The Hardest Route Part 4

El último artículo publicado en www.elimarpigeons.com.

THE HARDEST ROUTE - PART 4

ONE MAN'S MISSION TO WIN AGAINST THE ODDS IN NORTHERN SPAIN

And the dream comes true!

by Sergio Capín Barreda

After 15 years with racing pigeons I finally can say: “I have a pigeon at home from the long one in race control time”. Not only 1, but 3 pigeons have returned home along the 5 days of race control. 383 pigeons were basketed last 19th of July for the long one. They were liberated from 460 miles on Saturday 21st of July in Lebrija (Sevilla-South of Spain). At the end of the 5th day 92 pigeons were controlled in race time. My 3 pigeons were classified as 38th, 70th and 93rd (my last arrival wasn´t controlled because the ETS was off). But I´d like to tell you about some aspects of this racing season.

This year, Asturian races were different. The racing season was delayed for political reasons and as I predicted, the results improved. Racing pigeons need good weather conditions for getting fitter. And here the safest months of the year for mild temperatures, clear skies and many hours of light are June and July. Year after year we use May for the short races and hundreds of pigeons are lost between fog and rain. Many fanciers call it selection of pigeons. I call it slaughter of pigeons.

Some fanciers are afraid of the heat in the south of Spain where our pigeons are released in the last race of the season. I always have said if we avoid heat waves, no problems exist and better results will come. So, I hope after this season, the “worried” fanciers will agree with me. I consider this aspect as the first condition for success.

About the winds… I don´t remember a year when winds blew predominantly from W and SW along the summer months. Undoubtedly SW winds help our pigeons to return from the south racepoints… And west winds help my pigeons to return to the east part of the province where my loft is situated but…

The worldwide financial crisis affects the sport too. This year only 4 local fanciers of my eastern area sent pigeons to the races. So this year the nonexistent “batch factor” was extremely unfavourable. My pigeons returned as individuals, not as followers: since the first race from 150 miles, to the last one from 460 miles. A big task for inexperienced yearlings!

In general terms until the long one, many fanciers had lost very few pigeons. I thought, as I mentioned above, the best weather conditions and the winds help a lot for this. I could think this racing season was “easy”. But when I think about the few pigeons sent by local fanciers, the lack of the batch effect and 100% of my pigeons returning solo from 150 miles, I reconsider my opinion and feel very, very proud of my pigeons. All the merit is theirs!

Regarding marathon pigeon training, I´d like to tell you about the lack of time spent flagging the pigeons. And the saving of fuel spent on car tosses. As you will have read in my previous article, Cameron Stansfield from the UK sent me some gift birds of his which he felt confident would cope with the environment here, and we have corresponded regularly by e-mail about the best way of overcoming the extreme conditions here. Until this season, I was reluctant to believe Cameron’s words when he said to me: “training is overestimated in marathon pigeons”. Also he pointed out that Dave Goddard practices sending lightly trained/raced pigeons to Palamos 700 miles. But this season I have proved this assertion is true. I allowed my pigeons to fly freely around the loft creating a stress-free environment for them to enhance their homing instinct. Perhaps in a populated area it doesn´t work because the aim is to beat your neighbour. But when your aim is to receive a pigeon from the long one, you must delete from your mind all the Belgian theories about systems, preparation, motivation… It´s all rubbish for racing pigeon selection in an hostile environment like this. You must adapt your pigeon management to the environment, because the environment will never change.

Last year 53 youngsters were reared. After the female sparrohawk selection and 3-4 car tosses from 20 miles last autumn, 46 pigeons (the YBs and some adults of previous seasons) were wintered into my small loft. 15 or so YBs fewer than previous years. So, another lesson: avoid overcrowding when you are searching for success with pigeons. Quality, not quantity! A calm environment into the loft is synonymous with high immunity and lack of illness. My pigeons received medication against trichomonas only one time, last January before PMV vaccination. Not vitamins, not antibiotics, not electrolytes, not honey, not cider vinegar, not garlic, not brewer’s yeast… Nothing. Only minerals full time and Gerry Plus mix plus peanuts.

I keep my pigeons in the loft from October to January because of the predator pressure in the winter months. Perhaps the predator population in the UK and Spain could be similar, but the number of predators per fancier is infinitely superior here than there. I´m sure Asturias has the highest population of peregrines and sparrowhawks of all the Iberian Peninsula.

After 3 car tosses from 30 miles with success last March, the 22nd of April I suffered an “Asturian pigeon disaster” with the hens’ team from a 30 miles car toss: I lost 10 of the 15 hens liberated. I can´t explain this result yet. But the consequence was I had too many ardent cocks into the natural racing team 6 weeks before the racing season started. Another lesson: car tosses here are a lottery and a waste of time. One day you receive all your birds quickly and another day you lose pigeons from the same place. It makes no sense to lose good birds from 30 miles. Not for me, of course. So I´ll never give them car tosses in spring time. My selection criteria will be to separate the wheat from the chaff as youngsters using short YB races to select individuals and then send them as yearlings directly to 150 miles without any car toss along the spring months, just allowing them to fly freely around the loft. I have experienced this aspect with good results after the hens’ car toss disaster. I didn´t toss them anymore until the first race. So they were sent to their first official race after 3-4 x 20 miles tosses as YBs and 3 x 30 miles tosses as yearlings more than 6 weeks before the first official race. As Keith Bush said in the book Roads to Rome: “…at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is BLOOD.” And he was right!

When a foreign fancier studies our results from 500 km (1 mile = 1.6 km), he laughs. Their pigeons spend the same amount of hours flying from 500 miles than ours from 500 km… What´s the massive difference? Heat, mountains, predators? Sometimes we have explanations, many times, we can´t explain results. My general rule when comparing race difficulty here and there is: 500 “Asturian km” is similar to 500 UK miles.

Finally, I´ll summarize the races for my loft this season:

53 birds were reared in 2011 and 3 of them returned from the long one. My realistic aim here is to receive each year 5% of pigeons bred the previous season. So, this year aim was achieved!

First short race: 26 pigeons sent to 150 miles plus 4 more pigeons of another local fancier situated 2 miles away. So, a total entry of 30 pigeons from the east part of the province, against 1600 pigeons of all the province. I received 5 in race control; 15 after 3 days; 16 after 1 week and 17 after 1 month. *17/26*

Second short race: 1 hen to 170 miles. No more pigeons of my eastern area were sent. Against 1000 pigeons of all the province, I received her in the evening of the second day. *1/1*

Note: I´ll name as long distance events our 500 km races and as extreme long distance events our 700-800 km races.

First long distance race: 13 pigeons to 330 miles plus 17 pigeons of 2 local fanciers situated 15 miles from me. So, a total entry of 30 pigeons against 600 pigeons of all the province. I received 1 on the day of liberation (first pigeon into the eastern area) and 4 more on the second day. *5/13*

Second long distance race: 2 pigeons to 330 miles. No other pigeons of my eastern area were sent. I received both pigeons: 1 on the day of liberation at 21.25 h (here very dark) and the other in the afternoon of the second day. *2/2*

Extreme long distance race: 8 pigeons to 460 miles plus 8 pigeons sent by 2 local fanciers. *3/8*

First arrival was on Sunday afternoon. He's now baptized as “Wiggins” (he returned an hour or so before Bradley Wiggins won the Tour De France being the first UK cyclist to achieve this triumph) by suggestion of my long distance friend Cameron. What a feeling when I saw Wiggins landing over the roof of my loft. He was exhausted because of the heat. Both his parents were sent to me as gifts by Cameron. His sire is an 09 cock bred from a g.son of Brian Stansfield & Son’s 1st Section L NFC Pau 686 miles. The g.dam on the sire’s side was 2 x Pau 686 miles and is a half sister to the 1st Section Pau cock, their common sire being a cock from Keith Bush out of his Lerwick Gold Award cock but this time when paired with a g.dtr of Vend – 1st Open NFC Pau 666 miles for Jim Biss when Vend was paired to a daughter of Turban – 2nd Open NFC Pau. (The dam of the 1st Section Pau Cock was bred by the late Kenny Hogg of Lancashire). The dam of the 09 cock is a daughter of Cameron’s International Cock - 21st Open UK Section Pau International 676 miles in year 2007 x a Dark Cheq hen Cameron had out of the same race. The International Cock is bred from a son of Graham Baker's 1st Section NFC Pau hen who was herself a daughter of Graham’s Meritman winner of 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th & 10th section NFC Pau 636 miles x a full sister to Brian Stansfield & Son’s 1st Section NFC Pau. The Dark Cheq hen is out of an Ian Benstead cock x a dtr of John Wills’ 2nd Open BICC Barcelona 700 miles. The dam of ‘Wiggins’ is the ‘Tame Hen’, a blue hen gifted from Cameron. Cameron tells me he gifted a daughter of this ‘Tame Hen’ to Graham Groom of Northants and she is responsible for his hen which was in the top 20 open of the MNFC Bordeaux races in 2010 and 2011. The sire of the ‘Tame Hen’ is from a son of Meritman when Meritman was mated with Barry Ford’s 1st Section NFC Pau 635 miles x the same daughter of John Wills’ 2nd Barcelona mentioned above. The dam of the ‘Tame Hen’ was gifted to Cameron by Graham Baker and is a daughter of Graham’s 4th & 8th Open MNFC Bergerac 560 miles on the day, only 8 home on the day.

“Wiggins”: my first extreme long distance pigeon in the clock ever

Next afternoon, a pretty small cheq hen now nicknamed “Arra” after a beautiful cove situated near my loft, returned. She seemed very “fresh”. Perhaps she found water more easily than “Wiggins” did. Her blood contains Meritman again. Her dam is from a full brother x sister mating. The sire and dam being from a g.son of Meritman, produced when a son of Meritman x a Favori/Natrix hen from Jim Biss was paired to the dam of Cameron’s 3rd section NFC Dax International 630 miles, the dam in question being a daughter of John Wills' Britannia – 1st BICC Perpignan 620 miles. The mother of the brother & sister pairing was gifted to Cameron by John Barnett and she is a g.dtr of John’s 3 x Palamos hen over 800 miles. The sire of Arra is my marathon cock (2 x 490 miles out of control; the only survivor of my old bloodlines).

“Arra”

Finally, a nestmate of “Wiggins”, now nicknamed “House”, arrived. The reason for his name is that he is lame, like Dr. House. His leg was broken last March and I put it in a splint but his ankle is a little deformed still. When I was basketing the birds for the long one, I was afraid of sending him when I saw his wing and tail feathers: he returned injured from the first long race without 2 tail feathers which were at 70% of his right length when he was basketed for the long one. Also he was basketed without the third primaries of the wing. And the worst condition: although he is a stark pigeon, he was very thin because he was exhausted from chasing a pretty youngster hen. Perhaps this cheq cock is the best of the 3 birds I received. Next season will confirm.

“House” - before his leg was broken

Parts 1-3 of Sergio's quest can be found in the Loft Reports & Articles section on Elimar.

To be continued...

The Hardest Route Part 3

Artículo publicado en www.elimarpigeons.com como homenaje a la mejor paloma asturiana de todos los tiempos.

THE HARDEST ROUTE - PART 3

Sergio Capín Barreda tells the story of Mario Conde

Esp-92 11943

“Mario Conde”

Mario Conde handled by his owner “Pandiella” at the age of 20

Today I want to tell you the story of the best racing pigeon bred in this province in the history of the sport in Asturias. Mario Conde is the pigeon's name. He's named after the most famous Spanish banker of all time, accused of fraud and imprisoned in 1994, while his namesake was racing against the odds in Asturias. The reason for its name is the presence of a small head feathers forelock similar to Mario Conde's slicked down hairstyle.

All started two years before, in 1992, when a chequer squeaker was rung in a small loft situated in a little village in the central part of the province called “La Pandiella”, with the ring number Esp-92 11943. That loft was situated in front of quarries which are excavated for a Spanish cement factory on the other side of the river valley. This is terrain which Mario Conde was to fly over thousands of times along his racing career.

Overflying the valley. In the rocks of this quarry, a pair of peregrines nest every year, “training” Roberto´s pigeons.

Roberto - nicknamed “Pandiella”- is the owner of Mario Conde. I've been good friends with him for more than 10 years and he agreed to chat with me on May 12th, on a day when the area was surrounded by fog.

Roberto (right) with his partner Dioni in front of their loft.

Roberto started with racing pigeons in 1985. Nobody in his family had owned any type of pigeon but he enjoyed them and was engaged by the high difficulties of racing pigeons in our province. After 7 years he was lucky and bred this champion: an ugly cheq cock with white eyes (today diluted by age) but with superb silky feather and a superb soft wing. Also a long tail (a good tool for evading peregrines and sparrow hawks). He is a long cast pigeon with flexible vents (like a hen's vents). Perhaps the feather quality and this conformation helped him to achieve so many big wins in a hard environment like this!

Mario Conde at the top of his career at the age of 3

From 1992 - as a youngster -  to 1996,  Mario Conde was raced without a break. In a place like this where every race (short or long one) can be a disaster, his numbers are amazing:

He was controlled 11 times inside the top 30% of pigeons sent from races between 300 and 500 miles. (In 1995 he was controlled the same day of liberation from 450 miles.)

He´s the ONLY pigeon in history capable of winning the Provincial Championship (Ace Pigeon) 2 consecutive years (1995-1996).

In 1996 as a culmination of a brilliant career, he obtained the 2nd Place in the NATIONAL Championship (National Prestige 3 years {regularity along 3 years} category).

Anybody who doesn´t live here, won´t give these results their deserved value. But I can assure you these numbers are unbeatable!

A few pigeons SURVIVE here after 2-3 years in the basket. And very few race a high number or races every year. You can own a super fit pigeon one year… but the same tip top condition along 4 years… only BLOOD realises these performances!

The wing theory doesn´t work here. The power is in his head!

About blood…

As all the myths, not all his ancestors are known. His father was a cock from Emile Matterne bloodlines loaned by another fancier of the province, a close friend of Emile. His mother  - the top breeder of the loft producing different champions along many years with many different cocks, but none as good as Mario Conde - was a gifted cheq hen.

In 1990, Roberto and another fancier friend visited an important loft housing foreign pigeons. The owner of that loft gifted them a couple of youngsters (bred only on barley points out Roberto). He chose the ugliest and… "Was right!"he says.

I had the opportunity of handling this hen at the age of 15 years. We had to scarify her because she had a fat tumour around her vent bones. She was like a tennis ball in the hand: short keel, very very wide back but very light. Again superb feather and a soft wing. A marathon pigeon structure.

 

Although 20 years old, he still posseses an “eagle eye”

After 20 years from the birth of this legend and handling Mario Conde - who was fertile until the age of 17 - I feel something special. I have pure history in my hands. I have memorized all his anatomy. I always will remember his wing and also his feather. And since I first handled him 10 years ago I have learnt one thing: a champion pigeon can be bred in many sizes and shapes. At the end of the day, especially in a survival area like this province, the only thing that matters is BLOOD.

Parts 1 & 2 of Sergio's series The Hardest Route can also be found under the Loft Reports & Articles section on Elimar.

The Hardest Route Part 2

Artículo publicado en www.elimarpigeons.com hace unos años. 

THE HARDEST ROUTE - PART 2

ONE MAN'S MISSION TO WIN AGAINST THE ODDS IN NORTHERN SPAIN

My devotion to the old English bloodlines

by Sergio Capín Barreda

Since I found through the Elimar website the English long distance events culture, I have understood the big selection process your birds have been suffering over the last 100 years.

I appreciate the special environmental conditions you face: the channel, bad weather and the unfavourable location of some of the marathon fanciers' lofts situated in the more westerly position of all the International convoy.

The dispersion of the lofts into the country with massive differences between 500 and 700 milers is another plus favourable to creating your type of long distance pigeon.
Here in Spain, each province has a different championship, but we don´t celebrate a big race similar to your Grand National. People here have a different culture and the longest race in Spain is celebrated from Lisboa to Barcelona: 650 miles from SW to NE with poor results.

Fanciers are afraid of losing pigeons and the culture of importing European strains of pigeons predominates over the strict selection process of your own pigeons in your own racing conditions. Only a few fanciers achieve the master title of the sport here in Spain. The vast majority are only compulsive purchasers of foreign strains.

Your type of long distance events select a special bird capable of flying solo along many miles. The best quality for a racing pigeon, in my opinion.

You have developed a powerful navigational instinct and a survivability quality which distinguishes your pigeons from the rest of the continental strains of birds that fly in massive flocks to their lofts concentrated in small areas such as the small countries of Holland and Belgium.

My archetype of an Old English bloodline Marathon Cock. See text for details.

My archetype of an Old English bloodline Marathon Hen. See text for details.

From a foreigner's point of view, I see a massive difference - with some exceptions - relative to the commercial purposes between English and continental fanciers. English fanciers aren't merchants and I think this is the key to preserving the right material selected for the task.

I don´t like “professional” lofts which treat the pigeons as cows in a farm, because in that case the fancier’s part will be more important than the pigeon’s. I´d like to achieve success with pigeons from a small loft with a natural system fancier whose birds are selected by their genes, not by the system.

Though Elimar I came into contact with Cameron Stansfield and he gifted me a dozen pigeons, each evolved from pigeons which have coped with English conditions over many years. More about these various bloodlines later but this week I have included two photos, one of what I term my archetypal cock and one of my archetypal hen. Cameron has sent me this blood. My archetypal cock (see photo) was bred by Keith Bush from Cossall from his Lerwick Gold Award cock and gifted to Brian & Cameron Stansfield as a baby. He is responsible for 1st section, 2nd section, 2nd section, 3rd section, 4th section etc from either Pau or Tarbes at distances of between 670 & 690 miles for three different lofts in National Flying Club and British International Championship Club races. My archetypal hen (see photo) is John Wills' Britannia - winner of 1st Open BICC Perpignan for John & Rose Wills. Mr Wills gifted Cameron a daughter of Britannia and she bred Cameron's 3rd section NFC Dax International 636 miles and is also in the breeding of Mark Gilbert's 1st Open L&SECC Old Hens in 2011.

Finally, I love the English type of bird selected through this way because I think this is the only way to build a strong family of long distance champions here and there.

I will keep you informed about how I progress in my attempt to build a family of pigeons which can cope in my part of Norther Spain.

Elimar note: Part 1 of Sergio's venture can be found in the Lofts & Articles section on Elimar.