AS Wayne Hitchcock walks to the bottom of his garden with a handful of seeds he can hear a frantic and excited ruffling of bird feathers.

Wayne's partner Kelly watches from the safety of the house as he scatters the seeds and becomes engulfed in a cloud of flapping wings as a flock of pigeons crowd around him.

Instead of taking cover, Wayne closely inspects the flock, checking to make sure the birds are all fit and healthy.

Feeding is one of the easiest parts of his hobby of breeding and training pigeons to take part in national competitions.

And Wayne, who was given his first pigeon before he reached his teens, said what started out as a boyhood interest has since transformed into a passion.

He said: "I had my first experiences of pigeon breeding from a very early age because my dad used to keep tumbler pigeons, which can roll backwards mid-flight.

"I remember my dad handing me my first bird when I was 11 and I loved it – it's just gone from there really."

Wayne's birds are known as Birmingham Rollers, a breed of pigeon famed for their synchronised loop-the-loops and corkscrews.

He keeps about 30 "rollers" in large sheds lining his garden, which he says is an unusually low number for a dedicated breeder who takes part in competitions across the country. He is a member of a number of pigeon clubs in the East Midlands, including the Derby Performing Roller Club.

Since joining, he has won prizes in different classes, including old birds, which are more than two years, and younglings, which are in their first year.

He has even displayed his flock in a competition called the National Fliers, where his birds won him a silver medal.

Displaying a flock of rollers is where about 20 birds fly in a tight formation, looping and spiralling through the air.

The 50-year-old said: "I was only a few points off the winner in that competition and even though I came second, it was still an amazing feeling.

"Some people can be competing in roller pigeon competitions for 20 years and not win anything, so it's brilliant.

"I think the secret to success is keeping the numbers low and focusing on a smaller flock.

"A lot of competitors keep 100 birds and some can keep up to 150 but there's never a guarantee that they're going to win anything."

Wayne, of Wood Road, Chaddesden, admitted that despite trying to remain impartial, he has picked out a favourite.

"My flock revolves around one pigeon and the others are related to him in some way. I've nicknamed him The Main Man and he's the top one for me."

Wayne dropped a few hints on what budding breeders need before starting out.

He said: "One of the most important things to have, other than the birds in the shed, is good neighbours.

"There's an elderly couple whose garden runs up to the bottom of mine and they don't have a problem with them – I think they actually like them."

Despite the highs of his career, Wayne has had to suffer some of its lows.

Over the years, many of his prize pigeons have disappeared or been picked off by birds of prey, including Derby's famed peregrine falcons.

"Since December, I've had a total of 14 go missing but it's just something you have to put up with, although it does get you down."

But one of the trickiest parts of his career came when Wayne introduced his long-term partner Kelly to his prize pets.

"She looked at me and said 'why do you do that?'" he said. "But over time she has got used to it and she helps me out around the garden. I think she's starting to enjoy it now."