Proposed Pigeon Rules Ruffle Some Feathers

Council members are poised to adopt the city’s first ordinance regulating homing pigeons today, but a champion pigeon racer says he still has concerns about the proposed regulations.

Marius Nitulescu, who keeps and trains about 100 homing pigeons in specially designed lofts in his Stanton backyard, said it may be hard for pigeon racers to comply with the new rules.

The proposed ordinance would require pigeon owners to get a permit for their birds, limit their numbers to 100 or less, and restrict their flying hours. The regulations also limit the height of pigeon lofts to 7 feet, a change made by council members at their Feb. 11 meeting. The original draft of the proposal allowed pigeon lofts to be 8 feet high.

Nitulescu said the 7-foot limitation could threaten his lofts, which are constructed one foot off the ground for cleaning purposes. He wants the council to indicate whether the measurement would be made from the ground, or from the bottom of the loft.

“If they mean seven feet from the ground, all of my lofts would not be allowed,” Nitulescu said.

The appearance of Nitulescu’s lofts, which are visible above his concrete block wall, has been criticized by nearby neighbor Lowell Johnson, whose complaints inspired the creation of the city ordinance. There are several other pigeon racers in the city.

Nitulescu, who races pigeons with his son, said the 100-pigeon limit may also be unreasonable, considering that racers often start with a large number of birds. Only a percentage of them return home during training exercises and races.