Walter swanston

Well Mr. Boswell you can only employ your well practised skills of wit,vocabulary and erudition and tell them all to f*** off.

During the last 20 years or so I think I have done battle with the combined forces of about seven computer loft programmes.As my computer skills improved I became over confident and lost much ground in the frequent skirmishes,ambushes,booby traps and battles at the hands of these programmes.Usually I conceded defeat and went back to notebooks and scraps of paper.However in 2014 having completed a vaccination process and having the cocks safely into nest boxes , I have purchased a new lap top and am preparing for battle with one of the more obdurate of my past adversaries the redoubtable East Coast Software.

Really excellent post Owen and I can see exactly where you are coming from and I fully agree that pigeon racing must change and evolve off it is to survive and in my own small way in the positions I have held in the fancy I have tried to help the evolution and have always welcomed new ideas and concepts. However I am afraid I do not recognise the secretive and dog eat dog atmosphere within clubs which you describe.I will very quickly admit to only being an average fancier but I have been a member of my club and federation for coming up on twenty years and during that time I have seldom encountered anything but kindness and advice from my fellow fanciers.I have frequently been advised on feeding,training and pigeon health? Owen I am far to old too see life through rose coloured glasses but in general I think that pigeon men are the salt of the earth, like you I will keep racing pigeons as long as my health and age allows.I do not expect I will win anything significate but I do not care too much as long as I can spend my summers in the company of my fellow fanciers.

If that's true Derek and I am sure it is that is f****** ridiculous I would help you if I could but apart from advising you to move to Dumfries and Galloway ( which is a truly lovely part of Scotland) all I can do is ask fanciers to have some compassion.

Well some people might think I have put something into the pigeon fancy Derek as far as hawks are concerned I have addressed my regional council on the predators and have given evidence on the matter in front of a committee of the Scottish Parliament.Admitably with no success .However I have tried for years to help my fellow fanciers usually with long hours of my own time and I could point out that I try to respond to guys on this site while avoiding gratuitous insults over their intelligence.

You are probably right Derek and it is a lot of hot air.What do you suggest, sit back and watch pigeon racing die

I will not go down this road Walter I do not know enough to become involved in a early versus late bred argument but thank you for your contribution.

What I am proposing for discussion, and it's no my idea but I find it very interesting is as follows. 1.no young bird racing at all. 2.yearling races in late July or August. 3.no rings issued until Ist. April. At a stroke this would help the problems of young bird sickness,cross contamination in transporters,untrained babies etc.Additionally fanciers could breed in the spring and summer as nature intended.surelylosses would be less I know these ideas are controversial but definitely worthy of consideration and pigeon organisation should be en to new ideas..

Sorry about that Kyleakin I was trying to answer the guy above you who was commenting on the hellish way fed officials are sometimes verbally assaulted by the membership, many of whom will never do anything to help

Yeah tell me about it.

Well I will take advice on this from anyone but the sport of pigeon racing has enlivened and energised my old age and I will go anywhere and work as hard as I can to help the fancy

All of these posts are in general correct,and Ihave to confess to being one of the retired old men referred to. However there must be something that can be done to help the sport and I for one am willing to listen to any new ideas no matter how revolutionary

I have just read an article on this week's Racing Pigeon where the author addresses the serious problem of falling membership in pigeon organisations and lays the blame partially on young bird losses.I is proposed that young bird races should be replaced by yearling races where the pigeons might be deemed to have more sense with maturity,how about no rings until 1st April?Obviously a lot to think about..Probably a step too far for most, what do site members think?I certainly know of well known and successful fanciers who do not race young birds.

I have been a member of Lockerbie since 1996 that's 17 years now and never an angry word.

Without becoming involved in the troubles of other organisations I can say having just stood down as Fed President that the two most important duties for a club or fed official are 1) listen to the members and 2) keep the members informed.

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Thank you all for your very kind words,especially you Michael.I have never claimed to be anything other than a common foot soldier in the pigeon world but I am really pleased to have been of service to my federation.

The time of year for Federation AGM's is upon us.Traditionally these meetings are ,in my experience fairly well attended and contentious matters can be settled and officials elected in a generally friendly if raucous atmosphere.However I sometimes hear suggestions that there should be postal vote for elections and other matters.Is it asking too much of members to attend once a year at a suitable venue or would a postal vote be fairer and more democratic.I would be interested in the views Pigeons Basically members on this subject.

All this stuff about temperatures in the transporters is seriously interesting and surely worth considering but it has been established time and time again that the main causes of racing pigeon losses is PEREGRINE FALCONS .Anything else however fascinating is aside issue.

I read this.What is your position on these crates,clearly they are light easy to handle and easy to clean but do the obvious disadvantages outlined in the letter outweigh the advantages, the development of transporters and the care of birds before liberation is one of the most important matters to be considered in modern pigeon racing.

Quote from Rudyard Kipling: It's Tommy this and Tommy that and throw him out the brute., But it's "'Eroe of his country " when the guns begin to shoot. Did anyone see the report of discharged veterans living on the street in the Sunday papers.Disgraceful!!

I also served as a soldier when I was a young man,over 60 years ago now and my memories of my comrades are as vivid as if it was yesterday.I knew people who did not return from the Middle East and I therefore support the whole commemoration scene.However I have got to say that my comrades fell in what is now one of Britain's forgotten wars and I would be unfaithful to their memory if I did not offer my wholehearted agreement to the post made by Owen.