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#1
14th February 2007, 12:42 PM
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Earth's magnetic field pulls pigeons back to basehttp://tinyurl.com/283pr7
Earth's magnetic field pulls pigeons back to base Alok Jha Wednesday February 14, 2007 The Guardian Scientists have finally solved one of nature's most enduring mysteries: how pigeons, dropped off hundreds of miles from home, are able to navigate back to their lofts. According to a study, the birds use the strength of the Earth's magnetic field to sense how the field around them is changing and work out where they are relative to home. "We are now confident that pigeons do use the intensity of the Earth's magnetic field to determine position during homing," said Todd Dennis of the University of Auckland, who led the research. In his experiment, Dr Dennis released homing pigeons in an area of New Zealand where the Earth's magnetic field is naturally distorted, called the Auckland Junction Magnetic Anomaly. His idea was that, if the intensity of the magnetic field influenced the birds' ability to position themselves, they would be confused by the anomaly when released. Once out, he found that the birds flew up to four kilometres in the wrong direction, parallel or at right angles to variations in strength of the local magnetic field, before redirecting themselves towards their loft. His results are published today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society. 
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#2
14th February 2007, 02:11 PM
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I guess my only confusion (  ) and question would be, HOW did the pigeons "re-orient" themselves?
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#4
14th February 2007, 02:29 PM
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 Can't the earth's magnetic fields also affect high tech stuff too? 
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#6
14th February 2007, 03:10 PM
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OR, those who are "experiments" by researchers trying to find out what ALL (especially, homers) pijies know and aren't tellin'!! As always, for pigeons to know and man to find out!!   (BTW, Squeaks DID tell me how they navigate but swore me to secrecy. I took an oath not to tell! The Scientists will just have to figure the 'true' answer out on their own!)
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#7
14th February 2007, 04:34 PM
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The homing abilty has raced questions for many years. Studies have been done is many aspects. Not a sure answer yet. They have released birds with foged contact lens to test the eye sighn. Birds basicly blind by sight. Made it to withing 100 feet of there loft. They have test braing metals found iron that was believed to act from magentic levels. Just as a robing will return to where it was born most often to breed and raise its young. Same with other birds. The sence of direction be it magnetic guided They have an area in the U S I believe its around Boston i am not 100% sure its been a few years this area has higher level of magnetic pull and more birds get lost or confussed. They have shown the pigeon flying and able to see the different rays of light. But this is human guessing. What ever for sure the racing/ homing pigeon has. It is a known fact that the better quality it its bred for The bird has a stronger desire times instinct. I remember years ago they said if they could ever figure the homing pigeons quidence system they could make one of the most accruate missles. The sun makes even us act differnt. on high K days we are more sluggish Magentic storms can cause havoc with comunications. phones radios ect. The sun and the moon have been a recorded directional device for humans even stars by night. So why not birds reacting to the magentic levels Will we ever know. Perhaps but the pigeon will still be a bird of wonder that has grabbed the human heart for many many years.
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#8
14th February 2007, 04:51 PM
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Theories about this have been going on for years. There is a theory that the brains of pigeons contain bacteria that can align themselves to the poles and that's how the birds can navigate using the magnetic fields.
There is no magnetic field being generated on Mars so the only way to prove or disprove this is to take the birds there and see how they do. You can see the headlines now, "Scientists set up pigeon coop on Mars..Birds fly back home to Terry." Last edited by pigeonperson; 14th February 2007 at 05:34 PM.
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#9
14th February 2007, 06:18 PM
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Ears, Food for Thought on HomingThanks for the update Pigeonperson,
I think most of us Racers all agree that one of the bottom lines in homing from a long distance has to do with the Magnetic Field. How Pigeons, Cats, etc. have this in partiular is still unknown. I am sure in my own head after 50yrs.of Racing that Racing Pigeons have several ways they use including (eyesight that can get them into trouble) if they depend on it as a bottom line. I think the botton line as to how they atain the Magnetic Field is through their Ears.... Just turn on a Boom Box aimed straight at your loft for 4 hrs.or more & take them on a 90mi. toss (should be a 2 hr. fly) & release them with another persons trained Racers that didn't have the loud Boom Box & you'll see that your birds will straggle in from 4hrs. to 2 days, while the other persons will get home in a normal approx. 2hrs... I had this happen several times with teenage sons long ago till I figured it out.... One of these times, party's, was on a Fri. night, & I had shipped 7 birds to a 500mi. race on Thurs. so the race birds weren't involved in the sounds. Took the birds that (didn't go to race on Thurs., but in loft for Fri. night Party) for a Sat. 90mi. training Blue Bird Day, released with a fellow club member to where they had been trained Many times & they took all day into the 2nd day & my friends trainers were right on time. I got all 7 of the 500mi. Race birds on Sat. The Day of Toss & won the race, so know there were no sick birds etc.. We don't have to be a Scientist etc. to learn these things, but many, many, Races, training toss's do give us a clue. I also think it could be almost called Migrating Home instead of Homing.... Happy Last edited by Happy; 14th February 2007 at 07:23 PM. Reason: ADD
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#10
14th February 2007, 06:47 PM
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What's also interesting is that pigeons can find their way home even AFTER their "loft" had been moved!
Even read once about a "sixth sense" ability. In my opinion there is nothing impossible, only unknown... Amazing birds, our pigeons!
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#11
14th February 2007, 07:15 PM
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Terry
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#12
14th February 2007, 07:48 PM
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 You could make a fortune with Mars/Earth alien babies!
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#13
14th February 2007, 10:13 PM
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Terry,
If a pigeon can fly 240 million miles, believe me, you want him, alien mate included.
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#14
14th February 2007, 10:34 PM
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 Terry
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#15
14th February 2007, 11:42 PM
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However, we WILL be watching future races... Last edited by mr squeaks; 14th February 2007 at 11:46 PM.
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