Over the last couple of years, I’ve been hearing that there was a group of pigeon fanciers in Buffalo. As my curiosity got the best of me, I tracked down Jerry Gallagher, who happens to be the vice president of the Buffalo Fancy Pigeon Club. I figured that he would have plenty to share, mostly because I knew “zippo” about “pigeoning.”
Right off the bat, Jerry told me that there was no such word as pigeoning, and we both got a good laugh, which set the interview off to a good-natured start. Talking to Jerry was very amusing – the guy has a ton of anecdotal stories, many of which I hope to share down the road. “I could talk for hours…” Jerry told me [laughing].
It turns out that Buffalo was once a mecca for pigeon keeping, including breeding fancy pigeons and racing pigeons. But these days, due to attrition, the pigeon scene is not what it once was, although there is a renewed hope that this city can get back some of its pigeon mojo.
“Most people think of pigeons only as the birds that sit on statues,” Jerry offered. “I love Woody Allen, but he really hurt us with the ‘rats with wings‘ comment. Did you know that early Olympic competitors would bring a pigeon to the games, and when they won they would send the messenger pigeon back to their home country? It was the fastest news that could be delivered to people who were anticipating the results. While the fancy pigeons have had the ‘homing instinct’ bred out of them, there is the Buffalo Racing Pigeon Club that is a 300-400 mile race competition. Racers will release the birds in Erie, PA, for example, where they will race home to Buffalo. There are well over 200 breeds of pigeon… then there are the wild ones that sit on the statues, which people are mainly aware of. It’s like thinking of wolves and the dachshund – they are completely different.”
Jerry told me that there was once a very lively race club on Broadway.
“When the older breeders passed on, the younger generations were not interested in the hobby, so they had to sell the clubhouse, which is unfortunate. Our president Gene Kornacki now hosts the monthly meetings at his home – he’s been a life saver for the club.”
“After WWII to the 70s, Buffalo was one of the top pigeon cities, for racing,” Jerry informed me. “There was a time when the Fancy Pigeon Club had several hundred members, with shows of 400+ birds. Right now we are down to about a dozen core members, but things are picking up. We’ve been on a mission to figure out how to get more members. Exhibiting at the Erie County Fair has helped. A while back, there was an outdoor tent where many pigeons were stolen, and we were taken off the list of exhibitors. We lobbied to get put back on the list. Up until that time, we had 60 pigeons in the exhibition, and they were being judged by a poultry judge who didn’t know anything about pigeons, so he would just pick the prettiest one, which is not how it’s supposed to work. The fair said that we could come back if we could grow the show to 100 birds, and they would hire hire a real pigeon judge. In 2018, we had 132 birds – I called everyone and told them that this was our big chance and everyone had to show multiple birds. It worked. There was some prize money, an information table, posters and magazine (yes, there’s a pigeon aficionado magazine called ‘Purebred Pigeon‘). People would come up and ask us about the pigeons, and their countries of origin, and the racing homers, and the white homing pigeons. Did you know that when birds are released at weddings, they are not doves…? They are white homing pigeons! If people only knew [laughing]. They are no less beautiful or wonderful, however.”
Jerry went on to tell me that pigeons were heroes during the world wars, and if the grid ever goes out, pigeons might be our last resort, so don’t ever discount them [laughing].
He also clued me in to the Book of Standards – it’s the Holy Grail or the Bible of “pigeonry.” Nope, that’s not an accurate term either, according to Jerry. The book tells of the ways that pigeons should look and behave, from their walk to their “talk” to their markings, feather colors, stature, crests, tails… “And pigeons mate for life,” exclaimed Jerry. “They do?” I replied, totally awestruck by the idea that pigeons are monogamous (pair-bonding).”
When they are young, domesticated pigeons are tagged, which means that if they ever escape, they can be tracked. In a coming article, I will be recounting some of Jerry’s wild and crazy stories about venturing out to find errant pigeons.
While Jerry gets excited about the pigeons, he gets even more excited for other people’s love for the birds, especially young people, including his granddaughter. Apparently a couple of the newest club members are 13 year old girls who have found information on the internet.
“One of the girls got a hold of me and told me that she was having fertility trouble with her Danzig highflyers,” Jerry said. “We were all so impressed! Another girl’s parents told me that the pigeons have helped her to become a more responsible person – she had such a wonderful bond with her birds. My granddaughter brought me to her class and asked me to talk about the lifecycle of pigeons!”
You don’t have to have a bird to be part of the club, Jerry told me. You just have to have a fondness and interest in pigeons (or simply an interest in the planet’s critters.) Jerry spends his time giving presentations at sheltered homes for adults, women’s clubs, schools, etc., in hopes of getting the word out there about the club.
When I asked Jerry where his passion for pigeons came from, he told me, “I was raised in northern NY, near Ottawa. There weren’t any clubs but an older guy at school was really into it. One day, when we were at an abandoned farm, a pigeon fell out of a nest. I took it home and nurtured it. Then, at around 12, I went to the county fair after saving up some money. I saw the most incredible pigeons. I ended up not spending any money on the rides, and instead went to the exhibitor’s house the next day and bought a pair of pigeons. My dad helped me build a small loft and I was hooked. I didn’t do it for many years when I had my own family, but I always kept my interest. When I retired as a school teacher, my wife and I bought a fixer-upper in North Buffalo where I could build a flypen and raise pigeons – today I have around 65 [laughing]. My wife said, ‘No more.’ Aside from the fancy pigeons, I’m also a member of the Buffalo Racing Pigeon Club.”
Jerry would love to see Buffalo the pastime of pigeon breeding, showing, and racing come back strong, and he’s not alone in his thinking. There is a new breed of birder out there that is showing a lot of interest in the hobby.
“Once people know about the pigeons, they love them. It’s all about getting the word out there. Anyone is welcome to ask questions, attend events, and become a pigeon fan or fancier. The pigeons sitting on the statues are nice, but there’s a whole other world of pigeons out there.”
Me? I’m going to start with a sweatshirt, and work my way up the ladder.
The Buffalo Fancy Pigeon Club on Facebook is now over 100 group members… and growing.
Go Jerry go!
Lead image: Jerry holding up a ‘show roller’