# One Heck of a Pigeon Story



## ronniebx (Apr 13, 2013)

My name is Ronniebx,

This is one of my many stories that I have experienced as a bronx roof top flyer.

I was flying my stock one early spring morning, I must have had about 200 canadiens tipplers and a few short faced black tipplers (pinning) flying real high for about 20 minutes until I turned to look north and saw 3 Hunter Killers (Peregrine Falcons) thats what I call them dive bombing towards my entire stock, and of course the hole heave (stock) exploded once they hit my pigeons. I had my older birds out at the time and left the younger ones inside. All of my birds scattered throughout the sky complete mayhem. The smaller of the falcons just could not catch any of my stock except for the larger, I would guess the most experienced of the 3. He singled out one of my black tipplers that I had and I mean they barreled rolled, dive bombed on 4 strikes. At the last minute I guess the bird decided that enough was enough and the pigeon dive bombed about 500 ft down from the sky with this one falcon right on its tail by about 3 ft. Well needless to say the bird could not stop the speed and the fall and explodedand hit the roof 5 houses down from my loft. The falcon completed a complete 90 degree turn survived the dive bomb and flew right in front of my loft and left with no bird. I literraly heard the bird explode and saw a plum of black feathers in the air. Broke my heart, I tried to go up on the neighbors roof but no one was home. Mean while all of my other pigeons finally got their bearings right came back home and went inside the loft. I did not even bother throwing out any new birds that day, I was so heart broken. I left and choked it up as a loss, this pigeon decided to hit a roof rather than being eaten by the falcon. What courage... 2 days later I went up on my roof to tend to my birds and on the floor of my screen was the black tippler, with a broken wing and dislocated leg and a hole in his chest. I very gingerly picked up my bird checked him through, pupils were diolated, the bird was in complete shock. I placed him inside my stray box and isolated him from the rest of the pigeons because they will pick and abuse the injured bird. I ran across the street to speak to the local homer club and the old timers (Homer) guys told me" kid just snap his neck and put him out of misery".I just did not and still do not have the heart to kill any in that fashion. The bird just sat immobile for a month and a half, all the while I force fed him by using an eye drop bottle with grounded up mixed feed and water. Of course I gave him all of the typical meds and antibiotics. His legs I tapped up together so that they stood in the joint while he layed downwith hopes of me saving his leg, I knew that If nothing that I did would work that I would have to put him down. One morning while I was feeding my birds I was watching him in the isolation section and all of a sudden he moved his head. I jumped up with joy that he started to pull out from the shock, his eyes looked normal and he moved his head, that day he tried pecking at some mix feed that I placed in front of him to see if he can see it. 2 weeks later he started to eat on his own and a full month after I removed all of the tape from his dislocated leg.
Fast Forward
My black tippler not only survived his injuries, he became one of the smartest birds I have ever owned. A year later and whenever the falcons would return and hunt for food he would be the only pigeon outside my loft while all of the others scurried inside for safety this bird would start bugging and looking at the falcon way up high as to say I'm still here and you did not get me. I no longer fly my pigeons in the bronx, after a stint in queens I am now in brooklyn flying flights. We all have stories when it comes down to our pigeons and this was the most memorable for me.
Big thanks to the pigeon community and the birds which helped me through a lot of personal issues.

Tutties Pet Shop (Queens) gone now albies 
Franks Pets Shop (Bronx) gone
Sams Pet shop (Bronx) gone
Fats Pet shop (Manhattan) gone


Louies Pet shop (Bronx) 
Broadway Pet shop (Brooklyn) 
Yonkers Pet shop  

Thank God for pigeons....


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## PigeonHandRearer (Sep 25, 2002)

That is so cool, what an awesome pigeon! Do you still have him today?


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## ronniebx (Apr 13, 2013)

Unfortunately my partner had passed and I decided to take down the loft. I sold my stock to a local fellow and one day I decided to pay him a visit. I asked him about my tipplers and he said go take a look in the loft. I opened the hatch and chased a few out and he came outside the loft with others and he had a limp from the injury and from that day on we called him limp the gimp. He looked awesome and is still one of his best flyers to this day.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

great story, sorry about your partner.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

Great story


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## Creek13 (May 21, 2012)

Thanks for posting, really enjoyed reading that


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## DoveSvN (Apr 4, 2013)

Interesting.


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## Jason Heidlauf (Apr 2, 2012)

it's amazing how resilient pigeons are


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## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

I enjoyed your story about "Limp the Gimp." He sounds as stubborn and persevering as you (complimentary)!


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Great story.....you are a good guy for giving your pal a chance.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*I love a good story and a special bird!

Thanks for sharing.*


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## steve layman (May 1, 2014)

Steve here from the NORTHWET 
I live north of Seattle and have falcons and coopers working over my homers. 
I have been on You Tub and am very much enjoying the high flying tipplers and flights over the Bronx and Brooklyn... You and your friends are having way to much fun !!!! AND your birds are good at staying alive with all those falcons coming out of the Big Apple looking for dinner and snacks.

I would like to put together a loft of tipplers or flights that would go up and do battle with the big sea going falcons and take some of the heat off my homes that are in training. The others reason is to see if I can have as much fun as you guys are having. 
Ronniebx, thanks for the great post 
Steve from the stormy WET Coast.


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## conditionfreak (Jan 11, 2008)

My favorite personal pigeon story. It is true, and special to me.

Back in the 70's, I was in the Marine Corps and lived in base housing at Camp LeJeune, N.C. We had a screened in back porch and I kept racing pigeons on that porch. I cut a hole in the screen and had a trap in that hole. The porch WAS the loft. It was totally illegal with base housing rules, and my wife hated it. But I had racing pigeon fever and there was no other place to keep them. Yards were communal, therefore I could not have an actual wooden loft.

Anyway. I joined a local club that only had about 5 members. It was the River City Homing Club, or something similar to that. Maybe "New River. I forget.

Like I said. I was in the Marine Corps. So when new orders came in for me to be transferred to Cleveland, Ohio. I had to leave N.C. and drive to Ohio. I brought my pigeons with me. But before I left my old club. The best flyer in that club was a bank president, who's name I don't remember. He gave me the gift of his best breeder. It was a 13 year old hen, that had bred him many winners. He told me that her last eggs were not fertile and possibly she will never produce any babies again, but if I could just get one or two out of her. It would be worth it. Whether he was just wanting to get rid of an old bird, or it truly was a gift. I can't say. But I treasued that bird, and "what might be". He told me that this bird had been a prisoner breeder for him for almost 12 years. He never actually raced it. Just bred from it.

When my wife, three kids and I, got to Cleveland. We had a hard time finding someplace to live that accepted children and could find no place that would allow pets. We got a first floor apartment in a duplex in a suburb of Cleveland, called Lakewood. Pets were not allowed.

So what I did. Much to my wifes dismay, was to convert a coat closet we had in our living room, into a tiny pigeon loft. It had a small window in it, but all of my birds were prisoners, so I could not let them out. I had 7 birds.

The landlord used to come by once a month, just to "check on things". He was very much a snoop. But in truth, I was breaking the rules, so he had reason to be.

Anyway. After we were in Ohio for about two months, this 13 year old hen got out on me, through the closet window. I was cleaning in there and wanted fresh air to breath and had placed a piece of screen over the open window and the screen fell while I was cleaning.

I waved goodbye to the old girl and figured that was that.

A month later, I got a letter from the guy who had given me this hen. He said "lose something?"

That 13 year old hen had flown to his loft, which was about 832 miles. Even though it had never flown at his location and had been a prisoner for him for 12 years.

I did not get it back. But what a bird!

About 5 months after moving into that apartment, I found a home to buy. IT ALREADY HAD A NICE PIGEON LOFT. I was very happy. Two of my neighbors also had pigeon lofts. One of them was Don Campbell, who is a member of this forum. The other was a man named Don Echols, who still races pigeons also. I think he is now in Michigan, but not sure.

Can you imagine? Having two next door neighbors with racing pigeons.

It was my little heaven in the heart of Cleveland.


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## ronniebx (Apr 13, 2013)

Hey Steve,
Its really rough when your training your homers, no offense to them I love em but their not tipplers. If your in need of letting out some birds for distraction first I would do is start knowing their routine (falcons) time of the day when they are on the hunt, research their breeding habits so you know when they sit on the eggs for the most part you will not see them as much but when they hatch, those falcon parents are starving because of the time sitting on the eggs. Speak to a local falconer who raises and trains them. Very useful.
Personally I would not want to use and lose any bird as a distraction but racing homers is huge. Smart Pigeons, built for smarts and speed not for diving and barrel rolling.
Just my opinion.
Good Luck Brother.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

ronniebx said:


> Hey Steve,
> Its really rough when your training your homers, no offense to them I love em but their not tipplers. If your in need of letting out some birds for distraction first I would do is start knowing their routine (falcons) time of the day when they are on the hunt, research their breeding habits so you know when they sit on the eggs for the most part you will not see them as much but when they hatch, those falcon parents are starving because of the time sitting on the eggs. Speak to a local falconer who raises and trains them. Very useful.
> Personally I would not want to use and lose any bird as a distraction but racing homers is huge. Smart Pigeons, built for smarts and speed not for diving and barrel rolling.
> Just my opinion.
> Good Luck Brother.


*FYI: The post you are referring to is a year old, thanks for your input.*


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## modupe (Jul 28, 2015)

know these are super old posts, but just wanted to say thank you to you both for two of the best stories ever. 
these birds really amaze me. and so do you with your care and love for them. 
gratefully, e


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## superemmy (Mar 14, 2016)

I love these two posts as well. Wow, from Ohio to N.C. Only thing I don't like is keeping the pigeon a prisoner.


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