How pigeons navigate vs Pigeon losses

[Guest CS]

there are a few important tools pigeons use to navigate. I am sure there are more, but these are the confirmed one's:

 

1) The Sun

2) Earth magnetism

3) Doppler Effect

4) Visual confirmation of landmarks

 

 

[frank-123]

who confimed them????

 

[PIGEON_MAN]

So called scientists have been trying for years to work this one out and they have come up with some very strange results,think it was last year some scientists at Oxford  or Cambridge said that the birds followed motorways.

[Guest]

Don't dispute their findings, but it begs the question,

 

WHAT DID THEY FOLLOW BEFORE THE MOTORWAYS?

 

The pigeon sport has been going for over a hundred years!

[Guest]

Think there's something else to consider besides navigation.

 

Seems from posts on the forum that there are a lot of Scottish pigeons out and about in North East England. Can accept that the odd bird can maybes take a knock, go down and rest up for a day or two and work back - but this appears to be more than the odd bird, and these birds are not working back. Why, what's gone wrong?

[Jack Barkel]

I have an idea that Sun Spots have a lot to do with it as well as climate change, and maybe both are related more than the ozone layer.

 

Sun Spots have shown a very high incidense recently, and I know they deposit a layer of static all over the earth that can range to a metre in depth.

 

This static could interfere with the pigeons homing ability, if homing ability can be attributed to magnetic instict.

 

Just another thought on the matter, for high pigeon losses at varying intervals seems to be a global problem and not restricted to any particular area.

 

Regards

 

Jack

[thunderboult]

i believe that some pigeons don't come home because they're not happy there

[jimmy white]

there are a few important tools pigeons use to navigate. I am sure there are more, but these are the confirmed one's:

 

1) The Sun

2) Earth magnetism

3) Doppler Effect

4) Visual confirmation of landmarks

 

 

i think this is one of the great wonders of the homing  pigeon, truly fascinating, i beleive in these 4 pointers and in the other posts , but think there are many more factors, whatever the factors are ,the fitter and healthier , the pigeon [and the love of home ,contentment etc]  are are paramount to sharpen up these factors, but a truly fascinating subject :)jimmy]

 

sorry cs,put my post on yours, then altered it to quote your post on my own  

[Guest]

does it matter really ,the day that they ever find out how they can navigate home will be time to call it quits ,personally i think its down to a number of factors ,these type of races we are experiencing have been happening for years nothing new really its all part of the doo game ,my opinion is just enjoy what is left of it as we may not have it very long  ;D ;D ;D

[Guest Greig the doo Drysdale]

Sammy I think you are spot on with your post

 

 

 

 

 

I THINK THERE FORE I AM ;D

[Guest]

Can't agree that huge losses are part and parcel of pigeon racing. Like saying that a majority of horses or dogs failing to finish the race, is all part & parcel ... it's not, its a waste of the time effort & money we spend on the birds,  an indication that something is going far wrong, and I suspect animal welfare will not allow it to go on for very much longer.

 

Better we at least try to put the thing right [whatever the causes are] rather than authorities forcing something on us that will, surprise surprise, probably not work in practice.

 

 

[schouwman71]

maybe,over crouwding,pigeons health problems we have to keep up with these days might be a big problem ?

[Guest Silverwings]

losses in the fifties, sixties and early seventies were not so severe as they are today ,although the general trend within the sport favours short distance racing, and the fact that this  may have altered the levels of homing ability ,also  the frequent use of antibiotics and artificial suplements ,unnatural systems etc , may have weakend the birds i think the fact that technology ie; mobile phones , satelite and radio waves etc  that was not around in those days may be playing a part in this ? and not helping matters , a few years ago i  did an experiment with my birds as i live very close to a telecom exchange ,i managed to channel a constant assortment of  frequency signals picked up from this building through a C.B radio system into speakers inside the loft . the intention was to get the birds use to it ? this was switched on constantly from pairing , the first shock was that only 50% of the eggs hatched ? perhaps this stress factor may have caused this ? who knows ? but the remaining 24 surviving  youngsters that were subject to this from egg to the training stage  were top draw and took single up tosses at 60 miles ? with a loss of only 3 youngsters , infact 21 of them were sent to the first y.b race ?and 20 of them wintered , so may be there is a way round it ?

[chichichi]

did you know that blind birds can find their way home..tests have been done and they homed from 80miles..even landing on the loft......what an amazing creature,,,,,

[Guest]

very interesting post ... especially Silverwings experiment ?? would like to hear more if possible Silverwings ? when it was done , was it continued , how did the ybs perform against previous years etc ...                                                                 andy  8)