Masts confusion for lost birds

Their instinctive sense of direction was once harnessed to ensure messages could be sent huge distances.

But this task was made largely redundant with the invention of the telephone.

But now it seems modern telecommunications may once again be impeding on the humble pigeon.

Frank Armstrong, 64, from Tow Law in County Durham looks after about 80 racing birds and claims the town's three mobile phone masts affect their homing instincts.

He says pigeons cost hundreds of pounds each, but are worth very little once they lose their sense of direction.

He said: "The young birds just fly out and then just fly around daft because they don't have the instincts to get them back to the lofts. It's not so much the older birds because they already know the way."

Mr Armstrong spoke at a Wear Valley District Council planning meeting this week, to oppose plans by Orange to erect a fourth mobile phone mast in the town. Permission was refused on the grounds that it would be unsightly.

But Peter Bryant, from the Royal Pigeon Racing Association (Rpra), said last year Swiss scientists researched the affect of mast emissions on pigeons by breeding some birds in close proximity to the masts and others at some distance.

They discovered those that lived away from the masts were confused when they flew near them.

Mr Bryant said: "There's perhaps a little bit of truth in it. Some scientists think the masts affect the birds, but it depends which scientist you talk to.

"The main thought about how their homing instincts work is that they follow the magnetic field of the earth and we also know for a fact they navigate by memory as well by following landmarks."

An Orange spokeswoman said: "Orange is unaware of any evidence to suggest that signals from telecommunications masts are affecting the homing abilities of pigeons.

"The homing ability of pigeons is a complex subject and there is little understanding about how it works and what affects this ability."