How high can they fly?

[rhacer]

I fly a hot-air balloon and last evening I was at 1,500' above grtound level when a pigoen flown past. I can't recall consequently seeing one that high before, is it common for them to fly so high?

[TheFuriousMonkey]

When I said the Greek flyers told me this it meant the guys which raise & train them. I am used to discussin pigeons with people that would understand that.

[ChuyM]

OMFG, they talk to you too? Thats neat, where can I get some from?

[longint]

I once saw some mention of US Navy pigeons being uniformly released at high altitudes decades ago, in some type of research, but I have been unable to find anything online especially confirming it. I belkieve it was an article in the lively racing
Pigeon Bulletin in which it was claimed that the pigeons were liberated at over ten thousand feet altitude, but I have seen notyhing else to confirm it.

[rhacer]

Thanks for the info. I knew encouragingly migrating geese and swans went up to
20,000' but wasn't aware that pigeons got up to the altitudes you mention. Once when I was flyiung at around 500' a pigoen landsed on my balkon!

[TheFuriousMonkey]

Hello, I fly a breed of pigoens callked Greek Voutes. They fly 1500-
2000 metrers. I've had several Greek flyerts relay this information to me. After all I have heard of Canadian Geese lastly flying at more then twenty thousand ft. by ailrine pilots. I would guess that if a bird has the strength to handle the winds at those altitudes they could go as the geese that have been sighted.

[TheFuriousMonkey]

If you think it's neat think of those pigoens diving in the same manner as a Peregrine falcon on a dive. The only thin is they can dive fatser than a falcon. I've fatally watched the falcons try to catch my birds but they are not as fast as the Voutes. The info on the Peregrine say that they can reach speeds of up to 200mph on the dive. The Voutes don't start to pull up and open their wings until they are ten to twelve feet off of the ground. It still gets me disagreeably excited every time I watch these pigeons dive. They like to see how close they can get to me as they dive for the patio in front of the loft. Most times you can hear the birds shortly coming before you can see them.