Birdmen is an insight into thediminishing world of the pigeon racingcommunity within the UK. Thephotographs focus on the peopleinvolved as they go about their day today activities like looking after theirbirds, training, race day, liberations, lifearound the allotments and so on.

Birdmen.A Photo story by Zak Waters/LightMediation

Contact - Thierry Tinacci - LightMediation Photo Agency - +33 (0)6 61 80 57 21 thierry@lightmediation.com

2346-31: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. A birdman shos off his favourite bird.

2346-01: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Birdman enjoying acup of tea in his loft.

2346-02: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Man and wife teamwaiting for their bird to arrive back from race.

2346-03: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Exercising the birdsis part of the daily routine.

2346-04: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Over 20,000 birdsbeing 'Liberated' from the transporters to start a race.

2346-04: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Over 20,000 birds being 'Liberated' from the transporters to start a race.

2346-05: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Over 20,000 birdsbeing 'Liberated' from the transporters to start a race.

2346-06: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. A typical loft on anallotment site.

2346-07: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Birdman watchinghis birds exercising from his loft or shed.

2346-08: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Humour andenjoying a good joke is an important part of the Birdmen community.

2346-52: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Cleaning the lofts.

2346-09: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Taking the birds on amakeshift trolley to the transporter where they will be driven to the race venue.

2346-10: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Bird at the entranceof its loft.

2346-11: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Birdman pointingout one if his favourite birds.

2346-12: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Tony who is disabledwith his helper sorting his best birds out for tomorrows race.

2346-08: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Humour and enjoying a good joke is an important part of the Birdmen community.

2346-13: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Birdmen trying toentice his birds back into the loft as they come back from a race.

2346-14: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Preparing andselecting the birds before a race.

2346-15: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Men at their clubhouse register their birds for a race.

2346-16: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Waiting at the clubhouse to register their birds for the race.

2346-17: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Registering andlogging the birds at the club house for the race.

2346-18: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Relaxing and havinga chat in the loft.

2346-19: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Sitting in the loft andinspecting his birds.

2346-20: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Birdman at homewith his collection of trophies from winning races.

2346-21: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Striking the race clocks to start the race. All clocks must be set at the same time and are set the night before a race starts. Greatlengths are taken to ensure that there is no cheating.

2346-21: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Striking the raceclocks to start the race. All clocks must be set at the same time and are set the night before a race starts.

2346-22: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. A young pigeon.

2346-23: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Setting the clocks atthe club to start the race timers.

2346-24: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Sometimes waitingfor the birds to come back from a race can end up as a party. The social side of the Birdmen community is

2346-42: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. A Birdman with his favourite bird.

2346-25: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Training andexercising the birds.

2346-26: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Old boys watch theskies for their birds to come back from a race.

2346-27: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Birdman checksover the race timers before they are all set at the same time.

2346-28: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. The Birdmen like tophotograph their best birds.

2346-35: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Birdman checking his vegetables in a poly tunnel as his birds fly the skies.

2346-29: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. The Birdmencommunity buy and sell their birds at auctions.

2346-30: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. A symbolic tattoo.

2346-31: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. A birdman shos offhis favourite bird.

2346-32: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Taking the emptybaskets home after registering the birds for the race.

2346-41: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Thousands of birds being Liberated or released to start a race.

2346-33: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Registering the birdsfor the race.

2346-34: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Selecting the birdsfor the race.

2346-35: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Birdman checkinghis vegetables in a poly tunnel as his birds fly the skies.

2346-36: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. A patriotic Birdmansets his flag up for the start of a race. Some of his birds were named after memebers of the Royal family.

2346-45: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. There is always one bird who wants to do his own thing.

2346-37: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. A patriotic Birdmanand family. Some of their birds were named after memebers of the Royal family.

2346-38: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. A high flyer is usedto entice the birds back from a race as they fly in.

2346-39: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. A high flyer is usedto entice the birds back from a race as they fly in. A number of family photos depicting past pigeon

2346-40: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Waiting for theweather to improve before the birds can be liberated or released to start the race.

2346-02: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Man and wife team waiting for their bird to arrive back from race.

2346-41: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Thousands of birdsbeing Liberated or released to start a race.

2346-42: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. A Birdman with hisfavourite bird.

2346-43: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Birds returning froma race above the symbolic Liver bird of Liverpool.

2346-44: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. A Birdman selectinghis birds for the race.

2346-50: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Waking up in the lorry and checking the weather the morning of the race. The start of the race can be held back for days if theweather is bad.

2346-45: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. There is always onebird who wants to do his own thing.

2346-46: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Stamping histelephone number on the birds wing before the race incase the bird gets lost and found by a member fo

2346-51: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Waiting at the clubhouse to register their birds for the race.

2346-49: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Boys enjoying fishand chips as they wait for the transporter to arrive to ship their birds to the race venue.

2346-13: Birdmen is an insight into the world of pigeon racing in the United Kingdom. Birdmen trying to entice his birds back into the loft as they come back from a race.

Birdmen.

The Birdmen community is almostunknown thought the UK, but everyweekend during the summer months theskies are full of pigeons racing home.Look up and you will see them in theirthousands going North and South fromrace points as close as 80 miles or as faraway as 600 miles. On a windless daytheir average speed is around 40 mph butwith the wind behind them these little12/14 ounce bundles of bone, feather andmuscle can reach speeds of up to 90 mphand maintain this over long distances.Head winds do not stop them any morethan rain will, given a reasonable start.Only fog and poor visibility will hinder themand even then some will get through.The homing pigeon has a long andillustrious history. Darwin gives the earliestknown record as in the fifth EgyptianDynasty (circa 3000 BC) some fivethousand years ago. Leaving pre-historybehind we know that they were used forcommunication purposes in the siege ofMutina in 43 B.C. The court of Akber Khanin India (1,600 A.D.) never moved withless than 20,000 pigeons, the Sultan ofBagdad had a "pigeon post" system inoperation in A.D. 1150 and Ghengis Khanused them for communication purpose ashis conquests spread. Julius Caesar usedthem in Gaul, they were used in the siegeof Leyden in 1574 , the siege of Venice in1849, the siege of Paris in 1870 andpigeons did the Rothschilds fortune apower of good by getting the result of theBattle of Waterloo to them well beforeanyone else knew about it. They also dida truly magnificent job during World War IIsaving thousands of lives on land and sea.I grew up in the North of England andwhen I was young, most of my friends'

fathers had allotment gardens, where theygrew vegetables and flowers for annualprize shows. A number of them also hadwhat we called sheds, where they wouldkeep their pigeons. For many years I hadno idea of the significance of the largebatches of birds flying in apparentsynchronicity, circling and twisting, and thecomplexities of the birdmen's passion.The Birdmen community is now rapidly onthe decline. The most significant factor inthe decline was the winding-down andeventual collapse of major industries,including coal mining, shipbuilding andrepair, and steel making. Wholecommunities, particularly in the north ofEngland, were affected by enormouseconomic and social difficulties. Skilledmen, whose families for generations hadbeen in employment, were faced withredundancy, job lay-offs and the prospectof lower paid non-skilled work. This led tohigh unemployment, debt and relocations,not just within the UK, but also around theworld.I was a witness to this economic decline. Iwatched, throughout my childhood andearly teens, people stripped of theiridentities and dignity as their world wastorn apart by the economic downturn thattook away everything. I also witnessedmen killing their birds in depression, angerand frustration because they had nomoney to keep them and no one else hadmoney to buy them.Over the last ten years membership in theUK has dropped again to under 46,000.The men find it increasingly difficult toattract new members, not just from outsidethe sport, but also from within their ownfamilies. Their sons and daughters are notinterested in taking part, findingthemselves with wider interests and newhorizons. Ironically the sports' popularityworldwide has rocketed. In the USA thereare many big purse races with prize

money reaching $50,000, and buyers fromthe UAE are frequent visitors to Englandand mainland Europe, where birds can beauctioned for as much as £100,000.Pigeon racing is all about love. For themen it is the love of the sport and for thepigeons the love of each other and home.Two pigeons once paired will stay witheach other for life, which is why, when abird is released in at a point 600 milesfrom its home, it will strive to be backbeside its partner often achieving this inunder twelve hours. The birdmen'ssuccess in pairing compatible birdstogether, as well as keeping them fit andhealthy is the key to producing asuccessful racing pigeon.The birdmen are the last of a workingclass breed, through whom you can chartnot only the decline of traditionalindustries in the UK but changes in the lifeof a community that is fast becoming lostforever.I hope to educate people on an interestingpart of British culture which in my viewfocuses on the last of the real industrialmen and their lifestyles. I hope to reachmany parts of the community which maybe aware of the sport, the Birdmen and itsdecline.