…………Up Above The World So High
Like A Diamond in The Sky…………..
The above lines composed by that great poet, not only describes the beauty of the stars up above, almost millions of light years away. It also seems the appropriate word for those who enjoyed nurturing high flying pigeons. These beautiful peace loving creatures are really mystery to the human eyes, when they fly in a circular position up above, almost over the clouds. They are really a distinctive breed and they are also very faithful to their masters too in obeying commands. Their loyalty seems second to few in the avian world. Generally there are two kinds of high flying pigeons available in Eurasian geographical area. They are Gerobaz and Homer, along with many sub-breeds.
Pigeons are one of the faithful of the lot in all of avian category. A real story of their faithfulness, I encountered all by myself. I sold a pair of high quality and high flying pigeons to a friend in Kolaghat, Midnapore. It was one of my favorites, however within a matter of twelve to fifteen days, it returned to me in Kolkata. I was really astonished, when I saw them sitting on the ceiling of the attic. It was the same pair; I sold to my friend just a fortnight ago. There is a basic difference between these two breeds. The Gerobaz species of pigeons are generally white in color with a mix of brown, ash or chocolate shades over the back. The belly area is generally white and with very bright sharp and distinctive eyes. As far as Homers are concerned they are generally black or a mix of deep green. Over the last few years, there is a visibility of a pure white variety and this is known as Ceylon homer.
As far as the flying pattern is concerned, homers are mid-altitude flying creatures and also at an average which is a little lower than the high altitude Gerobaz. The average flying speed of the Gerobaz is also much higher than the homer. Gerobaz also poses a typical characteristic. When they are in mid-air or in mid- altitude, they vault in order to gain height and speed. This trend is visible more among the males than the females. This gives a magnificent view to the human eye. Sometimes it could become dangerous for the bird itself. This makes them unfavorable to the Postal department. As far as my pigeon flock was concerned, I would keep a mix of both high flying Gerobaz and homers to medium flying parpon, ghuri-loton, mukkhi, sirajul etc. At any time I would maintain at least 30 pairs of pigeons. Their diet would consist of high-quality grain and a mix of gram and other pulses. Their day would start at around 5.30 to 6am in the morning, then after an hour of flying practice they would rest for a while. Then at around 7 to 7.3o am they will be fed with a mixture of high quality grains and pluses. Their water would consist of a tea spoon of multi-vitamin. At around 5 to 6 pm, they would get a few grams and grains and goes to rest.Their loyalties towards obeying my commands were almost unique. They won medals and also a few cash prizes in pigeon competitions.
