Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss The pigeon that won't leave

We had a pigeon with a black band on it's leg show up the other day. It was hanging around the house. No idea where it came from although we suspect it may have escaped an animal auction nearby that occurs twice a year.

Anyway it's quite tame and sits on my deck bannister or the roof all day and then roosts above the window air conditioner on my parents apartment during the night. My dog wants it bad!

So yesterday we put it into a cage and took it over to an Amish friend that lives a good 20 miles away. He has pet pigeons in his barn that come and go. That was yesterday evening. Today he's back here again.

I'm concerned either the dog or a hawk is going to nail him. I know that's the way of nature but we're not sure what to do. Any ideas?

I'll take pics as soon as my new camera battery charges.

Seems like a friendship destined to happen, Cecil. Why not make him a little house and feed him? Can't hurt to have him around...will he allow you to handle him? You could set him on your shoulder while you feed the fish - pirate style. Cooo...Cooo!

Arrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

Cecil:

Is there any number or id on the band? If not, I'll be needing some pigeons for dog training soon.........

Cecil, Bird is probably a lost pet 'carrier' pigeon and used to people, although probably not the smartest pigeon in the loft. not carrier pigeon but homing pigeon - could think of right name. Arrrrg Matey- that is just what you need is a bird poopin' on your shoulder, but he evidently finds your place 'friendly'. Does it like fish food?

Guys,

Apparently my place is good enough to poop on but he or she eats somewhere else. We caught him last night and didn't find any numbers on his band but possibly a very small 'p.'

This morning there was another one with a silver band standing next to him or her on the peak of the roof, but it flew away. Just before a thunderstorm this evening the bird made a beeline to the southeast as if it knew right where it was going. Hopefully it won't be back.

Scott not sure if you want a carrier pigeon training...

Not a Carrier pidgeon, but Homing Pigeons would do just fine. In the beginning I need to let pigeons fly away, and they'd be reuseable if I could catch them again. They really need to "home" here tho, 'cause it makes them easier to catch again.

The ones that the dog retrieves after they've been shot usually can only be reused a couple of times that day.

There are those who raise pigeons and enter them in homing competitions usually involving many, many miles. If any of the birds have a hard time of it and stop at our places to rest or re-orient, we should appreciate what we are seeing and not harm the birds. Bird owners highly value their birds and feel about them as we do our fish, only moreso, if you can imagine that.

I can appreciate that. We were at one trainins session in Central Ca. one weekend and a stray Homer flew in and was walking around the training birds in the cage. We put out feed and water for it, and made sure that the dogs didn't bother it. It stuck around for most of the morning than it went on it's merry way.

We'd sometimes get Homing "culls" from the breeders, and it took quite a while to get them acclimated to their new home.

andedammen - I was working on the Los Angeles Coliseum after the Northridge Earthquake repairing it from the earthquake damage when I saw a Raven pick a full grown pigeon off of a ledge, kill it and carry it away. I was wondering why I saw the pigeons scatter when a Raven would fly by, then I knew. I have never heard nor seen that happen again.

That's a great picture Cecil.

I've raised pigeons for dog training purposes in the past. It's amazing how far they will fly to come home. I've had them fly from south central PA back to northern VA in less than 2 days to get back home! I've heard of much further travels. They just took up too much time to take care of. I found a spot where wild ones roost at night so I just slip in there with a net and catch all the ones I need for training purposes now.

SO that's why the pidgeon population is endangered in northern VA.

Cecil that photo is hilarious!!!

CJ:

I'll bring the bird box. I think I can fit 200 in there for the trip back home.

The lady that I bought the birds from in So. Cal. would go thru roughly 5,000 birds a month between the dog trainers. That would double if there was a *gasp* pigeon shoot that month. She had a crew that'd trap them from L.A. and the surrounding cities.

I never participated in one of the shoots, although I was invited. At $5.00/bird not including any side bets, it was too expensive for this 'po boy.

Yeah, I found the pigeons on accident in a strip mall in my patrol area. I was doing business checks one night and stumbled across them. The birds stack up in this area to roost where you don't have to climb. You just walk up with a spot light and a net and go to town. I can usually catch 10 without much trouble. That's more than enough to do the training I do. I initially bought my birds from a lady who got scammed in some pigeon raising scheme. She had thousands of birds and nothing to do with them. I was able to buy then for $2 a pop from her and they were more than just your plain Jane birds.

CJ, that's a pretty good price for fancy birds. We were paying $1.25 to $1.75 per bird for plain old rock pigeons in the early 90's.

First photo's of Big foot caught smuggling pigeons.

Suddenly my hunger has gone away and turned into nausea...

I'm with Travis on this. I have no desire to know what is REALLY going on in that picture, nor do I have any desire to know why you are possessed of it, AP!!!

Inquireing minds want to know.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnew...s-trousers.html

Boy, That was goofy.

My mind only has a few more cell's left to store things as this, then it shall explode