Review-Mirror

By Marco Smits The Review-Mirror A pigeon trained in Westport earned its owner $18,658 last month. You might want to read that line again, but whatever you think of it, you can be rest assured that it's true. All summer, Connie Steacy has been releasing her racing pigeons from the parking lot at the Upper Rideau Legion Branch 542 in Westport. As part of their weekly training routine the birds fly back to Mallorytown, where Steacy lives. The drive from Mallorytown to Westport takes her more than an hour but it only takes her birds about 18 minutes to fly the 42 kilometres back – as the crow flies as it were. Steacy and her husband Chris own approximately 140 pigeons and have been racing them for years. On Sept. 6 they entered five birds in the Empire Classic 350, a 350-mile race hosted in Brighton. Racing pigeons isn't cheap – entering the birds alone cost $1,200 - but in return, the payouts can be quite substantial. Steacy's bird was one of three that returned first, so she had to split the $50,000 prize three ways. "It took us years to get to this point, but yes, it was very nice to win," Steacy said. "This was our fourth year trying this race. You should have seen my husband dancing around. I just sat their sort of stunned." They have won several prizes in the past, but never one exceed- ing $200. Using pigeons to deliver mes- sages is an ancient practice, but modern-day racing has its roots in Belgium in the 1800s from where it spread across Europe and beyond. At present there are approxi- mately 20,000 registered racing pigeon lofts in North America. The birds wear a band, show- ing the club they are associated with and are shipped in boxes to far away places where they are released at a specific time. They then fly back to a designated area, most often their own loft, where the band is retrieved and clocked for a final time. Some races are as long as 1,000 km, a distance pigeons can cover in 12 hours. "We have a new pigeon racer who has started in a nearby loca- tion. He's half a kilometre away and our pigeons need to clear that distance in six seconds to beat theirs," Steacy said in an effort to describe the incredible speed involved. Pigeon racing comes with a unique set of guidelines. Steacy is an instructor for beginners and knows the basics. She warns rac- ers of the dangers of overhead wires. And there are other dangers facing the birds. "I haven't released my birds from Westport lately because it is the middle of the hawk migration right now," she said. "We hardly release them at home at the moment, and watch them all the time. "Even if you don't see any hawks, the moment the birds get out, they are right on top of them. The funny thing is, that you may have a stray pigeon that sits on the roof of the barn next door and the hawks don't go near it, but racing pigeons, they love," Steacy said, adding that they sometimes have to run out into the yard to chase the hawks away. It is hard to predict which pigeons are going to do well on what day, but careful breeding can increase a bird's chances to become an especially good racer. The Steacy's are looking for- ward to January 10 when three of their birds will compete in the Sun City Million Dollar Race in South Africa. And yes, the prize money is $1 million. In preparation, her birds were quarantined and shipped to Africa months ago where they'll stay until the race. The good news for the Steacys is that one of the three birds she sent to Africa is a sister of the one that just won the Empire Classic 350 first prize. 24 – October 8, 2009 The Review-Mirror Tuesday Nov. 24, 2009 5pm - 7pm Wednesday Nov. 25, 2009 5pm - 7pm TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centre Open House (no lecture) Lyndhurst 23 Whalen St. (at Concession) Westport, Ont. 613273-9200 2009 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN Stow & Go, loaded, rear air & heat, p/seat, 31km, beige 2008 DODGE CALIBER SXT auto, loaded, 50 km, maroon 2008 CHEV SILVERADO LS reg cab, 4x4, v8, air, tilt, cruise, 57 km, blue 2007 CHEV COBALT LT 4dr, auto, loaded, 84km, red 2006 GMC SIERRA 4x4, short box, V6, standard, with air, Only 16,000km, blue 2006 GMC SIERRA Ext. cab, 4x4, 62km, pewter 2005 CHEV COLORADO ext cab, 4x4, 94km, pewter 2005 BUICK ALLURE 4dr, loaded, 107km, white 2005 CHEV TRAILBLAZER LS 4x4, loaded, 99km, grey 2005 CHEV MALIBU 4 dr, V6, loaded, p/sunroof, 93km, gold 2004 TOYOTA TUNDRA Crew ca,b 4x4, loaded, 108km, maroon 2004 FORD FOCUS WAGON auto, air, maroon 2004 FORD RANGER FX4 ext. cab, 4x4, loaded, 78km, red 2004 GMC SIERRA Reg. cab, 2500HD, 4x4, 88km, gold 2003 CHEV TRAILBLAZER LT 4x4, loaded, 137km, beige 2003 FORD RANGER FX4 ext. cab, 4x4, loaded, 114km, blue 2002 BUICK LESABRE custom, loaded, 130km, silver, $7995 2002 CHEV MALIBU LS 4 dr, loaded, like new, 90km, chocolate 2001 CHEV SILVERADO Short box, 2wd, v6, auto, 102km, pewter 2000 FORD RANGER ext cab, 4x4, stepside, 254km, black, sold as traded 2000 OLDS ALERO 2 dr, auto, air, 109km, black 2000 CHEV SILVERADO 2500 4x4, reg cab, 6.0v8, loaded, 159km, red 1999 PONTIAC SUNFIRE 2 dr, auto, air, 136km, silver 1999 GMC SIERRA SLE ext cab, 2wd, 5.3V8, loaded, 178km, blue/pewter, $8995 1996 GMC SIERRA ext. cab., Z71, 4x4, loaded, 225km, green/silver WESTPORT MOTORS HARVEST THE SAVINGS! Connie Steacy's pigeons have been flying a practice run from Westport to their Mallorytown home in 18 minutes, beating her back home by almost an hour. Sister bird sent to Million Dollar Race in South Africa Westport flights tune pigeon up for $18,658 win

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