About Me

I was born and raised in Upstate New York (Binghamton area). At an early age, fishing,
hunting and raising pigeons were the favorite past time for me and my close friends. Summer time we would
river fish for small mouth bass, trout, and walleye pike, pond and lake fishing for perch, trout, bass and
bullheads. Fall we would be in pursuit of small game, squirrels, rabbits, grouse and turkeys, night time we
would engage in coon hunting with registered blue tick coonhounds. Late fall things drifted to whitetail deer,
in New York and Pennsylvania, we hunted with bow, modern firearms and black powder. Every fall I go back to
Upstate New York to spend time with the family and engage in the outdoor sports. At ten years of age I acquired
my first pigeon, a young common street pigeon that fell out of a nest down the street where I grew up, it
was a start of a lifelong hobby that turned into a professional business with many memorable moments.
I've become friends with people from all walks of life all across the country and Canada.
I've traveled the entire United States to attend local and national pigeon shows, flying competitions
and national pigeon conventions.

After cub scouts I joined the boy scouts of America, were I earned many merit
badges for various activities, it didn't take long to acquire the Pigeon Raising merit badge. I still
have the merit badge sash and merit badge pamphlets. Soon after came other life venues, cars,
education, travel and finally a family. While raising the family, pigeons we’re put on the back
burner and would come and go. Meanwhile I remained close to my pigeon related friends throughout
the years and would travel to regional and national pigeon shows throughout the country.

About the Business

Highland Lofts White Dove Release is a state licensed, home-based business located
in Arlington, Washington. Pigeons and Doves has been part of the family since 1968, the first
being regular street pigeons. Shortly afterwards they were replaced with various breeds of show
pigeons and later flying breeds were acquired. Regular ring neck doves were obtained in various colors
for show purposes. We maintain a small flock for display purposes in both white and dark pied. We have
competed in both the show room and in the flying competitions.

Ten years ago I bought several high quality pairs of White Homing Pigeons to do dove releases.
I started doing dove releases with just the basics and would perform dove releases for friends and family,
after a few years of doing the releases I started to get more business in from referrals and things started to grow.
Available release equipment that can be bought is very limited so I had
a close friend build custom built release baskets
that were needed along with other pieces of equipment that was needed as well.

We designed most of the release equipment that we use and are still adding new designs to our inventory.
The Wedding Cake Release box is the newest release basket that will have different
themed wraps to accommodate several different events. Please view our equipment page for the full
line of release equipment that's available for your event.
If you have an event coming up and have an idea of a new release basket if time permits,
we can have a release basket built to compliment your event for a nominal fee.
Occasionally I'll add a couple of high quality birds to the flock to add more homing genetics.
The birds we use for your releases have been flown from as far as Salem, Oregon (250 miles) with
great success in the local racing club. Our release area covers a much shorter distance then that.
Our service area is from the Canadian border south to Olympia. We use birds from lofts in the Bellingham area,
Stanwood area, Arlington area and Renton (Maple Valley).
All of our release coordinators are from the Arlington area.

When your dove release is finalized the person that will be coordinating your event comes to the
main loft to get the release equipment that will be used for your event, and then pick up the birds
that are the closest to your event venue. The release coordinator will be at your venue and get set
up at least a half an hour before things start to take off. For all events we ask for a scheduled
release time, you have half an hour from scheduled release time to release the doves, after the half
an hour is up there will be an overtime charge of $30 per half an hour increments for late releases.
Our release packages are priced with the half an hour release time, after that the coordinators are on
overtime and run the chance of being late for the next event when there are several to do in a day.

When we receive your initial call or e mail for a dove release we will see what release package you are
interested in for your event and go over the details from the planning stage, release equipment that will
fit your needs, see if you would like a physical hand release or a basket release, which poem, psalm or dove
release reading you would like to have read just prior to your dove release. Set up a loft visit at our
main loft in Arlington, WA for practicing the release of the birds if needed. Give you a contract and a
brochure and answer any questions that you might have regarding our services. Good customer service is our
top priority at Highland Lofts; we go the extra mile to give you the best service at an affordable price.

We can be contacted seven days a week either by phone or e mail, we perform dove releases
seven days a week. Your call is always welcome and promptly returned, whether it be a question
you might have, an initial contact, for aloft visit, or for any other reason.
We can handle most short notice request for an upcoming dove release.
Our team of dove release coordinators are longtime friends that are devoted to the professional
service that they provide to you, Let our experience transform your event into a memory that will last a life time.

About the Birds


We raise all of our release doves used for your event, when the doves are mated they remain loyal
to each other for life. They will lay two eggs that take eighteen to twenty-one days to hatch.
They will lay one egg and two days later lay the second egg, Both the hen and the cock take turns
incubating the eggs, the cock will set on the eggs from around nine AM. until about three PM. after
which the hen will take over the responsibility of incubating the eggs over night. Both eggs will
hatch out on the same day. When the chicks hatch out both parents share the responsibility of
feeding the babies with a substance called 'pigeon milk", with in a week the pigeon milk will be
replaced by grain. At seven to ten days of age the squabs are large enough to be banded with a
permenant seamless band that have identifing numbers and letters that can be traced to find the owner
of the bird, No two bands are the same. At about three weeks of age the baby doves will be almost full
size and the parents will lay another round of eggs and the cycle starts all over again. At five weeks of
age the young birds are weaned and placed over to the flying loft for the start of their training.
The training process takes months to perform. They are given a week to become accustomed to their new
surroundings, durring this time they are being taught to load them selfs into the trainging baskets that
are used to transport them for the training tosses that will be coming up in acouple of weeks. After the
first week in their new home they will be taught to how to exit and enter the loft through a secure system.
Their first week of liberty they usally stay close to the loft and start to learn how to enjoy their
ability to fly, as they build up their musles and expiereance they will venture farther and farther
from the loft. Once they are off flying and and routing ( flying out of sight of the loft ) for an hour
to an hour and a half it is time to start the actual road trip training tosses. I start them out at
one mile from the loft, I will take them to that release point two times. The next couple or training
tosses are five miles ( I-5 exit 208 ) from the loft, after they are comfortable with that distance
I will start to take them north an exit and south an exit to release them. Once I have the birds trained
out the distance that they will be used for they need to be kept in shape. I will take the birds out on
excersise tosses a couple of times a week. We have a large sellection of custom built release baskets with
different types of exits that the birds need to become accustomed to. We will take the birds and release
baskets and do practice releases at various location so the birds gain the expierance they need to be
comfortable exiting the different styles of release baskets.



All of our release doves are white rock doves, AKA: Carrier Pigeons, Homing Pigeons which are the only type
of dove that should be used for dove releases. Our dove are trained to return to their loft after they are
released from your event. These birds are capable of returning home from distances of two-hundred &
fifty miles with proper training.


Display Birds

Our display doves are a smaller breed of dove, these are the type of dove you find at pet shops.
They have no homing ability and will perish if released in to the ourtdoors, This type of dove is
for dislpay only. We raise all of the doves we use for your event, we have white and dark pied doves
for our dove displays. Display doves add a nice touch to any event, we have set them up next to the
guest book to greet all your guest at your event. We also have a gift card box incorperated into
a dove display. ( Please see our equipment page ). This is popular item at weddings.

Saturdays are the busiest days for white dove releases.
We suggest you reserve your date early!

Highland Lofts
c/o Patrick Vanderpool
PO Box 9
Silvana, WA 98287
425-220-1051
Highlandlofts@aol.com