Evansville Racing Pigeon Club new member drive

I told the rest of the club - "If Mike Tyson, The Coffee News, Courier & Press, Fox 7 & WIKY don't bring some interest into the new member drive at Central library tonight - I'm going to start getting discouraged!"  We had a whirlwind of a morning promoting the Evansville Racing Pigeon Club's New Member Drive this morning.  The event is at Central Library tonight at 7pm and we're hoping for a crowd! At 6:55am we were on Fox 7 and then had to be over to the radio station at 7:40am.  (Click here to see the video).  Cross your fingers!

Nearly 70 degrees - First Liberation

It was the first time many of the late hatches had been out and just about the only time the old birds had been out since I started training young birds.  I came home early and they looked pretty antsy - it had been nearly 70 degrees (it's supposed to break a record today at 72).  As soon as I opened the trap they started busting for the exit.  With only 30 minutes before sun down, I figured they'd be safe from hawks, especially if I stayed and watched  - which I did (supper got cold, oh well).  You could feel their joy as they climbed into the wind and then zoomed down with the wind.  The late hatches tried to keep up with the old birds and after less than two minutes were back on the roof panting, resting before going again.  I was amazed that everyone went back up fine - even the late hatches.  Such an intelligent bird!  I expected some of the Young Birds would protest and try to get back in the Young Bird loft but they didn't.  The 11' geodesic winter fly pen spoiled them, I guess.  Need to do this every night and start getting them conditioned for old bird races in April.

Breeding Season Well Underway

I'm being more selective this year.  I moved eggs from two preferred pair to two foster parents.  I am determined to keep certain pairs from reproducing this year due to their track record.  Still - it felt weird to break eggs this time of year.  I worry the pairs I've taken eggs from will hesitate to start another round and I really need them to.  It is going to be a very interesting young bird team!  Black Eagles, Black Knights, black Houbens, Black Diamonds - it's going to be a dark year.

Stitches

I just realized that my best bird ever, the young bird that came within 42 seconds of winning the big race, was the one I had to stitch up before training because she got damaged by a hawk.  Tiny little hen.  Never would've guessed her to nearly win a 300 mile race as a young bird.

The Big Race - 42 seconds to win

3331 Click - Good hi-res

It was hard work. Two and a half extra hours before work boxing and driving the birds down for training - several days a week. I sat out the 225 the week before because it would start off with a head wind. I felt that would grind them down too much before the more important Futurity and Triple Crown race the next week. Instead, I sent them on the short race which was later, after the wind shifted into a tail wind. They coasted in real causal, obviously not too hurried or tired. The winds were westerly and my loft being 6 miles straight west of the rest meant the scores weren't anything to brag about.

Then came the week of the race. I really poured it on! I just loft flew them Sunday through Tuesday but Wednesday, Thursday and Friday they went for 42 mile flight before breakfast and were then liberated most of the rest of the day. The always did this in about 50-55 minutes (usually against a slight head wind) but on Friday - they took 1 hour 45 minutes. My guess is, the hawk was back bothering them. I noticed it likes to perch on the loft about that time of day waiting on them. Oh well, they got an extra hour of training and were then locked in until basketing for the race. I can honestly say I don't see what else I could've done for them. They were in great condition.

[Race Day: About 1:20pm] I was goofing off after feeding, watering and even bathing all the critters. Eating lunch while watching TV. I wasn't even thinking of looking at the loft clock until 2pm. The phone rang. It was Larry asking how many I got back. "What? You've got a bird already?!" "Got a bunch of them and they've been here a while. You'd better go check your loft!" So I ran out to the loft and I had 7 birds in! The first came in at 12:26:18! They had flown 308 miles in 5 hours and 11 minutes! I was amazed. What's more, I was 15 minutes ahead of a loft 6 miles shorter than me. "That's a pretty good indicator!", I thought. I didn't get too excited as this never seems to turn out.

RACE RESULTS: I got the first bird in! However, 12 seconds later 2 more birds came in together at Marks loft 6 miles east and almost 1 mile north (overflight) of me. They took 1st and 2nd place. I got 3rd place with a blue bar #3331. "42 seconds to win" the computer said. It was pretty cool and a little annoying at the same time. I've never scored higher than 3rd. 2nd would've, of course, been better. But 42 seconds from 1st place after 300+ miles was pretty cool! I'll take it.

National Database-1        EVANSVILLE RACING PIGEON CLUB         11/05/10-12:59
                                   Evansville IN
                                 Weekly Race Report                      Page 1
                            Open and Sportsman Category
Name: BIRMINGHAM 13               Young Bird Race             Flown: 10/23/2010

Release(A): 07:15  Birds: 134  Lofts: 9            Station: BIRMINGHAAL (0207)
Weather (Rel) Clear, SE-5, 57 deg  (Arr) PC, SE-15, 80 deg


POS NAME          BAND NUMBER        CLR  X ARRIVAL   MILES   TOWIN      YPM  WS Cus Pts  NDB Std Pts
  1 HELFRICH S/30 10145  AU 10 HELF  BB   H 12:26:28  309.191 00.00 1747.107    532         96  
  2 HELFRICH STEV 10172  AU 10 HELF  BB   H 12:26:30   2/30   00.02 1746.920    528         93  
  3 THREET ROB/15 3331   AU 10 EVV   BB   H 12:26:16  308.276 00.42 1743.103    524         89  
  4 HELFRICH M/30 2509   AU 10 EVV   BC   H 12:27:38  309.389 00.57 1741.737    520         85  
  5 HELFRICH MARK 2590   AU 10 EVV   BC   H 12:27:42   2/30   01.01 1741.365    516         81  
  6 HELFRICH MARK 2580   AU 10 EVV   BC   H 12:27:46   3/30   01.05 1740.994    512         78  
  7 HELFRICH STEV 10121  AU 10 HELF  BC   H 12:27:35   3/30   01.07 1740.866    508         74  
  8 HELFRICH STEV 10141  AU 10 HELF  BB   H 12:27:36   4/30   01.08 1740.773    504         70  
  9 HELFRICH STEV 10161  AU 10 HELF  BB   H 12:27:37   5/30   01.09 1740.681    500         66  
 10 HELFRICH STEV 10114  AU 10 HELF  BB   H 12:27:38   6/30   01.10 1740.588    496         63  
 11 HELFRICH STEV 10106  AU 10 HELF  BC   H 12:27:39   7/30   01.11 1740.495    492         59  
 12 HELFRICH STEV 10130  AU 10 HELF  BB   H 12:27:39   8/30   01.11 1740.495    488         55  
 13 HELFRICH STEV 10235  AU 10 HELF  BB   H 12:27:40   9/30   01.12 1740.402    484         51  
 14 HELFRICH STEV 10139  AU 10 HELF  BB   H 12:27:41  10/30   01.13 1740.309    480         48  
--------------------------------- Above are 10 percent -------------------------
 15 HELFRICH STEV 10191  AU 10 HELF  BC   H 12:27:42  11/30   01.14 1740.217    476         44  
 16 HELFRICH STEV 10147  AU 10 HELF  BCWF H 12:27:43  12/30   01.15 1740.124    472         40  
 17 HELFRICH STEV 10174  AU 10 HELF  BCSP H 12:27:44  13/30   01.16 1740.031    468         37  
 18 HELFRICH STEV 10154  AU 10 HELF  BB   H 12:27:45  14/30   01.17 1739.938    464         33  
 19 THREET ROBERT 3305   AU 10 EVV   BC   C 12:27:30   2/15   01.57 1736.159    460         29  
 20 HELFRICH MARK 2522   AU 10 EVV   BC   H 12:31:03   4/30   04.22 1722.908    456         25  
 21 HELFRICH MARK 2550   AU 10 EVV   BC   H 12:31:05   5/30   04.24 1722.726    452         22  
 22 BUTCH GARRI/9 2217   AU 10 EVV   BB   H 12:30:55  307.548 06.05 1713.386    448         18  
 23 BUTCH GARRISO 2214   AU 10 EVV   BCWF H 12:30:58   2/9    06.08 1713.142    444         14  
 24 GOODWIN DO/19 2664   AU 10 EVV   BLK  H 12:35:34  311.262 07.01 1708.866    440         10  
 25 GOODWIN DON   2699   AU 10 EVV   BB   H 12:36:32   2/19   07.58 1703.755    436          7  
 26 GOODWIN DON   2760   AU 10 EVV   BB   H 12:36:34   3/19   08.01 1703.552    432          3  
 27 HELFRICH MARK 2521   AU 10 EVV   BB   H 12:34:43   6/30   08.02 1703.148    428          0  
--------------------------------- Above are 20 percent -------------------------
----------------------- Below are the first birds from each loft ---------------
 45 GARRISON B/14 2767   AU 10 EVV   BC   H 12:35:04  305.564 12.14 1680.250    356          0  
 48 LARSON LAR/13 3036   AU 10 EVV   BB   H 12:35:37  304.857 13.30 1673.534    344          0  
 70 SIMPSON DEB/2 0449   AU 10 HKY   GRIZ H 13:15:03  321.742 35.56 1572.705    256          0  
 87 SIMPSON DON/2 2739   AU 10 EVV   BC   C 13:32:25  321.742 53.18 1500.319    188          0  

Hanging onto "McCloud"

I thought I had lost 3323 yesterday.  Been having a lot of hawk trouble.  He has been consistently among the first bird in from races and training.  In fact, he earned me a 3rd place AU diploma in the race before last.  The highest I have ever placed in our super competitive club of old veterans and their old bloodlines.  He must've been first one in from another 42 mile training drop and gotten chased off.  The hawk later fed on one of my rollers and 3323 came in late in the afternoon.  When I thought I had lost him, it made me sick.  "I haven't even gotten a picture of the bird that earned me my first 3rd place diploma." So, I took this:

Good Birds! (Well Behaved Anyway)

I held back 4 late arrivals from this weekend's race.  Did very nicely!  My best score sheet EVER!  With a 3rd place diploma winner (my highest ever!), I was very happy.  This weekends race is a bit further so I am taking the remaining 22 young birds out today and Friday for a 42 mile conditioning drop.  The sun sure comes up late now.

The drop is exactly an hours drive for me.  I stopped about 30 minutes before the drop at the last (good) gas station and filled up and went inside to get coffee.  I came back and drove the remaining 30 minutes then opened the back hatch of the van to find that one of my baskets was not latched on one side and two birds were out!  I stared at them and they stared at me.  They seemed to be thinking, as I was, "This isn't right!"  Thank goodness they stayed on the blanket I put down!  I decided to just do what i always do - set the baskets down and let them settle a bit before the release while I eat my breakfast.  So I did.  The two loose birds just ambled back toward the opening and stayed there (still on the blanket) while I ate.  I decided it might be funny to film the release with my cell phone.  So I did (sorry it came out sideways).

They must've gotten out at the gas station - I would've heard them otherwise.  I know they rode the last 30 minutes just standing next to the other baskets.  I was thinking this morning how calm and gentle they've become.  Heck!  Maybe I don't need baskets!!  :-)  I really love working with these animals.  They're pretty amazing creatures!