How I met my "Jack"

[lwerden]

"Jacks Story" or "Out of the garbage can into loving arms"

First........a little background history.

My house has been a nesting place & nightly roosting spot for a flock of approx. 26 birds for as long as I have lived in it. Four years now. I truly respect all living things and these birds were no more than just a little nuisace to me, pooping on the patio and cars parked in the driveway. I was totally indifferent. My neighbors however had a whole different attitude towards these birds. I have had to replace 3 different windows upstairs that have been shot through with Bebe gun holes. I have had the police here, which did nothing other than fill out a report. I also called Animal Control and the SPCA who offered no help as these birds are considered "wild". I also found birds dead on my back lawn as well as in the street for no apparent reason. I suspect they had been poisoned.

The neighbors complaints were driving me crazy so I finally called a pigeon control person about a year ago. I didn't want the birds killed,but wanted them to do something to deter the birds from the house, make them go someplace else. I wanted to disposess them, have the evicted from the premises.

The piegon control guy put up chicken coop wire under all of eves and around the chimney. Did it stop the birds??? Absolutely not!!!
The piegon guy was less than proficient at his trade. The barriers he put up were not nailed down or wired to the house but just tucked in. Within a weeks time the birds had pulled it down. Every day there would be more and more of the chicken coop wire stuff on the ground. The birds rebuilt their nests, settled back in, and piegon life up on the roof went back to normal.

The neighbor who I suspected was doing the shooting and poisioning has since sold the house and moved. No more shot holes in the windows and no more unexplained dead birds either. The new residents have not complained, but have put up a plastic owl on their roof. They seem quite friendly and pleasant and always greet us when we see them. Hopefully, no more piegon related problems with the neighbors.

and now............. "JACK'S STORY" or "OUT OF THE GARBAGE CAN AND INTO LOVING ARMS" or "HOW JACK BECAME A SPOILED ROTTEN HOUSE PIEGON"

It was Tuesday, April 29,2008. (Yes, just 3 months ago.) It had been blystery all day. We get severe wind storms here in the desert. Wind gusts up to 40/50 MPH. It was approximately 7:00PM. I had just left the dogs out to the backyard to do their business after dinner. I was standing on the edge of the patio watching the dogs when I spotted it. On the ground right next to the patio there was a bloody blob of something. I went back in the house to get some paper towels so I could pick it up, and examine it. It was a baby piegon. It had been lying upside down in the grass. It was not moving and appeared to be dead. I suspected it either had fallen out or been blown out by a wind gust from the nest up above on the roof. It was very young, maybe just a few days old as it still had all it's little yellow feathers and it had been seriously injured. All of the skin on it's head and back had been skinned and was bleeding. It also had lost it's left eye and was bleeding from where the eye once was. It truly was a horrific sight. All these injuries obviously occured when the little one must have tumbled over & over coming down off the Spanish tile roof.

The little bird was showing no signs of life. It was not moving and I saw no signs of breathing. I wrapped the poor little thing in the paper towels and put it in the garbage can. Fortunately, due to the high winds the garbage cans were brought inside the garage that night.

END OF STORY.......OH NO..........JUST THE BEGINNING.

At about 11:30PM, I was doing my nightly routine of checking all the doors and making sure that everything is secure before going to bed. I opened up the kitchen door to the garage to check that the door was closed and I heard a very faint Beep,Beep coming from the garbage cans. OH MY GOD!!!!, the little bird is alive. I immediately retreived him from the garbage can and unwrapped the paper towels. He was alive, just barley. Poor little thing, I just couldn't leave him in the garbage. I have tried to rescue birds in the past, but it was always my experience that they never made it through the night. I would always find them dead by the next morning. So, I did my best to dry the blood off him and placed him in a little cardboard box lined with alot of clean paper towels and left him in the garage. My thoughts at the time were only that it was not right for this little one to die in the garbage can but should have a comfortable death in the box. I had assumed that by morning he would surely be gone.

5:30AM - I awake and go immediately to the kitchen to put on the coffee. I'm the type of person you can't even approach until at least after the 2nd cup. I open the kitchen door to the garage to go out to the driveway to get the morning paper. What do I hear???
A very loud, Beep, Beep,Beep - non stop - Bepp,Beep. Another, OH MY GOD!!!!, moment. Now what am I going to do???? I bring him in on the kitchen table. He actually looks worse than he did the night before. All the blood has dried and formed into thick crusty black scabs. His missing eye and the damage to that side of his face is extensive. What a pathetic sight, but he is alive!, very much alive!!! He is also starving for food, he will not stop pecking at my hand. I know what he wants and needs is food, and he wants it NOW!!!

Now mind you, I have hand raised puppies and kittens before, but have absolutely no experience with birds,except a little parakeet I had as a child. Well, what do you give puppies and kittens? What do most animals give their babies?- MILK of course. But how in the world am I going to get it into him? I frantically search the house for an eye dropper. I don't own one. I find an old perfume bottle which had a rubber dropper top, grab it, wash it out good, and start feeding the baby by holding his beak open. I had absolutely no idea he could asperiate and also I had never heard of a "crop". I just kept feeding him until he settles down. I continue to feed him the milk every few hours until that night when I get another bright idea. I have something more nutrituous than milk. I have Half n Half in the fridge. So here we go for the next 2 days feeding Half n Half ever 3 hours. Believe it or not, this little bird is getting stronger by the minute.

By day 4 I am now almost convinced that this little bird is going to make it. I finally get a real good idea for a change and decide I better get on the computer and do a little research about baby pigeons. I find PT. Here we go again, another OH MY GOD!!! moment. I can't believe what I am reading. I am doing everything wrong. I'm giving this baby milk products. I'm going to kill him!!!

Luckily, there were no cops on the road on my way to PETCO. I surely would have received a speeding ticket. I am frantic in the store. I can't find the KAYTEE Exact. Somebody, P l e a s e help me. A nice young fellow took pity on me and got me all the supplies I needed. I went home and proceeded to try the syringe method. No luck. I tried the plastic bag method. Again no luck. This little bird wants no part of this new process of feeding, so for the next 4 weeks he is fed his proper formula one drop at a time from the perfume bottle dropper that he has become accustomed to.

Thanks to all the help & information I received from all you piegon lovers, over the internet, this baby has thrived. My husband who is an avid poker player gave him his name "One Eye Jack". This little bird has touched our hearts in such a profound way. We have watched all his feathers come in. His learning to eat his seed and drink on his own. His first flight. His first bath. This for us has been akin to raising another child.

Jack today is totally attached to us and we to him. He can never be released as having only one eye would make him easy prey for any preditor. Also flying out there would mean certain death by hitting a building or power lines on his blind side. He has no fear of humans, cats or dogs. Jack is "living the good life" he has a clean bed and cage (which is only used as his sleeping quarters), has the best of food and has the full run of the house. He spends most of his days following me around, perched up on the fridge, the dining room chandlier, the curtain rod of his choice or his favorite spots - my shoulder or head. He is healty, happy, and a joy to have in our lives.

As for the pigeons on the roof. They are now my flock and "Jacks Family" that he can never rejoin. They are fed in the backyard twice daily. There's a little more poop around the patio these days, but no matter. These birds will now be protected by us as long as they choose our house to be their home.

I sure hope you all find this story enjoyable.

Regards to all,
Louise

[Kiev Patty]

I loved your story, Louise. Reminds me of my experience. Say hi to Jack for me.

[Teresa]

I loved Jack's story, Louise.
I knew just how you felt when you didn't expect the little fellow to make it through the night, and just wanted his last moments to be peaceful and dignified. And then the joys and the frights along the way, and the establishment of a new family member...
Best wishes for Jack and for you.

[Feefo]

Wow, Louise!!! That story was really something!

I remember taking my first rescue to a vet, she said he would die during the night, then added scathingly "But pigeons are stubborn, he will probably live" (Millie survived). Jack was certainly a stubborn little one. I am so glad that you heard him peeping!

Cynthia

[amyable]

That is such a lovely story, I've fallen in love with One Eyed Jack myself just through reading that. A trulely 'meant to be' relationship.

Janet

[Reti]

Great story. This is one lucky bird and so are you to have him in your lives.

Reti

[Skyeking]

Originally Posted by Reti

Great story. This is one lucky bird and so are you to have him in your lives.

DITTO!! ... , thanks for sharing.