As I gaze into the sky to watch the elegant flight of a flock of birds, I come to realize I have stumbled across the passion of Mike Lane: Racing pigeons. Starting his hobby from the young age of seven, 52 years later Mike is going through 20 litres of feed per day, catering for hundreds of pigeons.

Pigeon racing originated in Belgium in the early 1800s and the activity was commonly used to deliver messages in both world wars. So, how does the racing of these magnificent birds work? The birds are taken to the starting point of the racing location by truck. On racing morning, the birds are released and their finishing point is their home. A timer is stopped as soon as a pigeon lands on the sensitive pad, which records the time. The distance is divided by the time travelled to get a final result of how far the pigeons have flown. 

Mike races his team of 27 pigeons every Saturday from destinations all around New Zealand, as far as Invercargill. There are only a few who still participate in the sport, as the activity is dying out.
A question which interested me was how do these birds return to the same destination? “It’s just like you and me” says Mike. The more attractive their home is, the more likely they are to arrive back. Eggs and young are a great magnet to the bird. Researchers are still unsure of how pigeons navigate; however, it is argued that smell, magnetic fields and the sun have a large influence. 
 

Sitting down with a beer in his hand, Mike stares into the sky, watching his team of pigeons fly gracefully above him.Just plain birds to me, but a life and passion for top flyer, Mike Lane.