On December 11, 2011, the directors of the Vancouver Poultry & Fancy Pigeon Association met to discuss and determine the state and future of the club. Uppermost in their minds was the low turnout at the Winter Show (273 birds by 15 exhibitors), about half of what has been experienced in the past. Not only was the exhibitor count low but noticeably absent were club members from areas outside the Lower Mainland such as the Interior and Vancouver Island. There was a bright point

Salt Lake Tribune reporter Brian Maffly article from January 24, 2012

Rock pigeons — winged vermin that leave their droppings on city sidewalks — have been selectively bred for at least 3,000 years, resulting in an array of weird traits, from tiny beaks and feathery feet to puffy chests and long necks that "zither."

Read the rest of the article from this link:

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/53148494-78/pigeon-shapiro-pigeons-biology.html.csp

Interesting article in The Science Daily:

Your standard street pigeon might seem like a bore, but pigeon fanciers well know that the species as a whole is quite the opposite. Pigeons come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. Some have feathers reaching up over their heads like a hood. Others have feathers all the way to the tips of their toes or fanned out on their tails like tiny turkeys. Still others have beaks

You can download entry forms for the Vernon Pigeon and Poultry Club's 2012 Winter Carnival from their website:

• http://www.vppc.ca/Show%20Reports/2012_Winter_Carnival/default.html

Entries close on Friday, Janauary 27, 2011. The pigeon judge is Bob Sutherland. There will not be a poultry show this year, only a poultry display. Hope to see you there!

For those that did not attend the Los Angeles Pigeon Club's 100th anniversary of the Pageant of Pigeons, here is a link to a short You Tube video that gives you a good idea of what the show was like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf5Vh3VQRBo