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The 2026 Border Homing Union pigeon racing season has seen a steady decline in entries due to challenging conditions, with numbers dropping significantly by the 13th race from Beaufort West.
The latest pigeon race from Xamdeboo saw unexpectedly slow flying speeds due to challenging easterly winds, with the top two any-age birds finishing just two seconds apart and separated by a margin of 0.001 metres per minute.
As anticipated, the change in direction to the west saw markedly increased flying speeds and much reduced gaps between the arrival of the pigeons at their home lofts.
With eight easterly route races now completed in the 2026 pigeon racing programme, the often challenging flying conditions and distances appear to have exerted a significant influence.
The second of the two pigeon races from Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal saw a considerably reduced birdage.
The slowest pigeon race of the 2026 season took place recently as the pigeons flew from Mooi River in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, a distance of about 660km for most lofts.
