Look out FedEx and UPS because the Pigeon Express is
giving new meaning to the phrase airmail.
There are few things more satisfying than sporting a souvenir trophy shot
after rafting the white waters of the Cache la Poudre river in Colorado. But
taking the photo from a remote spot as tourists hurtle down the river, and
processing the film before the rafters set foot back on land is a feat that
requires precision timing. The solution is the Pigeon Express, says Dave
Costlow, of Rocky Mountain Adventures, which runs rafting excursions down the
river and uses pigeons to shuttle film from the photographer to the store where
the pictures are developed. Action snapshots are a popular item with tourists
and have a high profit margin, but only if the adventurers get to view their
photos before they leave for home. "[Before the Pigeon Express] we had to
tell people: Hey we took great photos of you. Sorry we can't show them to you.
Go ahead and if you want to purchase them we'll mail them to you. If you don't
like them, send them back and we'll refund your money," says Costlow. It
just didn't work. The customers were hesitant to pay for pictures that they
couldn't see, and sales were low. Now each morning the photographer Tim Murphy
leaves for his riverside location armed with a camera and a cage of up to ten
homing pigeons. As soon as Murphy sees the rafters paddling down the river he
furiously begins to shoot and then loads the completed roll of film into a
pigeon's tiny custom-tailored lycra backpack and launches the bird into air.
The bird flies back to Costlow's store where the film is developed and the
photos displayed for the rafters' return. The hardest part of the whole venture
was actually getting the pigeons, says Costlow. "I discovered that there
were huge pigeon racing societies in both America and Europe where 'pigeon
fanciers,' as they are known, race their birds for prize money." In the
end, he found a pigeon breeder just a few miles from his home. Initially
Costlow bought about 15 five-week-old pigeon chicksthe birds could feed
themselves but were barely out of the nest. He began training the chicks for a
few hours a day by removing them from the nest and placing them on the other
side of the store. When the birds returned they received a reward. "At
first the birds dawdled and got a little lost, but eventually they all made it
back," says Costlow. Training continued by releasing the pigeons farther
and farther from the store. "I just made sure dinner was ready when the
birds returned," says Costlow. Eight months later the pigeons were fast
and accurate and ready to work. These birds are bred for both speed and
endurance and are like finely tuned athletes. Though it is only about 20 miles
from the photographer to the store, the birds must fly fast enough to outmaneuver
the peregrine falcons that roam the skies. "These birds are fast. They fly
about one mile per minute and even when I take the birds 60 miles away to
Denver and release them, they always beat me home," says Costlow. Some
birds, however, are not fast enough. This year Costlow has lost three pigeons
to hawks, reducing his flock to 17. Since launching the Pigeon Express photo
sales have tripled and Costlow has few complaints. The birds make one flight
every three days, are never sick and are always on time. Occasionally a bird
might dawdle a little, and maybe every few weeks a roll of film gets lost, but
that is about it. "Pigeons mate for life, so we only fly one member of the
couple on any trip. That way they hustle back home. Let the couple go together
and they dilly dally," says Costlow. "My most reliable flier who has
been with us since the beginning is Number 19. When there are only ten minutes
to spare and we need to rush the film home, we always use Number 19," says
Costlow. Initially, Costlow's friends thought the Pigeon Express a bird-brained
idea. Four years later Costlow has the last laugh as he watches profits from
photo sales soar sky high.