# tipplers flying



## 95SPORTSTER (Jun 30, 2011)

Hey folks just wanted to see what your thoughts are on the style of flight. 
I raised tipplers in the late 60's early 70's and just got back into them. I don't remember them doing some of the things that I have observed in flight. I remember them as a pretty straight forward flying bird, pinning out for hours. 
My current bird's are recapturing their form and fly 3-6 hours pinning out but when they are lower than the clouds they do some crazy stuff with sudden drops,dives and corkscrewing in the air. The yb's really do a lot of this and I at first was thinking that they are just learning to fly but the old bird's do it to. 
Just wondering if anyone else has seen this. I am thinking that it's a adaptation to the bop's as back in the old days lol we didn't have them.


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## naresh j (Jun 27, 2014)

i have highflyers, they are a simple flyers. they dont perform any acrobatics. and so does tipplers. are you sure they are pure tipplers?? there could be some tumbler in them.


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## hamlet (Oct 26, 2004)

Hello. What good news. I have always admired the manuvers that you're describing. Yes, those are some of the skills they need to polish to survive the crazy fast falcon attacks. I would keep them most definateley. I wonder who bred those birds for you? And what color are they appoximately? Thanks.


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## 95SPORTSTER (Jun 30, 2011)

Hey Hamlet, thanks for reaffirming my thoughts on this. They definitely are a blast to watch. As for colors 3reds,2dun bars,and a couple of grizzle's. The cool thing about this family is that they throw a single white tail feather. I was lucky enough to be gifted them from a friend on Long Island who was selling off a friend of his loft who unfortunately got sick and had to get out of the sport. They are ATU banded and the only thing I know is that the bird's where used in competition. I'm just enjoying them doing their thing


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## 95SPORTSTER (Jun 30, 2011)

Just a quick update flying up to 12 hours now still getting used to them disappearing for hours and then suddenly dropping out of the sky. On a sadder note have recently lost a couple thinking falcon as I have watched them blow away hawks and one just of old age. But got some yb's coming up so that is life with flying in the country.


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## hamlet (Oct 26, 2004)

Hello. Flying long is nice. A picture of some of your birds would be nice, if you can. And i hope you know that there is a lock down season for flying birds. Find out when is the time and mark your callendar, because the BOP population increases and most lock up their precious birds. Thank you.


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## 95SPORTSTER (Jun 30, 2011)

Hey Hamlet thanks for your consideration, but if I was going to worry about losing bird's to the bop's around here I would never fly my bird's. Unfortunately it's just a fact of life in the country surrounded by wood's and fields I can either raise show bird's and never fly or I can fly them and the strongest smartest survive. I have watched them blow away from the hawks so much that attacks on my birds are way down from daily to rarely. When I do see a hawk now it's usually not one of the residents of the area and the few bird's that I did lose recently where some of my older bird's. I'm finding that it's the very young and the older ones that are vulnerable but the only way for the young bird's to build up the skills necessary to avoid the hawk attacks is to fly them with a few older bird's. In the end I will end up with better bird's, is it ideal no but it is the way of nature in that only the strongest and smartest survive to pass on their genes. I would love to post pics but the camera on my phone doesn't work. I also fly white homers and I started with 10 and after a year have 5 left. Those 5 are incredibly fast and smart no hanging out on the ground or loft either in the air where no hawks can catch them or in the loft. So it will be with the tipplers and my racing homers. I don't cull bird's but I do fly them. That's just the reality for me. Do I hate it when I lose a bird, you better believe it. But do I enjoy watching a bird frustrating a bop ,immensely. As my birds get better and better I will definitely still lose some but not like it was. There is nothing quite like watching a kit fly out of the sun and drop from where you can barely see them and come down wings tucked in streaking through the sky at unbelievable speed and then braking above the tree tops before hitting the board and in. Pigeons are meant to fly and I just can't seem to find it in my heart to keep them from the sky. I have done it before and I look at them and can see the fire in their eyes to be in the sky. So I can only fly them or watch the fire go out. I would rather die free than be caged. Kind of reminds me of a quote from I believe Benjamin Franklin " any time a people give up their freedom for safety and security they will end up with neither ".


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## hamlet (Oct 26, 2004)

Hello pigeon fans. @95sportster: I think that if your birds outsurvive their unlimited freedom, they will adopt to not flying much or high: to keep down their loses. And you may end up with smart and stubborn birds that love to hide in the coop, and will continue diving straight into the trap for safety. I think i have one of these, but it is not a tippler. I will post a picture later.


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## 95SPORTSTER (Jun 30, 2011)

Hi Hamlet, again thank you for your input. Maybe I wasn't clear on how I fly them. They don't have unlimited freedom but are flown every other day. Not sure if you are familiar with tipplers but they are an endurance flying breed and in competition times of 18 hrs in the air are common. Now I am not a competitive flyer but I do want my birds to fly to their potential. As for trapping quickly yes I do want them to as the only time that they are vulnerable to attack is when they are sitting on the loft or ground. I have been fortunate enough to watch a hawk chase them and they have out flown and out maneuvered the hawk. I see that same ability in my white homers they love to fly out and about but once back it's right in the one's that didn't are gone.


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