# I 'think' I found a pigeon



## Irish (Aug 29, 2007)

Oh I'm gonna sound so dumb, but I'm really not a bird person. I've found a bird and I'm nearly sure it's a pigeon, but it doesn't coo or anything. 

This fella landed in our garden on Sunday. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with him, he could fly etc. He's very very tame and he follows the kids about while they're playing like a little puppy. The first couple of nights he flew off up to a tree/embankment that's at the side of our over garden when they came in for the day(no more action in the garden), but last night he was sleeping on the back step and stayed the whole night. 

I went out thismorning and he perked up and started pecking about at my feet looking for his food. I fed him and gave him water, and then noticed that his right wing is drooping, so maybe he could fly, but can't anymore? 

He's not doing any harm and the kids have been warned not to touch him. He's just lovely and I'm just hoping he's not in pain  

Here are a couple of pics:



















Thanks in advance 

Irish


----------



## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, he's got some kind of problem and needs some protection from predators while we sort it out. Could you please collect him and put him in a box with some food and water? It's so highly unlikely that he's got anything that you could get that it doesn't warrant any worry. There are things that you're probably carrying that could be a problem to him, though, so wash your hands before you pick him up.

On another note, where basically are you in case we've got a member nearby who could help the bird?

Pidgey


----------



## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

It's possible that he's real young and simply hasn't learned to drink water on his own yet. As hard to believe as that is, I see a few like that. They kinda' go along and wilt far more slowly than you'd think. When you first try teaching them to drink, they seem extremely curious about it but just not sure. Then, they start picking it up and get pretty excited over the deal. Anyhow, if that's the case, you might put some water in front of him and he'll have little or no idea what to do with it. Then, you can try gently pushing the back of his head so that the front half of his beak gets in the water. You may have to do that a few times before he gets it (IF that's his problem). If that works out he'll learn to drink pretty quickly although it's best to keep him around, eating and drinking for the next couple of weeks for him to adequately learn how.

Pidgey


----------



## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

And, yes, that's a pigeon.

Pidgey


----------



## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Hi and welcome to PigeonTalk, thanks for your concern regarding the health
and well being of this pigeon. Where abouts are you located in general? We may have someone close by who could assist. Also, have you noticed any bands on this birds legs? Have you ever noticed flock(s) of ferals in your neighborhood or anywhere close by?

It's unusual for a feral to 'find' you without a medical need being present, if 
this isn't a feral, then it's someone's pet or member of a loft which means that
this bird isn't used to fending for itself and used to having food provided as opposed to foraging for it themselves. They definitely don't perch on steps
to sleep for the night unless not feeling well, so let's start with your general
location and possibly we may need to help you catch the bird for further
exam. 

Thanks again for your concern.

fp


----------



## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

If you haven't been feeding the bird so far, please don't feed the bird or water
him/her until the bird has been warmed and hydrated:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=8822

The thread above will give you instructions on how to proceed 
w/the bird.

fp


----------



## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Here's a link to a site that gives some ideas on how to make traps:

http://www.racingbirds.com/ptrap.html

fp


----------



## Irish (Aug 29, 2007)

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm going to put him in a box now, I really wasn't sure what to do with him at all. He has no problem being approached or handled, in fact he seems way too 'ok' with it to be wild, yet he has no tags on his legs to suggest he's a pet  

I'm in Cavan, Ireland. We haven't seen any other pigeons around our house. There's a wooded area at the back of our house, so there are alot of birds about, just not pigeons. 

He's not a small bird, he's about 12 inches long head to tail and quite a plump little fella. 

Right, well I'll head off and warm him up now. Thanks for the reassurance that he's not dangerous  

Irish


----------



## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Thanks for rounding him/her up, I'll send a link to this thread to one
of our members in Ireland, though I don't know how close the two
of you will be. He'll know the ropes there at any rate.

The bird isn't dangerous, but I always wash my hands before and after 
handling the birds I bring in as I don't want to give them anything or
pass anything along....just your normal hygiene precaution.

fp


----------



## Irish (Aug 29, 2007)

Thanks a million  

I can't catch him at the moment as he's made his way under the shed out of the rain. I'll get him when he comes out though  

Last night I ended up putting the kids goal posts up in front of the door so the neighbours cat couldn't get him, but he could get out through the holes in the net. I suppose a box makes much more sense  

Thanks again!


----------



## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

50 to 60 miles northwest of Dublin? Our main Irish member is in Dublin but that doesn't mean there aren't others that I'm not thinking of...

Well, we'll see when you get him rounded up. Do you think he looks plump or have you felt him and he feels plump?

Pidgey


----------



## Irish (Aug 29, 2007)

He looks fairly plump alright. I haven't felt picked him up since yesterday though, so I'm not sure about today. He seems to be sleeping alot today. He's still under the shed so I can't do anything until he comes out.


----------



## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

You might try to get him out with a pole or long stick. Frankly, sleeping with both eyes shut is kind of a bad sign on a pigeon.

Pidgey


----------



## Irish (Aug 29, 2007)

Ok, I have him now  

He came out and I picked him up and fed him the warm water mix with a syringe. He perked up a bit, I have semi-wrapped in a blanket in a box now. What next?  My husband already thinks I've lost the plot by not shooing him off.. just wait until he finds him in the laundry room


----------



## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

Thank you so much for helping this pretty pigeon. He looks like a domestic bird to me, even though he's not banded. Not everyone bands their birds and it's unusual for feral pigeons to be that tame, even when they aren't feeling well. Hopefully we'll find someone near by who can help you care for him or take him in.


----------



## Irish (Aug 29, 2007)

Well if you manage to get in touch with the guy in Dublin I could meet him half way? It's not that I want to get rid of the little guy(or girl.. who has now been named 'princess pidgie' by the kids lol) but I have no experience with birds and I'm afraid I'd do more harm than good.. and the kids are getting very attached to their new buddy


----------



## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

I emailed our Dublin member so we'll have to see how that goes.

In the meantime, you can look into the little fellow's beak (you gotta' open it but that's not really that hard to do) to see if everything's all a somewhat normal pink color or if there are any cheese-colored buttons. You might also be able to take a respiration rate (breaths per minute) by way of watching his tail bob a bit although sometimes you have to watch under the bird to see it. You can listen to see if you can hear any breathing noises. Supplemental heat (like a heat lamp) can be real helpful when a bird's not feeling well, too.

Pidgey


----------



## Irish (Aug 29, 2007)

Just had a look inside his mouth.. it looks grand  Nice and pink and not dry or anything. I didn't take his resps, but he seems much more alert in the heat. See how it goes with the Dublin member. In the mean time I'll keep him in over night and I'll let him out for a walk tomorrow and see how he gets on.

Thanks for your help


----------



## SkyofAngels (Jun 28, 2007)

That pigeon seems very tame maybe close by lost him. I would put up posters or run an ad in the paper


----------



## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Just to clue you in, birds tend to do the opposite that we do with infections: their body temperatures go down rather than up. So, when they're standing around puffed up (and obviously sick--they puff up for other reasons sometimes), it often means they're sick. Putting heat on them won't usually solve that but it can help them conserve energy that they otherwise might not have.

Pidgey


----------



## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

Hello Irish,

Okay, so now I'm gonna sound dumb, but ...

The pigeon in the photo looks a lot like our *Pidgiepoo*, who flew away from crows in a local Cologne, Germany city park on Friday noon, January 14th, 2005. We never saw him again.

He was very tame. 

We always hoped someone would find him and take care of him, if he didn't return.

He had a slightly splayed left leg as a chick (we raised him from 4-10 days of age).

His left leg was turned outwards 45 degrees, halfway between straight ahead and straight to the left. 

I'm pretty sure it's not him, but you never know. I don't have clear pictures of him, but would recognize him from clear pictures you might make of him. 

His normal weight at eight-and-a-half months of age was 280 grams (ten ounces). He was a male, very macho. Didn't have a mate at the time, but spring was on the way. The female street pigeons were interested in him. *He used to ride everywhere on my shoulder* and on my wife's shoulder, and would fly to our shoulder when we tapped on the shoulder. Many people around here remarked that they had never seen anything like that. One pigeon-raiser I met said he once had a pigeon who would also ride around on his shoulder, and of course there are other PT members with tame pigeons like that. But it is not such a common thing to see such a tame pigeon, loose. 

My wife missed him so much when he disappeared that she never wanted to get so attached to a pigeon again, because of the pain.

I still keep a look-out for him, and thus have come across and rescued many other pigeons in need. His coloring is called ash red. His nares was chalky white (the area on top of the beak, in front of the eyes). The one in the photo appears to have more of a flesh color, which would indicate either a juvenile pigeon, a pigeon in ill health, or a pigeon whose whiteness doesn't show because he's been into eating something greasy such as chips ("French fries"), or even wieners, or "junk" food. 

I had put a plastic leg ring (still have it) on him when he was a month old, but he spent the next hour rotating and trying to get it off, until I couldn't take any more of it. He liked dried green peas.

Would appreciate more photos. If by a very long shot it were him, it would be so, so, so very wonderful. He would definitely recognize us. If there were any possible way to get him to us, even if he were not Pidgiepoo, we would take care of him. Maybe some pigeon racers could transport him when he is healthy. Jumping the gun here maybe, but wouldn't want to chance losing him again if it were Pidgiepoo. Just want to indicate to you my level of concern, and appreciation for taking in this pigeon. Pidgiepo was always very trusting, and we spent many frantic times looking for him when he flew off a block or two away, while he waited for "taxi" (shoulder) service home. At home, and at my wife's atelier, he would follow us around. He never really grasped the concept of stairs. He would go so far as the landing, and we would have to come back up and carry him up or down the stairs. I was so involved with interacting with a live, interesting pigeon, that I never made really good photos of him. Most were made by friends, at picnics or such, where he was a small part of the picture. 

My avatar (picture in the post) is Pidgiepoo as a month-old-or-so squeaker, sitting in my grey/gray felt hat, while I fed him.

Larry (in Cologne).


----------



## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Geez Larry, you almost bring me to tears. Wouldn't it be wonderful though?


----------



## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

Yes Maggie, it would.

But even if it is not *Pidgiepoo*, and it quite likely is not, a pigeon that tame needs a very caring home. They are too trusting and vulnerable.

We didn't train our next rescued-as-a-baby and hand-raised *Wieteke* to come to our shoulders and ride around on our shoulders, for that very reason. We knew he had to be able to survive as a street pigeon, because of the constraints of our small apartment. Also, we wanted our pigeons to have mates, interact with the street pigeons. 

And we did not take Wieteke places with us as we did Pidgiepoo, so that Wieteke would not be disoriented and not be able to find his way home. In general, everywhere Wieteke went, he went there on his own, and he could make his way back. Pidgiepoo lived indoors with us, went almost everywhere with us, and spent several hours daily outside on the street.

Larry


----------



## Irish (Aug 29, 2007)

Aww Larry, it would be wonderful if it were him  I read a couple of the posts about pidgiepoo earlier. 

I'll take some clearer close ups of him/her tomorrow. He/she is still snuggled up in the box in the laundry room nice and warm. I've given it water over the day through the syringe(baby medicine syringe) and now I don't have to hold it's head to give it, it turns towards the syringe to drink. I've also given it wild bird seed(it doesn't like the black ones  ). 

I can't get over how tame it is. I was never really into birds, but this guy has really got to me. He's a funny little fella, he walks along side the kids while they play, especially the youngest(2.5yr old). 

Anyway, he's doing well so far. I've no idea how I'd get him to you though. I've searched the internet for pigeon clubs in the area and all I can find are 'clay pigeon clubs' and we don't want to send him there do we?  

I'll update with more photos tomorrow  

Irish


----------



## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

Thanks, Irish.

The most important thing is that he has a good life. Hilde used to think that maybe he found a mate, and was doing what pigeons should be doing. 

He might respond to hearing our voices, but after such a long time, I'm not sure voice alone would indicate enough.

There are ferries from Ireland to the European continent. Well, we'll have to see. Landlord won't let us keep pigeons inside any more either, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

The main thing which distinguishes him from most other male pigeons with similar markings (and I have seen a couple of his "twins" or look-a-likes here in Cologne) is the way he walks, with the left foot turned out. This makes him walk with his body more parallel to the ground, with his head held lower. When he roo-coos the females, though, you can't tell him apart much from other pigeons by his posture. He will raise up and bow down and rotate and scrape his tail like any of them. 

But, I don't think the deformation of his left leg joint would correct itself, even over time. Feathers might change a wee bit, especially when held differently with age, because they might overlap a bit. Just as we humans change in appearance, somewhat. 

If he has or had a mate nearby, my wife put it nicely when she said that he also had his own life to live as a pigeon. We do not own his pigeon-ness, his nature as a pigeon. He and his kind are most important and come first and foremost for him. We are merely his "servants," even though "good help is hard to find." Ha. Well, whatever is best for the pigeon is paramount.

Thanks so very much for your consideration. I also can see about digging out some of the (mostly grainy and fuzzy) photos we have of him, and posting them.

Larry


----------



## Irish (Aug 29, 2007)

Well I don't know if this is any help Larry, but this pigeon has red(almost burgendy) tips on most of his upper grey feathers, except at the sides of his neck where the tips are a dark green and red mix. His lower body is mostly white.. his tial is a bit scruffy looking from walking around, but it's white with one black mark on one of the feathers on the left


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Irish said:


> Well I don't know if this is any help Larry, but this pigeon has red(almost burgendy) tips on most of his upper grey feathers, except at the sides of his neck where the tips are a dark green and red mix. His lower body is mostly white.. his tial is a bit scruffy looking from walking around, but it's white *with one black mark on one of the feathers *on the left


That means it's a "boy" bird............


----------



## Irish (Aug 29, 2007)

Oh thanks Lovebirds.. we better drop the 'princess' out of his name then lol


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Irish said:


> Oh thanks Lovebirds.. we better drop the 'princess' out of his name then lol


Well, don't know if you are even interested or not, but.......the female birds only carry one color. If they are Red, then that's what they are. You won't see any other colors. The males can carry two colors, so if you have a red bird with black flecks in it's tail and/or wings, it's carrying Red and Blue, which makes it a male. That's MY understanding of the way it works anyway.


----------



## Flying_Pidgy (Apr 26, 2006)

Lovebirds said:


> Well, don't know if you are even interested or not, but.......the female birds only carry one color. If they are Red, then that's what they are. You won't see any other colors. The males can carry two colors, so if you have a red bird with black flecks in it's tail and/or wings, it's carrying Red and Blue, which makes it a male. That's MY understanding of the way it works anyway.


wait wait wait... HUH? can u explain that plz?


----------



## Irish (Aug 29, 2007)

I have bad news  

I stayed up with him until 3am, making sure he was ok. He had seed and water in the box, he seemed in good form(besides the wing problem). I got up thismorning at 9:30 and went to let him out in the garden and he had passed away  

Maybe it was more serious than a broken wing  

We're going to have a little funeral for him later on when hubby gets home. 

Thanks for all your help. 

Irish


----------



## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

I'm so very sorry the little guy didn't make it. At least you gave him a safe place to pass. Thank you for trying to help him.


----------



## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Irish, I am very sorry. Those of us who rehab face this more than most and it really hurts, no matter if you've had it 10 minutes or 10 years. They put up a good front and sometimes, if you're not used to working with them, don't recognize the subtle signs that something is seriously wrong.

You did your very best and this little one knew it was loved.


----------



## flitsnowzoom (Mar 20, 2007)

*Poor little Irish Prince*

I've been following the tale of this little pigeon and was hoping that he would recover. He was quite a handsome bird and was so lucky to have found a safe haven with your lovely family. It's amazing how quickly these sweeties find a place in our hearts. 
You made a difference for Prince Pidgie. He died a quiet peaceful death with a caring family, so much better than what awaited him on the streets had he not found you. They seem to know the people to find.

Bless you.

Feather hugs and angel wings

Mary


----------



## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

*Condolences on the passing of Prince Pidgie*

Irish, 

I am truly sorry to hear this.

Especially for such a tame pigeon, who probably was suffering some deprivation a tame, possibly house-dwelling pigeon might encounter when on the outside (which a wilder street pigeon might have more readily found resources for). That is, if he was a tame pet of someone.

(*Pidgiepoo* did not have any black on a tail feather that I recall. Are you fairly srue it is a feather marking, and not a stain of sorts, since it was on only one wing?) 

If you could still get some photos, if you are up to it, it might help remove some doubts I still have. The other coloring you describe sounds right. I actually have most of the feathers Pidgiepoo shed during his almost nine months with us. Only ones missing are those he shed outdoors. He spent nights indoors. 

Your *Prince Pidgie* may have some owner looking for him. Maybe you have a community bulletin board where you can post a notice, a local "pets lost and found" bulletin board, perhaps at a vet's office, or a local community internet web-site. Even our very tame *Wieteke* would not go up to the feet of strangers and eat near their shoes like your Prince Pidgie did. Our feral pigeons, some of whom have known me and observed me for a couple of years, will not get very close to me. Street life is too dangerous for them here.

Here at PT many of us shared a lot of Victor Slape's anguish when his *Tooter* was chased by a hawk, and shard in his joy when Tooter re-appeared many months later. And other members have lost cherished pigeons when they took flight, some to be never seen again. 

Maybe you could save a feather or two for me, with color in it. Some day when DNA testing is cheap, or I know a niece or nephew working for a lab, I can try to match feathers. I can PM or email you address if you are so inclined. If not, that's fine also. Sometimes we just have to accept the unknown. And sometimes they are not so important, only satisfy idle curiosity.

Larry


----------



## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, that's very sad to hear. I had a pretty bad feeling about this one from pretty close to the beginning. That one closeup of him through the window gave me the impression that he was really bad sick. Thank you for being kind enough to make his last hours more peaceful.

Pidgey


----------



## alvin (May 10, 2006)

I'm sorry I wasn't around guys. I just found out about this little guy now.

Oh <EXPLETIVE DELETED>!!!


----------



## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

I don't think there was any time anyhow, Alvin--it was only just yesterday.

Pidgey


----------



## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

I, too, add my condolences, Irish! 

We try and hope so hard that sickness and injuries can be healed! Thank goodness The Prince had kind and loving people around him!

His death was not in vain...he brought us new members who found the "charm of a pigeon!" 

With love and hugs

Shi & Mr. Squeaks


----------

