

how do we know it's too small there are no dimensions with it??? It's almost like a very posh kit box but for racers!

yes, very well done, a great site, which is generally peaceful and does what it says on the tin! as a newbie, the site and the members have helped me loads, and hopefully as a result I will race my first year next year!!! woohoo! Cheers to everyone Lee

as upsetting and hard as the above posts are to read, and my thoughts are with anyone who has lost a loved one, I dont think whitenight's post was meant to be offensive. I didnt read it in that way, and hopefully others wont. Lee

pm sent

try ebay too, there are all sorts of hatching eggs on there, it may be worth a look

Just ask me - cheers mate. I wont have a massive setup to be honest, I just want to test the birds I have, without the pressure of wanting to succeed at all costs. My birds are pets first and foremost and I just want to know if they are capable of doing it! Thanks for the advice, your view is appreciated. Lee

thanks for the replies guys. Thanks Jimmy. I know it takes alot of experience to do this with great success. I'm really only going to race for the enjoyment side of things and to see if my birds can do it. I don't at this moment intend to take on the big boys. If I dont achieve success I don't thik it will be detrimental to me or the birds. Thanks again mate, all views are appreciated. Lee