Christchurch father and son spend lives involved in the niche sport of pigeon racing

By Rebecca Bull

Driving through Christchurch you might see a flock of birds glide by and think nothing of it, but somewhere in a residential area just off a main road, a father and son have just cracked a cold brew and are admiring their flock of racing pigeons circling overhead.

They're just stretching their wings similar to going for a jog, Andrew Fry explained.

His dad, Gavin Fry, recently claimed yet another trophy with one of his 50 racing birds - number 2172 - after they competed in the final of five legs at the Christchurch Federation sprint race on 28 September.

You might not have ever heard of pigeon racing, but there are clubs all around Aotearoa with people just like these two competitively flying their pigeons.

"Pigeon racing is obviously birds being liberated from a destination and returning to the property of the owner. How you calculate the speed of a bird is your total distance over total flying time which gives you a velocity," Andrew explained.

"If they do any victory laps obviously your speed's dropping and victory laps are not good because generally a victory lap, as we call it, means you're not going to win the race… literally seconds count in this sport."

The average speed of a bird, depending on weather conditions, is about 70 kilometres per hour, Andrew said.

"If they have a tail wind they can do well over 100 kilometres an hour."

But while pigeon racing may be a new concept for many, for Andrew and Gavin it's something they've known their whole lives - and it's come a long way over those years.

The early days

Gavin told RNZ he started out as a schoolboy at primary age.

"I converted the garage into a pigeon loft, got given some pigeons and it started from there - and that would be 64 years ago."

Times have changed since then, especially when it comes to transport and technology.

"Pigeon racing in the early days we used to send all our pigeons away on rail and we'd load up the vans and the trailers at the pigeon club and take them down to New Zealand Rail.

"And then about 20 years ago… a group of us got together and we bought an old truck and we hired a driver and it's evolved since then.

"Last year… the federation, with money they'd raised through the years on bird levies, they bought a brand new truck, put a brand new crate on it and now our driver takes it all around the country. (On 28 September) she was at Masterton and she'll go right through to the East Cape in November and we'll race from the East Cape."

That Masterton race was where Gavin secured his recent win - learning of his bird's victory when it arrived home, setting off a barcode as it flew into the loft, whilst Gavin was at the pub watching the All Black's game. He beamed talking about the two victories.

A family affair

While club numbers have been dropping off, the scene in New Zealand is seeing growth in people who've immigrated from overseas, especially the Philippines, and family units participating just like Gavin and Andrew.

For Andrew, he followed in his father's footsteps and has been involved since he was a boy - although now days he's more of an advisory role in the niche sport rather than racing pigeons himself.

"I've been involved ever since I was a little kid and we've had some great family friends that we've made, some have passed by, but yeah just a great sport to be involved in and more so to share it with your family," he said.

That's despite an early memory when his dad "took my limelight" with a glory photo in The Press.

"That's a real vivid memory as a kid that I actually have."

But Andrew's getting his old man back now, referring to his era in pigeon racing as the dinosaur times as the pair traded stories on the evolution of the sport.

"Forty-odd years later I'm still sharing with my father and we have a quiet beer on a Saturday and a lot of laughs and when you have two different mindsets, literally two different ideas - you have the dinosaur and then you have the modern technology. It's good banter and mum plays referee quite regularly."

But it's not just the racing side. Andrew says there's a lot of enjoyment to gain from looking after pigeons.

"I've just always liked birds. Explaining to people it's quite unique where you can like sit in your backyard, you can let them out, you can enjoy a drink - coffee, beer, whatever it may be - and it's just relaxing.

"I use it as like an unwinding tool to just sit in the backyard, summer's brewing, come home and yeah if you've had a terrible day the thing is that the birds don't talk back to you, they're always happy to see you, they're like just having 50 little wee puppies running around in a sense."

Just like having 50 puppies, caring for the birds also comes with its challenges.

Three baths a day

Andrew and Gavin say being involved with the sport is time consuming and involves a lot of work to care for their birds - including one pigeon fancier they know who baths his birds two or three times a day.

While the father son duo admit that is extreme, instead washing theirs once a day, they say it takes working together to keep their pigeons in a routine with feeding, including electrolytes and special diets, and exercise.

"Basically with a pigeon you're a nutritionist, a fitness coach, psychiatrist, you are literally everything in one but you have to analyse everything," Andrew said.

"I treat them like athletes in the sense of their recoveries so ensuring that they're given the right products at the right time to give them their best chances… there's a lot of effort that goes into it and a bit of science.

"Most people would probably treat their birds better than, in some cases, how they actually treat themselves."

They're strict on managing each pigeon's weight - too fat and they'll be too heavy to race well and too skinny and they won't have the fuel.

He also described viewing the bird's droppings to make sure they're healthy.

"It might seem weird, but in a dropping can tell you a lot of things."

SPCA Scientific Officer Dr Alison Vaughan told RNZ the agency supports the keeping of pigeons, provided they have a good life where they experience positive welfare and their physical, health, and behavioural needs are met.

She also said for racing purposes they shouldn't be travelling excessive distances, in adverse weather conditions or over unsustainable terrain.

"People interested in keeping pigeons for racing, showing or as companions should ensure they are able to provide for their birds' physical, health and behavioural needs, and find a veterinarian who specialises in avian medicine," she said.

"Pigeons are social species and need the company of their own species. Pigeons should be housed in aviaries that permit enrichment and a range of behaviours, including flight."

Pigeon Racing New Zealand's (PRNZ) website states that it "provides support and guidance in decision making with regards to animal welfare matters to ensure all members adhere to good husbandry practices in all aspects of the sport".

Lost property… or, pigeons

Andrew also said with the new electronic ways they track birds it means less handling so their wellbeing is "by far" better off compared to the early days and it's easier to get any birds which go off course back home.

Andrew said it's "not very often" birds go missing in races, but "they do go astray now and then".

Their return home is managed through Facebook groups for lost pigeons.

"Because there's pigeon flyers all around New Zealand, if it's lost somewhere it's an unwritten rule… it is our obligation to go an retrieve a bird and it's fine."

The hard part is catching them, Andrew explained, so he suggests if anyone comes across a tagged pigeon to grab it at night when pigeons can't see, then give it water, a soup mix or rice, and contact a racing club to locate the owner and have it collected within hours.

The SPCA currently has pigeons waiting to be adopted on its website.

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