Pigeon Racer Segelkin Breeds Winning Bird

Dick Segelkin and a member of his flock.

"A homing pigeon comes home - racing pigeons come home quickly." So says Dick Segelkin, local breeder and racer of thoroughbred pigeons. Mr. Segelkin recently took 1st place in one of six "lofts" that raced during a Corpus Christi Breeders Convention. Mr. Segelkin entered birds in four of the lofts and counts himself fortunate to have won against some of the top breeders and racers in the world. "I was very lucky, and I would rather be lucky than good" he stated.

Segelkin has been racing pigeons for 23 years and recalls how he fell in love with the sport. "Years ago when I was a youngster, I live in New York city and my father had a friend in another borough in New York who raced pigeons. We'd go over there to visit and he'd give us a box of pigeons and I would go home and sit out on the fire escape of our apartment and we'd turn these pigeons loose. Since then, I always wanted to raise pigeons, but I was in the Navy and I was never in an area where I could do it. I was driving around Beeville on a service call and here's this house with pigeons everywhere. The house belonged to a man named Bruce Ross. So I stopped in an asked 'Do you fly pigeons?' He said 'Yeah' and I said 'I'm interested in that' and boy, after that they wouldn't let me go!"

Racing pigeon hatchlings are carefully selected at four to five weeks old and sent to live with handlers whose job is to train the birds. When race time arrives, the birds are banded with GPS tracking chips and released at locations many miles away. Some birds are lost along the way to bad weather, hawks, and power lines. The remainder, traveling at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour, often arrive virtually simultaneously in what Mr. Selgelkin described as a "photo finish."

The sport of pigeon racing is not for everyone. Breeders race 6 to 8 weekends in spring and again in the fall. It requires patience and a willingness to spend lots of time training and evaluating breeding stock. However, if you or someone you know is interested in learning more about the "poor man's racehorse," Mr. Segelkin is ready and willing to offer advice.

Selgelkin's winning flight was recorded in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. And while we're on the subject, another racing pigeon made news from all the way across the Atlantic: Pigeon is home nine days late.