parmaviolet Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 Just when you think you're making progress...... Last night Mini decided that she wanted to sleep with the big girls. She hopped up into the rabbit hutch to be with Emmylou, decided she didn't want to sleep with Emmy and ran off into the Eglu run and then into the Eglu (where June and Audrey had just gone to bed). I checked on them a couple of times over the next hour and decided that all was quiet on the eglu front so closed the door and left them to it. It was so sweet to see Mini snuggled up between June and Audrey. They've been together in the garden for just over two weeks now and are sort of getting on. Let them out this morning and it was back to peckville!!! Not only that, but a pigeon has been stalking them! Well not really stalking.....a small pigeon turned up on Tues eve. It was looking longingly at their food. I shooed it off, but it kept coming back, ditto yesterday. Actually it spent most of yesterday afternoon perched on my roof, waiting for me to go inside. As it wouldn't leave, I thought I'd try to catch it, with a view to taking it miles away and releasing it. This was not successful and it finally flew away. Only to come back again this morning... I figured I'd let the girls out earlier than the usual 8am (as they'd been in the eglu together) so I got them up at 6.30 and Pidge was already there! This time it was closer and I was able to detect a leg ring. It seemed pretty tame, so I figured that it might have been a racing pigeon. I decided to give in to my reservations about an unknown bird and gave it some food and water. It was such a sweet pretty little thing. Mainly white with a redish brown ring of feathers round its neck. T'internet's a marvelous thing. I know know all about racing pigeon ring codes and how they keep tabs on them! Spoke to a nice lady at the Royal Racing Pideon Ass & then a lady at another Racing Pigeon Club. "Ooops, word censored!"ody recognised the ring code on the bird (could have been a private breeder) After coaxing it with food, I managed to get it into the rabbit hutch and left it to rest with some food and water available. The RSPCA have just collected it and will make enquirys. If the owner isn't found they will take it to a pigeon sanctuary in Sutton. It was so sweet, but I don't think Os would let me keep it. The girls are happier now, I think they were jelous of mummys new friend, they were extra noisey today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 Well done you! I am glad it wasn't picked up by the pigeon club.... The same thing happened to me once: Found a beautiful, but exhausted pigeon, with a ring: rang the racing club and that evening a very annoyed man arrived at our house to pick up the bird. He had driven over 100 miles to do so. He was not particularly happy and didn't want to chat. I thought not much of it really, but a couple of years later I was speaking in a pub to someone who keeps pigeons and asked what they do when they don't "home". He said they are obliged to go and collect any that are found, otherwise they are struck out of the club, but they usually ring the bird's neck, because its no good as a homing pigeon! I couldn't believe it! Of course, he may have been pulling my leg...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parmaviolet Posted August 17, 2006 Author Share Posted August 17, 2006 Annie, I do believe you. The young guy from the RSPCA said virtually the same thing. He said they sometimes when they've tracked down the owners, they're not interested. He thought that this particuar pigeon might more likely be a kind of dove...it was very small and very pretty. I checked the RSPBs website and could not identify it from their pictures. It was in excellent condition although a bit tired and hungry today. Normally I would have been concerned, but I probably wouldn't have gone to so much trouble & I'd have hoped that it would have found its own way home, but it just would not leave my garden and the girls tried to attack it each time it landed on the grass. It really was a little cutie. I hope it gets back to a kind owner or a loving new home. Ooh I love birds!! I think keeping chooks make us all bird mad. I even tickled a huge scary looking eagle owl on the tummy when we went to the Helen Browning Organics open day a few months ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
