Daves Racing Colleague

Davetherave1947 meet your German colleague 1945. I'm ashamed to say I don't know his name even though we have chatted on numerous occasions as we pass his pigeon loft on our frequent walk past the upper mill in Ottobeuren which I Bliped just last week. The pigeons are housed in the former pig stable/sty - on the other side of the track the former horse stable.now filled with wheeled horsepower.

While Anglo-French Dave tenders his Germanic named Doves for their beauty, German Dave trains his French named Pigeons for speed. Seemingly English is the only language which makes a difference between the two types of the same bird family - Columbidae. They are all "Tauben" in German and then have various breeds where the differences are made in type, size, colour etc.

German Dave's holding a German Flag (same colours as the Belgium flag, the centre of more horrific news this morning) is not the starting flag for a pigeon race but one of his anti bird-of-prey measures when he lets his birds out for a mornings flight. He is also holding two pieces of wood which he can bang together to create noise and to his right is a bright windmill to ward off would be attackers. While we were talking and the pigeons flew their circles around us, we were joined by a buzzard and later a kite - both relatively harmless compared to the smaller harriers and falcons.

German Dave teams up with others in southern Germany and Switzerland to have their birds released in France, normally though in the Rhone and Bourgogne areas. While we were chatting I did try to get some of Davetheraves Blips on my mobile but annoyingly no mobile connection at this spot, despite it being just on the fringe of the town. However German Dave asked me to send on his greetings to his colleague near Paris.

Quick stop at the Basilica (towers in the Blip) to buy a postcard and home for lunch. Early evening took the dogs to Erkheim to post the card, showing the Basilica and Alps, to make up for my failed attempt yesterday Now wnging it's way to Southampton but sadly it won't get there for Easter - pigeon post may have been a better idea.

While in Erkheim got a call from MrB saying he was about to install a duck nest on the bit of woods we have where the tree was winched out last week. I had asked / offered it to him if he thought it may be a potential site.

Got home to find they were almost finished setting it up. They thought it could be a good site as no passing walkers etc - once disturbed a nesting duck doesn't apparently return. So lets hope it works out. Extra photo shows MrB and DrDuck with the nest. They are happy for visiting City of London ducks to use it as B&B if they want a holiday. DrDuck is new to being bliped, a temporary name until we find a suitable one. He is hoping to become a Bachelor soon. No, he's not married and he actually has little interest in ducks other than his belief as a hunter in also conserving and increasing stocks of wildlife. He is studying Forestry Management, a big challenge as he said himself, a profession that is  not always positively rated in modern times. His "teacher" is the state forester who is responsible for the parts around our house. DrDuck happened to mention something very disturbing - one of the biggest dangers for duck chicks is being grabbed by crows who carry them back to their nest, pick out the eyes and then have fresh meat on call for the next few days. Gruesome.

Nice to meet DrDuck and hope their work might produce some Blips in the coming weeks - for now need to keep my distance.