Childhood experience turns into man’s lifelong hobby
By Meredith Perry
Alexander Zamojski watches while a pigeon takes flight. His
pigeons are free to fly around the neighborhood and surrounding
area, and always return to their loft. He keeps his birds in
baskets for release during training and for traveling purposes.
All of Zamojski’s pigeons reside in the loft he built. The
structure consists of a sheltered inside area with various
perches and nests and a screened outside area. Although pigeons
cannot fly out of the loft without being released by Zamojski, a
unique door-flap system allows them to return safely without his
aid.
At age 12, Alexander Zamojski took a trip to visit family friends in a
suburb of Syracuse, New York. He explored the friends’ barn during his stay,
and was delighted to discover pigeons living in the loft.
“When I saw those pigeons, I knew right then that there would be a big
change in my life,” the 86-year-old Allen Park native said.
Since that fateful trip, Zamojski (friends call him Al) has raised and raced
homing pigeons.
Zamojski’s first birds were backyard pigeons he took loving care of as a
boy.
Although it took time for him to acquire pigeons specially bred for racing,
he eventually purchased his first male and female pair in 1950.
At the time, pigeons were a favorite military resource and racing them was
becoming a popular sport.
Pigeons have an innate homing ability, meaning that they generally return to
their own mates and nests. Pigeon racing was a fascinating prospect for many
youths.
“Homing pigeons were exciting as a young boy, and I looked at a future that
would be even brighter,” Zamojski said.
He started raising pigeon chicks from his first breeding pair. Originally,
he kept the pigeons in his garage, but as his flock grew, he built a loft in
his back yard to suit his needs.
“I really loved it (raising pigeons) and worked hard. It’s pretty obvious —
I built that loft to last,” Zamojski said, indicating the structure in his
yard.
After a while, he joined the local pigeon-racing club, West Side Members, to
begin competing against other fanciers. To prepare for races, Zamojski put
each pigeon through months of training.
In their first month, pigeons are held in a wire cage outside of their loft
so they become acquainted with their home and environment.
Then they are ready to be released and to fly on their own around the
neighborhood. The pigeons are well trained and do not damage neighbors’
property.
Once they have some experience flying, the birds are taken on their first
training trip, called the two-month toss.
The pigeon fancier releases them two miles from their loft and hopes they
will find their way back home, Zamojski said.
The pigeons may have to battle various obstacles along the way, including
birds of prey and getting mixed up in another fancier’s flock.
However, most pigeons do find their way back, and then their training
increases, and they are dropped off from advanced distances, Zamojski said.
Training continues until racing season, which is April for adult pigeons and
July for young pigeons, he said.
Adult pigeons compete in races of 500 or more miles. Young pigeons start
racing at 100 miles, and gradually increase their course to 400-plus miles
later in the season.
Homing pigeons are fitted with a special leg band within two weeks of their
birth that identifies them as racers. The band is printed with a serial
number and their club’s initials.
This band is used to recognize pigeons when they return from races.
Zamojski and his pigeons competed in his first race in August 1950.
Throughout his career, he competed and placed in various events, winning
many money prizes.
“My favorite part of racing was taking the birds to the club and picking the
birds that I think will be the first ones home, and upon arrival, learning
that I was able to pick the right ones to earn a prize,” Zamojski said.
However, caring for the birds also is rewarding.
“I enjoy my pigeons. They are an objective for me in my life,” Zamojski
said.
Pigeon racing reached its peak in the 1980s, with long-distance races
featuring thousands of competing birds trained by fanciers around the
nation.
“The most memorable moment of my career was when I took 16th position in a
national convention race flown here in Detroit. There were 1,000 birds, and
only 26 birds came home on the first day,” Zamojski said.
Naturally, as the club grew, so did technology. In the past, fanciers had to
wait for pigeons to return to their lofts to remove their bands and have
their finishing times recorded.
However, an electronic timing device is now the preferred method of
recording times. Pigeons are banded with a special chip that is recognized
by a scanner in their loft, which records their time.
Throughout his lifetime, Zamojski has seen the rise and gradual fall of
pigeon racing. Recently, the sport has declined, despite many still active
pigeon racing clubs.
Although Zamojski does not race his birds anymore, he continues to raise
pigeons and is still a member of the racing community.
“I enjoyed my life because of my pigeons,” Zamojski said.
For more information on pigeon racing, please contact Zamojski at
1-313-382-1476.
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