They are the original veterans of social distancing - but even racing pigeons are suffering from a lack of motivation during this lockdown.
Pigeon fanciers across the country are having to find new ways of keeping their flock on the straight and narrow in the absence of any competitive racing, while awaiting clarification from policymakers as to when their season can resume.
"They do get lazy and they don't want to fly after being locked up for so long," declares John Thompson.
Involved in the sport for over six decades, the respected pigeon fancier from Dublin’s North Wall has some canny observations as to how to make his feathered competitors yearn for the skies after being cooped up for so long - just like their human counterparts.
"They don’t want to fly, they’re after being locked up for so long but you let them out for a few minutes every day," he says.
"And then motivate them - take their missus away from them - take the hen away from them and let the cock go: 'where’s she gone', like?
"It’s like your own missus - if she went up town for a couple of weeks you’d miss her."
With the wings of pigeon racing currently clipped just the same as all other competitive sports, Thompson is keen to stress the importance of a strict lockdown diet for his avian adventurers.
He doesn’t want his pigeons going to seed.
"They should be racing, when they are racing you kind of get them as fit as anything", Thompson explains from his garden.
But - no more than the rest of us - pigeons are finding it hard to stay away from the snacks during this lockdown.
"You have to cut down on the feed," Thompson insists.
With an estimated 12,000 members of pigeon clubs on the island of Ireland, the pigeon racing season was due to begin in early April, however Thompson reckons they’re currently at least six races behind schedule.
"As soon as we get the go ahead, which I hope is soon, every pigeon man - north, south, east and west - is waiting just to start training and get a bit of racing".
Thompson stresses the solitary nature of his pigeon passion at the best of times.
"Pigeon racing is an isolated sport because all you do is put them into a box and they’re sent down to the country," he explains.
"One chap down there with them releases them - you’re sitting here all day praying, praying you get them," he chuckles, adding: "It’s a great sport".
With two children, one a careworker and the other involved in providing oxygen equipment, working on the frontline in the battle against Covid 19, Thompson says that while they are currently obeying the ‘rules of the land’ he can’t wait to spread his own wings, with races around the country.
In the meantime, it’s business as usual in terms of caring for his flock.
"It’s like children, you have to look after them all the time," he says, as he busily pours out an early morning feed of bird seed.
The breakfast of champions.
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