Local pigeons race from Idaho

"The sky will be black with pigeons," said Bay City Combine President Dino D'Ecole in Foster City Thursday to see Askins off. The Council, Idaho racers are "old birds" of at least a year or more that have been conditioned for long flights.

Askins facilitates the race and spent the better part of the day collecting racing pigeons in staging areas in San Jose, Foster City, Hayward, Martinez and Cordelia before making the overnight trek of 1,300 road miles to the tiny mountain hamlet north of Boise and just east of the Oregon border. Once in Council, Idaho, Askins located a suitable release site in a flat, open area free of collision hazards for the airborne racers. The pigeons were fed and watered the night before the race, but their next meal is in their own warm and comfortable lofts if they hurry. Approximately 10 to 12 hours after release in Idaho and with favorable winds, the homing pigeons should have arrived at their lofts at around 7:30 p.m. Saturday, D'Ecole said. If weather stations in Winnemucca, Elko and Reno report adverse weather conditions in the Sierras like lighting or snow, the race secretary in Hayward will cancel the race before the birds are released.

"Once they're released, it's God's work," D'Ecole said about the hazardous flight home. Depending on the winds, the birds will fly as a flock over unknown terrain, mysteriously navigating by the sun and the Earth's magnetic field. They average about 45 mph and don't fly at night. If they encounter a strong head-wind, their air speed may decrease to 30 mph and the flight time may take up to 20 hours.

"Then, they won't come home. But as soon as the sun comes up, they'll take off," D'Ecole said.

The longer they're out, the more risk there is of being lost or vulnerable to predators and disease. From time to time, the Peninsula Humane Society rescues racing pigeons that come from all over the country. Last week, a racing pigeon was sent back to Florida, said PHS wildlife technician Hanna Wachtel.

Racing pigeons behave differently from wild pigeons, Wachtel said. They appear to be too friendly or they feed in unsafe areas. Often, they're sick with parasites or severely emaciated.

"They're strays and not acting like wild pigeons. They're down and used to being handled. We will definitely pick them up if they're banded," Wachtel said.

Pigeons are not as susceptible to West Nile virus as birds in the crow family, said Chindi Peavey, vector ecologist for the San Mateo County Mosquito Abatement District. The state of New York once considered using wild pigeons as sentinels and rounding them up to conduct random testing, Peavey said.

Although racing pigeons don't have night vision, they can see great distances compared to humans. During training, the racing pigeons are taken out to the country and released, usually in the direction they'll be competing. They memorize familiar landmarks that will bring them home.

"When the pigeons come over the Sierras, they'll see Mount Diablo and if they're not tired, they'll give it that extra push to make it home," D'Ecole said.

The weeks of training and conditioning culminates with the birds passing over an antenna at the entrance of the loft. The sensor registers the GPS microchip in a small band attached to the pigeon's leg. The information is recorded in a clock that the fancier brings to the club, which is officially unsealed. Before microchips, the information was stamped into a special clock that would be sealed after the pigeons arrived. Winners receive a trophy and a diploma and are qualified to compete nationally.

"To us they're not flying rats. They fly 600 miles and weigh only 1 pound," D'rcole said. "In Europe, the lofts are part of their houses. They release up to 300,000 birds in one race and it's televised."

For further information about racing pigeons, visit the American Racing Pigeon Union Web site at www.pigeon.org