John Stark

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THE FEDERATION WESTERLY PROFILE

This month we go North of the border for the first time to see John Stark. John is one of those pigeon fanciers that could fit into any of the profiles because he keeps all three flying breeds (West’s, Tipplers and Rollers) but I do know that John’s favourite is the West’s so we have titled the article as we always do for the West keepers as the Westerly Profile.

Whenever I think of Carnoustie I always think of the golf course but then perhaps that because of my profession but Carnoustie has other attractions and one being the home of John and Margaret Stark. John and Margaret have been married for twenty-one years and they have a daughter aged four called Jacqueline. John also has a twenty-seven year old son from a previous marriage called Keith but to date John has not been able to persuade him into keeping pigeons but he does have high hopes that his daughter will become a keen pigeon fancier. John came originally from Dundee but he did have a spell working in London for about eight years where he worked as a Foreman Scaffolder. He returned to Scotland back in 1993 and having worked for a short while in Norway has settled in Carnoustie running his own building business which he has been doing for the past seven years after having torn Achilles and major back surgery.

In his younger days John was very keen on sports and won many cups and trophies as a boxer including the Scottish National Title and four Scottish Cadet Championships. After his boxing days he became a keen amateur football player again winning many trophies.

John will tell you he started up with pigeons about 10 years ago but he and his elder brother kept homing pigeons and fantails for a couple of years when they were boys until the neighbours complained. His brother often visits John to look at his birds so you never know in time we may have another Stark keeping our beloved flying breeds.

When you read John’s profile you will see that he has really got pigeons under his skin and has taken up the challenge and become secretary of the Scottish Flying Breed Club which I know he runs with a lot of enthusiasm having become affiliated to the Federation. Margaret does like to attend the shows when she can but as you can appreciate this is limited when you have a four-year-old child, but she does act as Treasurer for the club and does all the admin work. The word computer frightens John to death so Margaret takes over hear so between them they have a great combination accumulating in a flying breed show this year held at Cupar this year with some 191 flying breed pigeons. A great show by anyone’s standard keep up the good work John it’s nice to see the popularity of the flying breeds in Scotland

A. I have kept pigeons for about ten years. I am the same as most fanciers, I started with a few garden fantails (they must be the most popular pigeon in Britain). When I was living in London, I was looking for a hobby. My wife and I discovered a place in North London called Jollys, who sold every type of animal and bird. I purchased my first pair of West of England Tumblers (for six months I though they were muffed tumblers). I also bought some flying tipplers. By this time I had the bug. On returning to Dundee in 1993 I spoke to a racing pigeon friend who told me to contact Scott Sharp. Scott was very helpful, giving me some old feathered worlds’ to read and telling me about the Scottish shows. He also informed me the birds I had were West of England Flying tumblers and not muffed tumblers.

A. My main loft is 28ft x 10ft with five compartments, four for the birds and one for my supplies etc. I have just finished building a new breeding/training loft, 10ft x 6ft.

A. I have always kept Wests and Tipplers but I also dabbled with other fancy breeds e.g.: Starlings, Archangels, Hamburg Schimmels, Helmets, South German Whitetails, Capuchins, Thurungian Shields, Felegehazers, but they were always second to my West’s.

A. At present I have fifteen pairs of West’s in most colours, four pairs of Exhibition Tipplers and four pairs of Show Rollers. My original West’s came from Andy Lowe, Dennis Burgess, Neil Thompson and Nick Jackson. My Tipplers new stud from Keith & Gill Robson, John Keepin and Tony Stone. My Rollers new stud from Richard Simpson and Jeff Davis.

A. There are lots of people I would like to thank, Nick Jackson for one. If you ask Nick for a bird and he doesn’t have it he searches the country for it. Neil Thomson for always giving me good birds. Ian Stewart and John Thomson for excellent advice. Keith & Gill Robson, John Keepin and Richard Simpson for my new studs and help with my new club (The Scottish Flying Breed Club) and also the Federation for supporting our club. There are dozens of others I would like to thank but the list would be endless.

A. Personally any bird fitting Mel Brookers description would be welcome in my loft. After type, body and balance are very important.

A. If you intend to show your birds, join a club (SFBC), Federation or any other organization. Choose the breed you fancy, don’t keep to many different breeds as it will only confuse you. You have started in the right direction by buying the Feather World. This is how I made contact with the Federation and also an excellent way to contact top breeders for birds and advice. Learn about the birds you wish to keep. Ask if you could be a steward at your local pigeon show, there should be one near where you live. Try to buy your birds from the show pen, a tip I learned from John Thomson. Loft management: It is important to have a settled loft, you don’t want to keep pigeons that you can’t handle. Flighty pigeons unsettle the others. Don’t overcrowd, always have plenty of perches. Also you don’t want open planned lofts, have small compartments, it makes it easier to handle you birds.

A. I intend to breed forty West’s, keep ten for the show pen then after the show season keep four for next year. I also have twenty rings for my Tipplers and Show Rollers.

A. I have been showing West’s for seven years and have been improving each year having good results both north and south of the border. Having just formed the Scottish Flying Breed Club (36 members) we hope to have one of the biggest clubs in the UK. Hopefully flying breed fanciers from England will attend our show. I hope to keep on improving my birds and my set up. 2001 was a good year, winning eighteen NPA certificates and sixteen Federation certificates.

A. We have lost three good West men in recent years, Alec Pollock, Dickie Taylor and Archie Davidson. These men will be very hard to replace. Ian Stewart is taking a couple of years off due to family and work commitments. I hope he is back soon, it would be nice to see his birds back in the show pen. John Thomson is back on the Scottish Show scene. You can expect him to have top quality birds. Our club has quite a few new fanciers so I am optimistic for the flying breeds in Scotland. I don’t want to get involved in pigeon politics. My interest is in good pigeons, good pigeon shows and good humour. This is my hobby and I hope to get as much fun out of it as possible.

John an excellent profile and a great attitude towards the fancy you deserve all the success that comes your way with all the energy and enthusiasm you put into your birds. Your record for last year stands for itself just keep up the good work and I am sure those wins will keep rolling in.

Very little more to say this month with the sad loss of my colleague in Australia but I will be writing to last years affiliated clubs within the next couple of weeks. Keep breeding the champions – Yours in sport Dave Walters