The Domestic Flight
Feathered World Sept 1995
I was presented with a copy of 'Pigeon Fancier which is (or was) an American
pigeon monthly magazine. This is the October 1995 issue, double its usual
size and is a 'special' - devoted to the Domestic Flight I remember when
these special issues appeared fairly often, but they were always concerned
with the extremely popular breeds The trouble is, that when an entire
magazine is devoted to only one breed, it may not please the readers who
have no interest in that breed.
Having a very wide interest in all pigeons, I found the photos to be
excellent From the actual flying angle, there is not one article that
mentions how these pigeons are used for flying at the present time.
There is only one article that deals with flying and this is by Alex Rawson
of Staten Island, NY; he writes: 'Starting from high up, the kit swings in
ever decreasing circles, going down. As it reaches near roof-top level, the
kit is actually flying sideways. Add a little wind and - wow! What action!
Alex continues to describe the release of ten kits totaling 3,000 birds, all
lofted in a three-block area. He describes how flue fanciers packed 500 of
their own birds into crates and drove wrath them to another fanciers house.
They hid and waited for this fancier to exercise his pigeons and then
released the 500, presumably to cause chaos and divert some of these birds
to their own lofts. Therefore, that was stray catching.
Alex goes on to write about a certain Mr. Mike Hopp, who chased his birds
and made them perform one windy day. They started coming down, in tight side
circles and twisted all the way down into the East River. He tells about
Mike rowing out in a boat searching among the drowned bodies, looking for
survivors.
I have no doubt that stray catching was a very important function, years
ago.
William Pensom, of Roller pigeon fame, wrote that he was sorry to say that
most people keeping Rollers did so for the main purpose of catching strays I
am told that stray catching is a sport in some Near East and Middle East
countries.
E R B Chapman, an early USA Roller man, wrote that a large kit of Rollers,
exceeding 200, was flown. He goes ... and I suppose that the East River
event is an example of unwieldy, going completely out of control.
I have only seen three examples and in all three cases there was a bad
downward pressing wind and the rather large kits were not very well
established and used to flying.
Apparently the Domestic Flight is America's contribution to the Long Faced
Tumbler variety. There is a British Club and Mr. J Mullan of Ipswich is
seriously involved.