You don't get more "outdoor" (well, the birds get out anyway!) than the ancient sport of pigeon-racing - which is fantastically popular in Staffordshire. Following Blue Boy! Blue Boy is a racing pigeon from North Staffordshire who Radio Stoke tracked throughout the racing season in 2005. At 5 year's old he was already a seasoned pro - one of the races he took part in during the time was to Northern France! He would've flown a total of 1,426 miles over 6 races - before hanging up his overnight bag and settling down to roost! With no umbrellas, sun cream or wind breaks for protection the birds are subjected to the elements. Blue Boy likes a North West / North East wind, but bad weather does affect the birds, poor visability, rain wets the feathers - never mind the owners at home waiting for them! Blue Boy is one of the birds to beat and his off spring are also well sought after as well - although all this flying off does affect his love life! Listen to the radio pieces as they followed Blue Boy by clicking on the links on the right hand side of the page. |