Wayward Thoughts

We are nearing the time when it is a must that we lock-down our kits of rollers, lest be butchered by birds of prey. I can remember the time when locking a kit bird down for a period of months was a non-starter, unless of course they were headed to the stock loft. Potential stock birds were “proven” beyond belief oftentimes for no other reason than the inability to shelve a true acrobatic champion.

I recall a red & white ender fondly named GQ because of his stunning looks. GQ flew for no less than 6 years straight, day in and day out, causing many a fancier to pause when he started rolling. Hilly Flowers and I would marvel at these performances and come up with an assortment of reasons why we should not place him in the stock loft. At first it was because he was not as frequent as let’s say, the number one hen; however, around year-three his frequency quadrupled immediately taking away that excuse. Next, we would reduce his value based on size in comparison to some other bird, again leaving out the most important factor, his ability to burn up the sky.

After six plus years of flying GQ made the decision for us, he flew away and now we will never know if his abilities in the breeders loft would be commensurate to his aerial prowess.

Fast forwarding 10-15 years the aggressive presence of hawks, falcons and other birds of prey have left little opportunity to fly kit birds for extended periods of time. Although we reluctantly lock our birds down during the height of their feeding periods we still lose out on valuable time. In addition, the altering of our flying regimen will inadvertently affect our selection process and ultimately the birds we strive to breed.

We are experiencing Darwinism in its most rudimentary form–in the laws of use and dis-use what will Birmingham roller breeders lose.

–PW

Merry Christmas Ole Ye “Roller Folk”

Merry Christmas all you roller people! As we all know the 2009 breeding season is right around the corner so it is imperative that we start off the season in good cheer.  Also, we never want to start the new year off the way the last one ended, provided that the ending was bad. To prempt the 2009 madness i thought that it would be good to create our collective “what we want for christmas list.”

The exercise is simple, just write your wish in the comment section and hit submit.  Hopefully our collective wishes will create the type of synergy needed to perservere through another year of ups and downs.

Wish List 2009

1. I wish that the BOP’s never return from their migration and take a swim somewhere near the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, or the Dead Sea.
2. I wish that Show rollers are stripped of their Birmingham title once and for all.
3. I wish that speed and quality multipliers are considered as equally important in current kit competition rules.
4. I wish that feather merchants and their minions would stop peddling their pedigrees and pushing the hobby backwards.
5. I wish that roller folks, to quote LARC member Jason Fant, would realize, “this ain’t religion it’s just pigeon!” and keep the petty shit out of the mix.  

Now its your turn–add to the list.

PW

Fly or Die!

Visiting Chuck Hatcher

On Saturday 12/20/2008 members of the LARC and supporting fanciers traveled to Sylmar Ca. to drop in on Chuck Hatcher.

Hatcher's Pigeon Paradise

 Chuckie, as we call him, has been breeding from a very small pool of Pensom’s which he has kept pure for the past three-decades. Upon our arrival–on a very chilly morning–Chuck was sitting in his yard ready for us with hot coffee and donuts. Trust me, it was very much appreciated. 

By way of background had Paul Gomez visited Chuckie a few weeks prior and was impressed by the speed and style displayed by the kits flown. Once he told other LARC members there was nothing left to do but go and check them out. What makes Chuckie special (amongst many things of course) is that he has kept his birds pure thus preserving relics and ideals from the past. While the kit wound up being a little stiff you could not dispute the speed and style of those that did perform.

Make no mistake, we will be headed back for a follow-up visit to enjoy all Chuckie’s

One of Chuck's Kit Boxes

birds have to offer.

                                             Chuck with his visitors

                                     Going over some of the birds.

                                                 One of Chuck’s favorites

                                        Looking into the old records

                                      Partial interior view of the loft

[In the next couple of days be on the look-out for our Chuck Hatcher video detailing invaluable conversations and beautiful birds.]

In Restrospect…

Our hobby is more popular now than ever before with fanciers popping up all over the globe. While this reality creates many opportunities it also creates problems. In the past these problems came in the form of show versus performing rollers; Pensom’s versus Non-Pensom’s; kit competition versus individual competition, and the list goes on and on. Miraculously, we are still dealing with the same or similar subject matter today.

The current debate that rages now is if birds today are better than those of decades past. On one side you have those that say “we have surpassed” the best birds of yester-year; that if matched up equally breeders today would fly birds of greater substance than the early Pensom’s, Smith’s and other notables. Some have even went as far as saying, “we have evolved” past the ideal standard.  They go on to say that some fanciers are still simply chasing the mystical lure of Pensom folklore.

On the other hand we have the true “Pensom purist” that say until someone emerges with kits of rollers that show the donut throughout we have simply not progressed far enough. That they have yet to witness the return of the “messiah,” not to be confused with the master. LOL

These two camps have fueled energy and conversation that can only help our hobby. Together, both sides, without much thought, have reached a place of consensus. That the show roller has no real place in our quest to produce and fly better rollers. Don’t get me wrong, there are still a few issues regarding shows and show standards; however, at the end of the day it is all about the performing roller.

I say in short, this is a fine place to be.

–PW

Scoring Wing Position

When using the thirty point system of judging the individual roller, up to ten points are allowed for the roller’s style.  Wing position and the hole are judged together as style.

Wing position is the easiest aspect of roller style to evaluate.  It can be seen much much more often than the presence, variations or absence of the hole. 

5 Point Wing Position

 Wings held at a 45 degree angle from the vertical.   This wing position leaves much to be desired.  Any wing position extended farther away from the vertical is not worthy of consideration or scoring.

6 Point Wing Position

Average quality, leaves much room for improvement. 

7 Point Wing Position

 Fairly good quality.

8 Point Wing Position

 Good wing position.  Is close to the standard of excellence of the breed.

9 Point Wing Position

Wings upright and parallel.  This is the standard of the true Birmingham Roller.  The only reason that it does not merit a score of ten is that it can be exceeded.

10 Point Wing Position

Wings upright, tips touching.  This wing position is the ultimate in quality, and cannot be exceeded.

  It should be mentioned that a bird will usually vary its wing position during a flight and during it’s development.   In my opinion, It should therefore be judged for the best it shows. 

Rollers in Iraq

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-birds12-2008oct12,0,4223159.story

Over the weekend the LA Times wrote a piece entitled, “Pigeon breeders now face fewer challenges in Iraq” which focuses on an established pigeon culture in the war torn country. While the writer clearly did not understand the difference between rollers and fantails he did a good job conveying the passion that exists in the global pigeon community.

Over the past couple of months rollers have been the beneficiaries of really good press coverage. It is important for us to finds ways to use this coverage to illustrate the solid foundation of a hobby under assault. It will be helpful in our advocacy to stop the introduction of “birds of prey” in both urban and populated rural environments. It could potentially lead to the filing of legal complaints against the federal government and lawsuits aimed at recovering our losses.

To some this may seem far fetched, however,  there is precedent in the US for these types of actions. Think about it, there are designated hunting days for predators of domestic cattle which allows for the reduction of predators. Why should it be any different for our domestic species of pigeons? It should not be!

The sky is the limit but you need to reach towards the sky to touch it. 

–Pw

The Shrinking Donut

Recently, as I was scouring  roller-pigeon.com, I ran across a post from a gentleman that finally saw one of his rollers show the hole.  Without question–based on his post–this was going to be one of those moments that reshaped his imagination, selection and breeding.  This event could possibly be just the impetus needed to more aggressively  chase that shrinking donut.

I remember the first time that I saw the hole as if it were yesterday and it undoubtedly changed my thinking about what is possible.  Over the years I have seen my fair share of these rollers and each time i see them they reinvigorate my passion to create more.  The greatest joy has been when these moments happen with other folks around.  Simultaneously you all know that you are witnessing something different, special and worthy of accolade.   Also, that you were witnessing the fruits of your labor  manifested in an awe-inspiring performance.

Reading various works from William H. Pensom, it is clear that from the beginning this performance was the creme de la creme.  He wrote about fanciers traveling from far and near to witness this aerial feat and possibly acquire some of the bloodline.  From these writings I gathered a couple of things.  1) that the hobby/sport has always been a fraternal endeavour; and, 2) birds that actually performed in this way were prized possessions and trophies of sort.

Much of the same fervor exists today in regards to these highly regarded specimens.  I, like most other fanciers, appreciate a range of fast, straight  and frequent performers.  However, hands-down I would want nothing more than to put up an entire kit of these shrinking donuts.

As a hobby it is necessary that we find common ways to promote the Birmingham standard of rollers, not at the expense of all others, but to the preservation of a long-standing ideal. 

We should; 1.  revisit certifying rollers that meet the ideal requirements  2.  reestablish the individual fly competition to highlight individual performance characteristics.  3. seriously re-examine our current kit competition scoring systems and re-tool where necessary.  4.  And, lastly, stop the counter-productive squabbling.  I am all for debate, squabbling, and differences of opinion that lead us towards progressive outcomes.  However,  I am not that interested in senseless bullshit.

It is essential that we harness the opportunities present with so many people engaged in our hobby/sport. We now have a chance to create alternative events geared towards preserving the ideal standard, not in an attempt to dismantle the status quo, but simply to add value. Through technology and perseverance we can lift our hobby to its rightful perch and out of the shadows.

–PW

Mistakes…. Or Not Mistakes..??

      Oftentimes decisions are made, or have to be made, which can impact the outcome of ones breeding program for years into the future.  I have some examples of this kind of decision which I have thought of for years after having made the decision. 

     First there was a hen, 75 Triangle band #5989, which was three quarters of my foundation hen.  This bird was exceedingly active.  One of the most frequent I have ever bred.  She would roll to the point of utter exhaustion, and barely able to fly, would glide to the wire and sit there weakly..  On one of these occasions, a crow noticed something was wrong with her and dove down trying to peck her head.  She flew to my porch where my cat was sitting.  I ran and grabbed her just as the cat was getting ready to pounce.  The cat lost a couple of its nine lives on that occasion.

5989 with Foundation Hen

     It was my practice at the time to fly my breeders between breeding seasons, and this practice led to the loss of this valuable bird.  She turned up  missing, and I found her body 2 days later on a factory rooftop adjacent to my pottery studio.  She had blood stains on the feathers around her vent. 

   The decision to fly my breeders also led to the loss of a valuable stock cock, 73 CCRC #384, a grandson of Pensom’s 119 cock.  I didn’t think that I was making the amount of progress that I should have been, and I wanted to get a look at what this bird was capable of doing in the air.  I never found out, because I lost him.  Every time a bird is released to fly, we have to remember that it can be lost.

Heart Attack and 384

    Losing 384 was probably the catalyst for the hardest decision I ever made in my years of breeding.  Some thought that Heart Attack, 77 CRS #905, was the best bird in my loft.  However, she was unrelated to my main family of birds and I had come to the realization that I had to focus on a smaller gene pool to make the progress I hoped to make.  I carefully evaluated my breeding records, and I charted the results, making my first “family trees”.  This made it clearer to me that my main family was showing progress, while other birds were less productive.  It was at this point that I decided to let  Heart Attack and the rest of her family go.

    I had ealier mated 384 to his daughter Heart Attack, and I produced a 3/4 son.  This son was bred to an almond daughter of my foundation hen and produced a “white almond” or white ticked cock which was the deepest rolling bird, with brakes. that I have evet bred.   He would always roll deep, and the pattern would always be the same.  First he would roll 50 feet with decent speed for that depth, then he would “switch wings” causing a hitch in the roll, and go another 50 feet visably much slower.  Finally, he would switch wings a second time and would flop, exhausted, another 50 feet.

79 CRS #1240

    I eventually sold this bird because of the fact that it switched wings and the way its style degenerated as it rolled.  True, the bird never had an accident and rolled about 150 feet, but I was seeing the faults rather that the positive qualities.  The person I sold the bird to, a Mr. Alexander, had a lot of success with 1240, and bred many good, deep rollers out of him.  I had never given him a chance in the stock loft.

The Sacred Illusion

I remember the first time that I witnessed a Birmingham ball up, shrink, and show the hole. It was love at first sight and hands down the most beautiful display of acrobatic prowess that I had ever witnessed. Growing up in South Los Angeles it was not uncommon to look into the sky and see quality rollers giving you a show. This by no means suggests that every loft was filled with champion performers. Instead, the influence of great roller men filled the sky thus setting a standard for young and emerging fanciers to follow.  

Flying rollers in this environment was a brutal sport, almost blood sport. The bar was set so high that you could not fly a kit of mediocre rollers and expect praise. You could, however, expect an honest critique of your stock, and advice that usually guided you in the right direction.  If “real” roller men sensed that you were serious about the hobby a pair of rollers usually followed. They unselfishly understood that the preservation of the Birmingham Roller depended on great stock being in good hands. Also, they understood that your loft could serve as an extension of the space they needed to experiment with ”outside” matings; so all in all it was a win, win situation. Onward.

Many kits I witnessed in those days had many birds that rolled in the V pattern; some that rolled in the H pattern; and, even fewer that rolled with the hole. That said, when the hole appeared everyone stood motionless, almost in disbelief, wondering if all in attendance had seen the same thing.  This profound, and jaw dropping, display would sear an image into your brain setting off an unrivaled addiction.

The roller pigeon is more popular now than ever before. Everywhere I look there are kits of pigeons flying about and fanciers standing watch beneath them. There are many fast rollers out there which i feel is a testament to those pioneers that stayed committed to high velocity pigeons. There is also a fair amount of rollers that perform with decent style and are a pleasure to watch.

Sadly, however, we have not advanced to a place where I see–or hear about–an abundance rollers that roll to the true Birmingham Roller standard. Instead, I hear all the rhetoric suggesting that we have evolved past the sacred illusion. That at some point, while i was not watching, we have unlocked the key and bred high percentages of hole rollers. That we have somehow created a superior specimen which is more worthy of possessing the Birmingham title.

That assumption is laughable!

The hole roller remains just as elusive today as it has always been. Any performance description that omits speed, style, and the hole must also clearly elaborate that it is not describing the Birmingham Roller. If a new breed has emerged the necessary steps should be taken to qualify that breed. If not, breed hard, fly harder and lets preserve the true Birmingham Roller.

–PW

Gomez Strain of Rollers–Pictures

Black and White Foundation Hen

 My Balck and White Foundation hen was the grandaughter of my Old Spangle Cock.  I didn;t fly her for the first two years, but flew her until she was 14 years old.  She lived 18 years.

The Old Spangle Cock

The Old Spangle Cock showed me what a roller was capable of.  A slow developer, he began rolling at one year, then developed into a solid 25 foot spinner which rolled in perfect form showing a clean hole.  This bird was stolen seven times and returned. 

Family Tree of the Gomez Strain

 I developed this tree in an effort to more easily see what I had been doing in my breeding.  I have found it to be a valuable tool for me, and It has helped others to understand my family of rollers. 

76 CRS #2705 Thunder

Thunder was produced from a large but active rolling  cock and a hen that rolled “the  distance” from what ever height she began.  My idea was to acquire the style in a safe stable offspring.  Six of the eight produced by the pair rolled down, but this bird spun right and was stable.  He was one of the main early contributers to my family.

77 CRS #90 Miracle

Miracle was tha half sister to Thunder, both produced from the large, “Big Daddy”, a blue checker bronze wing produced from an Odie Wright cock bred to a Jerry Higgins Hen.  She was the daighter of my foundation hen, and rolled fairly deep, up to about 40 feet.  She had a beautiful gravel eye full of texture with a strong inner “circle of correlation”.  I bred her to Thunder for about three years.  The occasional recessive reds produced by them were always hot rollers as well as good producers.  The dark checkers were also good, but were less frequent.

79 JCRC #62

62 was my faborite recessive red bred from Miracle and Thunder.  She was extremely reliable and would roll over 40 feet at times.  Day in and day out she would put on a show. 

80 CRS #2059

A daughter of my foundation hen and one of Cornell Norwoods’  top stock cocks, #47.  She did not roll until 14 months, but the first time I saw her roll she went at least 20 feet, hard and fast.  I had planned to use her for years, but lost her.

83 Gomez #131

I called this hen the 2 Second Hen because she rolled every 2 to 10 seconds.  She was probably the most active bird I have ever had the pleasure of flying.  She also had the stamina to go along with it, and was a good producer as well.

Original 119 Muff Pair

 This was the start of my muff roller project.  This sister and brother were my first muffs.  They were closely bred birds 3 generations (“great grand children”) of Pensom’s 119 cock.. each having that 3 times on their pedigree. 

78 Gomez Purple Band #96

  This hen was exceedingly fast.  She spun blood in her eyes, but only once.  I bred great hens from these birds, but never produced a cock that I felt was of value to breed.  My refusal to cross them into my main family led to their near extinction in my loft. 

88 Gomez #412

412 was one of my best producers ever.  I stocked her unflown.  On the ground she had all the quality I could ask for.   Great body, temperment and densly textured eye,

Quite a bit of roller evolution had taken place before I produced this hen.  Unfortunately I didn’t focus the camera on my birds.  Most of my photography involved my children.    My last two crosses led to this hen.  The first was a champion producer, 80 NBRC #234 from Ron Dent.  The other was the heavily muffed hen, 81 NPA KN #355, an outstanding roller that I called Showtime.

91 Gomez #695

This was one of the offspring of 412.  A bird having extreme velocity that would appear to shrink as it approached it’s maximum speed.  A half sister, #591 virtually a look-alike except for having orange eyes, rolled much the same, but was possibly my best producer ever.

90 Gomez #640

640 was a fantastic roller and was great in the stock loft.  His type was about as close to Ideal as any roller I ahve ever had.

94 NBRC GG 683

A reintroduction of the 119 muff family blood produced this bird and his full brother, which were the foundation of my current muff substrain.  This bird spun with blur speed, showing a small hole and with tips touching. 

92 IPB #306

This son of 591 stands out in my memory as one of the birds having the most beautiful,  smooth  style of roll that I have ever seen.  

08 Gomez #1993

This hen began spinning at blur speed with excellent style and very frequent, at only 4 months .   Due to the frequency of hawk attacks I was hesitant about flying her further, then, when the falcon appeared, it made my decision.