Creature Feature: Birdman Of Accabonac

Dominic Schirrippa of East Hampton is keeping up a family tradition. The former New York City police lieutenant raises and races pigeons, a hobby he was initiated into during his Brooklyn childhood by his father.

Mr. Schirrippa's racing pigeons live in an immaculately maintained loft with a waterside view of Accabonac Harbor, a somewhat more pastoral view than the city rooftops the birds of his youth inhabited.

Racing pigeons are rock doves, as are the feral pigeons that city dwellers are familar with. (The ubiquitous city pigeon is almost always descended from lost or abandoned domestic racing and homing stock.) The two types of pigeons look very similar but close examination reveals that the racing birds have a leaner, more athletic body type and are more brilliantly colored than the average street pigeon.

Stone Age Origins

Pigeons were the first birds to be domesticated by man. Some scientists think that the birds were domesticated as early as the Stone Age but this has never been verified. Recorded history indicates that the birds were initially prized as food and for uses during religious ceremonies, but the pigeons became used increasingly for communication as mankind discovered their homing instincts.

Homing pigeons flew the results of the Olympic Games to the towns and cities of Ancient Greece. And during the 16th century in Europe they provided the first air mail postage service.

Their swiftness - pigeons have been clocked at speeds of 82 miles an hour - and their low profile appearance made the birds especially useful in wartime. The ancient Romans used the birds during military campaigns.

Early Warning

Even in modern warfare the birds proved invaluable. American forces used 36,000 pigeons during World War II and one of these birds, "G.I. Joe," received a medal for bringing warning of an intended bombing of an Allied-occupied Italian village in sufficient time for the inhabitants and the soldiers to get out of harm's way.

A few military forces still use pigeons, notably Switzerland and Saudi Arabia. Due to the Saudi connection, the birds were used during the Gulf War.

Racing pigeons for sport first became popular during the 1870s in Belgium and now goes on worldwide, but it is still immensely popular in Europe, where, according to Mr. Schirrippa, a swift and fecund bird can sell for well over $50,000.

In the United States there are numerous racing clubs and a national organization to set the rules and protocol for races.

Two Seasons

Mr. Schirrippa is the secretary and treasurer of the Southampton Racing Pigeon Club. He and the club's 12 other members take part in 180-mile races during the two racing seasons that occur annually.

Birds must be trained before they can be raced. Mr. Schirrippa starts his birds at 5 weeks old, before they can fly, by getting them used to the landing platform and the entranceway to the loft. Food is the primary motivator for pigeon obedience.

By 12 weeks, the pigeons are flying, and they begin to familiarize themselves with their home territory. Forming small groups, called kits, they begin to range and route over the area, gradually increasing their distances.

Tailgate Party

Working from the "liberation site" or race starting line in Pennsylvania, officials from the national racing association set and authorize the racing clocks. Each racing pigeon wears a rubber band on its leg. When it has returned to its home loft, the rubber band is removed and placed into the clock, which stamps the official race time on it. Mr. Schirrippa usually enters 10 birds in each race.

Once the birds are airborne, Mr. Schirrippa and his family and friends prepare a tailgate party to enjoy while they're waiting for their first pigeon to heave into view. Mr. Schirrippa can relax with wine, cheese, and fresh baked bread for a time, but when his pigeon flutters down he needs to get the rubber band off and stamped as quickly as possible.

This is when Mr. Schirrippa's early training with the birds pays off. It is infuriating when a high-flying speed demon of a bird refuses to settle on the landing platform and loses precious minutes by skittishly flitting about, thus preventing its owner from retrieving and stamping the rubber band.

"It's never happened to me but I've heard of it happening to other guys," says Mr. Schirrippa.

Norma, Dodi Win

Two of his birds were winners this year. Norma, named after Norma Edwards of Springs, who lets Mr. Schirrippa keep his pigeons on her property, won two races. Dodi, named after the unfortunate Egyptian boyfriend of Princess Diana, also won.

Though humans have enjoyed and made use of the homing abilities of these birds for thousands of years, we still don't completely understand how they do it. It is known that the pigeons use the location of the sun as a guide and use an internal time sense to compensate for the sun's movement across the sky.

But studies indicate that the birds have several additional guidance systems, the best understood being the birds' ability to orient themselves by using the earth's magnetic field. Homing pigeons present yet another example of an extraordinary and mysterious ability used by a non-human animal to negotiate and survive.

Easy To Raise

Mr. Schirrippa hopes to interest local schools in the formation of pigeon racing clubs for their students. The birds are hardy and easy to raise, but provide much excitement, enjoyment, and educational opportunity.

"It would be good for a science class or an after-school group," he says.

Those interested in finding out more about racing pigeons and the Southampton Pigeon Racing Club can contact the club's president, Ronald Morgan of East Hampton. And if you should see a fast flying group of pigeons wheeling about over Accabonac Creek wish them godspeed and good luck. But you'd better look fast, because those birds are quick!