Certificate Of Merit

[Kyleakin Lofts]

This Certificate of Merit pigeon is different

 

by

 

John Clements of Stockport

 

 

 

My fourth report in my ‘Certificate of Merit’ series is one that stands out as being different. This fourth report on the 2017 NFC Certificate of Merit pigeons is of a blue Hen bred and raced by an unassuming almost unknown man from Chichester. Chichester is in section ‘A’ of the National Flying Club for most knowing fanciers it is a section that is too far in the East and too short to be class as a favourable location. So with this in mind any pigeon that manages to get into the top 100 NFC open positions from Tarbes for three years is a pigeon of the very highest quality possible. . . This Blue Hen’s performances were 82nd open in 2015 - 38th open in 2016 and 51st open in 2017. This three year performance is not only remarkable for it’s consistency but also for the high positions she obtained while doing it. This Blue Hen is called ‘Antoinetta’ after the late Italian mother in law of Robin Parker, the Blue hens owner and the man who conditioned and raced her.

 

The distance ‘Antoinetta’ flew each of the three years was 527 miles which to many flying the greater distance of over 600 miles automatically rates her as being inferior but there is another side to this judgement not immediately recognised by those flying up the country.

 

 

 

‘Antionetta’ - NFC Certificate of Merit winner 2017

 

Three years in the top 100 Open positions from Tarbes .

 

Bred and Raced by Robin Parker Chichester

 

 

 

Three Timers

 

Of course all pigeons that get home from Tarbes in good time - no matter where they home or the distance they fly - are certainly in the top .05 of a percent of all long distance pigeons. These are special birds that perform a special task and demonstrate it by actually doing it. Those extra pigeons that do it three times are probably in the top .0005 percent of all long distance pigeons. Performances of this kind are so rare they scare people into silence - exactly the opposite of club and fed wins which promote so much exuberance it is impossible to stop fanciers talking about them. . . . but this kind of flying is in a different world.

 

 

 

Accurate Navigation

 

That other side concerns the advantage of accurate navigation, for a pigeon flying to a loft on the south coast to do well has to cross the channel accurately in a place and position navigationally straight in line with it’s home loft. If a pigeon crosses either East or West of the correct line the pigeon has to ‘dog leg’ along the South Coast to it’s home loft. This doglegging loses time for the pigeon is then flying an extra distance and thus reducing it’s final velocity. This problem is recognised by all South Coast fanciers but largely unrecognised by fanciers up country who only see distance as the criteria for their judgement. That is not to say pigeons flying to Sections ‘L’ and ‘K’ are inferior but they do have a chance to straighten up as they travel to their home lofts.

 

 

 

 

 

Breeding

 

The breeding details of ‘Antoinetta’ are as follows. She is a Southwell Jan Arden cross. . The Southwell family blood line has been in the Parker loft for 30 years. As many will know they are a tried and tested English family of Long Distance pigeons. The Dam of ‘Antoinetta’ was bought as a gift by Robin’s Mother in Law. She is a dutch hen purchased from Raymond Moleveld of Hilversum in 2011 and is full of distance blood. This Moleveld hen is also the dam of my other entry in the 2017 NFC Tarbes race. This other entrant was the first pigeon to the loft being 13th open.

 

The sire of ‘Antionetta’ is a Southwell cock bread down from Ernie Deacon's 2000 Pau winner. He is 2011 pigeon who has flown Tarbes 4 times and has been consistent at this race point. His best position has been 82nd open.

 

 

 

The Parker Method

 

Robin Parker started keeping pigeons when I was 9 years old when he lived in St Bees Nr Whitehaven in Cumbria. Robin left the sport when I was 16, and moved to the South of England. Robin got married when he was 24 and shortly afterwards the ‘bug’ hit again - so it was pigeons in the Parker household once again. Robin competes with the Solent Federation. The Solent have two in land races for old birds, usually races from Kingsdown and Exeter but after that it is across the channel every week. Robin’s birds all fly natural. Robin likes to see them picking around the garden as nature intended. Robin does not race young birds but train them very hard. Robin only has a 20ft garden loft with 4 sections. ,There is a total of 50 pigeons including 6 pairs of stock, which all fly out. In the season Robin trains at 4.30 am before he goes go to work but the thought always in his mind, even during this early training, is ’Preparation for Tarbes’ with the NFC. Robin has just joined the BICC to allow more distance races in his programme. His feeling is the Short NFC channel races are too short and quick for his type of birds.

 

 

 

Pigeon racing is a family subject in the Parker household even down to Robin’s three year old grand Daughter ‘Olivia’ who want to go into the loft and see Granddad’s pigeons every time she pays a visit.

 

 

 

A Deep Ambition that Drives the Sport

 

There will be only one more pigeon to be highlighted in this series but I have so enjoyed writing about them I will probably do the same next year in 2018. . Certificate of Merit pigeons are all different in their own way yet similar in what they have achieved. I feel unless our sport is generous enough to recognise and salute rare champion pigeons we will have lost a vital spirit that was not only the driving force behind the the ‘National Flying Club’ but the deep ambition that drives the entire sport. Eventually the effect of these super pigeons will eventually change how we think about pigeon marketing. We will probably change from strain names being the number one identifier to verified results being way we identify and value pigeons. `The Certificate of Merit will be central to this new thinking.

[tiger]

Good read and a equally good pigeon

[paddymac]

Another good read from John.

[greenbar]

a good read, well done,

[Valiant Fifer]

Enjoyed reading it. Nothing better than reading about quality long distance pigeons.