This manual has been put together for the sport of racing pigeons. It's sole purpose is to inform the pigeon fancy about the kind of weather racing pigeons can encounter between the release point and the home loft. The greater the distance they have to fly the more weather changes they can encounter. It will also deal with the Navigation System as used by racing pigeons. At the present time we live in an era where the membership is rapidly declining all over the world. Publicity is mainly negative and plentiful due to the number and regularity of smash races. The kinds of weather racing pigeons can encounter on their way home will be explained in depth on this site. We will try to inform race controllers about the conditions the birds they are about to release may encounter.
Release from the train in Barcelona
We hope this will help them make the right decision to release or not. If the birds have to be held over in order to prevent a smash race this will result in the promotion of the sport rather than the negative publicity and bad feelings that usually follows a bad race. At a time when modern technology and communication is at an all time high and is readily available to all those responsible for the liberation of racing pigeons, bad liberations are not necessary or acceptable. We need to be more professional in our organizations and we must act accordingly. We must do everything we can to reduce the losses both in pigeons and in membership. We should concentrate our efforts to obtain positive publicity and avoid making avoidable mistakes. For the pigeon sport itself better releases will be very positive. It will certainly lead to faster races with better competition. We all know what a great feeling it is to enter the clubhouse after a race and to say to the clubmembers present: "All birds home! What a fine race we have had today!" This of course is for every fancier an open invitation to the next race. Everything new is for sometime a learning process. In the field of releasing racing pigeons by race controllers and convoyers many new items are being introduced on the Internet so close to the new millennium. The quicker they are informed of these changes, the more the sport will benefit. This information can be supplied worldwide instantaneously. It should be the priority of all National Organizations to keep race controllers and liberators up to date on all the latest information. It is hoped that this Web Site will help accomplish this. By reading and understanding this manual those in charge will have made a good start to the new season. Combined with their own knowledge and experience they will be starting the new season with a better understanding of the task at hand. Many mistakes are made at the beginning of the season by both fanciers and liberators. This manual can help alleviate many of those past mistakes.
To the fanciers we would like to say before they basket pigeons for a race:
"I have bred my birds under the best circumstances. They are very healthy and are trained every day. They are prepared well and ready to race".
For the convoyers we have the following message:
"As soon as the pigeons are in my truck, they are in my "pigeonloft". I'll take care of them the best I can and when I release them I'm 100% positive they will have a successfull race". The convoyers will find in this manual several useful hints for how to take care of the birds, baskets and transporter. We will try to give the convoyer a hand so he can be fully there for the pigeons. He is one of the most important people in pigeon sport for all fanciers where ever they live throughout the world.
For the race controllers we have the following message:
"As soon as the pigeons are released they will make it home. I have done everything I can to make that come true for the birds". The right tools to achieve that from week to week will be provided in this manual. We know that this manual will provide a lot of new information. To convoyers and race controllers we would like to say: use your years of experience and combine this experience with todays modern technology, eg.(the Internet). We think you need to get to know the Internet and all its new communication techniques. That's where this manual will be of benefit to you. You'll soon see you will not want to be without the Internet for one hour on race days. By clicking on the subjects in the index you follow step by step the manual. All knowledge provided there for you has been gathered by lifelong experience on the subject which is called the navigation system of racing pigeons. All published conclusions have been tested for many years and the scientific data will be published in a later stadium. For the text of this manual we have put up a worldwide copyright. We are convinced that the knowledge this manual shares with you will mean a great step forward for pigeon sport all over the world in the field of racing, breeding and organising releases for racing pigeons.
With kindest regards,
Hubert Land and Steven van Breemen.
Copyright 1998. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole, in part, in any form or medium, without the express written permission of Steven van Breemen and Hubert Land, is strictly forbidden.