Glen Moon with his racing pigeon Hawkeye. Picture by Jon Guegan (00717404)

A JERSEY racing pigeon nursed back to health after being attacked by hawks has won a prestigious national long-distance race.

The two-year-old bird, owned by pigeon fancier Glen Moon, of Richmond Road, St Helier, beat around 1,500 others from all over Britain when it flew the 214 miles from Poitiers in France in just 4 hr 8 min.

And as the bird had survived two savage hawk attacks last year, recovering sufficiently to be able to race again this season, there was only one name in Glen’s mind for his champion.

‘The bird was ripped to pieces last year – it had a flesh wound in the chest and had feathers ripped out; it happened twice – but he survived and was back racing this year, so I have called him Hawkeye,’ said Glen, who has himself recovered from a serious heart operation in recent months.

He said he was hopeful beforehand that the bird would do well in the race, but was ‘shocked and elated’ when he realised that it had won, being timed in ahead of those sent by around 300 other members of the British Barcelona Club, which organises long-distance races.

Competitive by nature, Glen says that it is difficult for him to stay out of the garden when a race is on. ‘When you get as excited as I do, you are in the garden before the birds are liberated,’ he joked. ‘I sit there looking up into the sky all day and all night sometimes.’
On this occasion, his dedication was rewarded with the arrival of the first bird home.

Glen’s interest in pigeons began when he was just six years old and growing up in Sunderland. He moved to the Island in 1962 and gave the sport a break as he concentrated on his job as an upholsterer and carpet fitter. Married to Angela (known as Bunny), he now has only two racers and both went to Poitiers. The second pigeon made it home the day after the winner.
His prize for first place is £300 and a collection of trophies which will be presented at an awards event later in the year.

It is the second time that he has won a national race, the previous one being from Nantes in 1993, although he has been successful in many other races, competing against fellow members of the Jersey Flying Society.

The other members who competed in the Poitiers race were Laurence Le Ruez (2nd Jersey and 19th overall); Paul Davies (3rd Jersey and 48th overall); and Willie Healy (4th Jersey, 190th overall).

The next race is from Barcelona, 570 miles, on Friday 3 July.