# Fancy pigeon on the loose. Could you be missing yours?



## flitsnowzoom (Mar 20, 2007)

Hi, I'm new to this forum and have joined so I can alert you to a pigeon escapee (not mine). It's a lovely bird, about the size of a raven, white with black scattered throughout the feathers. All black tail feathers. Takes off like a B-52 -- leisurely at best but once airborne is capable of flight, but not too far I'd guess. Orange eyes, gray beak, pink cere -- and I think pink feet and maybe a band. Its feet are completely feathered from the drumsticks to the tops of the toes (no bare legs for this baby!). Nearly encircling each foot are feathers at least 3-4 inches long. Slight ruffle or crest on the back of the neck. When we first saw it, it was quite hidden so we only saw the back, wings, and feathers from what I assumed were feet, so I thought "snowy owl -- this far south?!" It's a sizeable bird.

Bless it, because of its size, underpowered flight, and overabundance of feathers on its feet, it might as well hang a sign around its neck saying "Eat me!"

I feed birds so I've put out extra food (on the ground), filled all my bird baths and ground bird baths, and tried to get close to see where it goes to roost so maybe I can bring it into my care until I reunite it with its owner. We have a couple of feral cats, magpies, ravens, blue jays, a racoon or so, an occasional hawk, and a very busy red fox (along with assorted skunks) that patrol my yard (I live next to a very small open space in the middle of the city) looking for whatever. I don't know if any birds (that I've listed above) besides the hawk would pose a threat, but if so, let me know, please.

I've posted on 911 Pigeon Alert and on another pigeon forum as well because I really want to get this sweetie to a safe haven. The 911 Pigeon alert folks thought it could be a Hungarian Giant House Pigeon, but I don't have a clear picture to send (it's this white dot on a big expanse of dirt) to help with id. I never knew pigeons could have such extravagent plumage!

We first saw this bird March 17. It stayed near our yard most of the next day, and it was here again on Monday for lunch. I didn't see it today because we left at about sunrise and didn't get back until about 20 minutes before sunset. 

Any advise or local help I can tap for assistance that you can recommend or offer I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks, Mary

PS (location -- Lakewood, Colorado)


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## jazaroo (Jan 1, 2006)

Hi Mary,

Welcome to Pigeon-Talk. I wanted to thank you for taking interest in trying to rescue this bird and the efforts you are making to find its owner.

Since you can't find out where this bird roosts and it flies too well for easy capture, the best thing to do may be to trap this bird. Here is a link to a story similar to yours with a link inside this link on how to build a simple trap.

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=14960

I hope this helps for now and good luck catching this bird. If you have any questions, you know where to come.


Ron


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Hi Mary and welcome to Pigeon Talk. I'm going to give you a direct link to 
a 'trap' of sorts that might be helpful for you:

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

Thank you so much for taking the time to try and help this bird....chances are that if someone's pet, it's not going to do very well anyway, but from what you
described below, this is one bird that could really use your help. I wish I were
closer to give you a hand, but hopefully you'll be successful in your efforts to aid the bird.

fp


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

It sounds like an English Trumpeter to me, though a Hugarian Giant House pigeon is also a possibility. Some of the ET's are very large and have huge feather muffs on their feet. I hope you will be able to catch this bird. You might try an Internet search to see if there's an English Trumpeter club near you. Start with the NPA (National Pigeon Association--it's the show pigeon association).

Larged, heavily muffed pigeons don't usually fly very far. One man in our pigeon club lost one and it was found just a mile or two away and turned in to a rescue organization, from which he was able to retrieve it.


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

I searched myself and found this man's name on the National English Trumpeter Club list. No phone number, unfortunately. 

Jim Weimer 1567 S. Cty Rd. 21 
Loveland, CO 80537


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Birdmom4ever said:


> I searched myself and found this man's name on the National English Trumpeter Club list. No phone number, unfortunately.
> 
> Jim Weimer 1567 S. Cty Rd. 21
> Loveland, CO 80537


Here's the number. 970-669-8216
This man is an hour from where the bird is. Could this type of bird have traveled that far? I don't know how good they fly......?


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## flitsnowzoom (Mar 20, 2007)

*Update on my visitor*

Hi Everyone,
What a great forum you people have! Thanks for welcoming me. Even though I don't do pigeons (I have 2 parakeets, and 2 bronze mannakins), I feed the outdoor birds so have a built-in interest.
I went home at lunch to see if my visitor had returned and "Fancy Feet" was busy in the back yard, preening and checking out the dirt for seeds. He was under some low-hanging branches so I was able to get within 5 feet before he flew (not very far but up at least). 

I put out more sunflower seeds (they are in the shell, is that okay??) and topped off the water dishes, and tried to get him a bit used to my presence so I can attempt a capture later in the week. Should I spread out some of my parakeet gravel or will he get enough roughage from the clayey dirt in my less-than-marvelous yard? I don't fertilize or spray for weeds or grubs (the robins have to eat, too!) so there shouldn't be anything patently poisonous out there (okay, so there are a multitude of Lego pieces, plastic army men, Hot Wheel wheels, and assorted other toy pieces thanks to my son ;+ ) )
He seems quite happy to stay near my yard in the day, but by the time I get home in the evening, I can't find him. I'll try the stealthy trap method that Ron so kindly posted a link to (thanks for that). 

How do birds like this fare in rain and snow? That's forecast for this area tonight (although it's supposed to warm up quickly to almost 60 tomorrow). I'm hoping this bird will be able to roost somewhere safe or even better find his way home. I am surprised that there have not been any lost posters in the area because this bird is bound to belong somewhere and be in someone's charge.

Thanks for looking up a number for me, I'll try it in awhile. I can't imagine that this bird could have successfully flown down from Loveland unless he took a lot of rest stops, had a nice tail wind and lots of luck going for him, but this person may have some other pigeon leads. 

Thanks again for the encouragement and assistance. I'll keep trying and let you know how it goes.
Mary (720) 289 4895


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## jazaroo (Jan 1, 2006)

Hi Mary,

If you could, a wild bird seed mixture would be better than unshelled sunflower seeds for him and you don't have to worry about putting out any gravel or grit.

What I would do, if you intend to make and use a trap for him, is to make it and put it out in the general area of where he likes to be, then each day move it a little closer to "his" area, so that he gets used to it. Spread some seeds around it, you don't have to set it yet, your are just ensuring that it becomes a normal part of the background for him. This will make things easier when it's time to get down to trapping him.

Here is a nice photo of an English Trumpeter:
http://pigeonracing.homestead.com/English_Trumpeter.html

Good luck,

Ron


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

I'd be surprised if he flew that far; however, you still might try calling because Mr. Weimer might know who else in the general area raises fancy pigeons. There are members of my pigeon club who live two hours away.


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## flitsnowzoom (Mar 20, 2007)

*Quick update on my visitor*

We had rain last night and it got pretty cold so I was worried about my visitor. No sign of him/her before I left for work so I came home at lunch. He's sitting on the roof of my house (unfortunately, it's about 40 feet up and at such a steep pitch that I got charged a "steep pitch" add-on when the shingles were replaced a few years back, and I don't "do" steep roofs.). He certainly wasn't there last evening. He seems comfortable enough up there, but it's exposed to the sun and the north winds -- not the place I'd pick. I can't tell if he's lost condition or not, but when he does come down to eat I hope he fills up and slurps water. I'm hoping the cold weather didn't deplete his reserves too much. 


I put out some dove food I bought at Petsmart last evening, refilled the water dishes and tried to talk to him sweetly. The sound of the water going into the dishes seemed to intrigue him -- maybe he'll come down and drink in a bit. 

He seemed interested in my doings, but not interested enough to fly down after I went inside. I was hoping he'd come down to join the dovies to feed (I usually have quite a nice little flock that gather under my feeders) but he seems a bit shy today. 

This bird seems to recognize my yard as a relatively safe haven and hopefully will become comfortable enough to our presence to let us rescue him. Maybe it's not a homer, but I'm hoping we become "home base" for him. I hope the magpies hurry and move up into the foothills now that spring is starting to come. They can be quite unmerciful if they sense a weak animal, and Sweetie cannot defend himself from an attack very successfully. 

I tried the number for the fancy bird breeder several times last evening with no luck, I will continue to call. I really enjoy this bird, but don't enjoy worrying about him or wondering why no one seems to care enough to report him missing.

Mary


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

I know what you mean about worrying. I worry about mine that get stubborn and don't want to come back into the loft. And they aren't even lost!! Just stubborn.......LOL
Hopefully he'll last long enough to be captured.
Good luck..........

PS: Do you have a garage? Would it be possible to lure him into it? Sometimes that's how people catch a lost bird. If he went in, and you closed the door, all you have to do is wait for darkness, then you can basically just pick him up if he's where you can reach him.............Just a thought.......


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## flitsnowzoom (Mar 20, 2007)

I do have a garage and a small shed in the back yard. The garage opens to the front and there is too much action in the front for this bird to feel comfortable. He seems to stay away from the shed as well -- I checked last evening (hoping). Not even a feather or bird poop on the inside of the shed. The shed is kept open (the doors don't really close) but my son and I could block the entrance easily enough to catch the bird if it decides to go in there.
Thanks for the encouragement and handholding from the forum .


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## flitsnowzoom (Mar 20, 2007)

*The saga continues . . . .*

It was pretty cold last night and no visitor until about 11 this morning. I was 
really happy to see he survived another night somewhere.
We looked in the afternoon and evening to see a possible roost but no idea where he stays. It's not at my house though.

The trees are starting to bud out so that could be a good news-bad news thing for him. The feathers make it hard for him to sit in a leafed tree, but maybe the leaves will offer some protection. His favorite perch seems to be the telephone pole cross bar and supports. Lots of open but not too open space and he can survey the world well from up there.

He seems to get shyer by the day and more wary of my presence in the yard. He watches me put the food out (I went and found a dove mix so I hope that works for him) but won't come down to eat. I was hoping he would come down with the doves to eat but he does seem nervous. I saw him get a drink of water from one of the bird baths so at least he knows where the water is now (whew!). 

Is there a way I can get him more comfortable to come down and eat. Pigeon decoys, taped pigeon sounds? Not that I have either but I'm sure somebody here has some good ideas. 

The weather here is warming but like a typical Rocky Mountain spring, we'll have a lot more winter before summer comes and really do worry. It's kinda silly 'cause he's a new visitor, but I worry about him even more than I do our long time feral cat visitor and the new small lady red fox. Now the skunks, those could vanish and I'd not be sorry (but that's another story )

I'd love to rescue him but,dern, he's not a very cooperative "findee" 

Let's keep hoping. Mary


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## jazaroo (Jan 1, 2006)

Hi Mary,

The Dove mix you picked up for him should be just fine, as Pigeons and Doves are just variations of birds within the same family.

I wouldn't be too concerned about the weather, as these guys have remarkable survival instincts and he should be alright.

There really is not much to do about his wariness, he knows where the water is and sees you putting out the food. I have had few instances of shy/wary birds that I have had to catch as they were ill, I managed to do so only because of the strong flocking tenancies that Pigeons have and they came to feed with the flock which allowed me to trap them. You don't have this going for you, so you will just have to continue doing what you are doing. He sees the Doves feeding (may even join them at some point) and perhaps does come down and you just haven't noticed. The good thing is that he returns to your place on a regular basis, so there is a good chance you may get him yet.

Do you have a plan for catching him? The reason I ask is if you do plan on using a box trap, with him being so wary, the sooner you make it part of the background, as I mentioned before, the better as you may not get a lot of chances at him.

Perhaps others may have some ideas, but that's all I can think of right now.

Good luck,

Ron


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## flitsnowzoom (Mar 20, 2007)

*It's raining and he is sitting up on his telephone pole.*

Okay, these babies must be bred for beauty not brains. 
How long can a pigeon sit in the rain before hypothermia becomes a factor? The rain's not too heavy but it's not 60 degrees F out there. More expected tonight and most of tomorrow. I swear this guy acts like he imprinted on a hawk the way he likes to sit up on his open perch (hope none of those hawks are nearby).
I've got a cage and a box trap set but we will just have to see who's the smarter two-legged beastie -- us or him. 
Mary


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

Hope you can capture him, Mary.
Best of luck.

Reti


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## flitsnowzoom (Mar 20, 2007)

*Update on Fancy Pants and hawk question*

Well, we continue to get visits from our special pigeon friend. One day he showed up with a smaller near-negative of himself. "Mom, Mom, come look! There's another fancy bird in the yard!" Haven't seen the smaller one again. This guy is starting to grow on us.  We look forward to the visits and always worry if we don't see him.

We're working on getting close to him so I can try trapping him. The squirrels keep knocking over my trap that I've set up a few times, so haven't had much luck on that one. 

Now, a question. How big does a hawk have to be to threaten a pigeon? We had a small hawk/falcon (anyway, something that looked like a meat lover) show up in the yard yesterday. Very shy and was just there for some water, I think. Gray mostly and with darker bands on his/her tail feathers.


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## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

flitsnowzoom said:


> Well, we continue to get visits from our special pigeon friend. One day he showed up with a smaller near-negative of himself. "Mom, Mom, come look! There's another fancy bird in the yard!" Haven't seen the smaller one again. This guy is starting to grow on us.  We look forward to the visits and always worry if we don't see him.
> 
> We're working on getting close to him so I can try trapping him. The squirrels keep knocking over my trap that I've set up a few times, so haven't had much luck on that one.
> 
> Now, a question. How big does a hawk have to be to threaten a pigeon? *We had a small hawk/falcon (anyway, something that looked like a meat lover) show up in the yard yesterday. Very shy and was just there for some water, I think. Gray mostly and with darker bands on his/her tail feathers. *


Welcome to Pigeon-Talk Mary.

Thank you so much for doing all that you can to try & catch this pij.  

If you are successful in rescuing him & are unable to get a hold of the owner or are able to keep him yourself, please let me know.

That sounds like a Sharp Shinned Hawk. Is it about the size of a pigeon?
We had one visit our backyard a while back but seemed to be interested in the Inca doves, as they are small.

It's my understanding they go after small birds.

Please keep us posted on how things are coming along.

Cindy


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## flitsnowzoom (Mar 20, 2007)

*visitor*

Hi Cindy, 
Thanks for the help with the ID. The bird I saw was smaller overall than the pigeon that visits and certainly has a much smaller body (girth) than the typical city pigeons that I see in town. Except for the coloration of the breast feathers the sharp-shinned hawk pictures I saw look pretty good. Maybe this one was fairly young. Seems like he's not as much of a threat to the pigeon as he is to the various house finches, grackles and starlings that frequent the feeders.
I'll keep you posted on the pigie. It doesn't seem to me that his owners care that much because there are no fliers posted in the neighborhood and no ads in papers or on the 'net. To me, a bird with feathers like he has should not be allowed to fly free (as much as it pains me to say that) as he truly is hampered by the length of the foot feathers (trips a lot when he walks and catches them on the ground) and can't get loft fast enough to escape the ground quickly. Once in the air, he is a fair flyer, but not particularly fast or strong. His size alone would make it easy for an aerial predator to single him out in a crowd of other birds. If I am successful in catching him, I will need a nice family to hand him off to as I am not in the position to care for a pigeon on a long-term basis. We have grown quite fond of him, but with the various ferals that come through our yard (we're about the only safe haven for the foxes as we don't have dogs) I would worry about his safety and sanity.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Mary, I think the smaller the hawk the more danger there is to the pigeons. A larger hawk, like the red shouldered, is usually too slow but the small hawks can strike very quickly.

I do hope you can lure him down to the box soon.


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## abisai (Jan 30, 2007)

*box trap*

You have a box trap huh? If you don't want to wait untill he walks in the trap in order to pull the string, try this variation. . .Tie the middle of the string about an inch from the bottom of the stick that props up the box. Now cut the string long enough so that its two ends (of equal length) can be tied to the corners of the box that touch the ground. The string should be about an inch off the ground from the two ends of the box to the stick. The string should be tight enough so that when the bird attempts to enter he will step on the string and the presure will pull the stick into the box from the inside.

It always worked for me, and you don't have to be waiting around for the bird to decide when to enter. Good Luck.

A.C.


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## flitsnowzoom (Mar 20, 2007)

Oh, dear! That would be a painful death. Hawks are fast but the deaths are not particularly quick for their prey. Thanks for the info. I figured that a hawk would be more likely to go after smaller prey as it would run the risk of damaging itself trying for a big bird.
I will definitely try the away-from-home trapping setup that A.C. has described. I'm hoping the squirrels and other birds will steer clear.


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## flitsnowzoom (Mar 20, 2007)

*How do pigeons do in sleet and snow?*

Well, the weather has turned BAD here! We had freezing rain, teeny ice balls, and snow coming down for the past day and a half. Woke up to more than a dusting of snow on the ground. The temps went from about 74 to 24 in 24hrs (at least in my yard). 
To make a short story long . . . . .;-) 
My bird friend continues to visit and brings his alter ego (mate?) with him most days. Both birds seem to be in good shape, but not particularly interested in coming in from the elements. I have to wonder if they are from someone's loft in the area -- but who in their right mind would let pigeons with feathered feet and the leisurely takeoffs like these two have fly free in all kinds of weather??  We see them nearly every day and they leave their calling cards near the bird feeders so I do know they are doing what birds do.
I hadn't seen my visitor(s) on Thursday but on Friday when I went out to fill the bird feeders, he was on my back porch hiding. He immediately flew up to the power line to the house -- good thing too, because as soon as I went inside for more "pigeon appropriate" food, the red fox came through and made a very fast stop at the dry cat food (for the starlings and robins) before skittering off. 

I went back out and there on the gutter at the edge of my second story roof were perched Fancy Feet AND Friend. We now have two of these lovely birds frequenting our home. They were all fluffed up against the sleety stuff that was falling and were very interested in watching me (I swear, the whiter of the two must have taken lessons from a hawk, he has that imperious "OOO, look at me looking so  and sexy and calm" look that raptors have  ) . They weren't interested in coming down for the safflower seeds. They came down later but stayed away from the open pet carrier that I have had in the yard (nicely baited with pigeon delight foods). 
The squirrels (most likely) continue to spring the open cage trap I have near the feeder stations and I certainly don't want to trap these birds on a nasty day when I couldn't be there to remove them in a timely manner. 



So, my questions are -- should I continue to try and get these birds or just enjoy them and quit worrying about them? Don't worry about me not feeding them if I don't manage to trap them -- that is not an issue except when I go on vacation. [I suppose if they really do "belong" to someone, it would be considered theft if I was successful in trapping them, but I wouldn't really care much if it would be to save the birds.] Can they really tolerate weather conditions like we've been having? They looked pretty miserable up on my roof yesterday but didn't make much attempt to move under the eave that overhangs the next roof down (although that is a much steeper pitch on the lower roof). Have the street smarts been bred out of these beauties so they don't know to come in out of the rain (or worse, can't really fly in wet weather so can't come out of the rain)? 

Please feel free to weigh in  . I'm looking for more advice and opinions.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Pigeons can tolerate cold temperatures, but if they get soaking wet and/or the wind gets strong, they are going to be in trouble if they don't find a cozy shelter.

I'd definitely keep trying to catch them. Fancy pigeons just aren't suited for life in the wild, and sooner or later something is going to result in their demise.

Terry


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

flitsnowzoom said:


> [I suppose if they really do "belong" to someone, it would be considered theft if I was successful in trapping them, but I wouldn't really care much if it would be to save the birds.]
> Please feel free to weigh in  . I'm looking for more advice and opinions.


Well, the birds really DO belong to someone but capturing them is not considered theft by any stretch of the imagination. They NEED to be captured and if the owner knew what you were doing they would either be very relieved to know you care OR they wouldn't give a crap one way or the other, so in either scenario, catching them is the right thing to do if you can. I sure hate they are having to suffer through the bad weather. I know what you mean though.....it went from 80 to 20 here in 24 hours. Crazy weather.  The cold weather won't kill them, but I'm worried about a hawk coming by that can't find enough food because of the snow and ice. Good luck with these two. We just might have a BIG party here at PT when you catch them.!!


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