Rescued pigeon in 818 needs home

[Frank in L.A.]

Hi, folks! I'm glad I found Pigeon Talk. Who knew there was this whole world of pigeon people out there?! You guys are a great resource.

A few days ago, a large albino pigeon landed on my balcony. He stayed all day and seemed reluctant to fly, so I put out feed & water for him. He would fly the short distance from the balcony floor to the edge of the roof above, but that was about it. After a couple of days loitering out there, he really seemed a lot more alert and energetic. I was happy and thought, "Today's the day he will fly off again!" But as I watched him eat his breakfast, WHAM!, a hawk came from out of nowhere and took him off in a puff of white feathers. (Though he is the villain in this story, I must say I was amazed at the blinding speed of the hawk as well as his ability to fly straight through the horizontal balcony railings which are maybe 8" apart).

I looked down the hillside from my balcony to see where they ended up. Sadly, in the next street down about a half-block away, I saw the hawk atop the pigeon. I thought for sure the pigeon was a goner. Just then, a neighbor nearby walked out of her front door. The hawk was spooked & flew away, leaving the injured pigeon behind.

"Is it still alive?!", I shouted to the neighbor lady.
"Yes!", she said.
"I'll be right down to get it!" I grabbed some gloves and a cardboard box with some newspaper and hiked down the hill. The pigeon seemed in shock and had a small wound under his left wing. I brought him into my garage and applied pressure to the wound for a few minutes with a paper towel folded into a small square. The bleeding stopped. I went to Petco and ended up getting a large dog crate as temporary housing.

When I returned with the crate about an hour later, the pigeon was standing up in the box and looked much better. I had a hard time pursuing him around the garage and felt terrible having to spook him again but I had to get him in the crate. In he went into the newspaper-lined crate along with some wild bird feed, grit, and water with some birdie vitamin mix I got for him. That was Thursday.

He rested there Thursday night and Friday. I kept him in the garage because I didn't want him to be stressed by my cat. The garage was quiet & warm. I was glad he was not stuck out in the rain.

So, now it's Saturday morning and I still have a pigeon in a crate. He has been eating and drinking and is looking stronger. I wanted to move him out to clean the crate, but he gets very scared, flapping and pecking at me when I try to touch him. I'm really afraid of injuring him so I can't grab him. I love animals, but don't think I'm cut out to be a pigeon owner. From what I've read here on Pigeon Talk, I'm reluctant to release him as I don't know if he's a strong enough flier yet and his white color is like an "Eat Me!" sign.

I'm in Woodland Hills, CA (818 area code). Is there anyone who raises pigeons in the area who can give this little guy a home? I feel terrible leaving him in the crate but am having a hard time dealing with him.

Thanks,

Frank in L.A.