Brooklyn: tagged coop pigeon found

[ReluctantFlier]

Hi,

Anyone out there hooked in with the coops in Brooklyn? If so, I found and caught a lost, tagged pigeon in Williamsburg today. Tags are pink and blue, the blue one reads "FATHER and SON / Above and Beyond," and the number on the pink tag is 99 MP 1088. If you have any information on who the potential owner is, or proof of ownership, please email me. Till then, I'll keep this guy fed and watered, even though he's kind of cranky (he grunts.)

max

[ReluctantFlier]

Talked to a local rehabilitator here in New York. He tells me that coopers here in NY will put a bird down if it becomes lost. Also, according to my friend, the bird is a "fancy" or show bird: white with light brown plumage, pink beak and "bull's eyes", red and white surrounding black pupils. Beautiful bird.

I'm not willing to let this one be killed because he might be a little geographically challenged, so my friend suggested that maybe I take it in. Unfortunately, I don't have a cage, and the cardboard box just seems too small. So I'm wondering if there's anyone out there who would be willing to part with a used, smaller cage (maybe 20 x 20?) that would be good enough size for a single bird. Or, if you know of anyone who might be willing to help, please let me know. I could even rent or borrow the cage for a while, and if the bird takes to me, then I'll invest in a new one; but before I do that, I want to make sure he's going to be happy and healthy here.

Any advice, let me know.

max

PS Is it possible to purchase used cages on ebay for cheap?

[feralpigeon]

Hi ReluctantFlier,

The pet stores such as PetCo or the like carry dog cages w/slide out bottoms
and several different doors on the cage. They make great bird cages 'cause they are so roomy. Course that's jumping the gun a bit so to speak. It's best to at least try and contact the owner and see if they would like their bird back, you can also inquire if they will put the bird down and if you may keep the bird in that case. I would get in touch w/the 911 Pigeon Alert group, here's a link:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/911PigeonAlert/

They are very knowledgeable and will assist you in your effort to locate the owner.

Also, in the meantime, here's a link to our resource section that has lots of information on pigeons and their care, also to the supply houses:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f25/

In the meantime, others will be along to offer their suggestions and information for tracking the bands you are describing.

fp

[upcd]

Private message re92346mos. They get pigeons home.

[Reti]

As for used cages, ebay might sell them. Give it a try.
Also try an internet search on discount cages. I found some good ones there.

Reti

[TAWhatley]

Hi Max,

Thank you for taking in this pigeon. We did have another 99 MP band reported to 911 Pigeon Alert being found in Pennsylvania. Your additional band information may help us locate the owner of both the Pennsylvania bird as well as the one you have rescued. Please do not release the bird even if it seems to be OK. If it is a fancy or show breed, its chances of survival on its own are real close to zero.

Someone on the New York City Feral Pigeon Rescue Central group had a cage available not too long ago. You might want to join and see if someone on the list can help you out with housing for the bird. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NYCPRC

Please do report the bird to 911 Pigeon Alert, and we will see if we can locate the owner.

Thanks again for taking in and caring for the bird.

Terry

[Birdmom4ever]

As others have suggested, please do try to find the bird's owner. If he doesn't want it back, I'm sure he'll let you know. Since this is a fancy pigeon, not a racing homer, it's unlikely the bird was being free-flown, especially in November. It probably got out by accident. Owners of show pigeons are more likely to want them back because homing ability is not an issue with a show bird.

If you're interesting in keeping pigeons, the owner probably has more of that breed and may be willing to sell or give you some. Pigeons are happiest in the company of other pigeons.

[phyll]

Everyone ~ This poor pigeon should NOT be returned to THIS owner. In my opinion, he is irresponsibe, lacking regard for his pigeons' welfare.
Trying to make contact with this guy is unbelievable.
That's another thing! If he really cared about his pigeons being returned, his phone number would be on the band.
Instead, the name of the loft is printed, with no way to contact him.
Two years ago, we spent hours attempting to locate this owner.
At that time, I wasn't aware of this site so I couldn't ask for help.
In desperation, we called a pigeon supply house in Brooklyn. Eureka (we thought)! Someone who knew the guy!
Informing us that the owner would be pissed if he gave out his number, he refused to give it to us. We left our number.
The end result was the phone being hung-up on my husband!

Why are pigeons from this particular loft found in Brooklyn, Queens, PA & who knows where else?

WE FOUND A PIGEON FREEZING ON THE GROUND. HE WAS ALL
ALONE IN THE DARK, ON ONE OF THE COLDEST NIGHTS IN JANUARY. WHY WAS HE EVEN OUT AT THAT TIME OF YEAR IN NEW YORK?
UNLESS THIS GUY DOESN'T HAVE TWO BRAIN CELLS TO RUB TOGETHER, HE KNEW THE POOR BIRD WOULD BE DOOMED IF HE GOT LOST!
WHAT IF WE DIDN'T FIND HIM WHEN WE DID? IT SNOWED A FEW HOURS LATER.

Okay, I'd better stop now. If I continue, I'll say what I really think of this guy, & my post will have to be deleted.

Max ~ PLEASE do NOT return the poor pigeon. If the owner does not kill him, he will allow him to be lost again & he will starve to death.
Thank God you found him. Thank you for taking care of him.

You care about this pigeon, he will be happy with you.
God bless you.

Phyll

[Trees Gray]

Thanks for your input, Phyll, I couldn't imagine why someone would have special bands made for their birds without supplying a phone number, I think there is more going on here then meets the eye.

[ReluctantFlier]

Phyll,

Thanks so much for the information. I was kind of wondering about this whole thing. The bird's beautiful, and was easy to catch outside on the sidewalk on Thanksgiving--it was too tired to fly!

He's still a little grouchy, but I think he's getting used to me.

I also took others' advice and posted to the NYPRC, someone already responded. They were trying to find out more about the tagging, I guess they have another of these birds. Who is this person who tags them, but lets them get out and then doesn't want to be reached? Do breeders actually go out and just let some of them go when they don't want them? How irresponsible.

Anyway, this one's not going anywhere from here until I find out enough to reassure me that he's heading somewhere safe and secure.

m.

PS If not for this board, a poster who helped me a while back with an injured feral pigeon, and a local rehabilitator who helped further, I wouldn't have any clue to even grab this guy off of the sidewalk yesterday. Thanks for providing all network and resources for these guys!

PPS I gather from talking to my rehabber friend that this is a 'Fancy Pigeon.' Can anyone explain the basic differences between the different breeds to me (i.e. Fancy, Homer, Racing, etc.) I mean, the labels are explanatory, but what do they look like, what are their distinguishing characteristics? This guy has a crown, light brown plumage, "bull's eyes," and a pink beak. Good features, no?

[Reti]

Could you post a pic of him, it would help us identify what kind of breed he is.
The crown you mentioned makes me think it is a show bird. Those birds don't home well and are bred for showing only.
The racing/homing pigeons are tougher when let outside and they have an extraordinary homing ability, they are excellent fliers too, where as the show birds are not that good at flying.
I've heard of breeders who let their pigeons loose when they don't meet the standards for showing or racing. They think they are being nice by not killing them.


Phull, thanks for the info on this guy.

Reti

[TAWhatley]

Phyll,

Would you please privately e-mail me the contact information for the pigeon supply house that knows who this person is .. the fellow with the 1999 MP bands? I'd love to have one of our 911 Pigeon Alert moderators have a chat with them and see if we can get the owner's contact information and find out what's going on with these birds.

Unfortunately the 1999 MP bird found in Pennsylvania was released by the finder. We are hoping the bird made it safely home.

I'm very happy that Max is willing to continue looking after the bird he found.

Max .. thank you for posting on 911 Pigeon Alert too.

Terry

[ReluctantFlier]

Terry,

I think that the place here in Brooklyn is Broadway Pigeon and Pet Supply. I tried to call them myself today, but no answer. Here's a link to their info:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/newrep...uote=1&p=95693

1622 Broadway Ste A
Brooklyn, NY 11207-1026 View Map
(718) 443-3500



I actually found them first, way back when I was trying to tend to this other feral pigeon. An online search on g---le of "Brooklyn Pigeons" came up with two articles that quoted from people there. I've tried calling their number on several occasions, and always have gotten voicemail/answering machine. They've never returned any messages. I bet a call from someone official sounding would solicit a more timely response.

m.

[phyll]

Originally Posted by Trees Gray

Thanks for your input, Phyll, I couldn't imagine why someone would have special bands made for their birds without supplying a phone number, I think there is more going on here then meets the eye.

Treesa ~ This is just a theory, but I was thinking that maybe this guy does "Dove" releases.
If they return, fine, if not, he doesn't care. Or, as Reti stated, he may let them go because they are not up to HIS standards.
Either way, it stinks!

Birdmom ~ Your answer was that of a loving owner, not all owners care about their birds.
If the pigeon we found escaped from his loft, the owner did not want him returned.

Max ~ As Reti suggested, posting a picture would help in identifying your pigeon.

Sorry for repeating myself, but, thank God you found
him.
Please let us know if you receive an answer (from the other site) about the location of this loft.

I live on Long Island, Max, but I'm from Brooklyn.
Please keep us informed. Thanks.

Terry ~ I will e-mail you.

Phyll

[ReluctantFlier]

I guess he just wants to sleep, and plus, we haven't really got to know each other quite yet.

He actually took a peck at my hand when I went to get him! Grouch! Is six years old in a pigeon's lifespan?

Alright, purpose of this post: I'm tired of trying to upload the dang pics. My camera's a 2.0 MP camera. The images aren't very high resolution as it is, and this site only allows images up to 100KB. Can someone please talk me through a quick way of getting these images up? I'm using a Mac, and the only way I've figured to compress the images is to resize and re-save them, but so far, they're still too big, and if I go any smaller, there will be little detail left. Help!

m.