# Caught At Last !



## amyable (Jul 7, 2007)

I just had to post my most successful string injury catch today as it meant so much.

He is the head of the flock I look out for locally whose home is under threat of demolition. He is a lovely white grey drizzle banded bird, but has been living wild for as long as I've known them. He is special as he's always the first bird to come down every time without exception when I throw their food on the roof where they feed. The others don't seem to come down until he's feeding. Two weeks ago I noticed he had picked up a very bad string injury that bound his feet together very tightly so he kept falling over. I was gutted as I had no idea how I could help him as they feed on a corrugated roof which is very precarious and can only be reached by leaning across from a fire escape nearby. The trouble is it's instable and wouldn't take any weight if I tried to get onto it. I've spent days throwing seeds to try and coax him nearer to the edge, in the hope I could lean over and grab him off the roof. I've lain in bed trying to visualise how I could get him. He would always come within a foot, but as they do, flew as soon as I made the slightest move.

I decided the only chance was a trap, but hadn't used one before let alone on a roof.
I practiced first at home and then went to try it out this afternoon. I stretched out and placed it as far onto the roof as I could reach from the fire escape and tied a rope to it so I could pull it back again if I caught him as the roof is in danger of collapse.

This bird was no fool. He came to the window as usual when he heard the seed fall onto the roof, looked down and promptly flew back inside. Then he came back again and looked down. He spent about half an hour flying down, walking around the cage, picking at any seeds that had fallen nearby, even cheeky enough to poke his beak through the bars and pick up some seeds that way, but no way was he going to fall for my trick and come to the front.
So I sat and sat, got a numb bum, but kept sitting there pretending i wasn't watching him.
This place is now used at night by youngsters for sniffing glue judging by the things now lying about, so I got some odd looks from people as I sat on the fire escape. I was beginning to wish I'd put a paper bag on my head in case anyone I knew passed by !!

Any road, suddenly greed took over when some of the others decided to investigate, and he wasn't going to be beaten to the best seeds. Once he got a taste for the special seeds I'd put under the cage, he couldn't resist and at last he went right under and BANG, I pulled the string and he was caught. I can't tell you how great that was and I picked him up and sat in my car to unpick the mess around his feet. It was that terrible nylon type of cord which had frayed and some had just started to dig in one toe. Luckily it hadn't been on long enough to do any lasting damage yet.

Once I let him go he flew back into the building but it wasn't long before he was back out to finish off the rest of the seeds left on the roof. It was great to watch him free of it at last.

Do excuse me writing about it as I know there are lots of people catching string injuries that are in a far worse state after being bound for so long, but I've always had a soft spot for him as he is such a character, I am just so relieved and happy for him tonight.

Janet


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

> Do excuse me writing about it as I know there are lots of people catching string injuries that are in a far worse state after being bound for so long, but I've always had a soft spot for him as he is such a character, I am just so relieved and happy for him tonight.


That is wonderful Janet!!!! It is so important to catch them early and so disastrous for the pigeon if you fail.. 

Some years ago I spent a lot of time trying to catch a pigeon with her feet tied together, I had never seen one like that before and I had no experience at all of catching pigeons. Day after day I tried to catch her but every time I lunged at her she would evade me and I would get an instant overwhelming headache, so bad that I had to crouch on the pavement with my head in my hands.

Eventually the thread tying her feet together broke, but six months later she lost a foot. It was Stumpy that kept me feeding the pigeons every day, because when I arrived she would be the first to recognise me and fly down. I would put down food for the throng then say "Stumpy" and she would look at me and prepare herself, knowing that she would get a handful of special treats.

Stumpy is the reason that my heart soars when a pigeon is caught before the damage is done.

BTW, what sort of trap did you use?

Cynthia



Cynthia


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

GREAT NEWS, Janet!!

A GREAT BIG *WELL DONE AND CONGRATULATIONS!!*

I know a great weight has been lifted...not to mention how your your pijie feels!!

Love and Hugs

Shi


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## amyable (Jul 7, 2007)

Hi Cynthia,

I actually decided to use a cage as it was heavier than a box and I thought it would drop quicker giving him less chance to fly. It worked so well.

Also another reason I thought a cage might be better was that it might not intimidate him as much if he could see through it. Seeing how wary he was anyway, I don't think he would have gone anywhere near a box. At least he could see the seeds through the bars from the other side and then that's what brought him round to the front in the end.
I was banking on his greedy nature and that's what paid off fortunately.

I've heard you mention Stumpy before, I didn't know the significance of the name. That's a very touching story.


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## amyable (Jul 7, 2007)

mr squeaks said:


> I know a great weight has been lifted...not to mention how your your pijie feels!!
> 
> Shi


I'm so glad you understand, I didn't want to sound as if I was bragging but I can't tell you how how I felt. My hands were shaking as I cut him free and once I started doing it, he lay very quietly on my lap, I think he felt the relief as soon as I picked the first piece out.
I've been waking up with him on my mind wondering how I could catch him. I could picture it but in reality it didn't work. He was supposed to jump into my hands gratefully, but that just doesn't happen does it !

Talk about headaches, Cynthia I know exactly what you mean.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

> I've heard you mention Stumpy before, I didn't know the significance of the name. That's a very touching story.


Eventually I won her trust, but even so I failed to catch her when I realised, too late, that she was ill. But she will always live on in my memory. This is her, her remaining foot was mangled.

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## amyable (Jul 7, 2007)

She was beautiful. How lovely to have her trust you enough to feed from your hands, a blessing indeed.

Janet


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