Mystery of the pigeon fanciers' 'Bermuda triangle'

[Hum]

Hundreds of racing birds have disappeared in unexplained circumstances after being released in the region.

Experts are baffled at the phenomenon, with abnormally high rainfall, high levels of solar activity and even signals from a spy base being blamed.

Pigeon fanciers have compared it to the disappearance of ships and aircraft in an area of the Atlantic bounded by Miami, Bermuda and Puerto Rico. But now the mystery centres on a geographical area encompassing Thirsk, Wetherby and Consett.

In the latest episode, only 13 out of 232 birds released in Thirsk last Saturday by a Scottish pigeon racing club made it back to Galashiels in the Scottish Borders.

Keith Simpson, of the East Cleveland Federation of pigeon fanciers, said racers across the region had suffered huge losses since the season started in April, with many losing more than half their birds.

Some are considering stopping flying them until they establish why so many fail to return.

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.

?This is not the first time it has happened in that area. I won?t be racing there again.?

It is the latest problem to hit the world of pigeon fancying. Some 60,000 people are thought to keep the birds, including 42,000 who race them, but the numbers are in steep decline and there are fears the pastime could be extinct within a decade.

There is as yet no proper explanation for the pigeon ?Bermuda triangle? but the most popular theory is that the abnormal number of summer showers has been sending birds off course as they attempt to fly around the downpours.

Another suggestion is that unusually high levels of solar activity have distorted magnetic fields thought to be used by the birds to navigate their way home.

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[Growled Member]

Something has changed about the earth and whatever it is has messed up the bird's built in navigational systems.

[.Neo]

Something has changed about the earth and whatever it is has messed up the bird's built in navigational systems.

Which would be the magnetic field. That's not really something we can influence though.