Catch the pigeons: Up to 10,000 lost in race

UP to 10,000 homing pigeons have mysteriously vanished during a race across the UK.

It is thought solar winds, which can interrupt the Earth’s magnetic field, disorientated the birds while they were flying last weekend and threw off their homing instinct.

The full number missing across the country – the majority of which were travelling from Peterborough to the North East – is estimated to be between 5,000 and 10,000.

The same strange weather phenomenon which brought ‘unprecedented’ pigeon losses on Saturday is said to have caused a similar problem in Portugal and Belgium. Pigeon fancier Richard Sayers, from Skinningrove, North Yorkshire – 170 miles from the race’s starting point – said 300 birds are missing from lofts in the fishing village. He added: ‘We’ve seen one of the very worst racing days in our history. It’s a worrying situation for breeders.’ Other pigeon fanciers have now appealed to the public to help if the missing birds, which are all tagged, turn up across the country. Ian Evans, chief executive of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association, said: ‘There was certainly something happening because birds released from locations all over the country disappeared and we’ve had many reports of strays since. ‘We are obviously hoping that the majority of these birds find their way home given time.’