The first spectator sport to resume after lockdown was pigeon racing. At 10am on June 1, 4,465 birds were liberated (the technical term) from a park in Kettering for a 90-mile race home to Barnsley. Averaging about 45mph, the first birds landed after just under two hours in the skies.
If you fancy finding out more about the sport, here’s a brief guide.
Racing pigeons are effectively the same species as feral pigeons but are specially bred to hone speed and stamina. The average number of birds kept in a loft is 60.
They are exercised daily for at least an hour. Pigeons are transported overnight to the liberation site, and when they arrive home a rubber band on their leg is removed and put in a timing clock.
Pigeons’ incredible sense of direction…
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The Big Issue United Kingdom (Digital) - 1 Issue, 08-06-20