Wx and the City
By Ann Posegate, Guest Contributor
Have you thanked your local pigeon racer today?
I recently learned that there is, indeed, a hobby called pigeon racing. And, pigeon races are affected by both Earth and space weather. As hospital employees in Indiana recently learned, high winds can lead to a challenging race.
You might be familiar with the homing pigeons used to deliver messages during World Wars I and II, among other past wars. On a more lighthearted note, this same species of pigeon (different from the one we see roaming around Farragut Square) is used for racing all over the world. During "good" weather with low winds -- often in late spring and early summer in the U.S. -- pigeon racers release their birds hundreds of miles away from home. The pigeons then find their way back and are judged based on how long it takes them.
Pigeons may not be the most intelligent birds -- as one long-time racer noted, "pigeons are about as smart as a dumb dog" -- but rather navigate their way home instinctually. Some scientists believe that a keen sense of smell helps point pigeons in the right direction. Most agree, however, that they also have an internal compass that navigates by following Earth's magnetic field. This is likely magnetite crystal wrapped in nerve bundles and found in their nasal region. (Makes you want to blow your nose, no?)
While recently listening to a lecture from a top scientist at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, I learned that a solar storm can disrupt a pigeon's natural homing device, causing it to lose its way and never be found again. Races in which there are large losses of pigeons are called "smashes," and can occur during significant space weather.
Apparently, during the solar flares of October 2003, the first call the scientist received was from a pigeon racer wondering just how bad the magnetosphere would be affected. Hey, homing pigeons are not cheap; a healthy pure bred can go for $25,000. Lucky for our local pigeon racers, we're at a solar minimum this year with very little space weather in sight.
Posted by: El Bombo | July 2, 2008 6:47 PM | Report abuse
Posted by: eveg | July 2, 2008 10:40 PM | Report abuse
Posted by: Steve Tracton, Capital Weather Gang | July 3, 2008 8:36 AM | Report abuse
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