Morgans wrote:

"Gary Drescher" wrote in message
news:7fAUb.184353$sv6.949999@attbi_s52...

According to Reuters today, British scientists tracking homing pigeons

with

GPS transmitters discovered that the pigeons don't return home by

celestial

navigation. Instead, they follow roads. Closely. Prof. Tim Guilford:

"It

is striking to see the pigeons fly straight down the A34 Oxford bypass,

and

then sharply curve off at the traffic lights before curving off again at

the

roundabout."



Do they follow the same route that took them away from home?

The article I saw,
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/20...853987030.html indicated
that they only use the IFR (I Follow Roads) method on routes that they flew
multiple times, but that "pigeons use their own navigational system when
doing long-distance trips or when a bird does a journey for the first time."