B.I.C.C. BARCELONA 2002
(Excerpt From Editorial Created For The British Homing World Magazine)

FIRST TO CLOCK AND 1ST AND 2ND OPEN WAS TERRY JOHNSON WITH ' SPARTAN ' AND ' PIPPIN ' RACING TO THEIR WHITSTABLE HOME, 692 MILES FROM BARCELONA.

THE BIRDS WERE LIBERATED WITH OVER 27,000 OTHER BIRDS FROM EUROPE ON SUNDAY THE 7TH JULY. ' SPARTAN ' WAS TIMED AT 12 NOON MONDAY AND ' PIPPIN ' JUST OVER TWO HOURS LATER. ' SPARTAN ' WAS 7TH OPEN B.I.C.C. BARCELONA 2001 & ' PIPPIN ' WAS 6TH OPEN B.I.C.C. BARCELONA 2001.

BOTH BIRDS WERE BRED WHILST TERRY WAS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GEOFF HEAD FLYING AS ' JOHNSON & HEAD '. DURING THIS TIME A SMALL LONG DISTANCE TEAM WAS BRED AND THE PARTNERSHIP WON SEVERAL LONG RACES. ' SPARTAN ' AND ' PIPPIN ' STARTED THEIR OVERSEAS TRAINING WITH THE B.I.C.C. AND ALSO ON GEOFF HUNTS TRANSPORTER FROM BLOIS, IN FACT ' SPARTAN ' WILL SPEND HIS RETIREMENT PAIRED TO MANY OF GEOFF HUNTS LONG DISTANCE HENS. NEW NEST BOXES HAVE BEEN PURCHASED FOR ' SPARTAN ' FROM RAY VIDLER OF R.V.WOODCRAFT, DOVER.

' SPARTAN ' WILL BE SPOILT ROTTEN IN A SINGLE BIRD SECTION OF TERRYS' CLYDESDALE LOFT. ' SPARTAN ' AND ' PIPPIN ' WERE RACED ON THE ROUNDABOUT SYSTEM AND HAVE NOT BEEN IN THEIR OWN NEST BOXES SINCE ABOUT FEBRUARY ---- THEY JUST PERCH ON WOODEN BLOCKS ATTACHED TO THE NEST BOX FRONTS, THIS TO PREVENT ANY FIGHTING AMONGST LATE COMERS. THE BIRDS ARE FED MAINLY TIC BEANS WITH TIT BITS ADDED AS BASKETING APPROACHES.