A fixture in Pigeon sport and no stranger to any of us is certainly Markus Bauer. An Austrian married to a Belgian woman residing in knows international carrier pigeon sport like no other. Many by introduced pigeons himself or with his help from other top lofts have made him the master of the pigeon sport! reason enough to to get to know this person a little better.

In a forum in which pigeon breeders exchange information about this and that on the Internet, I find the following quote: "Correct, reliable and very polite, working with Markus is fun." It is also known that Markus Bauer is already young traveled a lot in Belgium for years and maintained an intensive friendship with Stan Raeymaekers from Emblem near Lier. The well-known "Club 90" was founded by Markus Bauer in honor of his fatherly friend Stan Raeymaekers. Markus Bauer has been living with his family in Lochristi in Belgium for many years now. The community is known for its horticulture. Begonias and other ornamental plants are grown here in greenhouses, some of which are very large. Ghent, the capital of the province of East Flanders, can be reached from Lochristi by public transport. It is only about eight kilometers southwest of Lochristi. The beautiful medieval city of Ghent has a variety of historical sights and is an absolute insider tip for a city trip. A must-do is a boat tour of the city's canals. The city's attractions are close together and can be reached quickly on foot. Together with the top breeder Gerald Mack from Windischeschenbach (Upper Palatinate, Bavaria), Markus Bauer operated the international website "Amazing Wings" until the end of May 2020, which can be accessed on the Internet at www.amazing-wings.com. Markus Bauer has been the sole owner of "Amazing Wings" since June 1, 2020, because Gerald Mack has turned to another professional challenge. It is no coincidence that the website enjoys a very good reputation internationally and worldwide. Markus Bauer and Gerald Mack have put their heart and soul into building and expanding "Amazing Wings" in recent years.

Markus Bauer will continue to ensure that "Amazing Wings" remains one of the leading websites for pigeon friends. According to the motto "class instead of mass", "Amazing Wings" regularly organizes auctions of top pigeons. As a rule, these are pigeons from Belgian and German top lofts. Top pigeons are also offered at attractive fixed prices throughout the year. "Amazing Wings" will continue to offer only quality pigeons in the future. Anything else would also be fatal, because Markus Bauer would certainly destroy the basis of his own business if he took a different approach. The satisfaction of the fanciers who buy a pigeon or maybe even several pigeons at "Amazing Wings" is always the focus. On the website of "Amazing Wings" you will find, among other things, the following comment: "Every breeder who offers pigeons on the Amazing Wings website is visited by Markus Bauer and the pigeons are selected and selected together." the professional handling after the purchase of a pigeon. Overall, the goal and the claim are to offer top service in all respects. For many years now, "Amazing Wings" has also regularly enriched our exhibition in Kassel with a stand. There are not only excellent pigeons to buy here, but also the opportunity to talk to the top Belgian breeders who offer these pigeons for sale. You can talk to the top Belgian breeders on site and get advice. As a rule, these breeders understand and speak German quite well. However, should there be any difficulties in understanding, in Markus Bauer you not only have an outstanding specialist at your side, but also a competent interpreter. I conducted an interview with Markus Bauer that I don't want to withhold from you.

Pigeon market: Where and when were you born, how many siblings do you have?

Markus Bauer: I am Born in 1961 in Victoria on the island of Vancouver in Canada. my father off Bürmoos near Salzburg emigrated to Canada after the Second World War. My mother with her parents and siblings from Merseburg near Leipzig as well. My parents met and married in Canada. I am the youngest of three children. My sister Monica and my brother Bruno are older than me. My grandfather had one in Durance Lake (Vancouver Island). Zoo with all sorts of animals. The special thing about this zoo was that almost all animals were tame. After school I went to the zoo with mine almost every day grandmother to play with the animals. Among other things, my grandfather was too friends with Walt Disney. Walt Disney used to go to my grandfather's zoo, um making wildlife films. The Daktari series (in Africa) was created with a lion from filmed at our zoo that I grew up with.

Pigeon market: When and why did you come to Austria and how did you become a carrier pigeon fancier?

Markus Bauer: In the year In 1970 my father decided after a serious operation on an intervertebral disc to return to Austria. So I had to at eight and a half years at school in Bürmoos and Oberndorf near Salzburg to learn. A year later my parents built in Obereching (St. Georgen near Salzburg) a bungalow. All the places mentioned are just a stone's throw away far from the state border with Germany. Then I'll be in Obereching grew up with my siblings in Austria. Since I'm already in I always had something to do with animals from my earliest childhood, I came through Franz Rakuschan from Bürmoos in 1974 to the carrier pigeon club 406 "Glück auf Salzachbote" in the RV Salzburg. I was only thirteen years old then.

TaubenMarkt: Please tell us something about your childhood and youth in Austria.

Markus Bauer: To be honest, I was quite a bottle. In school, when I was nine, I was caught smoking and doing a lot of other stupid things. I was always there with every nonsense. Still, I wasn't a bad student, but a high school or college was absolutely out of the question for me. But later I made up for everything at night school.

TaubenMarkt: How did you do you develop professionally?

Markus Bauer: How said, school wasn't really my thing and so I made up my mind first to do an apprenticeship as an industrial and office clerk. In these times I finally saw the light. After the apprenticeship I changed company and came to Universal Versand (a mail order company like Otto or Quelle) and became a “home textile buyer” there. After that I was hired by my former boss recruited to Peter Hahn as head of purchasing. Peter Hahn is located in Remstal near Stuttgart. The people in Swabia really work. It is not for nothing that the greater Stuttgart area is certainly the economic motor of Germany. From Peter Hahn I went from the Otto Group to Alba Moda in Bad Salzuflen poached away. I worked there as a manager. did this job me almost two years. Then I was introduced by the former Quelle board member Dr. Peter Wahle was poached back to Austria. I was then the managing director of Intersport Eybl. It was indeed a great professional challenge. For six and a half years I was a regular “distance commuter”. With the first cockcrow The alarm clock rang every Monday at 4:00 a.m. At 5:00 a.m. I was picked up by a driver who picked me up from Lochristi, my place of residence in Belgium brought to Brussels airport. From there we went by plane either to Munich or Vienna to work and back again on Friday Belgium to my family. That was certainly a very hard and exhausting one Time, but on the other hand also very nice for me, in my home country of Austria to be. About seven years ago I have this professional station ended and made myself self-employed in the matter of carrier pigeons.

TaubenMarkt: Markus Bauer and the Belgian pigeon sport – please take us on a little Time travel from the beginning to the present day with.

Markus Bauer: How I started out with carrier pigeons when I was thirteen. In the Subsequently I traveled with very good success in the RV Salzburg (Austria), in which I also worked as a secretary for a few years. When I was eighteen I drove with a group of pigeon breeders from Upper Palatinate (among others Hans and Otto Hirn) to Belgium for the first time. This is an unforgettable one Travel for me. We visited Victor and Georges Fabry, André, among others Vanbruaene, Roger Desmet, Francois Van Riel, Stan Raeymakers and Jan Grondelaers.

When visiting Stan Raeymakers developed an extraordinary friendship with the “Leonardo da Vinci" of the pigeon sport, to which I owe a lot. Stan was the one who encouraged me to try myself as an auctioneer and Writing reports about Belgian breeders. I got first class too Pigeon material from Stan, which I used in the RV Bad Reichenhall after moving traveled excellently from Salzburg to Freilassing (Germany). Stan opened me also the doors to Gommaire Verbruggen, Jef Houben, Flor Engels, Jos Vercammen and many other top breeders in Belgium. As Stan Raeymakers unfortunately died far too early in 1990, I founded the in his honor international friendship club "Club 90". Were in this club at the time too the breeders Flor Vervoort, Louis Deleus, Miel Daems, Theo Yskout, Martin Wagner, Valentin Müller, Peter Grupp, Pastor Thomas Röder, Heinz Willi Ritz and other breeders who unfortunately also died much too early. In the meantime the "Club 90" has existed for thirty years with really great people and Friendships I will never forget. I hope I still do can enjoy for a long time. When I look back on my career in pigeon racing, I also spontaneously think of the following: First, the good times when I traveled to Freilassing (Upper Bavaria). At that time I was also the RV board member of the RV Bad Reichenhall and had the idea of ​​organizing an "As pigeon show". One great thing because many of my Belgian friends were present. In this Related examples are Albert Derwa, Flor Vervoort, Louis Deleus, Theo Yskout, Kristiaan Hennes, Miel Daems, Jos Thoné and the Herbots brothers to name. They brought pigeons from their very best to fair could buy at fixed prices. Many breeders from Bavaria and Austria and even from the far north of Germany (Hamburg) traveled to this unique exhibition on. The "As pigeon show" was probably in Saaldorf near Freilassing better attended than some district exhibitions. The friendships with Breeders Herman Schwaiger, Gust Schmid, Rupert and Sepp Hacker, Hans Stranninger as well as Hans Rausch and the many other sports friends in this I will never forget the time. We always had something to celebrate and it was If this is not the case, then I have a good reason to celebrate thought up. The "TaubenMarkt Fair" in Kassel with the annual Auctions that I have held have always been something for me special. I was able to offer the best of the best from Belgium every year. For the many visitors and the trade fair organizer Uwe Kreutzfeldt was mine Auction is always the highlight of the fair. Looking to the present I say that my friend and top breeder René Geukens (Paal, Belgium) and I have a common breeding loft. My best breeding pigeons are at René's accommodated. Among other things, a direct son of the legendary "Di Caprio" by Dirk van Dyck (Zandhoven, Belgium). Many will surely know that Dirk this travel and breeding gun ("Di Caprio") at Leo Heremans (Vorselaar, Belgium) bought. My "Di Caprio Son" (Belg-13-6122685 "Jessie James") is the father of six different first prize winners! In 2019 we (René Geukens and I) the 6th national ace pigeon KBDB on the small middle distance. This is the beautiful hen Belg-17-5040218 "Nina". Her Father is a grandson of the legendary "Figo" by Antoon and Hilde Reynaert (Passendale, Belgium). The mother of "Nina" is the hen with the ring number Belg-16-6075432. This is a daughter of "Olympic Niels" by Dirk van Dyck. "Olympic Niels" is a son of "Di Caprio". There I myself have very little time, I find the partnership with René to be a great thing that I appreciate very much as a pigeon expert and human being.

TaubenMarkt: What Are you fascinated by the pigeon sport and what do you think is important if you want to be successful?

Markus Bauer: Of course, the motherland of the pigeon sport, namely Belgium, fascinates me the most. With a view to the distances, you can specialize or tackle the entire program (short, medium and long distance) with your pigeons. Races not only take place on weekends, but also on Wednesdays in many places. The flights during the week are flights with shorter distances. From the end of May there are basically short, medium and long-haul flights every weekend. Very often breeders specialize for certain distances. The pigeons are usually selected tough, so that the competing pigeons have an average very high performance. In my opinion the best pigeons for the short and medium distance are in the provinces of Antwerp and Brabant. Very good pigeons for distances from about 500 km to Barcelona can usually be found in the provinces of East and West Flanders. If you want to be successful in the pigeon sport, you first need really good pigeons. My tip is the following: Go to two "small", in other words unknown, strong-playing fanciers and try to buy youngsters directly from the master pairs. Cross these two bloodlines and family breed later in the year to maintain the strain. Gaby Vandenabeele is a breeder that everyone knows. He bought his "little one" from the unknown breeder Delodder in Zulte. With a son of the "little one", namely the "Wittenbuik", he became world famous. It is not uncommon for breeders who were once “small”, i.e. unknown, strong players, to lose pigeon quality over time when they become better known and the sale of pigeons becomes more important. The breeding pigeon population is increasing to meet the increased demand – At the same time, however, the average pigeon quality drops because not all breeding pigeons meet the requirements of a good breeding pigeon. That's why I'm always on the lookout for new stars in the Belgian pigeon sport, namely those who are not yet "dirty" and have a very high average pigeon quality sitting on their lofts. As a rule, you can still buy very good pigeons here for a fair amount of money. Another topic. In Belgium breeders only basket pigeons that are being prepared for specific flights and are in good condition. Individual flights are the focus of interest, championships are more of a side effect that don't carry that much weight. In Germany, on the other hand, the championships come first and the pigeons go into the basket every week. Overall, in Belgium, selection is made more towards the "top flyer", while in Germany, as a rule, a regular "price flyer" is held in very high esteem. Of course it's a matter of perspective, but I personally prefer a pigeon that flies a lot of top prizes and maybe comes home one or the other flight without a prize than a pigeon that from 12 races has 12 prizes somewhere in the middle has to show a price list. I'm "programmed" rather Belgian, because here the top of the price list is of enormous importance and the rest is more or less paper on which the remaining "price flyers" are still listed. When there used to be a lot more playing for big money in Belgium, you could only achieve this if you placed your "bet pigeons" at the top of the price list. That's why the "As pigeons" are always interesting for me, because they are characterized by the fact that they very often fly to the top of the price lists. Finally, one piece of advice: The stricter you select, the better the success! Also, you don't need a large population of pigeons to be successful. The motto "quality instead of quantity" should always apply in the breeding and racing loft.

TaubenMarkt: Everyone Man has something that drives him – what drives you

Markus Bauer: My zodiac sign is "Capricorn". It is known that "ibex" are a bit stubborn, but are determined and ambitious. With a view to the racing pigeon means this is that it is my ambition to keep getting new "little ones", i.e. unknown ones to discover strong Belgian strokes.

TaubenMarkt: How is life in Belgium and do you want to stay there forever?

Markus Bauer: Belgian and Austrians are similar in mentality. Not infrequently they are connoisseurs. They appreciate good food and good wines. That's definitely a very good reason for me to stay here in Belgium forever. The much more important reason here to stay is of course my family. She means everything to me. I am with married to a Belgian woman and have three children. Anna, Victoria and Luis grow up here in the immediate vicinity of Ghent, which for me is the most beautiful city ​​of Belgium. Nevertheless, I have to admit that from time to time I I'm a bit homesick because Salzburg is in Austria and the immediate vicinity also beautiful. The snowfall in winter and the possibilities to ski driving are undoubtedly much better than the not uncommon cold and wet Rainy weather in Belgium at this time of the year.

TaubenMarkt: Where to are you going What are your goals for the future?

Markus Bauer: Im In the age of Covid 19 one realizes that fitness and health are the are the highest goods. I wish that for my family and myself. The rest comes from alone!

TaubenMarkt: We Thank you very much for the very interesting and informative Interview and wish Markus Bauer and his family all the best and good luck!

Markus Bauer Kastanjedreef 35 B-9080 Lochristi / Belgium

Phone: 0032 – (0)471 – 851357 Email: markus.bauer@telenet.be

Source: TaubenMarkt edition 08/2020