# Sad Day



## Barn Pigeon (Feb 11, 2005)

Came home from church today and found a pile of feathers at bottom of landing broad. The feathers belong to # 451 young bird just starting to be one of my best flyers. We flew a 150 mle race today and after he gets home he is eaten. I picked up carass and ran his chip over the trap as to clock him. Now that wasn't bad enough later that day one of my racers came in with no chip at all. I don't think it fell off as it was a new benzing pro-ring.


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## Pigeon0446 (Apr 22, 2007)

I've been there. Nothing worse then coming home from a toss only to see your best yb on the ground being eaten by a hawk. As for the chip band being missing that's happend to me a few times I know the band didn't fall off. I figure some cheapa$$ caught the bird and took the chip. But I'd rather them just take the chip then do what one guy used to do he'd cut the band off. I also had a few birds in the past few years come back with their bands still on but they look like they were squeezed with a pair of pliers causing the plastic coating to crumble and one they get wet the numbers on the paper betwwen the aluminum and plastic coating disappear. There's some real low life's out there.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

I'm sorry Rick!  The hawks are getting real bad.


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## sansert (Nov 8, 2012)

Sorry for the loss. As someone looking to get back into either Show Homers or Racing Homers, I think I am going to have a problem with hawks. There is one that comes back every year to breed right by our back yard. I think I am going to have to trap her and take her far away if I ever get birds again.


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## Granny Smith (Jul 16, 2011)

Sorry to hear that you lost a bird I'm not sure if it does any good, but I always try to be home and outside when I think we have birds arriving, especially from a race when they are tired. I figure we can scare off any BOPs waiting to ambush, and if a BOP gets a bird to the ground, we can hopefully get them off before the pigeon is killed. Maybe it's a false sense of security, but we can only try.


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## italianbird101 (Sep 12, 2007)

Sorry to hear about the loss, Ive also saved a few lives by being there and scaring off the hawk.


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## bbcdon (Oct 16, 2007)

There is a good cure for your problem:* "PELLET"!!!*


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

http://www.amazon.com/Dorcy-41-1088...r=8-4&keywords=rechargeable+spotlight+million


Another cure, give them a blast even if they fly by during the day, do it 2 or 3 times and they will never come back. And it's legal.
Dave


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## abluechipstock (Nov 26, 2010)

mr cooper got 2 of my millie cochin chickens, my favorite little hen , henny, my neighbors are so pissed because they loved that little chicken, i have small dogs and am starting to worry, i swear if the one of my dogs even get looked at, i will hire someone to shoot and carry a shovel, i tolerate a lot and love all animals and respect instinct but when it comes to my "family" then i'm choosing the second ammendment


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## sansert (Nov 8, 2012)

abluechipstock said:


> mr cooper got 2 of my millie cochin chickens, my favorite little hen , henny, my neighbors are so pissed because they loved that little chicken, i have small dogs and am starting to worry, i swear if the one of my dogs even get looked at, i will hire someone to shoot and carry a shovel, i tolerate a lot and love all animals and respect instinct but when it comes to my "family" then i'm choosing the second ammendment


Not sure where you are at but here in Ky you can actually get a permit to trap the hawk and take it somewhere else. A live mouse in atrap and its that easy. My neighbor shoots the baby hawks every spring/summer which I dislike. Ive always had a fascination with getting a hawk to keep but here in Ky its a lot of hoops to jump thru to legally do it. Good luck with yours


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## jeff houghton (Jul 17, 2010)

i too have scared the hawk off my birds being there but theres not alot you can do if they beat you home, sorry for the loss .


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## Granny Smith (Jul 16, 2011)

Crazy Pete said:


> http://www.amazon.com/Dorcy-41-1088...r=8-4&keywords=rechargeable+spotlight+million
> 
> 
> Another cure, give them a blast even if they fly by during the day, do it 2 or 3 times and they will never come back. And it's legal.
> Dave


If a spot light works, how about a small mirror on a sunny day?


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

Barn Pigeon said:


> Came home from church today and found a pile of feathers at bottom of landing broad. The feathers belong to # 451 young bird just starting to be one of my best flyers. We flew a 150 mle race today and after he gets home he is eaten. I picked up carass and ran his chip over the trap as to clock him. Now that wasn't bad enough later that day one of my racers came in with no chip at all. I don't think it fell off as it was a new benzing pro-ring.




It does not really get any easier as the years go on either. And not sure why, but it always seems to happen to birds you have thought to yourself "I like that one", so never name a bird, say you like a bird, make a video before race season is over, etc. etc, it will increase the odds the bird will be eaten by at least 3000%


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## NZ Pigeon (Nov 12, 2011)

Thats a pretty big increase based on superstition


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

No, I think it was a University study, concerning the effect of karma on racing pigeons I think.


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## NZ Pigeon (Nov 12, 2011)

I take my previous comment back, Would not want Karma coming after me.


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## Granny Smith (Jul 16, 2011)

SmithFamilyLoft said:


> It does not really get any easier as the years go on either. And not sure why, but it always seems to happen to birds you have thought to yourself "I like that one", so never name a bird, say you like a bird, make a video before race season is over, etc. etc, it will increase the odds the bird will be eaten by at least 3000%


I don't think the best birds getting nailed is bad karma or Murphy's Law. I heard from a falconer that unlike cheetahs and wolves that prey on the old and weak, BOP are actually more attracted to the strongest and the healthiest.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

It's true, hawks can read pedigrees and they are also psychic, knowing which are your favorites  Hehehe


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## mr.pigey (Oct 30, 2012)

i'm sorry to here it, the hawks are geting bad


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## V-John (May 15, 2008)

MaryOfExeter said:


> It's true, hawks can read pedigrees and they are also psychic, knowing which are your favorites  Hehehe


I also hear that they get on pigeon racing forums to see which ones to target!


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## italianbird101 (Sep 12, 2007)

this AM i had two (2) sitting on my loft? I knew of 1 but 2 is getting out of hand, as soon as i open the door to go out they are gone. i know when the hawks are around, the birds are not out in their aviery.


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## jeff houghton (Jul 17, 2010)

Granny Smith said:


> I don't think the best birds getting nailed is bad karma or Murphy's Law. I heard from a falconer that unlike cheetahs and wolves that prey on the old and weak, BOP are actually more attracted to the strongest and the healthiest.


I have to agree with you , although as a kid my dad always told me not to point at pigeons and admit to liking that one , as well as not naming birds, imo its a mixture of coincidence and a little bad luck , altho if the studies are correct i would like to listen to their reasoning that would be an interesting lecture !!


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## Barn Pigeon (Feb 11, 2005)

Thanks for all the comments ,but it's like several said. If you Name your favorite bird it's like it is putting in the hawk's Directory.  I wish I had everyone I named then I would have a feed bill. So just go by band #'s.
Barn Pigeon


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

Granny Smith said:


> If a spot light works, how about a small mirror on a sunny day?


A mirror might work, if you can get the hawk in the rite place at the rite time.
Dave


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## Barn Pigeon (Feb 11, 2005)

The say day turn into a good season for me . After having predators all yr . I guess it help them learn what to do when flying back home. I won our club Young Bird Average Speed and A and B races of 250 mile races,last two this past Sunday. I had 2nd thur 7th in Champion Birds. So last 16 birds I had left did all right. I went into last two races 2 minutes 32 seconds down in average speed and won by 1:34:05. I must have done something right this year.
Barn Pigeon


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## Josepe (Jan 10, 2011)

Congrats!Sounds like you did something right and so did your team.


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## Alamo (Nov 22, 2008)

They sell a "Globe",that you put on a poll on your loft...It`s supposed to help....I also seen/read that "Fake Geese",help keep hawks away....But if you "Name" your birds,or have favorites,all these things DO NOT HELP !!! hahahahahahaha!!!!!Alamo


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## Pijlover (May 5, 2010)

SmithFamilyLoft said:


> It does not really get any easier as the years go on either. And not sure why, but it always seems to happen to birds you have thought to yourself "I like that one", so never name a bird, say you like a bird, make a video before race season is over, etc. etc, it will increase the odds the bird will be eaten by at least 3000%


You are absolutely right, never believed in superstition but with my birds things like that happen


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## ejb3810 (May 21, 2012)

I personally believe that the hawk population is as high now as it ever has been. I live about ten miles from "Hawk Ridge". It is a location where the hawk and other birds are counted as they migrate. they travel south until they reach Lake Superior, and they then travel inland from the shore around the lake to the western tip (Duluth) where they can continue south. Over the last 10 years they have averaged counting 80,000 hawks annually. This in the peak 30 days of their autumn migration.
Hawks are savage predators that eat their prey alive.
I am convinced that hey recognize the buildings that we keep our pigeons in as a buffet. The Goshawk is the worst here, and they will stay the winter if they can find a reliable food source which includes ruffed grouse, rabbits and especially pigeons!
I am not very fond of any bird of prey, but through careful management have lost only 4 young birds so far this year. KNOCK ON WOOD!!


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## Birdman79 (Aug 9, 2007)

Flew my kit today,and my jaw dropped when i saw 3 big coopers chasing my birds all at the same time.Never seen anything like that.....


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## West (Mar 29, 2009)

Frank Mclaughlin suggest putting out dove decoys so the hawks attack those and after failed attempts will move on. I like this idea and plan on trying it at some point along with a few other things.


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## Josepe (Jan 10, 2011)

You can also put out Crow decoys.Hawks are afraid of crows.They'll gang up on a hawk and chase it into the next county.You have to move the crows around every day or so though.You can also use a crow call when hawks are spotted.A cassette or dvd in a player is even better yet.


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## Alamo (Nov 22, 2008)

JOSEPHE....I feed the crows here ALL my unwanted pigeon eggs...And I`ll buy small chicken eggs to put out,if needed.....I put 2 eggs out every morning on the ground...The crows come by and wait till I leave before they come down...They stay in the trees,and that`s what I want them to do...Hang around while my YB`s are flying....Alamo


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