Can this affect Racing pigeons

[Guest Gareth Rankin]

Menwith Hill Station

 

Still dazed by what happened to the Lanarkshire pigeons at Wetherby last weekend 22nd August, We all know it wasn't the weather as it was perfect so the first thoughts was it was clashing, second thoughts was it was a group of peregrines but we have had these problems before and even with a bad race returns would always at worst finish at 60% +, but at present returns are around the 25-33% meaning that at best 3000 birds are still missing from 4400 birds entered.

 

Is it possible that Menwith Hill station which is on the line of flight of our pigeons is to blame were i have been made aware that during the month of August it is at full power.

 

Anybody have any knowledge or experiences of Menwith Hill Station,

 

http://www.fas.org/irp/facility/menwith.htm

 

cheers

Gareth

[b.massey]

I believe its something in the air at moment....

 

Midlothian had there race today(Sunday 30th Aug) and we've had another pretty bad race. We cant blame clashing as we'd pretty much be only fed racing. Weather was ok. Wolud not help being only fed racing as we'd get hit with a lot of BOP.... But still I think there are just problems at the moment. Very weird I think. We were at Ripon

[big blue bar]

how far are your birds flying from ripon ?

[Guest JPH]

years ago i trained my pigeons not far from the big transmitor station in the lead hills. on one of the trainers my birds went and flew round it for ages, they had not done it before , i gave up and went home exspecting them to turn up soon after,   i got 1 the following day and never heard of the rest again, dont know if they picked up something from it or what but never went there again

[Chris Little]

Good point Gareth

 

Those mysterious large golf balls are spooky :-/

[Fair Play]

Top secret listening station security tighter than a crabs arz would not expect too much information from them regarding their operation has on the pigeons, but you never know

[Guest Gareth Rankin]

Quote from the article

 

Since 1985 the number of domes and dishes at the base has increased from four to 26.

 

If you think of the racing we receive now compared to back in 1985 it certainly makes you wonder.

[nogin]

years ago i trained my pigeons not far from the big transmitor station in the lead hills. on one of the trainers my birds went and flew round it for ages, they had not done it before , i gave up and went home exspecting them to turn up soon after,   i got 1 the following day and never heard of the rest again, dont know if they picked up something from it or what but never went there again

 

I DONE THE SAME THING YEARS AGO, I LIBED THE BIRDS ABOUT 1 MILE FROM IT AND THEY ALL FLEW STRAIT TO IT AND CIRCLED IT FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. I GOT THEM ALL BUT IT TOOK THEM ALL BLOODY DAY.....STRANGE. :-/

[Guest JPH]

Quote from the article

 

Since 1985 the number of domes and dishes at the base has increased from four to 26.

 

If you think of the racing we receive now compared to back in 1985 it certainly makes you wonder.

Dont  really know if pigeons get affected but think of all the mobile phones around and all the waves going everywhere as well put the bop on top and yes  you cansee it has been getting progresivly worse over the last 25 year.  IF IT IS THAT WERE FEKED BECAUSE THEY AINT GONNA SWITCH THEM OF TO LET OUR PIGEONS RACE :B :B :B

 

 

[fred smyth]

your mr doom and glum today jph   :'(

[retired]

Dont  really know if pigeons get affected but think of all the mobile phones around and all the waves going everywhere as well put the bop on top and yes  you cansee it has been getting progresivly worse over the last 25 year.  IF IT IS THAT WERE FEKED BECAUSE THEY AINT GONNA SWITCH THEM OF TO LET OUR PIGEONS RACE :B :B :B

 

 

Tend to agree starting to think its mobile phone masts messing with the pigeons heads.

[Guest JPH]

your mr doom and glum today jph   :'(

yes fred but were loosing pigeons by the thousands here and would be great to find out the coz , if we can

 

;)

 

 

[fred smyth]

i once lost 36 y birds in one training  toss, just went home and bread some more   ,

[Guest JPH]

i once lost 36 y birds in one training  toss, just went home and bread some more   ,

ITS NOT JUST YOUNG BIRDS FRED VERY EXSPERIANCED OLD BIRDS ARE GOING MISSING ALL THE TIME AS WELL NOW AND IT TAKES YEARS TO REPLACE THEM :o

 

 

[glenrandal]

yea i ageee i think mobile phone masts is having a much greater impact o the homing ability of racing pigeons........ and much more beside.......................

[white logan]

Menwith Hill Station

 

Still dazed by what happened to the Lanarkshire pigeons at Wetherby last weekend 22nd August, We all know it wasn't the weather as it was perfect so the first thoughts was it was clashing, second thoughts was it was a group of peregrines but we have had these problems before and even with a bad race returns would always at worst finish at 60% +, but at present returns are around the 25-33% meaning that at best 3000 birds are still missing from 4400 birds entered.

 

Is it possible that Menwith Hill station which is on the line of flight of our pigeons is to blame were i have been made aware that during the month of August it is at full power.

 

Anybody have any knowledge or experiences of Menwith Hill Station,

 

http://www.fas.org/irp/facility/menwith.htm

 

cheers

Gareth

 

menwith hill is not in your line of flight if the liberation point was wetherby , the birds would have to cross into the pennines (albeit the edge) and leave the flat lands , strange though that birds crossed over the pennines into a head windsomething very strange happend there ,

i have reports of birds from that day turning up in blackpool ,liverpool, barrow , !!!! why cross those mountains and into a headwind ????

cant blame menwith hill for that

[white logan]

Good point Gareth

 

Those mysterious large golf balls are spooky :-/

 

they aint spooky mate , they are radar dish covers thats all

[Guest IB]

Well it's not State Secrets that are being asked about, the answer to question 'whether Operations generally or at specific times at this facility will / can / are likely to affect a  pigeon's homing ability' should be available under the UK Freedom of Information 2000 Act, if anyone cares to ask it.

 

The other thing that I've wondered about is the information available to air traffic control from radar screens. Swarms of insects and the bats that hunt them at high altitudes show up on radar screens. On race days, do our liberations show up on radar and can anything useful be read from seeing / tracking them? For example two convoys 'passing', or one convoy disintegrating? Again, this is not commercially or security sensitive information that is being asked about, and answer should be available under the UK Freedom of Information Act. Would be interesting to know if something unusual was noted on morning of 22nd August 09, in North East England.

 

 

[Guest Gareth Rankin]

 

menwith hill is not in your line of flight if the liberation point was wetherby , the birds would have to cross into the pennines (albeit the edge) and leave the flat lands , strange though that birds crossed over the pennines into a head windsomething very strange happend there ,

i have reports of birds from that day turning up in blackpool ,liverpool, barrow , !!!! why cross those mountains and into a headwind ????

cant blame menwith hill for that

 

Pigeons were liberated into a South west wind (tail Wind)although at the time of liberation the Met office had reported that the wind was South South east. Measured with goggle and although not exactly on line of flight it is only 7 miles of line and only 10 miles from lib site.

 

 

[white logan]

 

Pigeons were liberated into a South west wind (tail Wind)although at the time of liberation the Met office had reported that the wind was South South east. Measured with goggle and although not exactly on line of flight it is only 7 miles of line and only 10 miles from lib site.

 

 

yeh thats fair enough gareth , but that wind should have pushed them away from menwith hill , not to it and into those mountains ,

something strange about that day though as i say birds in liverpool , southport , blackpool, barrow , i cannot offer an explination for it

something pushed them over the mountains and into a headwind

[Guest JPH]

 

yeh thats fair enough gareth , but that wind should have pushed them away from menwith hill , not to it and into those mountains ,

something strange about that day though as i say birds in liverpool , southport , blackpool, barrow , i cannot offer an explination for it

something pushed them over the mountains and into a headwind

if your so sure it was not menwith, what would you think that may have caused it, your honest opinion

 

 

 

[white logan]

if your so sure it was not menwith, what would you think that may have caused it, your honest opinion

 

 

 

well lets look at a few facts , weatherby is somewhere between 60-100 feet above sea level ,Gareth claims it was sse wind the met office stated a south westerly , that should have pushed them to scarborough , but they turnd west and went over the pennines at a hight of 1500 ft and with a headwind all the way ???

without wanting to bring up that old chestnut BOP , that is the only thing that would have made them go that way , whats your sujestion because i realy dont know what happend

[Guest JPH]

 

well lets look at a few facts , weatherby is somewhere between 60-100 feet above sea level ,Gareth claims it was sse wind the met office stated a south westerly , that should have pushed them to scarborough , but they turnd west and went over the pennines at a hight of 1500 ft and with a headwind all the way ???

without wanting to bring up that old chestnut BOP , that is the only thing that would have made them go that way , whats your sujestion because i realy dont know what happend

 

pesonally i think percy hit them at start of race party over im afraid.  Birds all over the place south east west,  bop could do that no prob ;)

[white logan]

 

pesonally i think percy hit them at start of race party over im afraid.  Birds all over the place south east west,  bop could do that no prob ;)

 

yeh percy does have that affect on them but did anyone wittness that ?, what did the liberstors say ? or do they not watch them depart ?

[Novice]

We will never know whether or not RAF Menwith hill contributed to this disaster but the possibility is worth considering when we next formulate race programs. Despite the name it is American owned and manned. I believe all equipment is focused in an easterly direction.

For those of you who have never seen this establishment I believe there are some images available on the net.