Young bird race season is here

[re lee]

Its time agin to test the sky with this years young birds. Checked with the local club. They had some training losses. Some lost alot. Then young bird season started. They had some decent speeds in the combine races 1565 yards per minute. South west course. first race 212 to 216 miles for the combine. Hows your young bird season getting started

[WhiteWingsCa]

It's amusing to see that your YB season is just starting -- ours is already finished.

One "money" race this weekend, and another one next weekend, and we're in lock up for winter/hawk season. Our club/combine races ended last weekend.

As for the season -- it was absulutely awful. Unreasonably/unusually high losses of birds. Several lost so many in training, they never bothered racing what they had left. Others managed to make it thru the season, and still others dropped out part way through. For the particular race this weekend, there are usually about 10 guys who top the race sheets --- at least two of THEM are out of it, due to high losses.

Our combine held a one-loft race this year. The birds were doing great, all in top condition, hardly any losses in training and in the training races. Race day came --- good conditions, a good head wind -- 60 birds went up at 250 miles from home at 9am --- two came in at almost 7 pm -- one more before dark that day. Just over 30 of the total ever made it back to the loft.

It's been a crazy year -- for both OB and YB's. No one really knows why

[re lee]

Shows the differance in the weather region. Down here temps, Are just falling into the 80s It has been in the mid ninetys. My brother inlaw lives in Lousiana They started racing just last weekend. Here race season started 3weeks ago. Did your area have alot of head wind races. And looks like losses are wide spread this year

[Lovebirds]

WHEW..................I hate all the losses this year, but at least there is some comfort in knowing we are not alone. If you are the only one losing birds, then YOU are doing something wrong, but when everyone looses birds at the alarming rate this year, you know it's not ALL your fault. Our losses have been great too in the combine. You ship 24 birds and get 2 home? You ship 22 birds and get 5 home? And the story goes on and on. It's the same all over. Sure wish we could know what the heck is going on!!!!!!! And we still have 6 more weeks to go. We are on the east coast and I wonder if all the hurricanes are affecting our birds??

[WhiteWingsCa]

Originally Posted by re lee

..... Did your area have alot of head wind races. And looks like losses are wide spread this year

No, actually -- only one race that I can think of that had a head wind -- and that was the one loft combine race.

The day before, the regular combine race was flown from the same release point -- tail wind that day, and very poor returns (actually, more than poor -- horrid) that day too.

[re lee]

Checked on the solar activety. Looks like there has been quite a few k days. geomagnetic storms. Noticed in the past on high flare days birds did not fly high and were slow in return. Checked augast also. Several k days there to. May be part of the loss problem.

[harni]

Hello... I read that you lost many pigeons on the races... But please don't worry, because I'm from Poland and I have some races pigeons and in this year in Poland when young birds were losses many (oh... very much, same about 80%) birds didn't come back to home... It's very sad but real... This year was very bed...