# Found ~ White Racer Pigeon



## Wright (May 3, 2002)

I live in Pennsylvania and we had a storm come through April 28th. The storm was pretty nasty. Tuesday morning I happened to notice this beautiful white pigeon in the chicken yard feeding with the chickens. It wasn't afraid of the chickens or ducks, nor our dogs that were wondering around outside the fence. It stayed all day then flew off that evening. The next moring it came back to stay. Fearing a hawk or owl would get it we caught it Wednesday night. We have it in a wire cage. I've talked to a local pigeon owner and she had told me that it was a racer pigeon because it has a silver like band on one leg and a little green rubber band on the other leg. 
The letters and numbers on the silver band are : AU HAR 2002 894
All though my wife, children and I would love to keep this beautiful bird, I have no right to keep it. I would like to find the owner. If there is anyone that can help me find the owner I would greatly appriciate it.
Thank you in advance for your time!!


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Hello and Welcome!

Thank you for caring for this pigeon and for your integrity in trying to locate the owner.
The band traces to:

Harmony Inv PC
Robert Kelvington
Beaver Falls PA
724-843-5257

This person is most likely the secretary of the club and should be able to put you in touch with the owner of the bird. Since you would like to keep the bird just make mention of this to the owner. Sometimes birds that fail to return to their loft are no longer wanted. Please let us know the outcome, and thank you again!

Terry Whatley

PS: The band number was looked up at:
http://www.pigeon.org


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## WhiteWingsCa (Mar 1, 2002)

on the off chance...I posted this # on the White Homing Pigeon forum I belong to....

This bird is part of a "one-loft" race loft....people from all over send their birds to this one loft to be raced against each other. I'll send your email addy to the gentleman who owns the loft. His name is Bill...expect him to contact you shortly.

You might like to let Bill know that you're interested in white pigeons...although I know he wants this particular bird back, he might be able to help you out.

[This message has been edited by WhiteWingsCa (edited May 03, 2002).]


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## Wright (May 3, 2002)

This goes out to the moderator "TA WHATLEY".............. Thank for for the time you took to help me out with the lost white pigeon. I have found out that it's owner is from Calif. 

The pigeon is now back with Bill - the gentle men that was holding it for a while until he let it race back to home. 

Bill........I would like to say that it was very nice to met you and hope to speak with you again.

As for the owner of the Pigeon, it was wonderful to have your pigeon with us if only for a short while. 

The beautiful White Pigeon was a joy for me, my wife and kids. We now have been talking about getting roller pigeons. 

O no not something else for me to BUILD!!

THANKS AGAIN FOR EVERYONES HELP !!

Sincerly.........Rick Wright
Taxidermist and hunter


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## WhiteWingsCa (Mar 1, 2002)

Rick

Thank you very much for looking after this lovely bird until he was returned "home".

I would like to set something straight though...perhaps you misunderstood Bill.

Bill runs what is called a "one-loft race". People from all over send birds to his loft as babies. The birds are trained to home to Bill's loft. Each bird wears a special band with a computer chip in it. The chips are programmed into an electronic clock to identify each particular bird as they return to the loft.

After being trained in "hops", further and further from the loft, the birds are all taken out on "race day" to a set location, with exact measurements back to Bill's loft (flight miles). As the birds enter the loft, their return time is recorded into the clock. Bill can then print out a record of the times. I'm not sure how Bill does it for certain, but in a race club, those times from each loft would then be taken and calculated in a race program, to determine the "yards per minute" that the birds flew. The bird with the fastest YPM (in Canada, it's metres/min, or MPM) wins the race. In a one loft race, I guess you wouldn't need to calculate...obviously the bird first clocked won! LOL The actual "owner" of the bird has paid money to enter this race.... I'm not sure what Bill's set up is, but often in one-loft races the owner does win an amount of money for a "winning" bird.

I just wanted it to be clear that Bill is not releasing this bird to fly back to California from PA. In fact, Bill belongs to a group of Release professionals who have clearly established ethics about releasing white birds (for weddings, funerals, etc). One of our biggest "beefs" is companies who claim they will ship their birds thousands of miles from home....some claim the birds *will* return; others claim they will "find a new home in the neighbourhood". Since we all know that the birds can't fly that far, and will usually end up dead in the wild, this group is strongly opposed to anyone who does this. We all work hard trying to "educate" people who question this "self-release" practice, and will not refer business to anyone who might do this.


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## sirpigeon (Jan 25, 2002)

Hi Rick,I live in Ohio(near Cleveland)and I have a pair of rollers that you can have for free if you're interested.You can e-mail me at [email protected]


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## Wright (May 3, 2002)

Dear WhiteWingsCA,

Hello my name is Debbie.....Rick Wright is my husband. 

I would like to thank you for taking the time to explain the Pigeon release program to us. 

I wasn't home when Bill came to pick-up the pigeon so I didn't get to ask him any questions.

When I found out that the owner lived in California I really though that the pigeon "COULD" fly that far.

It just shows how much I don't understand about all of this. I'm very embarrassed but also interested. 

But it's not every day we find a pigeon in the chicken yard. 

I loved having the pigeon here but I'm just not ready to own "Racer Pigeons". But I am interested in "roller pigeons". 

But before I can own any pigeons at all, I have to learn more. With out going and buying books is there any place I can read up on pigeons and all I need to know about them?

Thanks for your time!!

Deb


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## WhiteWingsCa (Mar 1, 2002)

Hi Debbie!

Check your email.....

As for pigeon books...there are some good ones, but we've found that if you read 5 books, you'll get 4 or 5 different answers to the same question (I always say...ask 10 pigeons guys a question, you'll have 10 answers...LOL) So I don't often recommend books. There is a lot of stuff on-line tho...


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