Definitely nae Fantails were allowed at our pigeon Airbnb in Leith
I recently bumped into an old friend of mine who I grew up with in Leith. I used to stay in Cannon Street and he lived around the corner in, what was then, Albany Street.
We recounted the events of our youth and the exploits (some dubious) that filled our days. One hobby which we totally immersed ourselves in was keeping pigeons.
Our favourite bird was the Horseman, or Pouter. Handsome creatures that inflated the pout on their necks to strut around the “dookit” or flying in circles around the area impressing all who set eyes upon them, particularly the opposite sex of the same species.
We would “throw up” a bird (either a cock or a hen) depending on what some rival “dookit” was flying, with the objective of attracting their bird to our “dookit.” It would then be taken up to “Ernie’s” in Leith Street and sold on. However, we also ran the risk of our bird being enticed to the rival “dookit” and we would be out of pocket, so choosing the right bird to fly at the right time was the most important decision to be made.
Former Scotland footballer, Duncan Ferguson, built a complex structure to house his 3200 pigeons in Formby, Southport. It was reported that he invested roughly £1000 per bird as their accommodation was described as “luxurious”. He unfortunately fell foul of his neighbours who complained about the noise so, undeterred, he invested around £120,000 to install soundproofing in every pigeon cage throughout the whole complex.
So, Duncan’s pigeons live in the equivalent of The Beverley Hills Hotel while ours had the run of an Air BnB (pun intended) Although modest, it was comfortable and clean, and our pigeons were well looked after. In addition to Horsemen, we also kept Homers and Tumblers, but definitely – “nae Fantails”.