DOVEScot

CAUSAL AGENT: Bird Paramixovirus type 1 SYMPTOMS: 1 - Digestive upheavals: Virus - vicerotropo - Liquid Excrements ----> (as water) - Intense thirst (it can increase to 4-5 times the consumption) 2 - Nervous upheavals: - vírus neurotropo - Slight tremors of head. - Difficulty to peck grains (it affects the optical nerve). - Problems of balance: it falls for a side or back towards (pirouettes) - Torticolis: of 0º - 180 º - Problems in sight with discolouration of an eye. - Paralysis of a wing or the two. - Paralysis of a leg or the two. 3 - Breath upheavals (Vírus neumotropo) - Conjuntivitis, coriza, death rattle. (They are not frequent) DIAGNOSE: Laboratory, by examination of the blood. TREATMENT: To eliminate sick pigeons of small value. To isolate the pigeons that we want to treat. Reduce to normality the water consumption (50 cs per day). To fulfill the food trays or to give them to eat with a sleeve or syringe. To administer together: - Antibiotics (Tetraciclinas, enrofloxacina, etc.) - Amino acids - Vitamins - Levamisol (to stimulate the defenses). PROPHYLAXIS: Cleaning and disinfecting of the loft. VACCINATION: a) Dead virus: or inactivated in watery solution. Intramuscular or subcutaneous. Immunity: a year COLOMBOVAC (Holland) Alive virus: Cepa B1 or La Sota. In the water of drink and by nasal or ocular drop. Immunity: 2 months. On the 4th day of applied the vaccine to the alive virus it is advisable to make the following recipe: - Levamisol: 1-2 days - Vitamins, Antibiotics and Amino acids: during 4-5 days. IMPORTANT: It is an obligation of the Fancier to denounce or to communicate to his society a bud of this disease in his loft, so that all the other people can take their own precautions.

SALMONELOSIS Or PARATIFOSIS Disease of youngsters that causes an early death without specific symptoms. The cured adult pigeon becomes into carriers and continue eliminating salmonellas, reason why it is preferable to eliminate them. When hatching they can transmit the disease through the pores of the rind of eggs CAUSAL AGENT: Salmonella Typhimurium TRANSMISSION: Oral: By the food or the drinking water. Aerial: By inhalation of the dust. Ovarian: Of the ovary to the egg. SYMPTOMS: 4 forms 1 - Intestinal: diarrea with thick lees surrounded by snots, elements nondigested in dirty water of brown or green, and frothy color. Thickening of the sewer. Thinning. 2 - Articulte: of the internal goes to the blood and from there to the joints of greater movement (elbow). Fallen wing 3 - Organic: it attacks all the devices pronouncing itself with a short breath and general weakening. 4 - Nervous: it attacks the brain and the spinal marrow producing: - loss of balance - paralysis - tortícolis (similar to New Castle) DIAGNOSE Serologic, wich means the antibodies of the blood of the infected animals. TREATMENT: Antibiotics: - Tetraciclinas - Enrofloxacina - Furazolidona Minimum 15 days. PROPHYLAXIS: Cleaning and disinfecting (at least weekly) 1 - 2 days of antibiotics every 15 days Vitamins IMPORTANT: It is a ZOONOSE (it can infect the man by a very close contact).

Some of you will know this man more for the work he does helping people, he gets up at the crack of dawn during the race season to open the gate at Thornton to help with the liberations. He has kept pigeons all his life in some form or another. He has the biggest collection of old Brittish Homing Worlds I have ever seen, dating back years Since getting pancreatic cancer his involvement in racing has stopped but he still keeps pigeons but no longer races them. He was taken back into hospital on Monday and they are running tests for secondary cancer and also TB, he now weighs less than five stone and all he cares about is getting out to look after his birds I wish him all the best in his fight to get better, especially because I am having to feed his birds and clean oot his loft :'( :'( :'( Here he is with one of our runts last summer

NICE & SPICY Cinnamon: Did you know cinnamon is a natural antibiotic. It does not only kill the deadly E-coli bug but may also be a strong cure for Salmonella and Campylobactor. Basil: Did you know this is a natural tranquilliser that helps to calm the nervous system. NICE & SPICY PEPPERMINT & SPEARMINT Did you know Peppermint and Spearmint are good for digestive disorders, flatulance and nausea. Peppermint oil is mildly anaesthetic and antiseptic. THYME (common) Did you know Thyme (mint family)(common) can be used as an expectorant and mild anaesthetic for coughs, acute and chronic bronchitis. GARLIC Did you know Garlic is good for intestinal conditions, bronchial problems, high blood pressure and is also used as an antiseptic antispasmodic and to kill parasitic worms. It also repels insects. ROSEMARY Did you know Rosemary is good when added to bathwater to treat rheumatism, gout and circulatory problems. Also when boiled and simmered is a good drink to treat exhaustion, especially after infection or a hard race. SWEET MARJORAM ( garden) Did you know Sweet Marjoram is good for treating loss of appetite, digestive problems, for coughs and asthma. Tea aids digestion, soothes nerves and headaches.

There is a virus called the "Circo virus", which is an an auto immune disease that pigeons can get! It mainly affects young birds, but can affect your whole colony of birds! When a bird contracts this virus the immune system is compromised,and many opportunistic diseases will then strike your birds. some of these diseases are Paro mixo virus, herpes simplex, encephalytis,and a host of others. There is no cure for this virus yet, it has to run it's course. Be sure that your birds are vacinated for pmv,and that will help! A lot of times birds carrying the virus, and sent to one loft races will then infect all it's loft mates.Be very careful, as this is a very bad virus and can really set you back. Prevenative Medicine Before the race season be sure to treat your birds for canker, worms and cocci. Prevenative medicine I feel is the best for the birds as they will be stressed during the racing season,and can come up with alot of illneses.As far as antibiotics,I would not use them unless a veterinarian tells you to! Alot of bacteria are becoming resistant to most of our antibiotics that we have used for years. "Amprol" is a good choice for cocci treatment,and "Ridsol", is the best choice for canker treatment. Another thing I would recommend to everyone is to give your flyers,and breeders lots of picking stones. Either mix with your grit or give to them free choice. These picking blocks or pots are very rich in minerals that our birds do not get out of of there feed or on the ground. It can make a great deal of difference during the race season. ~THE RACE SEASON~ During the race season keep a good watch on the health of your birds! Make sure that you give the birds plenty of electrolytes,as they use alot of these salts up during an event! You can also buy electrolytes with vitamins,they are both good for the birds. Some flyers will just use gator aid in their waters. As this is full of electrolyte salts. If a bird comes home very late from an event, it is best to keep him or her by there self in a separate cage,and given electrolytes, and vitamins. This is a precaution in case the bird picked up some kind of bacteria or virus, from bad water they may have drank on their journey home.Some flyers give an antibacterial or viral medication to help prevent any contamination. Cleansing teas are also good for the birds, after they have recuperated from their flight...................................................................... Remember to have a succesful racing season your birds must be in top health! If not you will never be in the prizes. Be sure to clean your feeders and waters out each week with bleach and soap.This will keep the bacteria level and virus level down. Also be sure to have your young birds innocculated for pmv,pox,and paratyphoid. I have seen lofts with pmv,and it not only ruins your race season,but you will lose alot of birds. Pox is the lesser of the three evils,as it usually will cause your team to slow down,and not perform well but it will not kill them.You can have the most expensive birds in the world, but if they are not healthy,you will not win any prizes.................................................

Probably the most terrible example of mass slaughter in the history of wildlife was not the bison but the passenger pigeon - a story that almost defies belief. The early Europeans in North America frequently commented on the huge numbers of blue, long-tailed, fast and graceful pigeons in the country. One of the first settlers in Virginia wrote that, `There are wild pigeons in winter beyond number or imagination, myself have seen three or four hours together flocks in the air, so thick that even have they shadowed the sky from us.' Similar reports can be found from the Dutch on Manhattan Island in 1625, from Salem in Massachusetts in 1631 and some of the first explorers in Louisiana in 1698. As late as 1854 in Wayne County, New York, a local resident wrote that. `There would be days and days when the air was alive with them, hardly a break occurring in the flocks for half a day at a time. Flocks stretched as far as a person could see, one tier above another.' On 8 April 1873 at Saginaw in Michigan there was a continuous stream of passenger pigeons overhead between 7.30 in the morning and 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Other reports describe flocks a mile wide flying overhead for four or five hours at a time during their migration in the early spring from the south to their breeding areas in New England, New York, Ohio and the southern Great Lakes area. The flocks were so thickly packed that a single shot could bring down thirty or forty birds and many were killed simply by hitting them with pieces of wood as they flew over hilltops. Their roosting sites were correspondingly enormous- some covered an area five miles by twelve with up to ninety nests in a single tree - branches broke and whole trees were toppled by the sheer weight of roosting birds, often standing on top of each other, and leaving a pile of droppings several inches deep under the trees. The exact number of passenger pigeons in North America when the Europeans arrived is not known but the best guess is 5 billion- about a third of all the birds in North America at the time and the same as the total number of birds to be found today in the United States. One reason why the passenger pigeon existed in such prodigious numbers was the lack of natural predators apart from hawks and eagles. It was, however, surprisingly vulnerable to human intervention. Each female laid only one egg a year, which made it difficult to replace any losses quickly. Only a flimsy nest was made and its habit of nesting in vast colonies and migrating in huge flocks made it very easy to attack. The birds fed mainly on acorns, chestnuts and beech nuts in the extensive woodlands of North America and so when these were steadily cut down their habitat and food supplies were reduced. Human intervention was at first relatively restrained, largely because of the limited numbers living in North America. The Indians captured the pigeons in large nets and by the 1630s the settlers of New England were doing the same. The young squabs were regarded as a great delicacy and the adults were sought after for their feathers as well as their meat. In the first couple of centuries of European settlement it is doubtful whether the number of pigeons declined very much given the relatively small number of humans in the area. After 1830 the practice of releasing live pigeons from traps for shooting practice began, but this in itself would not have proved fatal to the existence of the species even though about 250,000 a year were being killed in this way in the 1870s. The population had certainly been reduced by the middle of the nineteenth century but was still several billion strong. The real onslaught began with the onset of large-scale commercial hunting carried out by well-organised trappers and shippers in order to supply the developing cities on the east coast of the United States with a cheap source of meat. It began once railways linking the Great Lakes area with New York opened in the early 1850s. By 1855 300,000 pigeons a year were being sent to New York alone. The worst of the mass slaughter took place in the 1800s and 1870s. The scale of the operation can be judged by figures that seem almost incredible but which were carefully recorded as part of a perfectly legal and highly profitable commerce. On just one day in 1860 (23 July) 235,200 birds were sent east from Grand Rapids in Michigan. During 1874 Oceana County in Michigan sent over 1,000,000 birds to the markets in the east and two years later was sending 400,000 a week at the height of the season and a total of 1,600,000 in the year. In 1869, Van Buren County, also in Michigan, sent 7,500,000 birds to the east. Even in 1880, when numbers had already been severely reduced, 527,000 birds were shipped east from Michigan. Not surprisingly, even the vast flocks of pigeons could not withstand slaughter on this scale. Numbers fell rapidly and by the late 1880s large flocks, which had once been so common, had become a matter for comment and investigation, and most were no more than a few hundred strong. The last known specimens were seen in most states of the eastern United States, in the 1890s, and the passenger pigeon died out in the wild in Ohio about 1900. The last survivor of a species that had once numbered 5 billion died in captivity in 1914.

LONDON - Writer Andrew Wood has issued a book titled The Pigeon Conspiracy via literary agency nooza.com and is seeking the attention of mainstream publishers for its publication to a wider market. The book, a novel, chronicles the events of the Pigeon Conspiracy from the point of view of a London-based web developer called Ant Scott. Experts have questioned whether the novel is pure fiction, or if its insights could redefine our understanding of the Pigeon Conspiracy. "Does Wood know something the rest of us don't?" asks PigeonConspiracy.com analyst Patrick Bower. "He has constructed a story inside the fervour and boundaries of the Pigeon Conspiracy as we know it, but introduces a third act that has some merit as a far-fetched but feasible answer to the whole thing." The novel's main characters, a group of twenty-something friends living and working in London, are asking themselves the familiar questions of their generation (coined "Generation X++" by Wood) - Why am I living here? What's the point of work? What am I supposed to do with my life? They live a life made easy by wealth, PlayStation games, restaurants and clever coffee, but their world is thrown into a spin by the Pigeon Conspiracy. Wood casts them as members of Richard Pierson's alpha group and lets things go from there. Each character reacts to the Pigeon Conspiracy differently, with all of them eventually becoming members of the Pigeon Resistance or PAPA. The story climaxes on P-Day (International Pigeon Day), when a dramatic solution to the entire Pigeon Conspiracy is proposed. "I felt it was important to capture this time," said Wood when approached by PigeonConspiracy.com. "The events that have taken place, the murder of pigeons, all the stuff on the net, all of this isn't going to last. Things like this are quickly lost, and the Internet doesn't remember. We remember what the press want us to. I didn't want, ten years down the line, for the whole pigeon thing to be nothing more than a 'this day ten years ago' feature in the morning paper or a short documentary of the same old footage of Pigeon Resistance rallies. The Pigeon Conspiracy has touched millions of people around the world in different ways, human ways. I guess I just wanted to capture that. That's what this book is, a record of how people lived and felt." When pressed on the revelatory third act, though, Wood gave away little. "I don't think anyone has thought about the Pigeon Conspiracy rationally yet," he said. "I'm not trying to say I have all the answers - decide that for yourself. What I am saying is that people take things at face value, prompted by the incessant media, the papers, TV, the web, and polarise their opinions one way or the other. The truth is often right in front of all of us, but so few spot it."

http://www.savethepigeons.org/infoaboutcruelty.html Reward offered for information about pigeon cruelty It is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to kill or injure any wild bird without a Government licence. Our supporters regularly monitor the Square and will prosecute anyone found to be breaking this law. If you see anyone ill-treating pigeons on the Square, please inform a Heritage Warden immediately, and then report the incident, in as much detail as you can, to us through the contact us page of this website. Photographic evidence is particularly valuable. If your information leads to the conviction of an offender, you will receive a £100 reward. The reward scheme is not limited to Trafalgar Square. If you provide us with information leading to the conviction of anyone for cruelty to pigeons anywhere in the country, you will be entitled to the reward. Please rest assured your confidentiality will be respected at all times.

The British Pigeon Fanciers Medical Research Team (BPFMR) has conducted studies on Fanciers in their lofts, shows and Marking Stations for over 25 years, with all the team having a deep interest in PFL, the allergy that affects pigeon fanciers. Pigeon bloom and droppings have been shown to be an important source of reaction for Pigeon Lung. Well over 10,000 blood samples have been checked and data is held on the reaction of over 2,500 Fanciers. An average of 5 blood samples per week arrive at the Respiratory Centre at Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow from various parts of the United Kingdom. As a service to the Fancy, any Fancier can have his blood checked for reaction to pigeons with the co-operation of his General Practitioner, Practice Nurse or Hospital Specialist. With this extensive database of information and years of experience, BPFMR are the leading experts in this field and are constantly striving for a greater understanding of the disease. The Research provides a routine diagnostic service for several Health Trusts in the United Kingdom and the financial support of the British Fanciers enables this information to be made available to fanciers elsewhere in the world. Scientific details of the Research have regularly been published in National and International Journals to the present date. As well as assisting pigeon fanciers in keeping their pigeons whilst controlling the problem, an early benefit of the research was to be able to exclude a pigeon reaction as the cause of chest problems in some Fanciers. The research is ongoing and intense studies of the mechanisms of the allergic reaction in Pigeon Lung continue both in the clinic and in the laboratory. The importance for sensitised Fanciers to wear a MASK, CAP and GOWN and even GOGGLES has been stressed since the earliest days of the Research, whenever they are with the pigeons - especially when cleaning out the loft and also at Shows and Marking Stations. With many of the fancy being intimidated about discovering their level of sensitivity to pigeons and the associated consequences, the team have always made it clear that they will work wherever possible to help the fancy keep their pigeons. Keeping the Fancy informed has also been an important part of the work of BPFMR and this website should provide some basic information for anyone interested in finding out more, with some personal experiences in the articles page. A Question and Answer method of providing information for the Fanciers is based on the common, most important questions that have been asked. Please view this page by clicking here The research team has been greatly encouraged over the years by the enthusiasm, co-operation and financial support of the Fancy throughout the United Kingdom. This co-operation has extended to many of the countries of Europe including Russia and to North America - wherever there are Pigeon Fanciers. BPFMR are indebted to the Trustees and the Honorary Accountant to the Trust for managing the financial affairs.

There are two species of native pigeon, the New Zealand pigeon (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) known to the Maori as kereru, or in Northland as kuku or kukupa, and the Chatham Islands pigeon (Hemiphaga chathamensis) or parea. The parea is found mainly in the Tuku Nature Reserve and in privately owned forest remnants on Chatham Island. While there are only about 200 parea left, the species has made a remarkable recovery over the past 15 years, mainly due to predator control. Two other kinds of native pigeon became extinct on Raoul Island and Norfolk Island last century, probably due to hunting and predation. Since the extinction of the moa, the native pigeon is now the only seed disperser with a bill big enough to swallow large fruit, such as those of karaka, tawa and taraire. It also eats leaves, buds and flowers, the relative amounts varying seasonally and regionally, e.g. in Northland the birds eat mostly fruit. Kereru are large birds and can measure up to 51 cm from tail to beak, and weigh about 650g. Long-lived birds, they breed slowly. Key breeding signals are spectacular display flights performed mainly by territorial males. They nest mainly in spring/early summer producing only one egg per nest, which the parents take turns to look after during the 28-day incubation period. The chick grows rapidly, leaving the nest when about 40 days old. It is fed "pigeon milk", a protein-rich milky secretion from the walls of the parents' crops, mixed with fruit pulp. When much fruit is available, some pairs of kereru will have a large chick in one nest and be incubating an egg in another nearby. Fledglings spend about two weeks with their parents before becoming fully independent, but have remained with their parents during autumn and winter in some cases.

—The pigeon is the world's oldest domesticated bird. Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets mention the domestication of pigeons more than 5,000 years ago, as do Egyptian hieroglyphics. The vast majority of today's feral pigeons can trace their roots to the proliferation of dovecotes across Eurasia. Ancient Rome was populated with feral pigeons nesting on its monuments and homes. —French settlers imported the Rock Dove to the New World for meat in the early 1600s. Now they populate nearly every city in the Western Hemisphere. —Pigeons have been utilized by every major historical superpower from ancient Egypt to the United States of America. It was a pigeon that delivered the results of the first Olympics in 776 B.C., and a pigeon that first brought news of Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo more than 2,500 years later. Nearly a million pigeons served in both World Wars and are credited with saving thousands of soldiers' lives. —Noah's dove was a pigeon. The bird's message of subsiding waters, and thus new beginnings and hope, lent the pigeon its role as Bird of Peace. —Pigeon droppings were once considered a semi-precious commodity. In ancient Egypt it was highly prized manure, and for centuries in England pigeon feces were declared property of the Crown. The valuable dung was used to manufacture saltpeter, a critical ingredient for making gunpowder. —Julius Reuters parlayed the use of pigeons into what would become the world's largest newsgathering organization. He created an empire literally on the backs of pigeons —A fancier, Darwin heavily relied of the study of his pigeons to support his theory of evolution. —Picasso admired pigeons, painting them frequently, and naming his daughter, Paloma, which is Spanish for pigeon. —B.F. Skinner, the behavioral psychologist, taught his pigeons to play a crude form of ping-pong using their wings as paddles. —Pigeons are athletes of the highest caliber: While racehorses receive all the glory with their 35 mph sprints around a one-mile racetrack, Homing Pigeons—a mere pound of flesh and feathers—routinely fly more than 500 miles in a single day at speeds exceeding 60 mph, finding their way home from a place they've never been before, and without stopping. Pigeons can reach peak velocity in seconds and maintain it for hours on end. One was recorded flying for several hours at 110 M.P.H. —Pigeon racing is an internationally popular sport that can count the Queen of England among its enthusiasts. Winning birds can bring home millions of dollars in prize money and fetch tens of thousands of dollars at auction. —Baby pigeons ("squab") are called the milk-fed veal of the sky, and are treasured by chefs the world over and served rare at many of the finest restaurants. —Pigeons don't nest in trees, but prefer nesting on rocky ledges (although a window ledge will do just fine). They mate for life. —Pigeons populate every continent on Earth, with the exception of Antarctica. In America alone, you'll find them in the arid deserts of Arizona and the frigid climes of Alaska. Pigeons do not migrate but rather adapt to their chosen location year-round. Humane Pigeon Control —Pigeons are now routinely poisoned, and tormented with caustic gels and electrical devices. Tens of thousands are poached and sold to gun clubs for use as live practice. —Starvation, poisons and nesting deterrents don't work in the long run. In fact, such measures often rejuvenate and strengthen the pigeon population. —One thing alone leads to an overpopulation of pigeons: overfeeding. When food is scarce, the mating routine is put under stress and drops dramatically as a flock anxiously forages for food. —Responsible bird control is actually quite simple. It's already being practiced with great success in cities across Europe, many of which have witnessed a 50-percent drop in their pigeon populations. —Experts recommend building attractive lofts around a city, and designating them as places where feeding is encouraged. (Some cities even hold design competition for dovecotes that double as public art.) Not only do the dovecotes offer the birds a safe and comfortable place to roost and engage with the public, the controlled environment enables caretakers to routinely cull eggs, which is a far more effective and responsible way to manage the bird population. The flocks are diminished, the birds are treated humanely, and the policy is popular with the public. Why not promote dovecotes in your city?

Lost and Found Birds Sometimes pigeons become disoriented when racing or are overcome by adverse weather conditions. When this happens they may enter other fanciers' lofts or may land in your backyard looking for food and shelter. Racing birds will have an identification ring on one leg and usually a rubber racing band on the other leg. On the identification band will be letters and numbers like CU 2007 MIRC 100. The CU means Canadian Union, 2007 is the year of hatching, MIRC is the club (In this case Mid Island Race Club), and 100 is a number in the series of bands for that year. It is important when reporting a lost bird to give all the band information, then the owner can be traced. I am always pleased to help trace the owner of a lost bird so don't hesitate to contact me if you want information. Email me at laurholb@telus.net. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Lost and Found Birds" has attracted a lot of enquiries. The owners of about a dozen birds within British Columbia have been traced and put in touch with the finders of the birds. In addition there was an e-mail from Kent in south-east England asking for help and that was successfully dealt with. The bird in question was from Northern Ireland. A wildlife rehabilitator from Westchester County, New York found a banded bird wandering down a highway and contacted us. We gave her the phone number and Web address of the International Federation in the U.S. and once again the owner was found. I have also helped locate the owners of at least two birds in Australia. Here in British Columbia, the Capital City Club of Victoria has a phone number right on the band and that is a big help. I think in Britain the birds have to be stamped on the wing with the owner's information. All this activity is time consuming but well worth it. People who take the trouble to report lost pigeons seem to be the nicest people. Without the power of the Internet all this could not be done Interested in racing pigeons, pigeon racing, homing pigeons, raising pigeons, facts about pigeons, carrier pigeons, passenger pigeons, lost birds, lost pigeons, pigeon breeding, pigeon breeds, pigeon lofts, rolling pigeons, fantail pigeons, tumbler pigeons, pigeon facts, pigeon breeders, pigeon coops

1. Unless forcibly separated, pigeons mate for life. 2. Male pigeons have the rare ability to lactate, producing milk for the babies just like the females do! 3. Newborn pigeons weaned on the “pigeon milk” of both parents, double their weight in the first two days! 4. A grown pigeon has nearly 10,000 feathers. 5. Pigeons have been known to live over 30-years! 6. In the 17th century, King George I of England, decreed all pigeon droppings to be property of the Crown—and the “lofts” were policed to enforce the law! (Pigeon manure was used in making gunpowder) 7. With the ability to beat its wings up to ten times per second, and maintain a heart rate of 600 beats per minute for up to 16-hours without rest, the racing pigeon is the unequalled athlete of the air! 8. A famous WWI homing pigeon named “Cher Ami” finished his distinguished career by delivering a vital message: The location of the famous “Lost Battalion”. That mission alone is credited with saving nearly 200 human lives! “Cher Ami” was awarded the French Croix de Guerre with Palm for his heroic service. He died of his extensive battle wounds. 9. One WW II homing pigeon named “GI Joe” saved over 1000 allied soldiers lives in a single mission! He was awarded the Dickin Medal, the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross. His average speed on that flight was 60 mph! 10. Despite enemy fire, pigeons achieved a 98% success rate in missions flown in WW II—often with mortal injuries to themselves. 11. The French, Swiss, Israeli, Iraqi and Chinese armies still use homing pigeons today! Pigeons proved valuable in the Gulf War, as their messaging was not affected by electronic jamming. 12. The pigeon has the rare ability for a large bird to be able to fly nearly straight up. 13. Pigeons have been taught to use “tools” and were found to retain that knowledge! See the film Oldest Feathered Friend, which you can preview at: http://www.paccomfilms.com/films/pigeons.html 14. Studies conducted by B.F. Skinner at Harvard showed that pigeons have a visual memory that can store at least 300 objects or images indefinitely! 15. The pharmaceutical industry in Australia “employed” pigeons trained to identify anomalies in pills and capsules on a moving conveyor, and remove them from production. The birds did outstanding work but authorities quickly put an end to the practice! 16. Racing Pigeons routinely maintain flight speeds of 50 to 60 mph! 17. Some pigeons reverse-commute, feeding on grain in the country, while living in the city. 18. Advanced studies at the University of Montana conclude: “Pound for pound, columba livia (the pigeon) is one of the smartest, most physically adept creatures in the animal kingdom.”

DID YOU KNOW???? Most of our domesticated pigeons have a common ancestor, the Rock Dove pigeon. Racing Homing Pigeons have been clocked flying 92.5 mph average speed on a 400 mile race. Homing Pigeons have been known to fly 700 miles in a day. Pigeons have flown in many wars, including both WWI & WWII. They have saved countless lives. Pigeons achieved a 98% success rate in the missions flown in WW II, despite enemy fire, and often with mortal injuries to themselves. In the World Wars, flying pilots carried pigeons in case they had to ditch their plane, they would release the bird for help. Many pilots owe their lives to a pigeon. Pigeons are still used today by the French, Swiss, Israeli, Iraqi and Chinese Armies. Pigeons proved valuable in the Gulf War, as their messaging was not affected by the electronic jamming. Pigeons have been bought for as much as $132,000.00 by Louella Pigeon World in 1992. "Invincible Spirit" They have been proposed to be used by the Project Sea Hunt (U.S. Coast Guard) to spot life jackets out in the open sea. Noah's Dove was most likely a homing pigeon. They were used by many for communication before the telegraph was invented. They were used by the Greeks more than 5,000 years ago. They can and are ready to breed at the age of 5 to 6 months. They can breed as old as 10 years of age, and have been helped to breed past that. They are bred, raised and trained as good as Thoroughbred Horses. Around the world there are about 5 races a year with Million Dollar Purses. There are more than a million fanciers around the world that keep pigeons, meaning there are more than 4 million kept pigeons. Both parents feed their young milk. They have been known to see very well over a 26 mile distance. Scientist believe they may hear wind blowing over mountains from hundreds of miles away. In the late 1800 the most heroic recorded flight was from a pigeon that was released in Africa and took 55 days to get home in England. Traveling over 7,000 miles. A pigeon is about 13 inches from beak to tail. Unless separated, pigeons mate for life. A full grown pigeon has about 10,000 feathers. They have been known to live over 30 years. In the 17th century, King George I of England, decreed all pigeon droppings to be property of the Crown—and the “lofts” were policed to enforce the law! (Pigeon manure was used in making gunpowder) The pigeon beats its wings up to ten times per second, while maintaining a heart rate of 600 beats per minute up to 16 hours without rest. The pigeon has the rare ability for a large bird to be able to fly nearly straight up. Many of the city pigeons feed on grain in the country. Advanced studies at the University of Montana conclude: “Pound for pound, columba livia (the pigeon) is one of the smartest, most physically adept creatures in the animal kingdom.” Queen Elizabeth II races pigeons from the Royal Lofts at Sandringham. Pigeons are the only bird in the world that do not have to lift their head to swallow water. When the pigeon is in long flight, it reaches back and holds on to the short tail feathers with its feet in order to save energy from holding its legs up. During breeding season, when there are more than a few babies on the floor, all parents will feed all babies, even if they are not their own. In the mid 1800's, the Reuters News Agency operated a live telex service using Homing Pigeons. Homing Pigeons were introduced to the United States in the mid 1800's. In the 1880's, the first 500 mile race took place in this country. The ability to hear sounds 11 octaves below middle C allow the pigeons to detect earthquakes and electrical storms. The top national race, Snowbird Classic, awards a purse of $600,000. The highest priced Homing Pigeon was sold for $225,000.

Pigeon Facts Pigeons have been around for a long time – long before humans. They originated several million years ago in Asia. Pigeons range throughout all of the United States and most of Canada and are found in almost all metropolitan areas. Pigeons have long been kept and raised in captivity. The common pigeon was imported by early settlers as food animals and to serve as carriers of messages. They were originally called "rock doves" and are closely related to doves. Pigeons are gregarious and tend to be found in small flocks of around twenty to thirty birds. Seeds and grains make up the bulk of their diet, but they are willing to sample just about anything. A pigeon nest is usually constructed with small twigs and located on covered building ledges that resemble cliffs, a Rock Dove’s natural habitat. The male brings the nesting material to his mate, one piece at a time and she builds the nest, usually well-hidden and hard to find. Pigeons reproduce throughout the year, even during winter, and can raise four or five broods annually. The female usually lays two white eggs. Both parents take turns keeping the eggs warm. Males usually stay on the nest during the day; females at night. Incubation takes about 16 to 19 days and the young are fed crop milk for about the first two weeks. (Crop milk is a specially produced secretion that both parents produce from the lining of the crop, a sac-like food storage chamber that projects outward from the bottom of the esophagus). Eventually seeds replace the crop milk. There are as many as 28 pigeon color types. Pigeons have colorful, iridescent neck feathers which are called a "hackle." Adult males and females look alike, but a male’s hackle is more iridescent than a female’s. Pigeons that are all white are usually albinos. These white "doves" are frequently released during ceremonies to symbolize love and peace. Pigeons have many types of feathers, some of which are accompanied by one or two filoplume feathers that look like hairs. These filoplumes may have sensory functions, such as detecting touch and pressure changes. Adults have orange or reddish orange eyes. Juveniles that are less than six to eight months old have medium brown or grayish brown eyes. Pigeon eyesight is excellent. Like humans, pigeons can see color, but they also can see ultraviolet light – part of the light spectrum that humans can’t see. Pigeons are sometimes used in human search-and-rescue missions because of their exceptional vision. Pigeons can hear sounds at much lower frequencies than humans can, such as wind blowing across buildings and mountains, distant thunderstorms and even far-away volcanoes. Sensitive hearing may explain why pigeons sometimes fly away for no apparent reason. Pigeons have a unique drinking behavior. Most birds take a sip of water and throw back their heads to let the water trickle down their throats. But pigeons suck up water, using their beaks like straws. Pigeons can fly up to 40 or 50 miles per hour and may fly as far as 600 miles a day. They seem to be able to detect the Earth’s magnetic fields. This magnetic sensitivity, along with the ability to tell direction by sun, seems to help pigeons find their way home. Although pigeons are considered by many to be dirty and disease-ridden, there is little evidence linking pigeons directly to infections in humans.

If ma cheque bounces it will come back down to £600 ;D ;D ;D

Sounds like a lot of Bull ;D ;D ;D Only joking, good reading Roland

Just spoke to John Mellor Tel 07899895100 about transporting birds to Ireland First you get them to Dumfries by courier, Amtrak of Scottish Parcel Service etc He takes them from Dumfies to Ireland at £8 a bird, outlying areas of Ireland he gets people to help him or he couriers them by train So for example, four birds would cost you £30 Amtrak and £32 to John = £62 then £10.50 a bird after that.

Hey, you will will ruin ma site cred

He is American, he works in farenheit. quite cold -9.5 :-/

Correct 3.1428571 ;D ;D ;D

Or to be more accurate 22/7 ;D ;D ;D

Is that the same as 2Pi r or maybe even Pi D or Tammy done pi r D

Was it a small circle ;D

How did you get home if you never turned back ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D