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a lonely racing pigeon
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Posted by alisonOZ SEQLD Aust (My Page) on Thu, Sep 22, 05 at 7:33
Well maybe as a result of last Friday's storm, "Widge" the pidge landed in our yard. He is obviously a homing pigeon that has come off track. Two leg bands. But all attempts at capture have failed, so I cannot find owner.
My Mum (whose father bred and raced pigeons well last century) says he will build up strength and wing off eventually.
In the meantime he has made our driveway, home. He (she) has made use of any little scrapings of leaves as a temp nest. Has a feed, settles down for a nap.
Food, Hmmm. I bought some chicken raising things, that did not go down well. Tonight found a produce shop that actually had a pigeon mix, but they were closing. I tried to say "I really don't need 5 kilos it's just one little bird" but then I walked out $8 lighter and 7 kilos heavier (well ther was some pea mix too). I guess when it flies away I will have to become the "bird woman of Southport" . Sheesh |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: a lonely racing pigeon
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| We adopted a pidgeon years ago. It wasn't a recer - just one of the local flock that camped on top of the town hall each night I think. we called him Ricky - short for "Ricketycoo". He was fine until we had to put him in the same cage as the budgies, as our 2 new (adult) cats had to share the other cage, to keep them away from our other cast while they aclimatised. We got so sick of the pidgeon trying to ....er.....mate? with the budgies, that we took him out to our block of land some kilometres away and let him go. Needless to say he was home before us, looking very smug and enjoying his new outdoor situation. So that is how he ended up - an out door pidgeon again. |
RE: a lonely racing pigeon
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Hello,
We ended up with percy the lost homing pidgeon. He too must have flown off course. Percy was very very tired and simply collapsed at the front door. We placed him inside in a warm box and fed him, then several days later we transferred him to an old aviary which was no longer used in the back yard. Well it seems that we rehomed him by our delaying tactics and he never left. In fact he rehomed with us into 2 more houses when we moved and ended up dying of old age. One day I will get another Percy, I guess the pain of losing such a dear old friend has made him rather difficult to replace. he was a bit like a labrador faithful till the end. |
RE: a lonely racing pigeon
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| I could have posted you some pigeon pea! He/ she might adopt you now. If he leaves, you can make pigeon mix bags (like wheat bags) in his memory. Or, grow a crop of green manure in the front. OK, I'll go back in my box now:) |
RE: a lonely racing pigeon
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Lovely to hear that you are looking after this pidgeon, I find they eat any of the chooks food
if they can get to it. Loved all the stories its great to help our feathered friends.
Cheers..MM. |
RE: a lonely racing pigeon
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About twenty years ago some kids knocked on our front door with a dove type bird they had found in the street.
As my dad had a big aviary they figured someone who kept birds would want it.It looked really large against the canaries ,hence its name BIg Bird.
Well it is still going and now I have it in my aviary with some canaries,grand children ,i suppose of the one it has grown up with over twenty years.I suppose one day it won't be there and I will miss it like a faithful old friend.
In months to come when I am out buying seed for my birds I will think of you and wonder wheter you are buying that next 7 kg of pidgey didge food and smile. |
RE: a lonely racing pigeon
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| I found a pigeon, when I was little, in the backyard one day. It's wing was hanging down so I talked my Mum into taking it to the vet. He said it looked like it had been shot through the wing which had broken it. The vet said that it would never be able to fly again so we adopted it and kept it in an open cage under the house were he could come and go as he pleased. This went on for several months until one morning we found a pile of feathers and the neighbours dog! How I hated that dog from then on. |
RE: a lonely racing pigeon
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| Good on you Alison for being so kind-hearted (and to you others who have done the same). It restores your faith in human nature when you read of acts of kindness like this!
Cheers,
Dee. |
RE: a lonely racing pigeon
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| Glad I am not the only one, we have two of them, wild but quite happy to just hang out at our place. They are teaching their two young ones to fly at the moment and have caused much excitment for the children, (11 & 3) who have watched mum engineer some strange platforms to prevent them falling out of the nest ( it was built up in the corner of the carport). They have only caused one problem, an identity crisis for our two "gun" dogs, yes, a retrievor and a lab !!!! The dogs are constantly landed on which severely disturbes their "busy doing nothing" time and I have even witnessed them step aside and let the birds eat from the food bowls. Oh the shame, I am glad for the 6 foot fences so they are not publicly ridiculed on their morning walks. |
RE: a lonely racing pigeon
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What lovely stories and how kind people are!
I should have posted this in the "conversations" section I guess (my mistake) but Widge DOES live in the garden and wildlife and ring-ins are part of our yards.
HappyJ, I wish Widge would be more amenable cos I could parcel him (her) of to you. Meanwhile I'm still driving round with 6 kilos of pidge food in the car as I couldn't confess what I had done and show the whole lot of it. Hmmm I wonder how it would go as meusli?
Naaah too much corn. |
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