Bob Soares of Spring Hill, Florida.

Submitted by Bob Soares
Spring Hill, Florida
BobSoares10@verizon.net

I raced pigeons and was a member of the American Racing Pigeon Union, and various clubs in 3 states for 50+ years.                .

As a 13 year old kid I never dreamed that I would see the sport dramatically change in the next 55 years. And I too have changed along with it.  I am really grateful that you have allowed me to do posting on your web site.  When I served my country as a soldier I never dreamed that my rights would someday be taken away by some group of (unsure of what they are).

As I sit looking out my window here in Spring Hill, Florida I can’t help but remember my accomplishments during those years;

WHO AM I?

In 1973 I won the Hawaii State Open with only 2 day birds and won by 15 minutes with Reynold Rodriguez coming second.

In 1980 I came 2^nd —three times out of 9 races in the old bird season!!!What was I missing??? Mr. Joseph Hutchison of California told me what I was not doing right!!!

Bob Soares’ loft in Hawaii

In 1981 In Hawaii I won 5 out of 10 old bird combine races with 80 or 90 fanciers.

In 1981 In Hawaii I won 3 out of 10 young bird combine races, winning old, young and combined average speeds (11 HSRPO COMBINE trophies.)  In total I had 76 places inside of 7^th place between club and combine placings.  It was impossible to join any pigeon club after that (they even rejected my son as a member (13 years old in 1984) in the ALO pigeon club after he won back to back combine races with the same pigeon.

In 1982 I was asked by Chuck Weaver to write a column for the AU year book.  It was my pleasure.

In 1984 I had the first young bird to win 1st HSRPO hall of fame.

In 1987 in the famed FVC I won,  30^th at 300, 2^nd at 400, 1^st at 500, 1^st at 550 (18 minutes out front of Ed Lorenz. In FVC Rusty Hemseth came 2^nd by 17 minutes) and I won 1^st average sped Auction $$$.  Art Hees 2^nd auction average speed. All big names in your sport.

• In 1989 I won 2^nd in the FVC Snowbird race.
• In 1993 I won 3^rd  in the FVC Snowbird race.
• In 1994 I won 4^th and 5^th in the FVC Snowbird race.
• In 1994 Young Bird series there was 2 birds of the year in the FVC a tie between Me and Art Hees.  We both got a trophy that said tie on it.

Bob’s lofts in California

The fastest race I ever won was at the FVC, at 275 miles that was over 2200 YPM.

In 1999 I went into partnership with Dr. Chris Rogers of Las Vegas.  We brought his breeders to California and I bred 3 rounds and took the birds back.  It was a wonderful year for both of us.  We won 3 out of 9 races, 1^st at 200 (Suvit 2^nd). 1^st at 275 and 1^st and 2^nd and 350 (my son was 3^rd and Ed Lorenz  4^th).  We won the bond race, Bird of the year and overall club and Combine average speed, and 2 Combines.  Because of the friendship between Chris Rogers and Campbell Strange the results were paid by them and put into the Bulletin.

I have 19 plaques for my efforts while racing in the FVC and won enough money to pay for both of my children’s college.  I flew with the greats of the FVC and won my share.

I retired and moved to Florida in 2005. I flew the Gulf Coast Classic for 4 years.

• In 2006 I came 25^th, In 2007 I came 17^th and 19^th, and In 2008 I came 31^st.
• In 2007 old bird on a very hard 400 mile race at the GHC, I came 1^st section (56 lofts competing) 3^rd overall.  No day birds, beating the next loft in the South Section by 56 minutes.
• I won a 200 mile sprint race at the GHC with Randall Berky coming 2^nd
• I won a 200 mile Unit 10 club race with Randall Berky coming 2^nd.
• For all that I have won there were many years of hard work with no success, but that is pigeon racing.

View of Bob’s lofts in Spring Hill, Florida

If I had one wish to give to the Pigeon Sport it would be!  I would wish that the pigeon people would be like the surfers in Hawaii!!  When someone won the surfing meet all the others would put him on a surfboard and carry him along the shore to show the ocean that it can be beat.  Instead of spreading lies and rumors.

I no longer race pigeons because of these (I do not know what they are!) But as I learned from a good friend Ray Sulkowski “It is better to be a has been than a never was”.  I was a champion and I know the road to becoming a champion, therefore I can win a race no matter who I compete with.

I have been suspended from the GHC because I would not listen to (I don’t know what they are?) their directive, and I refused to allow up to 350 pigeons from my neighbor to desecrate my WIFE’S HOME every day, ALL DAY!!

WHO AM I?

I am the soldier RA 10123014 who was trained to fight and serve this country and I will be damned if I will allow these (I do not know what they are) to dictate to me that I can not fly and race my pigeons.  The Gulfcoast Homing Club and their 200 plus members will never forget the name of Bob Soares.   Of that I am certain because the battle is just beginning.  Several have died, some have moved but I will not rest till the 4 trees that was cut down, 9 antennas that were ruined, sugar that was put in my vehicles gas tank and the disabling of my video system.

WHO AM I?  ASK THE GHC MEMBERS AND THEY WILL TELL YOU THAT I AM THE CRAZY VETERAN WHO WILL NOT RUN, I AM THE ONE WHO SAY OBEY THE LAW,  I AM THE ONE WHO HAS DEMONSTRATION SIGNS THAT SAY “LIBERTY” AND “JUSTICE”.

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Loft Report.

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Carson City race:

Paul Vang will spend the next five days in the County jail for stealing 20 prized racing pigeons.

On May 9, Paul Vang, a 25-year-old St. Paul man, pleaded guilty to one charge—property in the third degree, a gross misdemeanor. Judge Patrice Sutherland sentenced Vang to five days in the County jail, two years of probation, and a $50 fine.

To read the full article on the Eagan Patch blog please click here.

Comments below, crafted by AU Lobbyist, Greg Smith, were submitted on behalf of the AU in response to the U.S.P.S. proposed amendment to regulations regarding shipping of live animals.  This is another effort by the AU to protect the right to ship and maintain reasonable cost.

American Racing Pigeon Union

Comments on Proposed New Mailing Standards

for Live Animals and Special Handling

as of May 24, 2013

The American Racing Pigeon Union (AU) is a non-profit organization with 700 affiliated clubs around the United States and approximately 10,000 members. Founded in 1909 from the merger of homing pigeon associations established in the 1800’s, it is the largest organization in the United States dedicated to the sport of pigeon racing. As stated in the AU Constitution, the AU “exists to promote, protect, and enhance the sport of racing homing pigeons, to cooperate with other organizations, which directly or indirectly accomplish those goals, and to provide services and benefits to its members.” The AU and its membership also prides itself on being at the forefront of promoting ethical standards and practices to assure the well-being of the birds, compliance with all federal and state laws, and the advancement of this family-friendly hobby.

In 1985, the United States Postal Service (USPS) approved the express mail shipping of pigeons in the United States. This service has been a significant benefit to the members in that it allows for safe and secure overnight shipping of birds at affordable rates. Over the years, AU has worked closely with the USPS to ensure that affordable shipping remains available to our members. This goal is vital to the AU mission and to the sport of pigeon racing as a whole. Although the sport has an intensely loyal following, its participants, as a general rule, are people of limited means. Without the ability to use the Postal Service, they simply would not be able to participate in races or send or secure birds for breeding and other purposes. Accordingly, without affordable access to the mail, the sport of racing pigeons could be virtually eliminated.

Unfortunately, the average cost to ship racing pigeons has already doubled in recent years. Though the cost depends largely on the point of origin and destination, and of course the number of birds to be shipped, in 2006 the average cost to ship two birds was approximately $18. Presently, the average cost is between $36 and $40. For the average $36 shipment, then, the proposed new mandatory special handling service fee, assuming the lowest $9 rate, would represent an additional 25% increase in cost. We do not believe that yet another rate increase, especially an increase so large in proportion to the current cost of shipment, is warranted at this time – particularly when the USPS is not proposing that any additional service (which would not be necessary) would accompany the rate increase.

In the preamble to its Proposed Rule, the USPS lists various reasons why the Postal Service must treat shipments containing live animals differently than ordinary mailpieces, thus presumably increasing the expense to the USPS and justifying the proposed mandatory service fee. AU members are devoted to the health, safety, and welfare of racing pigeons in transport and support the USPS in instituting sufficient standards to ensure the safety of racing pigeons, USPS employees, and the general public. However, many of the circumstances cited by the USPS do not apply to racing pigeons, or apply to a much lesser extent than other live animals or birds that may be transported by the USPS. The USPS is therefore unlikely to incur the full cost of special handling service in transporting racing pigeons in particular. Since those costs will not be incurred by the USPS, it would be unfair to impose them on racing pigeon fanciers.

First, the shipping of live racing pigeons poses no meaningful threat to the health and safety of Postal Service employees or the general public resulting from disease. Although little known, racing pigeons are not the same as pigeons commonly seen congregating in city parks. Rather, they are thoroughbreds much like racing horses and are highly prized for their athletic ability. As such, their bloodlines are closely tracked, they are fed careful diets, and they are kept on a strict sanitary and medical regimen. Within the avian community, racing pigeon fanciers are highly regarded for the standards of health they have for their birds. Interestingly, there are a number of veterinarians in the United States who specialize in racing pigeon medical treatment. Any racing pigeons transported through the Postal Service are therefore highly unlikely to be diseased.

Even more to the point, Pigeons have no vectors for disease in common with humans; in other words, “Pigeon parasites cannot and do not live on or in humans, and vice versa.” See Homing Pigeons: Perception vs. Reality, by the Avian Assistance Council. Because pigeons have a much higher body temperature than that of humans (around 107 degrees), as a rule disease is not communicable between pigeons and humans. This makes pigeons safer than many animals commonly in contact with humans, such as dogs and cats, in terms of the spread of disease. Thus, the AU is confident that the shipping of racing pigeons through the USPS does not pose a threat to Postal Service employees or the public due to diseased animals. Indeed, despite many thousands of shipments, we have never heard of any postal worker being adversely affected by handling of racing pigeons.

Second, there are no “offensive odors or noise” associated with the transportation of racing pigeons. Pigeons themselves have no odor. Also, pigeons make a soft cooing noise, much like a dove’s coo with which most people are more familiar. In 1995, an environmental testing firm conducted a noise survey of pigeon lofts near Oklahoma City. See Homing Pigeons: Perception vs. Reality, by the Avian Assistance Council. This study found that inside lofts with 100 to 600 pigeons, the noise level was equivalent to, or lower than, simple conversational speech measured in decibels. The study also found that, from 25 feet away, a loft with 100 pigeons contributed 10 decibels or less – about the same as the soft rustle of leaves – to the existing background noise. That contribution was insignificant considering the nearly 50 decibels of daytime background noise from other sources measured at the same location when the pigeons were removed from the loft.

Finally, while the well-being of racing pigeons is of the utmost concern to racing pigeon fanciers and certain precautions in shipping are warranted and necessary, racing pigeons are also extraordinarily hardy animals. For example, racing pigeons have been used by U.S. Forces in the Gulf because of their hardiness as backups to mechanical bio-chemical sensors. There are active racing lofts from the deserts of Arizona to the tundra of Alaska, where pigeons thrive under varying conditions. Accordingly, racing pigeons impose a much lesser burden on shipping carriers than other live animals might with regard to taking into account temperature and weather conditions in transit.  Further, the USPS already imposes restrictions on temperature and location in order to ensure that environmental conditions do not threaten the health and safety of live birds during transport. Shippers utilize specially designed mailers that are approved by the United States Department of Agriculture, the USPS, and the International Air Transport Association. Given the restrictions and protections already in place, we do not believe the USPS will incur any significant additional costs in accounting for weather conditions as a result of transporting racing pigeons.

Because the shipping of racing pigeons is very unlikely to cause the USPS to incur anywhere near the full range of expenses that may otherwise be associated with special handling service, and because the cost of paying the full fee for such service may be prohibitively expensive for most AU members, AU opposes the imposition of a new, mandatory special handling service fee on the shipment of racing pigeons. Notably, the AU worked closely with Fed Ex with regard to shipping standards for racing pigeons when Fed Ex secured its contract to ship postal service mail. Fed Ex was very satisfied that it could ship the birds safely and efficiently while also holding costs down. We therefore believe the imposition of the new mandatory fee is unnecessary.

The American Racing Pigeon Union (AU) national office is soliciting feedback from AU members about possible shipping difficulties with USPS. The AU is asking fanciers having difficulty to please fill out an incident report with them. You can do so by following this link http://www.pigeon.org/shipping_incident.php .

The AU is reporting that members are experiencing difficulty with some cases fanciers not being able to ship their birds at all. The AU believes shipping difficulty may be caused by:

• Airlines have consolidated many flights so there are fewer available on which to ship
• Some airlines are indicating they won’t take live animals if a transfer is involved

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Click on the image to watch an exciting new short documentary about pigeon racing in China produced by Thomas Morton and hosted on the Vice blog site.

Submitted by Kevin Spencer
Portugal

My name is Kevin Spencer and along with my wife Joan and our race partners Jose Rodrigues and his wife Carol, we make up the team VAI & VEM. We race in the Algarve on the south coast of Portugal in the club Odiaxere and the N Barlavento Federation.

Myron Kulik using his eye lope.

In September 2012 we moved lofts, around 20 miles from where we were originally in Portimao, to Lagos further west on the south coast and last year before we moved, we made some pairs up from the birds I had available to me with the aid of Myron Kulik and his use of eye-sign.

In 2012 we sent Myron pictures (via email) of literally hundreds of photographs of different pigeons eyes and he suggested which cocks to mate to which hens. We bred 20 or so late bred youngsters from these pairings along with the same amount from some pedigree pairs we made by strains etc. We took these birds to the new loft in Lagos and Jose and Carol bred around 40 late breeds from their birds, pairings made by mating the best racers together so before we began to train these birds we had a team of around 80 late breeds on our hands.

The idea we had was to send these birds to the first 5 yearling races of the 2013 race season (which made up the championship) in as equal a team as possible. We have a 20 bird limit in the yearling races so for example 7 best to best, 7 eye-sign and 6 pedigree pairings each week. The experiment was listed with the guys on the Alberta, Canada or AC website under the Eye-sign Topics and the entries and ring numbers were all listed on my website each week before the races.

To cut a long story short it was a triumph for the eye-sign matings made by Myron. In Portugal the top 20% of the liberation in the club gain Classification points, the same as in the N Barlavento Federation where the top 20% of birds gain classification points.

The club result lists any bird that finishes in the top 20% of the race and these birds score points depending on how high they finish in the result. 100 points awarded by the club being the highest score a single bird can achieve in any one race.

The first 4 races were Velocidade or Sprint at around 180 miles and the final race was a middle distance race from 250 miles.

Eyesign matings. 272pts, 253pts, 259pts, 266pts, 340pts equals 1390 points.
Best to Best matings. 224pts, 258pts, 138pts, 86pts, 89pts equals 795 points.
Pedigree matings. 219pts, 329pts, 63pts, 157pts, Zero pts equals 768 points.

It can clearly be seen that the points scored by the birds paired only using eye-sign as a tool have far exceeded the performances and points totals of the other methods used to make matings.

One of the late bred pigeons racing in the yearling contests is worth a special mention. ‘The Champ’ as we call him went to 4 races of the 5 and his race record reads:

Nisa 176miles (Race 1) 1st Club (216birds) 2nd N Barlavento Federation (683birds). He also recorded the 11th best velocity in the mixed age liberation of 11,659 birds.

Sardoal 167 miles (Race2) 5th Club (188birds) 17th N Barlavento Federation (551birds).

Nisa2 176 miles (Race 3) 1st club (154birds) 39th N Barlavento Federation (580birds).

Guarda 250 miles (Race 4) 7th Club (123birds) 36th N Barlavento Federation (417birds.)

‘The Champ’ is also the 2013 Gold ring champion yearling in the Club of Odiaxere and he won the Silver ring in the N Barlavento federation in the Yearlings competition. Not bad for a 10 month old bird in his 4 races.

From right to left: Jose Rodrigues, Carol, Myron Kulik, Gloria, Joan Tutty and Kevin Spencer.

This pigeon was bred by using “eye-sign only” to make the pairing of his parents. The father had a good racing eye and the mother, a bird I call the ‘Iron Grinder’, has a “great breeder eye” and this bird (eye pic above) would never have been born if we had to rely on “Mr Basket” or “Best to Best” to breed our birds. ‘The Champ’ shows a very good racing eye-sign and should race to the long distance very well as he also has great reflex to sunlight in his two round pupils.

Myron and his wife Gloria came over to the Algarve, Portugal this April 2013 and Myron kindly went through all of our stock birds and race birds looking at their eyes and picked out the best breeders and racers from the whole loft (he looked at over 140 different pigeons). We have already paired them up accordingly to breed our yearling racers for 2014 and we should have the first eggs by the 2nd of May 2013 on his wife Gloria’s birthday. He was very impressed at the standard of the pigeons here in Portugal (bodies and eyes) and at the skills of the local fanciers and of course the huge birdage that goes to races every weekend in the racing season from March until June here in Portugal. He got to see two of our middle distance races while he was staying with us and it is a great spectacle seeing all the pigeons arrive as we are one of 4 different pigeon lofts all within just a few yards of each other and birds are raining in from all over.

This Bird from the Bostyn breed, had only ever raced at Sprint and middle Distances classifying many times. This 2012 season I decided it was time to send him to Barcelona National 620 miles in soaring temperatures. He clocked in 6th Zone 5 only 9 birds in race time and he flew the furthest of any pigeon timed in the whole race. A true Champion.

Myron picked out the best potential breeders and also suggested that we should retire one or two pigeons from the racing team right away and get some young from them before we risk losing.

Article was published with written permission by the author

The American Pigeon Museum and Library (Museum), the largest museum dedicated to the pigeon fancy in North America is about to receive 19 hand crafted display cases helping the Museum realize its goal of preserving and protecting pigeon fancy’s rich and diverse history.

Public Relations Chair Rick Barker had this to say about Lorrie Montiero the new curator of the Museum “She is very passionate about the museum, not because she raised pigeons, but she has learned the historical significance of pigeons and the relationship to man. There are not many curators that have the opportunity to take a museum from the fledgling state and bring it to some sort of maturity. And, she is extremely excited to tell the story of pigeons in history. She is proving to be a tremendous asset.”

The Museum was founded in 1973 by Bill Bonwell, W.D. Grimes and Kenneth Lagree with the purpose to collect and miscellaneous items concerning the history of the pigeon fancy. It is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and is adjacent to the Headquarters of the American Racing Pigeon Union (AU).

Former Gulfcoast Homing Club (GHC) Treasurer George Luis Benitez was found guilty of  felony grand theft charges (272012CF001271CFAXMX) in May of 2013 after a yearlong investigation by the Hernando County District Attorney’s office.

Mr. Benitez was found guilty of using GHC funds to pay his personal mortgage on several occasions. Judge Anthony Tatti sentenced him to 30 days in jail, three years of probation, preform 50 hours of community service and pay $1,181.00 in fines and restitution.

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Full race results

 Western Open race flown from Winnemucca Nevada on May 26, 2013 with 555 competing from 61 lofts.

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100-199 Race Results

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200-299 Race Results

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300-399 Race Results

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400-499 Race Results

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500-599 Race Results

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Congratulations to all the winners!