Nevada Focus: Ray Buyher pursues a coo-coo hobby

Thursday, Sept. 25, 1997 | 3:35 a.m.

For the past two years, Ray Buyher has been raising racing pigeons in the back yard of his Sparks home; a hobby Buyher has enjoyed since his childhood in Burney, Calif.

"It started that me and my friends would catch wild pigeons, then I got some racing pigeons," Buyher said. "I was out of it for a long time but I have been back in it for the past two years.

"The peace of going out there and spending a little time with them and getting away from your stress. It's a great release for me."

Buyher is president of the Reno Racing Pigeon Club, The group meets in Lemmon Valley and has 12-14 members from northern Nevada and California. The club is nationally recognized by a registry for pigeons which is located in Oklahoma.

For each competition, all pigeons entered are transported together to the start site. Earlier this month, it was Davis Creek, Calif., more than 150 miles from Buyher's home.

Once the birds are released, it is just a matter of waiting to see which one will make it home first.

A rubber band affixed to the pigeons' leg marks the start and finish time of each bird. The bands are stamped by a machine similar to a time clock at work.

Buyher said the birds can flu up to 60-70 mph, but generally average 30-40 mph. "If they get a good gust of wind, they can reach intense speeds," he said.

Competitions are based on computer analyses of the pigeons' air miles, distance and yards per minute.

Scientists are not able to explain how the racing pigeons find their ways back to their owners. "Some people believe they have a built-in compass in their heads," Buyher said. "I don't know how to explain it ... it is just pretty amazing."

Despite the time and effort Buyher spends caring for the birds, he tries not to grow too attached.

"I get attached to them a little bit, but I know I can lose them at any time. I like them all, through."

Only a few of the racing pigeons he owns are named. One he calls John Wayne because of a funny walk from a previously broken leg. Another answers to "No Toe," which is self explanatory.

Not all the birds stick around the nest or return after a race, which Buyher said is the way he weans out the good birds from the others.

"One thing I try to tell people is they are not all intelligent. Some are very good flyers, some aren't good flyers. It's a crapshoot. The good ones will come back."