Show pigeons a hit at the county fair

DEL MAR ---- To many people, pigeons are nothing more than winged rats. But at the San Diego County Fair on Wednesday, hundreds of exotic show pigeons were judged, watched and even loved.

The show pigeons, which were in rows of hundreds in the small animal barn, varied widely in color, shape and size.

Bright white, all brown, purple, green and mixtures of all of those colors could be found among the hundreds of pigeons lined up in cages in the barn.

Some of the pigeons were portly creatures that could do little more than lie on their stomachs; others had a mane of feathers that resembled a lion's.

Some had characteristics that made them look like small dinosaurs, some had tails that stood up straight like a peacock's, while still others had feathers that were groomed to look like hair.

"I'm fascinated by the variations and colors and designs," said Paul Kreiner of San Diego. "I didn't know there were that many types."

He said his first reaction was, "Why would I want to see a pigeon? I can see one any time I walk outside." But he added that these show birds have "changed his mind."

Pigeons were entered in the contest by owners from throughout Southern California, many having multiple entries.

Joyce Warren of Santee said that she really liked the pigeon she dubbed "Gloria Swanson," which had feathers on its head that flowed straight up and back in an arch, obscuring much of the bird's head.

"That's Gloria Swanson if I ever saw her," Warren said.

For Steve Elliot and Karen Fraser of Encinitas, the pigeons were a surprise. Both said looking at the animals was more interesting than the retail shops at the fair.

"It's fun to see people's reactions, pointing and laughing at the different kinds," Fraser said.

One bird drawing a lot of attention was an English powder that judge John Heppner said was the best at the show.

Heppner said a good English powder has long legs and a narrow waist, stands very vertical and blows a large amount of air into its chest ---- called a crop ---- to inflate it. The first-place English powder blew so much air into its chest that sometimes it had a hard time standing upright.

Brady Morrison, a child from Carlsbad, stood among kids pointing and responding to the English powder. He said the birds were interesting.

His mom, Niki Morrison, said that when she came to the fair she had no idea that the show pigeons were there.

"This guy over here is all puffed up," she said, pointing at the English powder. "It's fun for the kids."

Contact staff writer Rob O'Dell at (760) 631-6620 or rodell@nctimes.com.