Pigeon keepers show off their best in Sarnia

A pigeon show with a more than century-old pedigree returned Saturday to Sarnia.

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Rows of cages were set up on tables in the greenhouse at DeGroot’s Nurseries for the Sarnia Pigeon Show organized by the Sarnia Poultry, Pigeon and Pet Stock Association.

“This club was formed in 1915,” said secretary-treasurer Gary Parsons. “It used to be pigeons, chickens, rabbits, ducks and everything, but it’s getting smaller as time goes on.”

Urbanization and municipal rules have taken a toll, he said.

“It is an old hobby, and it is getting harder and harder because of cities implementing regulations prohibiting this, prohibiting that,” Parsons said. “It’s getting harder for people to do this in their own backyard.”

Parsons said there are now about 10 members in the group and “the last couple of years, we’ve just held a pigeon show here.”

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Approximately 615 pigeons in 30 breeds from about 30 different exhibitors, including a few traveling from as far as Montreal, were entered Saturday to compete for ribbons, trophies and a few cash prizes.

“No big money,” Parsons said. “The grand champion of the show gets $50.”

The show was open to the public and a steady stream of curious spectators wandered up and down the rows of cages as Parsons and other judges selected winners.

“Most people wouldn’t recognize these as pigeons,” he said about many birds in the show.

“There’s about 400 different breeds in total,” Parsons said. “It’s a lot like dogs and cats.”

Just like the world of dog shows, each pigeon breed has a standard and entries are compared to it, he said.

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“The one that’s closest to the standard should be the number one bird, right?” But, Parsons added, “every judge has their own opinion.”

Along with the potential to win prizes, shows are a chance for exhibitors to hear from judges about what they may need to improve on to increase their chances at future competitions, he said.

“That’s the challenge of it all. . . to get better for next year and maybe you’ll get number one instead of number two.”

The hobby is often passed down the generations, Parsons said.

“My parents had a small hobby farm in Nova Scotia and had ducks and rabbits, and everything,” he said. “My older brother took up pigeons and it just filtered down,”

Dave Nugent from Mount Brydges told a similar story. “My dad raised pigeons and ever since I was born, I’ve had them.”

Traveling to the Sarnia show was also a chance to catch up with other members of the Canadian Komorner Club, he said.

He earned a top prize Saturday in the Komorner category. “It’s nice to win,” Nugent said.

“It’s the challenge of putting the right pairs together, the right breeding program, to produce a better bird every year,” Nugent said. “That’s what I enjoy.”

Plus he works as a production manager in the automotive industry and pigeons, Nugent said, are “a nice relaxing hobby.”

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