LIFE long pigeon fancier, Dino Reardon, who shot to fame nationally with the story of Bluey, the kidnapped pigeon, has died aged 85.

Dino, who reared many champion racing birds throughout his life, also made the headlines with a bird he christened "boomerang" because it kept coming back to the loft in Skipton despite having new owners.

Dino was himself a champion of renewable energy and transformed his home in Skipton using solar panels as long ago as the 1980s and more recently a unique system combining wind generation and a ingenious heat pump.

Champion bird Bluey - he won 17 national titles - was kidnapped from his home in Skipton and had his wings clipped by the thieves to stop him escaping.

But the tough little creature was later found having fled his keepers in a bid to get home to the loft in Skipton.

So strong was his homing instinct, that Bluey passed it on to his daughter whom Dino gave the name Boomerang because despite going to new owners, she couldn't resist flying back to Skipton.

She was even more determined to get back to the Dales market town and on one occasion the 13 year-old flew 1,200 miles from her "home" in Spain and later took off from her new loft in Filey into the arms of Mr Reardon in Skipton.

Dino, who had only relatively recently lost his wife, Olive, was born in Easington and moved to Skipton in the 1950's. He died in Airedale General Hospital on Monday, July 17, after a short illness. His funeral will take place at Skipton Crematorium on Monday, July, 31 at 12.30pm.