Grand Manan's Rotary Club held a unique fundraiser on September 14 with the island's first "Great Pigeon Race," courtesy of breeder Rick Broere. A total of 57 racing pigeons were released in Riviere du Loup, Quebec, to fly back to Grand Manan, each bearing the hopes of a $125 ticket purchaser.
      Broere, who moved to the island with his wife Linda three years ago, has been breeding and racing pigeons for over 60 years. His father and grandfather were also breeders, so he says, "It's in the blood." The Broeres had a large pigeon loft in Ontario. On Grand Manan, he says, "I had nothing to do with them except send them elsewhere" for races, so after joining the Rotary Club he decided to propose a race. "The Great Pigeon Race" is one of only four current racing "lofts" in Canada.
      Broere explains that breeders raise the chicks, then they send them to a "one loft" facility, where the pigeons are acclimated to their new home. Over several months, they are taken progressively farther from the loft, gaining experience in flying the increasing distances home. One or more races follow the training flights. The pigeons may then be sold or returned to the breeder.
      Broere's 24 by 8 foot loft can house 200 pigeons; he currently has 125. The racing season runs from May to September, skipping the hottest summer weather. For this race, his pigeons did training flights from Southern Head, Blacks Harbour, St. George, Lawrence Station, Woodstock and Grand Falls. To build up interest, 50:50 tickets were sold on these flights.
      The Blacks Harbour flight was "disastrous," Broere says, with fast moving fog disorienting the birds. While 22 of the 80 pigeons made the flight in half an hour, and 42 by the end of the day, one stayed in Blacks Harbour for a week, and others were still trickling in a month later. Two were killed when they hit wires, and one ended up in Quebec City.
      While breeders may be more cautious with expensive pigeons, they also don't want birds conditioned to fly only in good weather. Pouring rain and excessive headwinds may cancel or postpone a race, but "if you fly them in [some] rain they won't be afraid. The harder working pigeon will come home in a headwind."
      Pigeon racing is "big" worldwide. Broere says there are million dollar races in Europe. One in Thailand has over 11,400 pigeons from 56 countries and a first prize of over $200,000 USD. He says winning birds are sold at auction for as much as $140,000 euros. The most expensive pigeon on record was sold in 2020 in Belgium -- the birthplace of pigeon racing -- for $1.9 million USD.
      In less rarefied circles, ordinary pigeons may sell for $100 to $300, and a proven winner might be worth $3,000 to $8,000. He hopes that crossing first and second place winners will bring him babies worth $500. Offspring of particular race winners tend to do well over the same race courses. The big money, he says, has come about in the last five years or so, with corresponding increases in entry fees. Shipping birds for races involves -- depending on the destination -- various veterinary inspections, Canadian Food Inspection Agency permits, duty fees and trips to the mainland.
      Pigeon racing is also high tech. Each bird has an electronic band that is read by a scanner, so flight times are recorded, average speeds are calculated and birds have performance records just like human athletes. They also have names, like Gypsy Queen, Hot Cocoa, Small But Mighty and Leaping Lucy. Asked how he comes up with names, Broere laughs, "A lot of whisky."
      Family lines are tracked similarly to racehorses. Broere has two six generation families and recently started a third, bringing in new females to breed. Female pigeons, he says, race "better, longer and tougher. They have more desire to come home."
      Does he have a favourite bird? "Of course. Every year." He has a 10 year old and an 11 year old, who have bred winners every year. While 10 is an average lifespan, they can live 13 15 years, and he has had a 21 year old that produced six chicks. He says they have distinct personalities; some are very friendly and other not. "They like women better," he says; his wife feeds them. Care is a full time job, so they are used to people. Broere thinks they are intelligent and can learn things quickly with repetition. He recalls acclimating them to human company by reading a Dutch newspaper to them as he practised the language.
      Linda took the pigeons to Riviere du Loup on September 13. On Saturday, about 30 people gathered at the Broeres' to enjoy a lunch, including a pigeon themed cake as they waited for the birds, which were released at 7:30 a.m. in Quebec. At 1:30 p.m., a cheer went up as the first flight of 13 arrived with a brisk circle over the yard. The winning pigeon, "Adam Nickolas," won Adam Broere $2,500; he donated back $2,000. Second place was "Frank," bought by Frank and Barbara Christina, winning $1,500. In third place was "Billy Bob," winning $1,000 for Laurida Ells. They averaged 75.8 kilometres/hour. Broere calculated the distance at 380 kilometres.
      It's the first bird to go into the coop that is the winner, as the scanner picks up their bands. A few people could be heard urging, "Go in!" Broere joked that "sometimes you wanna shoot them" and grab the band to scan because sometimes they will perch for a while outside when they return.
      As of September 19 he was still waiting for four stragglers.
      A total of $5,500 was raised for the Rotary Club. Chair Bryant Eaton says it was "a great event," fun for all, between socializing and waiting for the birds.
      Broere says he has buyers for 53 of his current racers, and another 20 will go up for auction in Boston in November. He has invited 200 pigeons to his loft for next year and will breed 20. There is a "big money" race in the Canary Islands, and having proven his pigeons can fly over water, he'd like to try that one. He hopes to have another Grand Manan race next year.