HUNDREDS of pigeon fanciers have dubbed an area “England’s Bermuda Triangle” after the mysterious disappearance of more than 200 of their prize-winning birds.
Fanciers have been regularly losing birds between Thirsk and Wetherby in North Yorkshire, and Consett, County Durham, this summer.
In the latest episode, 232 pigeons were released in a blue riband race but only 13 made it home.
Some owners have lost more than half of their birds since the season started in April.
And with pedigree pigeons worth up to £200,000 each, the mysterious area is fast becoming a no-fly zone.
Last night scores of fanciers threatened to stop flying their birds until they found out why so many failed to return after a race from Thirsk to Galashiels in the Scottish Borders.
Stuart Fawcett, who has been racing pigeons for more than 30 years, said: “It is the worst year in the memory of people who have been racing for 60 years.”
I won’t be racing there again
Scottish pigeon racer Austin Lindores
The bizarre disappearances have been likened to planes vanishing in the Bermuda Triangle, the notorious area of the Atlantic Ocean between Florida, Bermuda and Puerto Rico.
Scottish pigeon racer Austin Lindores said: “When they fly down to the Thirsk, Wetherby and Consett area we call it the Bermuda Triangle because something always seems to happen. I won’t be racing there again.”
The loss of so many homing pigeons has baffled experts, with the most popular theory being the abnormal number of summer showers sending birds off course as they try to fly around them.
Unusually high levels of solar activity distorting magnetic fields and even signals from Menwith Hill spy base, a monitoring station near Harrogate, North Yorkshire, have also been blamed.
Another theory is the presence of peregrine falcons, which feed on pigeons. The practice of releasing high numbers of pigeons within minutes of each other at weekend races has also been blamed because different groups of birds send each other off course.
Wendy Jeffries, president of the Thirsk Social Flying Club, said: “I just don’t know what it is down to. I am down to 10 young birds out of 29, and the people I have talked to are the same.”
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/341818/Pigeon-racers-in-flap-as-200-prized-birds-vanish)
