Amid All The Doom And Gloom

[walterboswell59]

about a goode yaarling as they say in Holland as my loft was 100 percent distance birds my results in my club were going backwards although channel racing is my first love i enjoy club and fed racing i also like a wee punt on my birds and there is great pools in Burnbank over 100 pounds a week most weeks so i decided to get some faster birds in to compete with or at least be in amongst the sprint boys of course my first stop was louella as ive always had a turn with every strain ive had from them including sprinters which was what i was looking for id tried some jacob poortvliets two years ago and although they were steady enough and won two seconds a third and forth they were just not setting the heather alight so to speak so i was looking for something different really but decided to leave it to them this was the backend of last year just before the last youngbird race sue from louella phoned me to tell me my ten youngbirds were on there way i was up at the crack of dawn dying to see what they had sent me the birds arrived and to my dismay they had sent me another ten poortvliets but i said nothing as they were cracking youngsters a wee blue hen with a pure white cap on her head took my eye in particular real nice in the hand i thought they had a dozen or more tosses with my own latebreds then i put them bye for the winter my pals over in clarkston club run a wee show in the winter months its a wee night out and the banter is always good the first show was a latebred and pied class and i went through the birds and picked out the wee blue pied hen which i thought was in good order for a latebred class to my surprize the judge liked her to and she won the class after the worst of the weather in late january is over i start training my latebreds again with a view of getting upto twenty or more tosses before the racing starts the wee hen was coming well but just with the batch nothing fancy the first race was apon us and i had picked four birds to pool acording to how they were coming in training and how they were sitting i was basketing the birds my pool sheet filled out when i picked up the wee pied hen s t i thought this bird is stottin as we say in scotland so i added her on to the bottom of the pool sheet making her all pools the birds were supposed to go to kelso but were diverted to Dunbar 64 miles which i hate as a race as its northeast of me and every time we go there the birds come out the northeast for weeks after so i was not a happy man but it was a strong east wind which should bring the birds straight across the country and away from the east the birds were up and told james mcguire my pal and neighbour to be out early as it would be fast as i looked towards hamilton county building 17 stories high and south of me i saw her unmistakeable with her wee pure white hat on wings shut dropping like a stone hits the board and in my wife Helen was watching out the window as she hit the board is that one from the race she said i and its the winner i said how do you know that just by the way she came i said hard and fast that wee bird wanted home her velocity was 2122 taking 1st club 1st westsection 4th open and over 100 pounds in pools of course i was delighted but not kidded ive won plenty blow homes and lost the bird the next week but a win is a win and a section win beating 3681 birds not bad for a wee latebred at her first race she reared a pair of youngbirds which i had rung for young Craig Glespie craig 18 on basics and one of my friends so she was off form for a few weeks feeding them and lost a lot of body she had taken up with a son of wee jenna a good cross i thought hope craig gets a turn with them a few weeks past and i decided this would be the last race for the latebreds but i had hardly lost a pigeon up to then and was thinking about nestbox space next year so my full team went it was a real stinker but guess who i timed yip the wee blue pied hen she was 3rd club 8th westsection 35th open melton mowbray 250 miles velocity 1022 with lots of good birds in the fed missing including my good hen mary two 3rd sections roye national and 11th section ypres national thank god i had stopped lady helen the week before as she had almost 8 hours on the wing but i was pleased with the wee hen that i now named wee ellie after my youngest grandaughter who is pure blond headed but i was angry with myself for not spotting the hen was in good nick the following week our fed had decided that Kettering 280 miles would be our last old bird race and therefore our open race i like to send my distance yearlings to our coast race to set them up in good stead for the gold cup the folowing year so i had a fair wee team for it the night before basketting i went through the birds handling each one and checking there nest condition looking for a pooler as there is good money in the fed open but you need to be right up there to get it as theres only one hit at the big money there was a few candidates that were handling well till i came to the wee blue pied hen im a hen man and this wee hen was telling me to pool her she handled fantastic just the way i like them she was sitting well over due on dummies 23 or 24 days but keen as mustard ill slip her a wee youngster in the morning and take the cock away so she sits till basketing next morning i got up and let the youngbirds out made my breakfast while watching the youngbirds flying after two hours i called them in and fed them by the time i had cleaned my baskets out sprayed them and put fresh easybed in them it was almost 12 oclock oh i thought better put a youngster under the wee hen as i looked around the boxes for a 3or4 day old youngster i saw the hen on the floor kissing with the cock aw s t i thought she has deserted the dummies what can i do to get her back on as the dummies were cold so she had been off them a while i found a 3 day old youngster and put it in her box she just stood and looked at it and when i moved her into the bowl she just got back off and flew out the box i picked her up and held her on top of the chick for what seemed like ages but was in fact only about two minutes i took my hands away and she sat right down tight and started to hit me with her wing that will do for me i thought i made her the hen nom in the club as we dont pool in the open race and she was my only entry in the fed open making her all pools and Bonanza in my section friday came and the birds were up as the forcast was bad for saturday we went a day early anyway my pal charlie muir phoned me from work are you in yet no i said im not expecting them for another hour give or take my brother is at the loft ill phone you if i hear anything ok i said about 35 mins later charlie phones again are you in yet no i said think we are in i was on the phone to my brother and he said heres a doo ill phone ye back when i get it in well done i said but thats faster than i thought it would be because there coming thru rain acording to the forcast are ye sure its not one from last week i said . dont know yet he will phone me back when he gets it in ten mins later he phones back again bassa it was one from last week so when do you think they will come i was standing in the back garden looking towards Hamilton race course when i spotted the wee white head coming over the top of the trees now i said here is my pooler in the fed coming yer joking said charlie no thats her in pal and i think shes a good one she was first club winning the nom 2nd westsection 8th open and won just over 300 pounds out the fed 273 miles velocity 1184 so a real good wee pigeon that gave me lots of enjoyment wonder if she will do anything next year and when i phoned louella to tell john about the wee hen he said poortvliets are not sprinters there middle distance birds i stuck one of the two year old poortvliets into reims and got it the 3rd day so ill have to have a think about were wee ellie goes next year hope ye enjoy the read guys i was borred so thought it would be of interest to some

[billt]

Enjoyed the story Walter, I'm a big fan of Louella myself. Best of luck with the wee girl.

[Mattydoos79]

A great read and that’s the joys of racing pigeons

[JohnQuinn]

Good story Watty, and nice tae see ye putting up the money she won ye. Lot of guys shy away fae talking money but for me I like tae know when a man gets his fancy and has a few quid on it tae back up his judgement. Look forward tae hearing more about her when I visit ye next season tae verify another top National position. Who knows it might be her im coming tae see 🤞🤞🤞

[buster151]

Great read there Walter, well done wee Ellie

[JonesyBhoy]

Great read Walter ðŸ‘ðŸ»

[alex young]

Nice one Walter.

[greenbar]

A good read walter,

[Kyleakin Lofts]

Good story Walter.

[THE FIFER]

good one m8

[paddymac]

Enjoyed the read Walter, well done wee Ellie, hopefully the 1st of many.

[Pinefield Doo Man]

Great story ðŸ‘

[dal2]

Well done Wattie... ..the birds dont know they are sprinters and have nae idea how far from home they are. I think the successfull fancier sometimes dont give themselves credit for the condition and fitness getting them home rather than the family/pedigree