do hawks single out whites?

[Guest bernard_grizzle_smith]

i just starting up racing and i have been told that hawks single out whites in a big kit?

is this true ...

someone help  ;D

[OLDYELLOW]

i believe its true if you notice whites on a nice clear sunny day they glow like a beacon , in nature white mice , rabbits , and squirrels are quite common place but dont survive very long in the wild because  they lack the proper colour to hide / blend them in to there surroundings   however a meal is a meal where bops are concerned and will eat any colour

[Guest bernard_grizzle_smith]

alright  thanks

hope they dont my whole loft whites at the moment lol

[Guest stb-]

just easier for them to see if you watch a batch in the distance you wil  see white and w f

 

striking out against te light , very noticable

[alex wight]

I had a hawk strike today which went for a chequer pied. It happened 10 feet away from me, and when the pigeon got free and shot into my loft, so did the hawk. It all happened in a split second and i had no time to do anything about it. When the hawk fled the loft it missed my face by about an inch, i didnt even have time to grab the persuader   I,ll have to keep a close eye on them even more so now. In the past i,ve had a mealy taken and also a chequer white flight so it varies in my experience

 

Ps, i had 2 whites out at the same time. :-/

[demolition man]

i just starting up racing and i have been told that hawks single out whites in a big kit?

is this true ...

someone help  ;D

 

I've got a few whites, had an hawk attack yesterday it single out a blue, lucky for me as it was chasing my pigeon they came across the top of me i somehow distracted the hawk and the bird escape, thankfully   neighbours must of thought i was a nutter jumping about the garden ;D ;D ;D but who care's it lived to race another day. So in anwser to you question i would say no.

[WELSH WIZARD]

I have a white rapido bussheart hen shes an 01 bred raced her to 350 mls retired her 4 seasons ago for breeding purposes so i would say no hawks dont single pigeons out food is food what ever colour it is.

[Guest bakes]

misses have got a few whites i managed to break white grizzle pied,fettle not wonce have they been had a go at by percy,sparrowhawk,goshawk yet my blues,chequer have had it the most her birds fly out with mine and you can see her whites right in the distance stands out like saw thumb with the light glowing from them i personally think its a myth a hawk falcon will take anythink they get looky with colour doesnt make anythink could be sky blue pink but pob would still have a go if they manage to singel the bird out jmo

 

all the best.

[Guest stb-]

REDS AND MEALIES ARE THE WORST I FIND USED TO HAVE QUITE A LOT BUT THE HAWKS ALWAYS TAKE EM NOW AND JUST CANT SEEM TO KEEP ANY NOW   :o

[just ask me]

REDS AND MEALIES ARE THE WORST I FIND USED TO HAVE QUITE A LOT BUT THE HAWKS ALWAYS TAKE EM NOW AND JUST CANT SEEM TO KEEP ANY NOW   :o

 

might be something in this there seems to be less reds  in race baskets towards years ago  :-/

[Guest bernard_grizzle_smith]

okk thanks you everyone

i will have to hope they dont

but if i only have whites there will be more than 1 or the kits

so they may not single them out

i hope

[BLACK W F]

REDS AND MEALIES ARE THE WORST I FIND USED TO HAVE QUITE A LOT BUT THE HAWKS ALWAYS TAKE EM NOW AND JUST CANT SEEM TO KEEP ANY NOW   :o

 

yep they used to go the silver mealeys i had  

[Guest bernard_grizzle_smith]

ohhh ok thank you

better hope i get some blue and cheq then

lol

[Guest Owen]

I think that the best colour for a pigeon is the wild coloured blue bar. It is no accident that the rock doves are that colour. They have developed a colour that is best for their survival. All prey species have arrived at the best colour for their survival.

I have had white pigeons for years and they seem to be able to avoid the hawks, but reds and mealies never last long here. This year I have got quite a lot of youngsters with white flights. I wonder how they will manage.

[Guest phillip]

If I may join the topic . We had the experience of a Cheq taken out between bluebars while releasing for exersize .

It is not neccesary a white which will be taken out if in a pack whites . It is the bird standing out prominently between others which attracts BOP attention to concentrate on .

When we work the pack and they are fit , they even attack & give chase to BOP.

[peterpau]

Well I've had a grizzle fly Perth and Palamos and a barless mealy 2nd sec 20th national so any colour will do the biz. Think there may be 1or 2 hawks between Perth and Palamos  ;D

[Guest Freebird]

Definately reds seem to be more attractive to hawks. Red is dominant to blue, therefore you would think there would be a lot of red streeters but they are in the minority, why? I think white will catch the eye of a hawk from a distance more so than a blue or red so it may well bring the hawk to the kit of birds flying but think the hawk can work out the easiest target whick I think for some reason is reds. It then stays focused on that target until the kill. This is why birds flock together to try and confuse the predator. White may actually be beneficial in dazzleling the hawk while in chase mode. This is only my gut feeling but I do know reds are at a dis-advantage and I think it is to do with the way the colour is seen by the hawk. I read somewhere that the wild type has a white rump and this is for distracting the BOP.

[Guest frank dooman]

ive got a hut full of reds and touch wood ive never to my knowledge had 1 taken by a bird of prey i have had all other colours taken in front of me so i think its just there luck if they are singled out but i do have a wee other therey that is why do they allways seem to be able to pick out the top birds and the reason i think is a realy good bird has a completly different wing beat which the bird of prey sees as a weekness JMO

[robbiedoo.]

i just starting up racing and i have been told that hawks single out whites in a big kit?

is this true ...

someone help  ;D

 

last year i saw the hawk go in amongst my doos i had 2 white grizzles and 4 reds cheqs in my team flying round my house at the time my doos split into different directions . the outcome a blue cheq home with half her wing missing and a 3 year old blue bar hen that i never saw again . i think its just what one comes first they are not going to pass a blue or black doo just to get a white one . so in my opinion it dosent matter the colour .

[Babybird]

Mine do alright in the snow

seriously tho I have lost two to a hawk in 9 months of having them out everyday

[maxwell]

This is what i think a few years ago i had a lot of Red,s & Mealys and a good few Pieds, i also had a Black and when they were flying it stood out like a sore thumb in the batch, one day me and a friend was watching them flying and as they came over the forestry we heard a smack and pigeons were everywhere a falcon had dived into the batch. No prizes for guessing what pigeon he took, The Black. Another time i saw about 4 pigeons going through three of them were light coloured or pieds it was from a channel race flying west when all of a sudden a falcon came from no where and took the cheq. It might be a coinincidence but when i had to train i use to put all the same colours in the same baskets and let them go a basket at a time.