I walked into my bedroom today to find a most unexpected sight:
A pigeon on my unmade bed! The unmade bed was not a surprise–but the bird sure was. It’s spring so the windows are open in our apartment and I had a screen up near our bird feeders and I suspect that’s where this dude came from. I left the window open and tried to scoot it towards the wild blue yonder. The pigeon had no desire to go. I even gave it a light toss and the bird responded by doing a U Turn and flew right back in to my bedroom. I even tried leaving a trail of seed out the window to encourage the bird to leave. It didn’t work.
Based on the bird’s reaction to me, I began to suspect that this was not a wild pigeon after all. I had an idea of where this bird came from. We have some neighbors who had a pigeon and I wondered if it was their bird. I walked over and asked if their pigeon was missing. They told me that they raised it and let it go and for some reason it keeps coming back. I mentioned that I had a pigeon in my bedroom and suspected it was their pigeon. They did not want it back, they were done with it. I had a choice at this moment: give them the lecture about about why you can’t raise a bird indoors, release it and expect it to know everything it needs to know about how to find food, avoid predators and interact with others of its kind, or find a permanent home for it.
Since this was a rock pigeon (formerly known as rock dove and known in many cities as a flying rat) it is legal to keep them as a pet, they are a non native species to North America, so you do not have to have state or federal permits to have one in your possession). I could not in good conscience release this bird back outdoors, it would soon be Cooper’s hawk food. Also, it had been out the last few days and it was sad to watch it fly desperately against windows trying to get back inside to what it had grown up to know as safety and comfort. After it was in my apartment for awhile, it noticed my cockatiel’s cage and tried to fly towards it (a bird raised indoors will associate a cage with comfort and food). I blocked the pigeon and set it on my coffee table–I wasn’t sure of this bird’s history and did not want to risk exposing my cockatiel to any diseases. I went to the bathroom to wash my hands after handling the pigeon and…
…it flew in after me and lit once more upon my head. That’s it, this bird was too people friendly–I had to find it a home. In this photo you can kind of see the bird’s stunted tail. It had been in a cage too small for it and the tail feathers were trashed. I did the only thing a chick of the modern era could do–I put the word (and photos) out on Twitter and Facebook that I had a pigeon who needed a home.
At first, I received advice that perhaps if I sang to the pigeon a la the movie Enchanted that it might clean my apartment. Alas, either my singing was way off or this bird had not seen the movie because no matter what I sang to it, my apartment remained in woeful disarray. Still, it was a pleasant enough bird, not too loud and screechy like my cockatiel, it bobbed its head and liked to perch on my furniture where it could have a good look at its surroundings. This was by far the friendliest and most interactive pigeon I have ever dealt with. When I offered it a measuring cup filled with water, it gracefully inserted its beak and sipped it up. It dozed on our Lazy Boy and when it was jarred awake by car alarm, it cooed quietly in disdain. I could see why people enjoy pigeons as pets.
I offered it some seed, but most of the seed in my apartment is the type to keep pigeons from taking over my bird feeders. I offered it some of the muffins we make for our cockatiel and it showed mild interest. It did enjoy sunflowers out of the shell, so I called Non Birding Bill and asked him to pick up some sunflower hearts on his way home. He was glad to do it but was quick to remind me that we did not need a pigeon in the apartment and he was right. I did momentarily fantasize that I could turn this into my own personal education bird on urban birding programs with the National Park Service or train it to stay still for digiscoping workshops, but then thought better of it when it crapped the furniture with wanton abandon.
We did find a friend who was willing to take the pigeon–Melissa Kaercher has had turtle doves in the past and was actually looking at getting a bird. She graciously came to our apartment and picked up the pigeon and offered it a new life with her–far better than the life I could offer in a one bedroom apartment with only Cinnamon’s travel crate for shelter. Thanks, Melissa, for taking it in…and for not minding my messy apartment when you picked it up.
Such a fantastic tale from a not quite ordinary adventure. Loved the pictures!
I was the one who suggested the “Enchanted” angle (well, one of them, at least). Glad this turned out well.
Why don’t people understand that it’s not OK to decide that you’re “done” with an animal? I just don’t get it. I have two painted turtles that I inherited from my ex-wife (she decided that I had a better relationship with them than she did), and while I don’t have much real affection for them, they’re my responsibility until they die or I find another trustworthy person to care for them.
Over the decade I’ve had them, I’ve substantially improved their tank, and nursed both through sicknesses imagined (sometimes they just stop eating for a few weeks during a molt) and real (do you know how hard it is to give a turtle an injection of antibiotics?), and it never occurred to me not to care for them the best way I could. It just shocks me that people can see caring for an animal as some sort of transitory thing (assuming, of course, that we’re not talking rehab or similar).
I’ll never understand the people who raise a pet then just “let it go” and think that’s a good idea. Especially after getting my rabbits from the humane society who found them outside after people did that. They still act scared sometimes and forget they are safe, spoiled house rabbits.
How revolting and awful your neighbours are to abandon their pet like that–and how fortunate that he found you. Thank you for making sure he found a home!
This brought tears to my eyes. I love pigeons! You’re a kind soul, BirdChick.
“thought better of it when it crapped the furniture with wanton abandon.”
Good thing it wasn’t an osprey….
Yay for responsible “pet owners” like you…Boo for irresponsible people like your neighbors…Yay for Melissa, the adoptee!
Of all the pigeon holes in all the world, ya had to fly into mine….
Actually, how incredibly, utterly, and astoundingly good fortune that this little wayward bird would fly into your window! I mean, come on! A full time birder! Is it just me who perhaps sees the remarkable synchronicity in this? Does the pigeon read your blog and know? Perhaps this was all a test by the bird kingdom to check your devotion. In some alternate universe this guy is currently a pie. I’m not say, but I’m just saying!
Good for you Sharon. Right O!
That’s so sad – the neighbors who raised the pigeon only to dump it outside on its own, I mean. Still, at least it was a pigeon and not something worse. I live in staff housing at a raptor rehabilitation center and recently someone knocked on my front door to ask if it would be possible to adopt one of our rehab birds as a pet because, quote, “it would be real cool to have a hawk or something.” Facepalm.
When I was a very small child, my grandfather gave a young dove that he found to the neighbor (the part of San Jose he lived in was/is unincorporated, and people would hunt doves right inside of town). Mrs. Walls kept that bird for 25+ years. I don’t know if that’s a normal captive life-span for a dove, but that bird was around a long, long time. And that’s what you do, if you take an animal in, you care for it and take care of it–no way in hell that bird could have survived out of doors once it had been raised in captivity.
Good work finding the pigeon a home, and good work giving us all a laugh with the pictures.
This is my favorite story/blog entry of the week so far!
OoYou have a kind and silly heart. Thanks for making me smile so much today. Hope to hear more of yourf adventures soon! Thanks for the laughs.
I’m with Shane on this one – that’s one smart bird to choose your window and unmade bed!
and don’t think I didn’t see that Kliban shirt you were wearing~
Good on ya for another successful rescue story. Though I must admit that every time I see pidgeons now I think of the ones from the movie Bolt & I crack up laughing! They are beautiful birds!
Birdwatching now more convenient? No need to go out to the wilds. Just have the birds over!
Well, since pigeons are the topic, this is appropriate…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEjUAnPc2VA
I´m having fun reading reading about “your” pigeon.
Thank you for all the comments. I’m glad you enjoyed my unexpected pigeon story.
I agree with Shane and Lisa. I would add that this pigeon knew exactly what it was doing when it chose to fly into Birdchick’s bedroom.
Wow. How incredibly stupid of those people. What do they think it’s going to do?
Looks like your pigeons new Mom has enrolled him in school already.
http://cuteoverload.com/2010/04/14/those-carrier-pigeons-just-get-smarter-and-smarter/
I used to get really irritated with people who didn’t think that through. It’s disturbing the number of people who find out I’m into birds and want to tell me the “sweet story” of how an old relative died who had a parrot of some sort that was decades old. As a tribute to the old relative and to do the right thing, they release the bird. As they tell me this misty story I have to debate with myself to not tell them, “Hey, way to terrify and kill your beloved relatives old pet.” But that’s not going to help the situation and chances are the people won’t listen anyway.
Birds are not on people’s radar like they are on mine. I’m sure my mechanic and my tax accountant have both shaken their heads at some very basic knowledge that I lack. So, you do what you can when you can.
This snippet from Invader Zim is eerily appropriate…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6go_n3psiw
Wow. How did you get it out of your house?