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This article was originally published between 1999 and 2001. Reproduced here as recovered from the archived Boglin Marsh website. It may contain language and attitudes of its time.
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The Novice's Social Circle - Part 17
Those of you who have followed the "Novices Social Circle" plan from day one; will have quickly come to realise this. By now you should almost possess a family of reliable pigeons; even if not yet winning, they will be showing improvement and only the competition in which one takes part can dictate your success. The family should now almost be good enough to call your own regardless of origin or names in the melting pot - Janssens in my loft will never be the same as Janssens in your loft; our different "fads" or preferences will dictate that outcome to be a fact - no matter the name or origin; even from the same original well; the two teams will be different in some small or large degree! I like big pigeons - you like small pigeons; I like races of 200 - 530 miles, you like races of 60 - 200 miles and we select accordingly. Within a very short time the originals are as chalk and cheese - the name or strain is no longer relevant! Mine could be violet eyed red chequers, yours could be yellow eyed blues and so it goes on with mine winning at 1100 ypm, yours winning at 1500 ypm and some from each winning at velocities in-between dependant upon conditions prevailing during the race.
So we come to psychology and fanciers often ask me - "Why is it that a stray can enter my loft and take a single feed; then when liberated from many miles away it beats my own back to the loft?" Well this is what the stray on my psychiatrist's couch told me - "I'm very frustrated: --- here I am suffering from temporary amnesia; I have forgotten my home due to hunger and stress and this damned fool keeps chucking me up miles away from the only place that I know to offer shelter and food!" "I have to survive and recuperate from my temporary amnesia; survival is the only governing factor in my life; but I will get better and once the correct trigger is pulled; then I can go home to where I belong!" ( in both animal and mankind survival is the most dominant motivator and the brain functions in two ways - long term memory or short term memory) When in survival mode, short term memory overides long term memory and everything is concentrated into the most recent recollection of a safe haven and food supply) You see lads and lasses, pigeons aren't stupid - when the body is stressed from hunger and exertion; be it human or pigeon; the brain passes into survival mode! The one priority is food and shelter; everything else is temporarily placed on hold - I learned this in the cardboard cities of Europe during my early twenties; it was the most valuable experience of my life and taught me how to survive recession, loss of work, home and family; it gave me an inner strength beyond even my own comprehension! To me food was the Heimat zum Himmel (Salvation Army); home was a park bench or railway waiting room and no matter how many times I was "moved on", I returned as fast as my legs would carry me! I knew that I had a loving home somewhere else; but at that point in time survival was priority. As my fitness built in stages; suddenly the trigger was pulled and I set off to walk in direct line for England with a single minded purpose of returning to my now remembered home! Your pigeons are not stupid- that is exactly what they do! I arrived home after walking some1,500 miles fitter than the day that I left; the prodigal received a welcome fit for a king and he has never strayed since; going on to set the same good example to his children who now can also survive under stress!
What sent the prodigal off line in the first place? Well in my case I refuse to tell you, but in your pigeons case the answers are there should you look and apply some animal psychology! So how do we pull the right trigger and get these strays to go home of their own accord? It is the simplest of matters in the case of old pigeons and sometimes even with youngsters. The bird in survival mode clings to its latest known place of security; keeping itself to its self without integration. It will exercise on the outside of the flock; perch in some available corner and timidly feed as the home birds allow. Eventually this bird will range away from the flock; sometimes returning after many hours; the desire for home is pulling, but the pigeon still requires survival. It has become more confident in its eating and perching quite noticeably; so now is the time to pull the trigger - take this pigeon out of that section that has become its second home and place it in a strange place! Suddenly it has to survive again; its brain clicks into gear; my home is in Blackpool; my family are there; the moment this jailhouse opens; I'm off in a direct line!
During the years that business pressure restricted my racing activity it was necessary to have my pigeons upon twenty four hour"open hole".My working day began at 6-00am; it finished somewhere around midnight; with three shops, one wholesale warehouse; a thriving outside contract division and two separate families of children to attend due to my sister in laws death and my brothers business absence abroad! The pigeons were fed and watered by my wife; in hoppers some 100 yards away from the loft and they "boomeranged" to these. This attracted countless strays from racing convoys and yet rarely did I ever need to send one back in a box via Amtrak - they all made their own way home after using the above method over a period of five seasons. This season I have done the same with others and fanciers have informed me of their safe arrival. There was also the case of a young bird from Buxton - I telephoned the owner and straight away he rhymed off its pedigree and told me that I could keep it! I told him that in my opinion the pigeon was a good youngster and he hadn't given it a chance; I didn't want it but would get it to return under its own steam within a few days! His reply was - ring me in a few days and if it is till with you I will send a transfer form! So here was I about to inherit a good pigeon that I didn't want - anyway, after three days the bird was still with me; it had taken the only available Vee perch in the loft and looked quite at home. "Right" says I; you are going home tomorrow missie and I took down the Vee perch; its only comfort was the floor! Next day I let out the birds; they flew for their usual hour and trapped minus the "Buxton Blue tic-eye"; the transfer form never arrived; neither did any thanks but, I assume that the "tic - eye" made home as did so many others under this treatment! Now those are ways of getting pigeons to go home under their own steam; it only takes a little patience or understanding. Pigeons aren't stupid, they are just like you and me, sometimes they become a little disorientated! I'm glad that I am eccentric, "a little mad"and that I talk to animals; because sometimes they make more sense than people! Read the article Ethology and give your brain some sensible food!
I hope you all enjoyed this little effort as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I also hope that some of you might view both your pigeons or "Mountaineer Spinksy" in quite a different light and understand that the greatest motivating force upon earth is "Survival" with only the fittest going through to contest another day! I have given you an insight into both man and beast, my only hope is that you all can comprehend it, because life and pigeons are like that or my name isn't Alice! Spinksy
