Thiefpouter
sport in The Hague
NL under pressure !
Information assembled
by Team Aviculture Europe.
Edited by Frank Povah.
Flying thief pouters was once immensely
popular in and around The Hague. A national
sport that kept everyone busy, even if you did
not practice it yourself. All those lofts on the
roofs were defining features of the city’s
skyline, and everyone had someone among their
family or friends who was involved in the hobby.
As with the sport of racing pigeons, you became
hooked around the age of 12 and you never got
away from it.
Right: This typical loft, built out from the ridgeline, is in
Delft.
Below: This old photo (1955) shows a rooftop loft in The
Hague.
Right: This loft was at the PTT building behind the
railway station in Delft South. The owner worked
there, but one night all his pigeons were stolen and
that was the end of his hobby.
Above: For many years, this aquarelle illustrating the thief pouter sport has hung in the De Zwarte
Vogel pet shop in The Hague. According to their information, the print dates from 1910 and there are
only five copies known.
Left: Two lofts on the same roof, one
behind the other. This was often seen in
Scheveningen, a stronghold of the thief
pouter sport. There were so many
pigeons flying all day, it was hard to
take it all in.
Below, right: A common sight on The
Hague roof-tops. The building code does
prescribe them to be painted grey so
that the structure does not stand out too
much.
Below, left: Jaap de Klerk of Delft owns these thief pouters.
They are his favourite colours: red- and yellow-pied.
Left: A pair of Gelderland Slenke at Hans Diehl’s in
Nederweert. This breed originated in the ancient
towns of Gelderland where they were used as thief
pouters.
There has never been written documentation
about these pigeons until recently a book
describing the history of the sport was
published in Dutch and titled “Lucht op plat”.
(See
http://www.burobol.nl/product/lucht-op-plat/
The thief pouter sport in The Hague dates
from the late 19th century, but it is not known
with
certainty
where
it
originated.
Remarkably, a similar sport is enjoyed in the
Spanish province of Andalusia, and in
Scotland. The object of the sport is the
capture of another fancier’s pigeons. To this
end the fancier develops a special bond with
his pigeons and sets a cock bird out to fly and
catch a "foreign" hen, or uses a hen to
capture a foreign male. This always involves a
single pigeon, making it different from the
version of the sport practiced in Amsterdam involving a duivenplat (a loft with a landing
board and trap), and a ‘kit’, or group of pigeons. Each kit is taught to go and fly together with
another group, and then, at given time or at a signal return to the landing board of their own
loft. The aim was to catch as many pigeons of rival fanciers as possible, the captives being
kept or sold at the Market. This game was popular in a number of other cities, such as
London, Barcelona and the Italian town of Modena. We restrict ourselves to Europe for this
moment.
Right:
The Dutch thief pouter is not a
breed and has no standard
with a description of the
characteristics or colours. The
bird’s character and
performance are the main
concerns; the colours and
markings are to the fancier’s
own tastes.
In recent years, however,
our thief pouter sport has
come
under
strong
pressure. In the 1950s you
could find some 7,000 lofts
in and around The Hague,
but now there are no more
than 700 left. And in
Amsterdam, the last thief
pouter loft, owned by Rudy
Ottenhof, is now partially
dismantled.
There are many reasons for the decline of the sport. One of them is the problem in obtaining
a license for a loft on the roof. Another is that the attitudes and interests of youth have
changed. Added to these, the old neighbourhoods in The Hague increasingly are home to
people of different cultures, although it is only fair to say that many immigrants of Turkish
origin are also quite active with their Takla Roller pigeons – but that's a different sport.
A final argument that is increasingly popping up in discussions concerns the losses inflicted on
pigeon keepers by birds of prey; a complaint that has become increasingly common since
2012.
You can imagine how the fancier, with that special relationship shared with his birds, is
deeply affected as again and again, right before his eyes, his favourite pigeons are plucked
from the air. His pigeon, flying so proudly, clapping his wings in an effort to catch the
attention of another pigeon, is certainly easy prey for a peregrine falcon, ready to stoop and
dive steeply at over 300 km/h and hitting its prey – ‘striking’ in the language of falconry.
Please believe me when I say that I have a deep respect for all animals, for everything that
lives and grows, but it cannot be right that one particular species is subsidized and
encouraged at the expense of another, in this case the thief pouter, which we may say has
proved its right to exist over many, many years. It is even contemplated that the thief pouter
and the sport based upon it be included in the register of National Intangible Heritage.
The last Delft thief pouter fanciers are still as enthusiastic as in the heyday
From “Delft op Zondag”, Week 11, Volume 23, Sunday, May15th, 2015.
DELFT – Jaap de Klerk spends hours each
day in his loft at Tanthof, in the Delft
district. Now 57 years old, he has been a
passionate participant in the Thief pouter
sport for 50 years. This is a game in which
you try to capture another’s Pouters with
your own birds and,. like all sports, it has
its ups and downs: “In is a win and gone
is a loss.”
It was once a popular sport in The Hague,
but in Delft, too, there were many fanciers
who kept pouters. Especially in populous
neighbourhoods such as Wippolder and
Westerkwartier, and there was no street
without ‘tils’ on the roofs. “Alas, we are a
dying breed," says Jaap. "The youth of
today are not even playing outside, let
alone keeping pigeons unfortunately.”
In the Delft district of Tanthof he knows
six thief pouter fanciers – once there were
fifteen. "But I'm the only one in the neighbourhood with an original Dutch til." This two-storey
loft is built next to his house and he has some forty birds in total.
Breeding the Casanova of Pouters is no easy task
De Klerk is trying to catch other people's pigeons. The reverse also happens. "That hurts," he
said. "In this sport there have been many vendettas." Many began because the unwritten
rules were violated, for example using glue boards to catch the birds.
Left: The very nice pigeon til (loft) of Jaap de Klerk in
Delft.
For those who want to play fair and square, there
is more to it than just releasing a pigeon and
hoping it comes back with a mate.
This year De Klerk can count six captive birds. "If
I catch one in a week, I am happy." But it is
difficult in Delft today, with fewer pouters flying.
“I know a fancier in The Hague who captures 150
a year, but the interest is declining there, too. The
average age of thief pouter fanciers is I think over
50, at a younger age hardly anybody does this."
Right: Jaap’s til with trap box.
What's so nice about it? "It is, I think, like fishing.
The tension. The object is to catch the best pouter
of your neighbour, that's what it comes to. That
could take two years, sometimes longer. And in
that time your neighbour’s pouter can also lure
your birds. But if that bird finally lands on your til,
your legs are shaking. Ten times it’s on your til
and flies off again”. If the eleventh time it flies
into the til and De Klerk successfully closes the
trap, he is overjoyed, totally excited.
‘In our lofts, we are enemies’
The Delft fanciers know each other and get on
well together. "But in our lofts, we are enemies."
Jaap de Klerk is implacable when another fancier
comes to ask for pigeon back. "Then they come
up with an excuse like 'it was my son’s bird’.” De
Klerk is not susceptible to such stories. "In is in
and gone is gone. Then you won’t get it back. Vice
versa, if they capture one of mine, it goes the same." He can live with that.
Something he doesn’t much take to are the nests for birds of prey put up by ‘bird lovers’ in
Delft and its surrounds. A pouter, especially a young one, is easy prey for raptors. "For a
pouter is flying very slowly, he is performing." Not just once has he lost his beloved pigeons
to raptors. "With blood, sweat and tears you have bred and trained your pigeon. It hurts a lot
when it is caught by a bird of prey. And they never strike a pigeon that you have three more
like it. No, it’s always the one that you have a close relationship with, one you have high
expectations for – though each pigeon is dear to me. So I got pissed off when I read in the
local newspaper about the nesting boxes for peregrine falcons. I think birds of prey are
beautiful, really, and it’s good they are doing well today. But let nature take its course. They
don’t need nest boxes. I know fanciers who lose ten birds a year to raptors. That is taking all
the fun of our hobby. If those fanciers stop, there are fewer remaining, and we’re already a
dying breed. It would be a great pity if the sport disappears altogether,” says De Klerk. "It's a
unique sport, which only exists in this region. Outside the Netherlands, you just don’t find it;
it’s a kind of cultural heritage."
Peregrine falcons
The peregrine falcon has become an indigenous species in the Netherlands since the
beginning of the 20th century, only occurring on the Wadden islands and the Hoge Veluwe,
and is among the largest and fastest raptors in the Netherlands. According to SOVON
(Ornithology Netherlands), in the last century no more than 13 breeding pairs were known in
the Netherlands. Since 2000 this number has risen rapidly to over 100 pairs, each pairraising
about 200 young each year. Between 1950–60, there was a significant dip in breeding
success due to DDT, then extensively used as an agricultural insecticide.
Research, census and monitoring the progress of peregrine falcons helps in the interest of the
ecological system, however, at a certain moment you might – in the interests of other species
– consider taking a step back in the protection and promotion of a bird once considered
endangered, but now
cited as ‘stable’ on The
IUCN
Red
List
of
Threatened Species.
Left: The peregrine
falcon. Photo courtesy
of the Belgian
photographer and
falconer Rik van Lent.
The peregrine requires
two conditions to be
successful:
the
availability
of
prey
(birds) and a quiet,
protected
breeding
place, preferably with
an uninterrupted view
of its hunting grounds,
making church towers
and other high structures such as abandoned smokestacks, ideal places. The nests erected by
various bird care organizations, such as on the 90 metre-high EWI building of TU Delft, will be
very inviting to peregrines. All wonderful for the expansion of the species, but this way an
overpopulation of peregrines is to be expected, putting even more pressure on the thief
pouter sport,, much to the chagrin of its practitioners.
Below I have gathered some pros and cons. Of course everyone has their right to an
opinion, but maybe we can take account of each other’s ideas?
Case studies, published in Conservation Letters, show that predator recovery doesn’t necessarily
equate with ecosystem recovery. Instead, laws designed to protect and recover individual species have
led to conflicts with other species, and humans that share the ecosystem.
(Marshall, K. N., Stier, A. C., Samhouri, J. F., Kelly, R. P. and Ward, E. J. (2015), Conservation
Challenges of Predator Recovery. Conservation Letters. doi: 10.1111/conl.12186)
Algemeen Dagblad, Angelique Mulders, 8 May 2015.
Peregrines in The Hague and its surrounds strike so many thief pouters that many fanciers decide to
stop. The chairman of the Ons Belang thief pouter club stated: "Our members are weeping as their
finest cocks are caught by these bird of prey. For two years now, there have nests placed for peregrine
falcons, and of course there have always been buzzards, sparrowhawks and hawks. But we say that
attracting peregrine falcons by means of those nests is fauna farming which destroys our beautiful
hobby. Since 2013, we have been sounding the alarm about this.”
Guus Nieuwmans, Chairman, thief pouter club ‘Ons Belang’.
Left: The 90 metre EWI building for the Technical University
(TU) in Delft. On top is a nest for peregrine falcons,
with a webcam.
Over six months, researchers in Delft examined the prey
remains left by a pair of peregrine falcons nesting on top of
the EWI building of TU Delft. They found the remains of 20
birds ranging from songbirds to coots, and also of 7 pigeons.
They do not know whether the pigeons were thief pouters,
Wood Pigeons and/or feral pigeons.
The peregrine falcon is the most gorgeous bird when hunting,
even in freedom! For it to strike a pigeon is normal! (There
are many more humans killed by other humans every day, so
fix that and stop whining!) Whether the BirdLife Conservation
organisations are doing the peregrine falcons a favour by
putting up nesting boxes, you have to ask them. I personally don’t think that this is contributing to the
increase in these species. When you consider that species such as corvids (at least I think so?) are
protected ... then surely the birds of prey should be!
So; LONG LIVE THE PREYED-ON BIRDS! LONG LIVE THE FALCONS AND THE PIGEONS!
Rik van Lent (België)
Bird Research Group Gemert/Volunteers working group Peregrine
For the many volunteers of the Bird Research Group in Gemert (NL), obtaining and taking care of the
images and cleaning the camera’s field of vison has been a difficult, costly and very time consuming
job. Working at great heights under sometimes bad and cold weather conditions, primarily in the
midnight hours to minimize disruption to the peregrines, did not make it any easier. Preparation,
consultations, and removing equipment from the tower, adjustments at the nest, creating technical
space, waiting for special fixtures, meeting safety demands, replacement/relocation of equipment, etc.
– all with a total budget for the entire project this year of €13,000.00 – caused many problems and
delays in recent months. Without the subsidy from BirdLife Netherlands, the Forestry Commission and
the sponsorship of many companies, plus the selfless efforts of many volunteers, the obtaining of the
peregrine webcam images this year would not have been possible.
The racing pigeon fanciers in Brabant also suffer huge losses by the raptors, about 20% of their
pigeons are lost to birds of prey; recently a racing pigeon with a market value of €40,000was lost. The
pigeons do not even dare to go outside the loft any more and those fanciers don’t know what to do. A
tip here is not to let the pigeons fly free at the same time each day. Birds of prey are smart animals
that will quickly adapt their behaviour. If the pigeons are released afternoon at the same time, they
will be there waiting, ready to strike.
See also NPO research Raptors and pigeons in the Netherlands
http://duivenvlucht.nl/nieuws/24-npo-nieuws/3772-roofvogels-en-postduiven-innederland.html (Choose your language, top right)
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