The pigeon pictured alongside is probably the luckiest racer in Cumbria, perhaps even the country.

The mealy cock survived an horrific peregrine attack at Thornhill this week only because the hawk was prevented from finishing-off the bird.

He was among a flock of 19 liberated at Thornhill for getnoticedonline.co.uk.

No sooner had the birds been released from the basket than the hawk swooped and knocked down the mealy while the rest stayed in a group and pretty quickly cleared.

Fortunately Billy Hardy, a former fancier who had let-off the birds, reacted quickly as the hawk had knocked down the pigeon into a neighbouring field.

He says: “When I got over the fence the hawk was sitting on the bird with its wings spread covering the mealy. I was shouting and screaming at it and a number of crows had arrived and were also distracting the peregrine.

“I think a combination of me shouting and the crows moving in meant the hawk didn’t finish-off the pigeon. It had already gouged out an area of its neck.

“Fortunately the peregrine did release the bird without carrying it off and sat on a post and watched me. I was able to pick-up the mealy and carry him back to the car.”

Remarkably the bird has stayed perky since the attack and is recovering back in its Workington loft – there will hardly be a luckier racer.

Actually it’s been a bad week all round for the loft, starting with Saturday’s race from Appleton where six of the 43 entered youngsters failed to return – the worst figures of the season so far.

A young blue cock was dropped at Bootle on Tuesday; then came the incident with the mealy which has well and truly put him out of the race team and later in the week a young hen was dropped from a Bootle toss.

But onwards and upwards – 32 have been sent to Stafford and with a second race from the same liberation site next week-end there are three or four which will be back in the race team then after taking knocks in the last weeks or so. The mealy, of course, won’t be one of them.

The bad week had followed a highlight – how often does that happen in the up and down world of pigeon racing.

One of the loft’s two entries into the RPRA One Loft race had finished third in the second Hot Spot race earning £200.

The young chequer hen had been 25th from the first hot spot race and was actually 61st from the third race this Thursday. The final Hot Spot race is being held this coming Thursday and the final race from Otterburn is to be held on Sunday, August 29.

The chequer hen is off a Ludo Claessens cock I bought from Albert Tarleton last December. I paired him to a shaley hen, a Camphus Janssen from the Liverpool loft of  Pattinson and Johnston.

Getnoticedonline.co.uk’s other entry is also still standing in the RPRA One Loft race.

Meanwhile Derwent Valley Federation fanciers enjoyed their best race of the young bird programme from Appleton on Saturday.

Although the youngsters took a little longer than expected in the west wind, and a bunch appeared to have got away, the others homed steadily.

Appleton has been one of the Federation’s best race-points for years now with a higher percentage of returns than any other liberation site.

The West Cumberland Federation also enjoyed a good race from Appleton on Saturday.

That’s five young bird races gone, but five more still to go – so a stiff end to the season with Stafford (twice), Wollaston, Cheltenham and Marlborough to come.

The Federation races, for both Derwent Valley and West Cumberland start on Saturday with the first of the two Stafford races, which will also be the first of five Amalgamation races.

DERWENT VALLEY
HARRINGTON CENTRAL (267 birds): 1, D. Holliday 1119.38; 2, Telford and Pooley 1119.34; 3, Sleightholm and Broatch 1099.8; 4, N.and G. Wordsworth 1099.3; 5, I. and D. Wood 1099.01; 6, Brash and Semple 1098.
SEATON RBL (5 sent 105): 1, 3, Scholey and Gale 1136, 1123; 2, Dobie and Palmer 1124; 4, J.  Dustin 1121; 5, A. Parker and son 1117; 6, F. Scott 1116.
FLIMBY WEST COAST (4 sent 103): 1, E. Hodgson and son 1110; 2, 5, C. and A.Ostle and McNichol 1087, 1082; 3, 4, Hunter bros 1084, 1083.
BROUGHTON MOOR (4 sent 44): 1, 2, 3, 4, Dempsey and son 1068, 1050, 1044, 1022; 5, 6, Stephenson and son 987, 980. (Leyland 2 - 4 sent 52): 1, 2, 3, Dempsey and son 1340, 1319, 1295; 4, 6, Stephenson and son 1286, 1267; 5, D. Buglass 1278.
NETHERTON HS (8 sent 174): 1, 2, K. Rafferty 1129.3, 1129.1; 3, 6, Dixon and Burgess 1127, 1096; 4, Ward and son 1126; 5, D. Perry 1104.
ELLENBOROUGH FC (6 sent 73): 1, D. and J. Reay 1113; 2, 4, J. Scott and son 1106, 1087; 3, S. Barlow 1091.
DEARHAM UTD: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, Harker and Berwick 1078, 1040, 1032, 1028, 1027; 3, Sanderson and grandson 1034. (Leyland 2) 1, 3, Sanderson and grandson 1299, 1284; 2, 4, 5, 6, Harker and Berwick 1288, 1280, 1277, 1274.
WORKINGTON VICTORIA (11 sent 246): 1, 4, Evans and Abraham 1149, 1133; 2, 6, K. Harper 1137, 1130; 3, R. Donnan 1136; 5, M. and L. Cape 1132.
FLIMBY HS (9 sent 230): 1, Nicholson and Crellin 1118; 2, 3, 4, Hodgson, Tinnion and Aitken 1107, 1103, 1101; 5, 6, M. Little and sons 1094, 1093.
GREAT CLIFTON (4 sent 78): 1, 2, 4, Grisedale and daughter 1174, 1165, 1113; 3, J. McVay 1130; 5, Banks and Kenny 1064.

WEST CUMBERLAND
CLEATOR MOOR CENTRAL FC (462 birds): 1,3, Nolan, Hetherington, Coultas and Easdon 1137.2,  1137.0; 2, 5, Tomlinson & Banks 1137.1, 1127; 4, 6, Graham and co 1135,  1121..
DISTINGTON HS: 1, 4, R McAvoy and son 1118, 1108; 2, 3, Holliday and Dixon 1115.7, 1115.1.
EGREMONT RANGERS (254 birds): 1, 3, 5 D. Harrison and son 1121, 1111.5, 1104; 2, 4, 6, Mr and Mrs D Wilson 1112, 1111.1, 1100. (Leyland): 1, D Harrison and son 1302; 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Mr and Mrs D Wilson 1296, 1293, 1286, 1285.9. 1285.7
FRIZINGTON HS (3 sent 66): 1, 3, 4, 6,A S Kenmare and sons 1074, 1064, 1048.7, 1045; 2, 5, McSherry, Nicholson and son 1065, 1048.6.
KEEKLE HS: 1, 5, S and E Chambers and daughter 1132, 1124.03;  2, 6 Waddington and McLaughlin 1124.5, 1119; 3, J Osborne 1124.3; 4, Blackwell and Murray 1124.1.
LOWCA HS: 1, 4,  Mr and Mrs D. Wood and son 1124, 1107; 2, 3, Holliday and Dixon 1110, 1109.
SANDWITH FC: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Scurr and Parry 1125,  1117.19, 1117.16, 1106, 1105; 6, Henderson and Hutchinson 1093.

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