I have been having my ups and downs. My downs have been that raccoons wiped me down from over 40 birds down to 4. I started my rebuilding program and I lost a few more squeakers one failed to come home after a toss. Another got hit by a car. I missed out on making any money from some of the wedding tosses and releases I could have done if my flock had not been decimated.
My ups are now I have started giving presentations on homing pigeons at a Mad Science School and Summer Camp program. I had a article in the local news paper published on my hobby.
Here is it in it's entirety:
Ron MacKinnon divides his time between the boards and the birds.
This Moncton native retired from CN in 1996 after a railroad career that included coach cleaner, brakeman, yard foreman, conductor, and finally, yard master.
Following retirement he was in the "apartment buisness for awhile."
About 11 years ago he got into acting introduced to local theater by a friend, he agreed to help out with a script reading and was offered the part. Most years see him on stage withe Lutes Mountain Heritage Players, and he enjoys that experience.
He also enjoys raising homing pigeons, a hobby he's been involved in for many years - returning with renewed enthusiasm to the pastime once his granddaughter, Kamecha, became interested.
"My pigeons are Belgium, bloodline and they're rock doves. That's what their formal name would be, but everybody calls them pigeons - and pigeons are not native to North America. Anything you see is a feral that got away on someone"
MacKinnon does white dove (pigeon) releases at weddings, funerals, Remembrance Day ceremonies, the Sussex Balloon festival, and more, and the (banded) birds quickly fly back to his Lutes Mountain home. He says nobody really understands why the pigeons return with such accuracy, although MacKinnon's theory is that they become "magnetized to home."They also have to be trained.
"You've got to get them young: stresses MacKinnon, änd then you have to have a loft for them outside, with access... There is an attracting mechanism, so I can let them out and they can free fly, then they come in and trap and then they can't get back out...Right now my birds are out flying around."
Also called carrier or messenger pigeons, these birds were used to great advantage on the front line of both world wars. MacKinnon's grandfather Arnie MacKinnon, fought in the First World War and his father Murray MacKinnon was a member of the Second world War's special forces the Devil's Brigade, and both saw pigeons used in this way. In fact, There's a Victoria Cross equivalent for animals, the Dicken Medal, that has been bestowed upon pigeons 32 times for outstanding wartime service.
MacKinnon now has nine pigeons, down from last year's 40 because " over the the winter, raccoons got in and brought me down to four."
Other hobbies include playing the guitar and singing, vegetable gardening, hunting and fishing.
MacKinnon and his wife Petrechia (half of the famous musical Gaynor twins) have three grown children Darren, Shannon, and Tammy and two granddaughters.
Endearingly unique and enjoying every minute of it. MacKinnon once went barefoot for an entire year, during which time he observed that "salt really hurts your feet in the winter."
When it comes to observations about life, he has three favourites "Grandmothers and grandfathers should never retire they should live to inspire; Love is a verb, not a noun;"and "we do not live in a perfect world - live for something or you are dying for nothing."
gardening, hunting and fishing.
MacKinnon and his wife Petrechia (half of the famous musical Gaynor twins) have three grown children Darren, Shannon, and Tammy and two granddaughters.
Endearingly unique and enjoying every minute of it. MacKinnon once went barefoot for an entire year, during which time he observed that "salt really hurts your feet in the winter."
When it comes to observations about life, he has three favourites "Grandmothers and grandfathers should never retire they should live to inspire; Love is a verb, not a noun;"and "we do not live in a perfect world - live for something or you are dying for nothing."
Plus (believe it or not) I have a local TV station coming out to my home Monday to shoot a segment on me and my grand daughter.
My flock is currently at 9 flying birds 2 squabs and 2 eggs.
My ups are now I have started giving presentations on homing pigeons at a Mad Science School and Summer Camp program. I had a article in the local news paper published on my hobby.
Here is it in it's entirety:
Ron MacKinnon divides his time between the boards and the birds.
This Moncton native retired from CN in 1996 after a railroad career that included coach cleaner, brakeman, yard foreman, conductor, and finally, yard master.
Following retirement he was in the "apartment buisness for awhile."
About 11 years ago he got into acting introduced to local theater by a friend, he agreed to help out with a script reading and was offered the part. Most years see him on stage withe Lutes Mountain Heritage Players, and he enjoys that experience.
He also enjoys raising homing pigeons, a hobby he's been involved in for many years - returning with renewed enthusiasm to the pastime once his granddaughter, Kamecha, became interested.
"My pigeons are Belgium, bloodline and they're rock doves. That's what their formal name would be, but everybody calls them pigeons - and pigeons are not native to North America. Anything you see is a feral that got away on someone"
MacKinnon does white dove (pigeon) releases at weddings, funerals, Remembrance Day ceremonies, the Sussex Balloon festival, and more, and the (banded) birds quickly fly back to his Lutes Mountain home. He says nobody really understands why the pigeons return with such accuracy, although MacKinnon's theory is that they become "magnetized to home."They also have to be trained.
"You've got to get them young: stresses MacKinnon, änd then you have to have a loft for them outside, with access... There is an attracting mechanism, so I can let them out and they can free fly, then they come in and trap and then they can't get back out...Right now my birds are out flying around."
Also called carrier or messenger pigeons, these birds were used to great advantage on the front line of both world wars. MacKinnon's grandfather Arnie MacKinnon, fought in the First World War and his father Murray MacKinnon was a member of the Second world War's special forces the Devil's Brigade, and both saw pigeons used in this way. In fact, There's a Victoria Cross equivalent for animals, the Dicken Medal, that has been bestowed upon pigeons 32 times for outstanding wartime service.
MacKinnon now has nine pigeons, down from last year's 40 because " over the the winter, raccoons got in and brought me down to four."
Other hobbies include playing the guitar and singing, vegetable gardening, hunting and fishing.
MacKinnon and his wife Petrechia (half of the famous musical Gaynor twins) have three grown children Darren, Shannon, and Tammy and two granddaughters.
Endearingly unique and enjoying every minute of it. MacKinnon once went barefoot for an entire year, during which time he observed that "salt really hurts your feet in the winter."
When it comes to observations about life, he has three favourites "Grandmothers and grandfathers should never retire they should live to inspire; Love is a verb, not a noun;"and "we do not live in a perfect world - live for something or you are dying for nothing."
gardening, hunting and fishing.
MacKinnon and his wife Petrechia (half of the famous musical Gaynor twins) have three grown children Darren, Shannon, and Tammy and two granddaughters.
Endearingly unique and enjoying every minute of it. MacKinnon once went barefoot for an entire year, during which time he observed that "salt really hurts your feet in the winter."
When it comes to observations about life, he has three favourites "Grandmothers and grandfathers should never retire they should live to inspire; Love is a verb, not a noun;"and "we do not live in a perfect world - live for something or you are dying for nothing."
Plus (believe it or not) I have a local TV station coming out to my home Monday to shoot a segment on me and my grand daughter.
My flock is currently at 9 flying birds 2 squabs and 2 eggs.
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