this is a serious question

[micko and jack]

this may sound stupid but it is a serious question

I was reading the thread "your longest result" and I didn't want to hijack the thread by asking this but after reading it some birds flying over 5,6,700 miles sometimes they race over 2 days (maybe more) I take it the birds DON'T fly in darkness so where do they go rooftops, open fields where ??

[paddymac]

micko it is known that some birds still fly in the dark, but as you say a lot would rest on roortops for the night

[Guest bigda]

only hoping they  roost in a farm,  and you get a famer who is up earley in the morning

starting up  his old tracter,  so as to scare your bird  and get it on the road again, you dont want them to roost  on a  factory where they dont start till 8am

[micko and jack]

micko it is known that some birds still fly in the dark, but as you say a lot would rest on roortops for the night

 

honestly didnt think pigeons would fly in darkness

[duncandoo]

one bird in the scottish national landed on the loft after midnight the recon it flew up the motorway using the lights as the mans loft is right beside it

[pigeonscout]

When training carrier pigeons in the 2nd world war to fly at night the young birds were released in the dark in corn fields to teach them to get height right away. IF they did not get height they would land in the corn field and could easily pick up to try again. What I found to be interesting was how they trained birds to home both ways. From A to B then from B back to A. The birds where released at A flew to B got food only, then flew back  to A for a drink.

[Guest kev d]

if you read the barcalona result write ups birds flying in to holand more often than not

get timed in well after mid night .

[REDCHEQHEN]

 

honestly didnt think pigeons would fly in darkness

 

Got one of our hens home sometime between 10.45pm and 11.15pm this year

 

She was well behind from 450 mile race - but she got home on the day !!!

[FLAPPER 123]

 

 

  i know an elderly fancier who purposely trains his ybs at dusk so they arive home just as its dark....this learns them to keep going he says, also another local man exercises his birds at night just as its getting dark....

[Guest ENDFLIGHT]

spot on pigeonscout my father was the man that trained them check out theS H U book flights of memory pages242/254 :)cheers

[Guest karl adams]

tipplers are trained  to fly in the dark thats how the get to fly up to 19 hours a day some even 21 hours   :)

[micko and jack]

tipplers are trained  to fly in the dark thats how the get to fly up to 19 hours a day some even 21 hours   :)

 

sorry karl i should have worded it better

i was asking about homers flying many many hundreds of miles

[Guest Freebird]

Wild birds that home i.e. geese, swallows, etc. all fly in the darkness hours so pigeons should not be any different. Think it is all down to the particular birds make up. Often see crows, lapwing, oyster (worm) catchers flying at night. No doubt weather and moon play a big part. Very interesting though and worth the thought for the long distance men.