We at Bangalorebest homed on to Edison Thomas, with his unique passion for pigeons, his best friends are of the feathered variety! He is a homing pigeon 'Fancier', a term used for those who have a keen interest in birds, breeding, training techniques and similar inclinations.

Bright blue Sunday skies see him motoring down Bellary Road, with his pannier containing his flock of homing pigeons. They never fail to wing their way to success as they execute flawless formations and make their way to the loft atop Edison's house more than a 100 Kms away, in just as many minutes!! If you are as intrigued as we were about this decidedly different hobby, read on….

Edison Thomas has an impressive brood of 80 birds, with 40 racing birds and 20 breeders amongst them. His love for pigeons goes back to when he was 7 years old, but his flights of fancy turned into a serious interest in 1996, when he chanced upon articles on the net related to homing pigeons and their escapades in Africa and Columbia. It was then that he picked up his first batch of homing pigeons from a breeder in Tirunelveli.

Homing pigeons have an uncanny ability to find their way back. There are many theories regarding this, the most accepted ones are the Magnetic Orientation and Biological Clock theories. Their magnetic orientation helps them recognise polarity, so they can sense home without any training, in a single spin. The biological clock theory propounds that their inbuilt mechanisms help them lock in on the sun's position and navigate, keeping the sun on their left.

A careful monitoring of their diet and training techniques contribute to the essential nurture of the birds. They are fed twice a day, in the early morning and evenings. Their diet consists mainly of green peas, whole-wheat grain, Jowar, maize, Bengal gram, Ragi and greens for iron. Their feed is very balanced at 16% protein, 15% fat, 60% carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. At times they are also fed a mixture of shell grit, brick stone and salt that helps the digestive processes.

Edison's prized birds, like most racing pigeons, hail from the wild pigeon and blue rock pigeon family. Most of them have been named after their breeders, like the American Sions, Stassarets and the Canadian Janssers (named after the Jansser brothers of Canada). In India the best breeds are from Kolkota and Tirunelveli in Southern Tamil Nadu.

Pigeons live up to the age of 25 to 30 years; their prime racing years are preceded by basket training them when they are about 4 months old, and by the time they are 7 months old, they are old enough to be mated and can be raced. Edison starts his training schedule when his birds are 4 months old; they are carried in rectangular cane baskets known as panniers, for short distances of one kilometer and released. If they are unable to get their bearings, he brings them back to the same location the next day, until they learn to perfect their flight. He progressively increases the distances as the pigeons hone their inborn instincts.

His pigeons have traversed seemingly impossible distances of up to 900 Kms in 12 hours flat! They have flown in from places like Akola and Parbhani in Maharashtra. Their feats also include covering other impressive distances like Anathapur (200 km), Mantralaya (350 kms) and Gulbarga (500 km). They follow set patterns of flight and rest overnight if the sun sets during their journey. They are raced ideally during the summer months only, and are not to be raced during the monsoons, or the molting seasons. This is because the birds find it difficult to fly long distances in the rain. Further, the molting season is not conducive as it leads to bleeding and is painful for the birds since they are shedding their feathers.

His treasured birds have made him proud many a time by winning every distance event from 100- 900 Kms, but winning is a bonus for him, as he would not want to do anything that would hurt his birds. His relationship with his birds is what is most important for him. His immediate plans include the formation of the 'Blue Rock Breeders Association', which would have him getting together with his other fancier friends. They aim to propagate natural methods of breeding to preserve the gene pool of the best racers they have now. They also plan on developing medicines and vaccines that would help prevent diseases for pigeons and bird life in general. Edison would recommend this hobby with a difference for all those who have a genuine love for birds.

For your chance at some soaring happiness, contact
Edison Thomas
Blue Rock Breeders Association
Phone:2244 8575
E- mail: maileddy@yahoo.com

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