A Visit to Wolf Hill Loft
A group from Humber Valley recently visited Marion “Wolfie” Hojsan in Flamborough for a social loft visit, enjoying a look at his setup, handling his pigeons, and spending time with a fellow fancier.
A Season of Good Returns With Chris Kumar
Kumar Lofts | 2026 Season Reflection
For Chris Kumar of Kumar Lofts, his first season flying with the Humber Valley Racing Pigeon Club was a short one, but one he considers a success.
Flying a partial dark system for four weeks, Chris managed to compete in four club races and two open races. Despite the late start, he was pleased with how his team performed. The birds remained healthy, and he experienced very few losses throughout the racing season.
Chris approaches racing a little differently than some fanciers. For him, success isn't necessarily measured by where his birds finish on the results sheet. It's about getting them home.
"To me, return numbers, not really placing on the sheet, is the race. If I get good returns on homing, I'm more than happy."
Considering the higher birdage and concentration of lofts competing in the Up North Combine, Chris was particularly pleased with his team's ability to find their way home.
A Great First Season at Humber Valley
One of the highlights of the year was getting to know the Humber Valley club and its members. It was Chris's first season with the club, and he particularly enjoyed the people and the overall club environment.
His birds also had some notable results, picking up a couple of club wins and finishing second and third in an open race during the final week of the season.
Not a bad way to finish the year!
Challenges Along the Way
The biggest disappointment for Chris was getting a late start. He missed the first five weeks of racing, which also meant he wasn't able to properly complete his planned dark system.
He also noticed an unusually high number of stray birds arriving at his loft from different areas of Ontario on race days.
When it came to race conditions, Chris found that tailwind races didn't seem to suit his birds particularly well from the direction they were flying. He specifically noted the North Bay and La Sarre races as examples.
The Birds That Made an Impression
Among his young birds, four stood out in particular: CU 2203, CU 2204, CU 2206 and CU 2209.
These birds are Stingloons from Stingwray Loft in Windsor, Ontario, owned by Wray Shearon. Chris and Wray have been friends for more than two decades, having started flying the east course around the same time.
It's always nice to see established friendships and connections within the sport continuing through the birds themselves.
Lessons for Next Season
One of Chris's biggest takeaways from 2026 involves breeding and maintaining proven bloodlines.
He feels he may have wasted some of his established distance blood by crossing it with newer strains that had only produced a single win before being added to the stock loft.
Chris prefers working with established families where individual birds have multiple wins or consistently place in the top ten, with siblings and related birds showing similar ability.
Looking ahead to 2027, he's considering trying the natural system, particularly since he wasn't able to properly follow the dark system this season.
Looking Ahead
Although Chris had a shorter season than planned, his first year with Humber Valley brought good returns, some impressive results, and a positive introduction to the club.
His approach is a reminder that success in pigeon racing can mean different things to different fanciers. For Chris, healthy birds making their way home and performing consistently are reasons enough to be pleased with a season.