Hey Sean, great videos brother! Keep them coming, its hard to find helpful experienced mentors in this sport. Your videos are very informative, a great way to keep the sport alive for the younger generations.
I have done this tests with previous versions of the GPStracker. If you dont wait foor at least 10-15 minutes between the releasemoments, the birds will travel together!! Nice video!
Sean, that is amazing .... Ive always believed in single tossing early in the season, rather than "mob" tossing ..makes the bird work it out, rather than follow the Alpha bird.
It makes total since to me, the racing birds saw a hawk crow(s) falcon or seagull type bird(s) or the winds or weather also is a factor plus all the other electronic waves we can't see: this is how the smart ones make it back. Keep up the videos!!!
I can't wait to see what kind of pigeon project you have planned, Shaun. A new loft probably. I have some loft accessories that you may be interested in.
very interesting. I wonder why they fly up to the ridge-line? It would be interesting to see what flight pattern they would use from Molokai. They gotta go over water, but in what direction?
I love that new system, really amazing, much improvement over thier prototype beta version iv used back in 2010 - 2012. Im aniouxs to see your results from off island. I had taken my tracking data as for as captain cook with 3 two-bird teams wth phenomenal and mysterious results. Im gona get me this new system soon. But there is one from uk with a smaller lighter ring set and 20sec intevals. But it cost twice as much with only 4 rings. Aloha, Mike Tui
Pozdrawiam Z Europa Z POLSKA:)SUPER DOSWIADCZENIE Z TRASA PRZELOTU PTAKÓW!!!!!Wow!!!SUPER INFORMACJE Z FILMU!!!!!DAJE CI SUBSKRYBCJA KANAŁU I ŁAPA W GÓRE:)!!!!DZIEKUJE ZA TAK CIEKAWE ANALIZA PRZELOTU PTAKÓW!!!!
Hej mate, It's a great job. i think you should do it for even longer distances. After this, you can sort out good racing pairs and produce great racing pigeons.
i think its perfect to train and unlock the potential of the first bird in the blue path.. that guy might struggle the first 5-10 minutes of his flight looking which way home trailing north, but as soon as he recognized its a wrong way and found out which way is right to home it then flew much straight line crossing oceans without zigzagging a lot compare to the rest of the other birds.. the next toss of much greater distance is a lot exciting for the first bird
that's so cool Aloha.. I like what u doing.. I'm also a Pigeons lover, I love Racing Homers & I always wanted to trace the route that they take to get back home when u release them from a new location somewhere far away but now it seems like there's a way to do this.. thanks for the information dude, I would definitely need to try this out very soon!!
Hi Danny, they sure don't like to fly over water. If I'm brave enough I will put a gps ring on a bird the first time he trains off island and I bet we will see them flying back and forth along the coastline trying to find a way over land that will get them back to the loft. I think the shape and size of the island may play a big factor in their success rate.
If the battery of the ring dies after you set the departure time will it erase or is it saved so when you charge it again it still has the same settings
Hey Sean, When you start taking your young birds out for training tosses do you drop them all around your home or just in the direction that they will be racing? I have two that I take out to about 6 miles now and they seem to either get lost or just free fly because sometimes they take 10 mins to get home and other times they take 2 hours. I'm thinking about getting the Skyleader, are you still using it as much now? Thanks
I watched a video on how they use roads sometimes. I heard you mention that too. Could the route variation be related to wind conditions they preferred?
hint...thats why when doing orientation flights-I release from a high point. \pigeons can see 42 miles but not through mountains. So release high and with the wind -for orientation flights. I live on a bluff, 100 meters above the sea...they would have to circle up for a while against onshore winds to get to a level they can drop in on. You see they flew inside that peak and up to get a good handle on the winds and direction. I think of them as heavily powered, flying sailboats.
That was interesting the routes your birds took back to the loft. What were the time of arrival for those birds on trainings and races? Did the bird that flew the different route arrive back faster on the tosses and races?
Hi Gary, so the purple bird did the best out of these birds during the racing season and again did the best on this toss both in time and route. And the rest actually performed pretty much exactly in order as they did during the season. One of the parents of the green bird is a questionable bird to say the lest and it showed in this toss and during the season because that bird was found and rescued after two weeks missing from a Maui training toss. This is their times on this toss but I think they were a little rusty because their last toss was about a month and a half ago. Aloha! Blue bird 35 minutes Purple bird 33 minutes Green bird 45 minutes Yellow bird 39 minutes Red bird 34 minutes
Very interesting video.Can this system be used also for finding lost pigeons? And is it also possible use a smartphone instead of a pc? Greetings from Victoria,Spain.
Dear Mate, I was wondering if the GPS tracker can be monitored real time (probably via its phone app) while the bird is flying? Thanks for your attention and reply
Very coolio and interesting indeed! I think all but that one bird was lollygagging around waiting for their buddies and two of them made the hookup. Pigeons are naturally a flocking species, so you have to make sure to release them far enough apart to stop the lollygagging.. The champions are the ones that jet straight home, all alone. And no, they don't really like crossing big bodies of water for sure.. Hence the reason that the Derby Arona "Tenerife" one loft race is such a hard one.. Thanks for the great vid!... Kevin
Thank you Kevin! Its been interesting and fun seeing where the birds actually fly. I hope to track the birds when they start training off island this year.
Thanks for your informative videos. I'm planning to purchase GPS bands from SkyLeader but wondered if you could help me determine the size to order. Currently, Skyleader is advertising Skyleader 2 and MD4U bands. The SkyLeader 2 bands are 11 mm and the MD4U bands are 12.2 mm. SkyLeader recommended I buy the MD4U bands to fit over seamless bands sold by the American Racing Pigeon Union. Does that make sense based on your experience? The AU's bands are 11.32 mm (outside diameter) and I'm concerned that the SkyLeader 2 bands would not fit and the MD4U bands would be too loose. Thanks
you need Mode 4 U for AU bands. I found out the hard way and have to ship Skyleader 2 back to Taiwan to exchange it. These units fit tight over the birds band. AU bands measure .459" and 11mm is .433". I wish they had explained this clearly on their web site.
Sean, I just got a Skyleader for Christmas. Can I refer to you for technical support? It gives me the option to set it up in 32WIN or 64WIN....I don't know what that means or which to choose.
That's referring to your computer operating system which will be a 32 bit or 64 bit system. I believe you can check this in your My Computer folder or just go with the 32WIN. Hope that helps a little.
Alohapigeons this is a very nice GPS system. I have some questions...1. For your training tosses, did you always release the birds together all the way to/from Maui? 2. How closely did the birds follow the path now compared to the routes of the training tosses? 3. Can u program the bands to record time intervals while in flight and not just from release point to destination? 4.How long did you wait between each bird release? Those two birds had to have met up because their path home was to indentical not to. Depending on your answers, I may have more questions, but let's start with these. To bad you tube doesn't have a "love it" icon. I'd choose it for this vid.
1. All of the training tosses this past year were released all at once except for 3 tosses from this location where I sent them as singles. Next year I will be sending birds in smaller groups more often. 2. I'm not sure how their path on this toss compares to what they were doing before because I did not have these rings at that time but as far as time, I think it's pretty close. 3. I think you can set the release time for each ring and adjust how frequent it takes a position report but beyond that I think it just runs until the battery is depleted or removed. 4. I waited about 5 minutes between releases but the 3rd bird found a bunch of wild pigeons and landed with them which is why he ended up flying with the 4th bird. Thanks! I really enjoyed finding out where these amazing birds fly.
AlohaPigeons once you get more familiar with the GPS system, I'm sure there are more options that you haven't either seen or tried yet. I'm sorry I wasn't clearer on one question...I meant according to what you remember on the route YOU took them on when training, how close is their flight paths in comparison? It might explain why 4 out of 5 of the birds took that turn north. If It is possible to have time intervals of recording, I suggest it be set at every 3 minutes, and every 6 minutes off island. This will come in very, very important for next years young birds. The advantage it will give you will be phenomenal. Here are more questions... 1. Do you plan to continue to train this year's birds in order to familiarize yourself with the GPS? 2. Will you use the bands on all the birds at least once? 3. Are you able to program the bands with the band numbers of the birds in order to identify which bird is wearing that band on that particular fight and is there some kind of way to save that info? I find this very intriguing and my inner nerd has come out. Lol. I have reasons for asking so many questions because I may be able to help you figure out ways to optimize the use of the bands as well as the training of the birds. And why they may do certain things in flight that are unsual. One more thing, and you probably already figured this out, release the birds about 15 minutes apart. Thanks for sharing this with everyone...Ha-y-n Brian
That's a good question, I did my best to keep them on track that would take them over the south shoreline. I released them from Sand Island, the south side of Diamond Head, Portlock Point and this same lookout by Hanauma Bay. So I'm not sure why 4 of the birds made that turn to the north. Maybe it has something to do with the route they took returning from Molokai and Maui. To be honest, they have not trained since that last Maui race so maybe they would do better if I sent them a few more times. 1. Not sure how much more I'm going to focus on the 2017 birds because I have to start pairing next month already. 2. I would like to use the bands on all the birds at least once but they have to be pretty dependable so I don't loose them. 3. The GPS rings are numbered which will help with assigning the ring to a band number but I would have to check to see if you can do that with the software before a flight but I know you can do it when you download the data. Those are great questions and I know Skyleader is following these videos so maybe they can help us out with more details or include such features in future software updates.
AlohaPigeons ok that was a good idea to have them stay as close the south shore line as possible in flight. I remember us talking about the route and how I suggested taking them as close to the actual shore line without actually being on it. But I forget how far along in your training route you were in actual distance at the time. Did you adjust your route after that or continue the one you had already took? From what I see on the GPS location, you should think about future releases be at Spitting caves instead of Hanauma bay. That may prevent the birds from taking that northward turn. It will also get next years birds to be comfortable flying over water before you start the Molokai tosses. The reason why I asked about the use of the bands on all the birds at least once this year is because by the time it comes to training next years birds, you can use the 3 or 4 birds from this year with the best recorded route and time to lead next years youngsters on tosses being that you plan to start releasing them in smaller groups next year. Let me know what you think about my ideas so far. There's not much more I can ask until you get more familiar with how the GPS bands work. This is so cool!!
I trained them off China Walls a few times before I took them to Hanauma Bay hoping they would go straight across the bay to their last release point at Diamond Head but they would always fly north to fly over land so I gave up on that and focused on Hanauma Bay hoping that would make them split from the flock earlier. The birds were already training Molokai by that time so they were pretty much set on what route they wanted to fly by then. I would like to find which bird takes the most direct route consistently and use it for training.
Great video shaun!! Very interesting,a question do you know how long the battery's last in the rings?? What is the longest flight you could do with them?? Regards kingzie
Thanks Kingzie, they advertise 12 hours of battery life but I think that time could go up or down depending on the frequency of reporting points you select. I will test it and let you know.
AlohaPigeons that would be great shaun!! I was thinking of getting this system but would like to track all of my pigeons but it would cost to much!! Another problem is we have a big problem with hawks here!! Regards kingzie
You should give it a try. I understand about the risk with hawks, that would be terrible. But your birds are so good they are worth more than the cost of the gps ring.
Skyleader 2 is for life ring size 8-11mm and Skyleader MD4U is for life ring size 11-14mm. When measuring the life ring you use the outer dimension width, not the inside of the ring. For the UK (RPRA) you would purchase the MD4U.
I also used the band in races. The other clubs were fascinated to see the track the birds took. I had one bird show up a day late and if you zoomed into a spot you could see where it spent the night around someone's loft and then went straight home the next morning. IMPORTANT. If the map disappears on the program your virus protection has quarantined a program file. Restore the file and you are back in business.
hi AlohaPigeons i just got the rings and im wandering did u set the departure time before u release the birds or the rings just start recording after the birds been released? coz im guessing u drove to the release point with the rings on the birds did the rings got confused and start recording the drive ? coz on the manual it says it will start recording instantly after installing the battery...
Yes, once you install the batteries the ring will start attempting to record position points. If you want to set a release time you will have to install the battery in the ring and then put that ring in the computer dock and in the skyleader software you will be able to set your departure time. Once you have set your departure time you can then click "Set up the Ring" and the ring will now start recording position points at this time.
I don't want to be able to see where my bird is going, I want to be able to find them. Does anyone know of a product that could do this? like a GPS tracker for small birds?
Ciekawe jak wygladała by trasa przelotu twoich ptaków z MAKAPU BEATCH???A najbardziej ciekawy jestem jaką trasą by wracały gdybyś wypuścił ptaki z KANEOHE z drugiej strony wyspy czy lecialy przez góry???????!!!!
1 ptak (linnia niebieska) mam wrażenie,że wybił się na najwyższy punkt na choryzoncie trasy lotu i widac ze potem schodzil w głąb terenu nizin prawie w lini prostej do domu..Pozostale tez poszly tą drogą do najwyzszego wzniesienia lecz potem mocno zeszly w dół a trasa lotu została wydłuzona(hm..???)1 ptak wybrał najkrótszą trase powrotu..najmniej błądził.. 1.Rozpoznanie terenu.. 2.Najwyższy punkt wysokość.. 3.Najbardziej myślący?Odważny(jako jeden wybrał taką trase lotu!!,leciał drogą najkrótszą!!!!Przez dużą cześć wody!!!)
You can contact them directly on their Skyleader website or they also have a listing on eBay for a $300 five ring set and a $150 two ring set. Aloha, Sean
Ukształtowanie terenu w jakim ptaki są wypuszczone ma moim zdaniem 1 po wypuszczeniu z klatki kluczowe znaczenie!!!To nie przypadek że 4 ptaki lecą na pierwszy najwyższy widoczny punkt na horyzoncie..(Szukają ,rozpoznają teren)dopiero tam decydują że obierają taki a nie inny kierunek..nie jest to regułą bo 5 wybrał inna trase!Ale jest to ułatwieniem dla 90%w calosci dalszego lotu..Pytanie co ich skłania do takiego kroku ze akurat tam leca 4??To co mowilem wyzej???
You can contact them through their website. In the USA you can purchase Skyleader GPS bands on eBay and Amazon. A 2 band set is $150 US and a 5 band set is $300.
Skyleader has a website that has contact information and you can contact them directly that way. They also have listings on eBay as well as a Facebook page that they can be contacted through. I have had a fantastic experience with their customer service. Aloha, Sean.
Search "Skyleader GPS" on eBay. They have a listing for both a two ring set and a five ring set on eBay now. Or you can contact them directly through their Facebook page or website. Aloha, Sean
Thanks for sharing! I bought based on your review of this, keep up the good work! I'm facing an issue and was wondering if you would help. I've just received the set and installing the latest version I get stuck on the splash screen. Do you have any previous versions of the sofware you could send me? Thanks very much for your time!
Here you can see a pigeon that traveled over 950km, crossing the Carpathian Mountains, being attacked 3 times by a hawk ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nO8lDl-m36I.html
That is the trouble with a lot of GPS products. Account? Upload? Why would I want to do that? I just want to see my data - not share it with the world. It is even worse with systems controlling your lightning at home and access to your door - I can’t for the life of my understand why anybody in their right mind would hand over control of their home to strangers.
Moim zdaniem decydują cechy psychiczne ptaka.. 1.Charakter(upór,odwaga) 2.Wewnętrzny GPS ptaka(najlepiej rozwiniety zmysł orientacji w terenie) W pierwszej fazie po wypuszczeniu widać ostrożne analizowanie terenu przez ptak numer 1.. decyzja kolejna to znalezienie najwyższego punktu na choryzoncie..nie wiem(może ptaki mają tam najlepszą widoczność?Najlepszy punkt przepływu fal magnetycznych? Duży teren drzewa nie stanowi dla nich przeszkody widać..Dużo ważniejszy widać jest moment podjecia decyzji w ktorym kierunku leciec..i to jest oczywiste..logiczne!
