REDCHEQHEN

Hope its just a pigeon problem

UNC Season is longer than most - we start earlier - and finish later !! One particular wet summer when young bird races kept getting cancelled - we didn't have our last race until the beginning of October !! The last race for us is 21st September - a channel race for the young birds

Haven't got a 2011 book to hand (if 2011) Mid Durham South - Newton Aycliffe/Spennymoor/Coxhoe areas (Quarry Lofts on here is in this fed) A1/A19 around this area (A177/A689) would be great to help the bird on its way home on your way to Alnwick Enjoy yourself at the weekend

Creating an acidic environment helps (ie cider vinegar, put it on the food)

Redcar is sunny clear blue skies - strong Westerlyish wind

Up North Combine - Peterborough GROUP 1 up at 8.00 GROUP 2 up at 8.15 GROUP 3 up at 8.30 GROUP 4 up at 8.45 GROUP 5 up at 9.00 GROUP 6 up at 9.15 The wind looks mainly West and is at its strongest in East Cleveland and North Yorkshire (23 mph) (my observation - not lib line)

Sorry these youngsters have gone - thank you for your interest

The Up North Combine Melton Mowbray Group 1 up at 10.15 Group 2 up at 10.30 Group 3 up at 10.45 Group 4 up at 11.00 Group 5 up at 11.15 Group 6 up at 11.30 West South West wind

Even though our youngsters were on darkness - some have still thrown flights and one or two have '6 to go' I don't know whether it is the darkness system - or the birds, but we never seem to get them back when they are down to 5, so they are stopped once they get down to 5

the lot (26) Melton Mowbray 130 miles

I think he was meaning how many flights left before you stop them !!

Can you make me look tall and slim as well George

I have !!

Don't know if I'm doing this right Guess I'm not I do have a photo - but can't get it to show up !!

What country is this pigeon in?

NY1911 He's reporting and in big letters Grangetown HS Secretary 01642 295078

Not the right time of year really - but have 2 youngsters hatched last week - and seems a shame to dispose of them - they are ready to be rung just now - Dam was 12th combine 13th NEHU Open 33,777 birds Folkestone this year (260 miles) Free - just pay for carriage or collect will be ready in about 3 weeks time - I am in Redcar

The Up North Combine are at Melton Mowbray 130 miles for me

I got a bird back on Saturday that had been missing 3 weeks (since the first race) It too had lost body weight - and is isolated from the rest - but is let out to exercise, and has been trained today 40 miles It has got a 'gold ring' and the race is in 10 days time - it's going come hell or high water

You can't have much competition in your club In my club a couple of wins - is bird of the year !! And with no club wins under my belt this year (so far) by your reckoning - I'd have nothing to fly next year cos they wouldn't be worth keeping Just like Tony C says - not everyone can win a race never mind every bird in your loft winning a few!! My club sends 400-600 birds a week and with about 10 young bird races - there wouldn't be many old birds to race next year My best old bird did nothing until he was 2 years old - then flew his socks off - I would not have had him to race had I followed your rule

Taken off another site we had to put up with our youngster's coming back and some of them joining what must of been 5,000 Lanarkshire pigeons liberated at 12.45, less than 1 mile from our allotment and didnt clear Split into approx. 8 or 9 small batche's, they were still pigeons going in all direction 1 hour later. my 1st yb arrived at 12.58 13mins after their LIB. and luckily missed the mass, I have 6 missng some Lad's have only 4 back. NO COMMUNICATION surely they enquire as to when the Hexham birds were due back MADNESS and: Lanarshire birds should of went 2 hours ealier, it was much better then clear skys for hours. then they liberate into almost full cloud cover absolute madness

I lost 5 Belgian rung birds - over a 2 year period and never had one reported - all had phone number rings on

Hello Rose - I think we met in Blackpool a couple of years ago! The UNC clashed with Hull NR on Sunday - I know that for sure, Hull NR were up at Whitley Bay around 6.30am and the UNC started liberating earlier than usual because of the forecast - I think they started liberating 7.00am from Worksop (West Durham were at Thoresby Hall as well) Officially because of DEFRA regulations, the UNC hold copies of their members PMV vaccination certificates at Hartlepool headquarters, and that is where the problem lies - they are only allowed to transport those pigeons for which they have vaccination certificates for, and every week, we as members have to sign a declaration to say the birds being sent have been vaccinated against PMV - and these declarations are given to the convoyer That is also the problem with the stray centre housing pigeons that do not have NEHU rings on (even though many members in the UNC have young birds bred by members in other organisations - it poses a big problem)

When you have been having bad young bird seasons in the past Dave Power at the NEHU office has dealt with the strays for Scotland - as I think he is a regular visitor - it might be worth dropping Dave an e-mail nehu@nehu.co.uk I've had a few Scottish strays in myself this year (got a youngster in at the moment, but its getting picked up)

4 young sparrowhawks have decided to nest in the trees just behind my garden (less than 10 yards from my loft) One squeals all day and night - how the hell it expects to eat when it frightens everything off I don't know. They haven't noticed my loft yet ........