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Re: Solar storm activity
Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2025 1:20 pm
by MIL
Bowbroom wrote: ↑Mon Jan 13, 2025 12:11 pm
People are fully entitled to believe in whatever floats their boat but in my opinion bad returns from races have nothing to do with solar activity and are caused by
1. Breeding from generations of “paper” pigeons
2. Inept fanciers
3. Sub standard race controllers who do not prepare properly and ignore forecasts and can’t be bothered to secure line of flight info
4. BOP strikes
The first 3 can be dealt with by fanciers but there’s not a snowflake in Hells chance of sorting no 4, and losses due to this must be accepted I’m afraid
ATB
I wouldn't necessarily put them in that order if I were asked to, but there's no disputing the points.
Categorising them I'd go 4,3,2,1 in that order personally
Re: Solar storm activity
Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2025 3:27 pm
by Bowbroom
Whilst I did not intend to list my suggested reasons in priority order I’m surprised that you list breeding from generations of untested pigeons no matter how well advertised at the bottom or am I ?
Re: Solar storm activity
Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2025 4:09 pm
by MIL
I ranked No.4 and No.3 highest because I think they're the bigger problems
If someone has no.1 it's because of no.2
Re: Solar storm activity
Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2025 4:51 pm
by king
The main cause of losses in pigeons is the Weather. Also before BOP was a big issue, WIRES were, and still are a huge problem. BOP will take a few and scatter the rest, but the majority should still return. Wires can take out dozens of birds in a moment. Another big killer is road embankments. In head winds birds will fly very low, but when flying over an embankment will raise just enough to clear it, causing them to cross the road at near road level. I saw this for myself just South of York. A whole batch hit traffic without a single bird making it across the road.
Re: Solar storm activity
Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2025 5:01 pm
by NeilA
king wrote: ↑Fri Jan 17, 2025 4:51 pm
The main cause of losses in pigeons is the Weather. Also before BOP was a big issue, WIRES were, and still are a huge problem. BOP will take a few and scatter the rest, but the majority should still return. Wires can take out dozens of birds in a moment. Another big killer is road embankments. In head winds birds will fly very low, but when flying over an embankment will raise just enough to clear it, causing them to cross the road at near road level. I saw this for myself just South of York. A whole batch hit traffic without a single bird making it across the road.
I agree wires are a massive one
I do think the BOP is getting close now
I’m scared to train past 18 miles as then your 10 miles south of Cambridge and there is so many new builds estates with new road networks going up I believe the peregrine is moving in more to them areas
Re: Solar storm activity
Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2025 5:22 pm
by king
NeilA wrote: ↑Fri Jan 17, 2025 5:01 pm
king wrote: ↑Fri Jan 17, 2025 4:51 pm
The main cause of losses in pigeons is the Weather. Also before BOP was a big issue, WIRES were, and still are a huge problem. BOP will take a few and scatter the rest, but the majority should still return. Wires can take out dozens of birds in a moment. Another big killer is road embankments. In head winds birds will fly very low, but when flying over an embankment will raise just enough to clear it, causing them to cross the road at near road level. I saw this for myself just South of York. A whole batch hit traffic without a single bird making it across the road.
I agree wires are a massive one
I do think the BOP is getting close now
I’m scared to train past 18 miles as then your 10 miles south of Cambridge and there is so many new builds estates with new road networks going up I believe the peregrine is moving in more to them areas
If you google a map of the National grid, you will see that there can't be a race route that doesn't have to cross power lines. When I was a kid at school I used to walk under a power line just North of York for about 4 miles every Sunday morning and could find dead pigeons EVERY time I went. If I could find them in just a 4 mile stretch of line, how many would there be over it's entire length? Foxes have learnt to find food under them, they probably now know which days to get a free meal?
Re: Solar storm activity
Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2025 5:47 pm
by NeilA
Yes done that King some years back
They stretch from Bedford right across London’s training route to the east coast no way to avoid it 15 miles north of my lofts
Re: Solar storm activity
Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2025 8:28 pm
by goose1
BOP population increase, poor quality racing has increased. Don't need to look no further. Anyone who thinks BOP aren't the single biggest problem facing this sport either doesn't race or is wearing blinkers.
Re: Solar storm activity
Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2025 8:40 pm
by NeilA
goose1 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 17, 2025 8:28 pm
BOP population increase, poor quality racing has increased. Don't need to look no further. Anyone who thinks BOP aren't the single biggest problem facing this sport either doesn't race or is wearing blinkers.
100 per cent
Never had birds win that have won before then just fail to arrive from 100 mils the next week
They can’t just become crap in 7 days
Re: Solar storm activity
Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2025 12:27 am
by king
NeilA wrote: ↑Fri Jan 17, 2025 8:40 pm
goose1 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 17, 2025 8:28 pm
BOP population increase, poor quality racing has increased. Don't need to look no further. Anyone who thinks BOP aren't the single biggest problem facing this sport either doesn't race or is wearing blinkers.
100 per cent
Never had birds win that have won before then just fail to arrive from 100 mils the next week
They can’t just become crap in 7 days
So they can't hit a wire? Whilst BOP is a huge problem it's NOT the only reason birds fail to return. Bad weather can lose even the best birds. Good birds were still lost long before BOP was a problem.