News Articles

Published Sunday October 19, 2008
Racing pigeons add meaning to ceremonies
BY STEFANIE MONGE
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Randall Carney's interest in homing pigeons started with a TV show.

As a child growing up in Kentucky, Carney was a fan of "Lassie," especially an episode in which young Timmy Martin and his canine companion befriend a homing pigeon.

As an adult, Carney started training racing pigeons to compete in "marathons in the sky" that span hundreds of miles.

And today he has turned his passion for the birds into a business called White Flight, in which Carney releases white homing pigeons at weddings, funerals and civic events.

Pigeons are a better alternative at these events than white doves, Carney said. Homing pigeons, a breed of rock dove, can find their way home from as far away as 1,000 miles, but doves just fly into the branches of nearby trees, he said.

Carney decided to "try to make some money" off his birds after reading an article about a release of white homing pigeons at Disney World. He charges from $75, to release one bird, up to $300, for a dozen pigeons.

But the retired Air Force veteran doesn't charge for civic events, such as this year's 9/11 commemoration and Veterans Day. His first public release occurred on a Memorial Day several years ago to honor Vietnam veterans.

Carney said he typically releases 21 birds during such "silent salutes."

The Omahan hopes White Flight also generates interest in the sport of racing homing pigeons, which has declined in recent years.

"I wouldn't say it's a dying sport, but the cost of training, gas and feed is up."

And that is after the cost of the birds themselves.

Locally, one pigeon typically costs between $25 and $1,000, depending on its lineage, Carney said. But some people pay as much as $10,000 for a bird capable of competing in races with large cash prizes, such as the Las Vegas Classic with a $200,000 grand prize.

Those kinds of numbers discourage younger people from taking up the sport, especially during tough economic times, he said.

Many local racing clubs, however, including those to which Carney belongs, race for little or no prize money.

Caring for homing pigeons - Carney has more than 100 - can be time-consuming as well, he said.

"It takes time to scrape, clean, feed and water 365 days per year."

But he doesn't mind. The birds, the oldest of which is 13 years old, are like pets.

Carney started racing with the Omaha Racing Pigeon Association in the mid-1990s after he moved to the area.

At the start of a race the birds are dropped off at a designated point that is from 100 to 600 miles from their home lofts, or coops. The birds are timed in yards per minute, and the fastest can travel 600 miles in one day, Carney said.

Successful racers can make a living from selling their birds' offspring, Carney said.

"They're selling the name - like a copyright."

Racing pigeons, which Carney calls "Thoroughbreds of the air," have a distinct appearance that differs from their "country cousins sitting on steps outside."

But if you couldn't tell the difference between the two, you might try whistling at the bird. Carney's birds are trained to respond to his whistle, which is useful when hawks or other birds of prey approach, he said.

Although the cost of running his business has risen in the last year - the price of feed alone is up by a third - Carney plans to continue training, releasing and racing his birds. He hopes his daughters or grandchildren eventually take over the business.

"It gets in your blood. What other bird can you take and let out and watch fly away and know it will come back? You can't do that with a parakeet."

In fact, one of Carney's birds found its way home all the way from Maryland, where he left it with a friend to breed. The bird traveled more than 1,000 miles, despite never having ventured farther than five or 10 miles from its coop, Carney said.

But the story, alas, has a sad ending. The bird, which Carney dubbed "Wonder Girl," disappeared and most likely was killed by a hawk.

"All I got is memories now."

Happier times, however, awaited Carney. Last weekend, for the first time in 13 years of racing, his pigeons took first and second place in a 200-mile race.

• Contact the writer: 444-1085, stefanie.monge@owh.com