Boomerang the racing pigeon returns to the owner who gave her away TEN years ago

But Boomerang the pigeon has lost neither her homing instinct  -  nor her sense of occasion.

After ten years away, she suddenly turned up at the home of the man who raised her.

And on Father's Day, no less. 

Loft and found: After ten years of cooing and fro-ing, Boomerang flies back

At first, Dino Reardon thought the bedraggled bird running towards him at his home in Skipton, North Yorkshire, was a stray.

'I checked the tag and nearly collapsed when I saw who it was,' he said.

'I just couldn't believe it. She could barely stand up and couldn't even make it into the aviary, she was just exhausted.

'I spent all Sunday feeding her glucose and honey to try and get her energy back from the journey.'

Her return was not completely unexpected, however  -  as her name suggests.

Boomerang's homing instinct is the stuff of legend among pigeon fanciers.

The 13-year-old bird first made headlines back in 1998, when Mr Reardon gave her to a friend in Algeciras, southern Spain, after retiring from breeding racing pigeons.

Boomerang promptly flew the 1,200 miles back home.

Home to roost: Boomerang is the daughter of famous racing pigeon Bluey

Mr Reardon immediately gave her to another breeder in Filey, North Yorkshire  -  but she returned to his pigeon loft again.

Finally, still in the same year, Mr Reardon gave her to his friend Alf Pennington in Lancashire.

Mr Reardon had not seen her since... until Sunday.

It is not known exactly where she had flown from, as Mr Pennington is thought to
have died five years ago.

'I don't have a clue were she's been since Alf died but I'm glad she's home,' said Mr Reardon.

Boomerang's feats are all the more remarkable because she is not a racing bird.

The daughter of Bluey Champion, a winner of 17 national titles, she was kept for breeding.

She must have inherited her homing skills from her father, who was once 'birdnapped' and had his wings clipped by thieves, but escaped and walked 60 miles back to Mr Reardon's home.

Pigeons have a lifespan of three to five years in the wild, but live to around 15 in captivity.

Boomerang's return has attracted interest from breeders as far afield as South Africa, who have been phoning constantly since her reappearance.

But yesterday Mr Reardon - whose pigeons come from stock which have been in his Italian family for 200 years - said that she will be staying put.

'She will be going nowhere from now on,' he added.

'She is staying here and will be looked after for the rest of her life. She has already paired up and if she lays any eggs they will be staying with me.'