These are the old time flying type West of England Tumblers. I had them as a kid and have searched for them for many years but just now found them again. Most people have told me are extinct because they are now all show birds. I have heard obscure reports of one or two other fanciers still keeping the flying type but they are very elusive.
I bought them from Vito Felise out of NJ, he has had this strain for 43 years. The east coast still has a lot of these guys that are die hard flyers of different flying breeds. He only keeps high flying breeds as they are supposed to fly, so that's what he bred them for through the years.
They are all Baldheads, almost all Cream Bars and Silver Bars. He said with proper training they will fly 10 hours up in the clouds and do 1-4 flips. They are best known for real high flying (most of the times out of sight) and for many many hours. Back in England before they started to breed them for exhibition they used to have endurance flying contests with the winners having their birds in the air for the longest period of time. They also tumble, but not like a roller, they do 1-4 flips at a time and not as frequent. Most of the tumbling happens on the way up and the way down. They fly in a tight kit and circle the area.
Vito said he has culled them hard over
the years for performance only. In fact the name of his loft is "Fly
or Die Lofts." The loft name came from his culling methods, he said
if they didn't fly right, the Raptors got them and the ones that Raptors
didn't cull, he would. He came highly recommended as having the real
flying type by the West of England Club.
I bought him out so these will be it as far as this family goes. He has
too many flying breeds to fly them all at this time and he is getting
older.
I believe these Cream Bars are dilute Ash Red bar. It looks like a couple
of them have Smoky or Sooty in them. That would be the darker ones. The
Silver bars are Dilute Blue Bar. That means all I will get out of them
will be these two colors. But Vito said he was going to hunt me down some
other colors from some of his friends that he sold birds to if they
haven't crossed them into the show lines. He said to cross these into the
show lines would set them back 30 years.
Some have odd eyes (one bull eye and one pearl eye) The odd eyes are a
result of him only breeding for performance and not looks. It could be
bred out by selection if one cared to.
The following three pictures are Vito's West of England's flying at his place
The following are from supplements of Pigeons & Pigeon World magazine from 1913 and 1928
July 11, 1913
Mr. Bell on one of his lawns, with a range of
twenty-seven single- pair breeding houses in the background.
click on the thumbnail and look at the enlarged view. July 11, 1913
A kit of Mr. Bell's West's on one of his lofts. This photo is from the 1928 supplement.
Winning kits flew 4-9 hours with five hours being the average time. One kit flown by a West fancier in Coventry, England flew for 12 hours and 20 minutes.