# Lone Pigeon Sitting in our Garden - Worried!



## rhonda_mix (Jun 24, 2005)

Help!
A white pigeon with brown markings has decided to visist with us the last 2 days. He has just sat in the dirt by our fence for 2 days now. When our dog goes outside he flies up to the roof but then next thing I know he is in the garden again. I live in a subdivision where I have not seen pigeons before and this one does not have any bands. I am concerned for its safety.
We just moved from a neighbourhood 2 1/2 miles away where the "wild" pigeon population was a real problem. I had heard that a breeder had let his pigeon population get out of hand. Could this bird have strayed from that neighbourhood and ended up here alone? What can we do to help it?
I would really appreciate any advice!!
Thanks!!!!
Manteca, CA


----------



## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Rhonda Mix,

Welcome to Pigeons.com and thanks for worrying about this little pigeon!

Is there any way you can take a digital picture of it and post it?

Something seems funny here in its behavior. The only thing that I think you can do for it right now would be to put out some wild bird seed and water out for it. The water needs to be at least 1/2 to 1 inch deep. The seeds can be augmented with dried peas or small beans. It's impossible to say if this is a domesticated pigeon or not at this point.

Pidgey


----------



## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Rhonda,

Thank you for caring about this pigeon.

If I was you I would provide it with some seed and water, preferably in a spot where it could not be caught unawares by predators.

It could be a tame pigeon that has been released. and is a bit bewildered.

Cynthia


----------



## rhonda_mix (Jun 24, 2005)

Thank you so much for the quick relply. I will see if I can get a picture posted here. 
I really appreciate the help!
Rhonda


----------



## rhonda_mix (Jun 24, 2005)

*He's Gone*

Well it looks like he was ready to move on. I went out to take his picture and he was gone. I think he might have been fed up with our dog constantly bothering him. I will be in touch again if he returns. Thank you both for your help and advice.
Rhonda


----------



## rhonda_mix (Jun 24, 2005)

*He's Back!*

O.K He is back. Here is a picture, I hope it helps ( I hope this works, I am attaching the picture to my message)
Rhonda


----------



## rhonda_mix (Jun 24, 2005)

*A Better Picture*

Here's a better picture.


----------



## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Beautiful bird for a feral.

Gotta' ask a few questions--have you seen it fly away from the dog? Can it do it real quickly, or does it hesitate and take off slowly? How close can you get to it without it moving? How close were you when you took the picture? Have you seen any of the droppings? Do you think you could catch him? 

If you can catch him, you might tell one of us where you are. For privacy, you can email--just click on mine (or any) of the names at the top left of each post. Click on it once and a menu will appear. Choose message or email and it'll do the rest. We might be able to find someone in your area who can help you out.

Pidgey


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Thank you for your concern about this pigeon.

This is a beautiful pigeon. Have you offered it some wild bird seed and water? Maybe you can catch it, and lure it in a cage or trap of some kind.

Here is an idea for a trap.

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

It would be wise now to find it safe shelter as it seems to have lost its way. Once the bird is caught and in safety away from any predators we will help with the next step.

Treesa


----------



## rhonda_mix (Jun 24, 2005)

He is pretty slow in runnning away from the dog. He does hesitate and then takes off slowly. We are trying to be careful not to let the dog near him but initially there was a very close call. We do have water out for him which we have seen him drink but I have not put out any food yet. He pecks at the ground quite a bit. He will allow us within a foot or two. I took the picture with my phone about 1 foot away. I think we could catch him but as of a few minutes ago he seems to have left again. He'll probably show up again tomorrow morning. He seems to like spending the day here i the garden and then he must go somewhere else for the evening. Do you think he's o.k on his own or is it uncommon for pigeons to be by themselves?
We are in Manteca, CA.
Thanks!


----------



## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Rhonda,

This behavior suggest that he's not doing real well. You're going to need to catch him, get him in a cage or box and get him some food and water. You'll have to observe him for awhile to see how he deals with that. We'll have some specific questions about his weight and how he feels in your hands, what his poop looks like and that sort of thing. You can make an impromptu cage out of a laundry basket or a box with a grate like out of the oven, a cardboard box with several silver-dollar sized holes cut in it--you get the idea.

As has been said--he might be a lost, starving and bewildered "cage trained" bird that just doesn't know how to live out in the wild or something else might be going on. We'll figure it out once you've got him in a box with good rations. Have you got any wild bird seed that you can give him? Or dried peas? Unsalted, unbuttered popcorn? When you catch him, you'll be feeling to see if his breastbone feels like a knife or if it's well-fleshed around it so that you can't hardly feel it. 

This is a list of some of the clubs/lofts of the American Racing Pigeon Union that are near you. None of these folks will want this bird to keep. However, you might be able to get a little bit of medicine (if required), special pigeon food (they buy in bulk) and a quicky physical exam. One thing's for sure--these folks will KNOW pigeons pretty well. Just be sure and tell them this is your pet and he's not feeling too well or something like that (you HAVE been worrying about him, now haven't you?). 

I ended up getting help from an AU member (like these folks) for the first rescue that I made. We became good friends. Out of all of these folks, somebody is likely to be willing to help you if it comes to that and a vet is out of the question. Anyhow, here's the list:

MIKE GONIGAN 
FRENCH CAMP, CA 
209-983-1705 
[email protected] 

RANDY BLACKWOOD 
OAKDALE, CA 
209-848-8230 

RANDY GREENLEE 
STOCKTON, CA 
209-467-0474 

RON BARBER 
MODESTO, CA 
209-576-7848 

Pidgey


----------



## sirpigeon (Jan 25, 2002)

This is a beautiful bird. It looks like an arabian trumpeter to me. Thanks for your kindness to this lost bird. It is probably exhausted and lost. If you can't keep it maybe you could find it a good home.


----------

