British Bermuda Triangle is Eating Pigeons as Florida’s Eating Aero planes

Only 13 out of 232 could make to their masters causing a loss of around 
£200,000 each. That is what is being inflicted on pigeon racers by an area  between Thirsk and Wetherby in North Yorkshire, and Consett, County Durham and is being likened to Bermuda Triangle.  The pigeon community have been losing the costly birds throughout the summer, which is fast becoming a no-fly zone.

The original Bermuda triangle lies in an area in the Atlantic Ocean off the
coast of the Carribbean and Florida where aircraft are said to mysteriously disappear.

Keith Simpson, head of the East Cleveland Federation, said British pigeon racers had suffered massive losses since the season started in April - with many losing more than half of their birds whereas Scottish pigeon racer Austin Lindores said: “When they fly down to the Thirsk, Wetherby and Consett area we call it the Bermuda triangle because something always seems to happen. This is not the first time it has happened in that area. I won’t be racing there again.”

The loss of homing pigeons has baffled experts, with the most popular theory being the abnormal number of summer showers sending birds off course as they attempt to fly around them. Unusually high levels of solar activity distorting magnetic fields and even signals from Menwith Hill spy base, near Harrogate in North Yorkshire, an electronic monitoring station, have also been blamed.

Wendy Jeffries, president of the Thirsk Social Flying Club, said: “I just don’t  know what it is down to. The weather wasn’t too bad around here on Saturday. It has been an atrocious year. I am down to ten young birds out of 29 and the people I have talked to are the same.”

Pigeon racer Stuart Fawcett, who has been racing pigeons for more than 30 years, said: “It is the worst year in the memory of people who have been racing for 60 years.”