How often does one get a Third chance ???

[Lady Tarheel]

Well, I skipped to the end first. Simply couldn't stand the suspense!

[cyro51]

I had to scroll down to the bottom before reading right through, just to make doubly sure that there was a happy ending. Thank goodness he came back before weakness overtook him! Well caught!

Cynthia

[Jaye]

Originally Posted by SerendipityCA

BTW, I think you've earned a slug of that Campari I see on the shelf next to Milagro.

let's put it this way...that Campari bottle was FULL the day before she initially escaped...(!)



yes....in SF. Inner Sunset. Where's your 'hood ?

Update....she's looking better, eating well, pooping well. She's using the leg well....tends to stand on the good one more often than on both, but she can push of and alight using both...as well as grasp the stick perches.

[ryannon]

Nice story!

Very nice indeed... It also sounds like you've got a competent, pigeon-friendly vet.

Just curious? How do you ever manage doing all this in S.F. with its (self-righteous) pigeon-hating population?

Whatever. Props to you for keeping the faith and keeping 'em flying!

[GimpieLover]

What a scary and yet wonderful little story! I was deffinatly on the edge of my seat the whole time! I am so glad it worked out well! You are wonderful! Lets keep that door latched from now on or keep those pesky feral-haters away

[SerendipityCA]

Hi Jaye,

I'm in the Marina. I know of someone in the mid-to-outer Sunset who's a bird lover (though not specifically pidgies). She lived down the block from a family who kept a super-friendly cockatiel in a cage in their entryway, and never interacted with it, cage was dirty, bird was exposed to the elements. The final straw for her was when she saw her neighbors hosing out the cage at curbisde - with the bird IN it...she posted on a list I'm on and kind of (hint hint nudge nudge) gave enough information about the location that I suspect she was hoping someone would liberate the bird. I took the bait, drove by and cased the joint. Sat outside in my car, watched as the grandfather came out, and the little bird chirped so happily, thinking maybe THIS TIME, please please, someone will stop and talk to me. But the old man walked past him as if he didn't exist. I went over and started flirting with him, and he was so sweet. I figured out a way to get the bird without breaking and entering...but needed somebody with very small arms, and we just had to cut a couple of wires on his cage (long story, not worth describing)...we were all set to do Operation Cockatiel when someone called Animal Control and they came and cited the owners, who agreed to surrender the bird. I saw him at Animal Control the next day, in the exotics room, he had his own cage, and a mirror, and some seeds, and he was just so happy!

Anyway, if you ever need any help, I'm a short drive away via Doyle Drive / Park Presidio. my email is a.dixon (at) aya.yale.edu. And I can put you in touch with the other lady too...her facebook picture has a photo of her kissing a bird.

Yesterday I was feeding my "cafe" bunch on Laguna and wasn't that careful...I should never feed when people are approaching but I loosened my guard. This woman had run down from her office on Union to move her car, and she was walking back up and saw me, she didn't say anything but she looked disgusted. I watched her to see where she went, and she went into an office above the Bus Stop bar, and her windows COULD overlook where I feed, if she looked out. So...maybe I'll feed after office hours.

The birds are waiting for me every day now.

And Stumpy, whose feathers used to look so skanky - and he has that scar behind his neck? I swear, I think he's growing new feathers!

[Jaye]

Laguna...yup...I know exactly where you mean.

There are quite a few Pigeon-Advocates in SF actually, and some very good animal welfare organizations who have helped me and my ferals tremendously, as well..such as In Defense of Animals, Action for Animals, and Animal Legal Defense Fund. Also there's a great Yahoo group of animal welfare folks in the Bay Area.

So...you are Marina, I am Inner Sun, Arf is Pacific Heights, Ivor is in Excelsior, then there's Elizabethy and also someone else who's name is Nancy but I dunno her "handle" on this site....

Thanks for the e-mail info, I will hit you with mine in the next few days. Always nice to know where others are around here.

Ryannon.....thanks...yes, well....outside of the inane law against feeding in public space (incidentally, that's something which often goes unnoticed...the actual laws state feeding is unallowed in public spaces...parks, streets, sidewalks...NOT verboten on private property, though)..in the City of St. Francis, no less (did anyone miss THAT irony ?)...generally, folks here might not like pigeons, but the vast majority...they are pro-animal and really don't want to do any harm to them. There is always that cruel minority...and they are often the most vocal.

But we here quietly and strongly advocate onward and upward for our pals.

Incidentally...a Marcus Aurelius quote....don't see that too often

Sparkles is having a great day today...his eyes look much clearer, he is walking better, he is more alert, getting into more mischief (um...safe within the confines of these four walls )

[SerendipityCA]

Jaye,

It sounds like you take care of injured pidgies yourself? As I've posted in other threads, I've taken a bunch of injured feral birds (mostly pidgies, but sometimes other species) over to WildCare and they have never been able to save one. Now, granted that all the birds I brought to them were injured, or I wouldn't have been able to just pick them up off the street, but I do wonder, as did someone else on this forum, how hard they actually try. So, if you'd like to correspond off-list, I'd be interested in finding some other resources to keep in mind for the next time, because there will surely be a next time.

[ryannon]

Originally Posted by Jaye

There are quite a few Pigeon-Advocates in SF actually, and some very good animal welfare organizations who have helped me and my ferals tremendously, as well..such as In Defense of Animals, Action for Animals, and Animal Legal Defense Fund. Also there's a great Yahoo group of animal welfare folks in the Bay Area.

Ryannon.....thanks...yes, well....outside of the inane law against feeding in public space (incidentally, that's something which often goes unnoticed...the actual laws state feeding is unallowed in public spaces...parks, streets, sidewalks...NOT verboten on private property, though)..in the City of St. Francis, no less (did anyone miss THAT irony ?)...generally, folks here might not like pigeons, but the vast majority...they are pro-animal and really don't want to do any harm to them. There is always that cruel minority...and they are often the most vocal.

But we here quietly and strongly advocate onward and upward for our pals.

Sparkles is having a great day today...his eyes look much clearer, he is walking better, he is more alert, getting into more mischief (um...safe within the confines of these four walls )

It does sound a good deal better than Paris in terms of networks and animal rights associations. But there are the same (inane) anti-feeding laws and the stares when you do, plus the added charm (this is Paris, after all) of special plain-clothes police who sit in unmarked cars all day long staking out an area where there have been 'complaints' (another charming French tradition that became particularly well-known as 'denunciation' during the Nazi Occupation) waiting to catch people feeding 'in the act' so that they can ticket them. (Yes, I know I'm being snarky about France, but these people can be creepy in ways that most of you would neither believe nor understand).

Now where was I?

Oh yeah, glad to hear that Sparkles is into mischief (aways a good sign with pidgies).

Keep up the good work and best of luck to you!

[tuxedobaby]

glad to hear sparkles is ok

[Jaye]

Update: back to the feral life.

Hi all...thanks for the replies, suggestions, and kind words of support.

Sparkles got a big breakfast this AM, his final course of cipro, some horseplay with his pal Gatsby, a round of goodbye's to the parrots, and a kiss from me...and then a release back to the life into which he was born.

I had a crowd of ferals I was feeding this AM on the porch...I brought the carrier out there and opened the door. He fed for about 30 seconds with them, then they spooked a bit up to the neighbors roof, then came back down. Sparkles stayed up there, watching....then came down but did a u-turn midair and went back up. I went inside to get more seed and when I came back, he had flown off....probably towards his old stomping grounds.

Good pigeon weather today...partly foggy and mild temp's, calm winds. So he's back being a feral. Hope I'll see him sometime...he knows where to get a free meal and a pit-stop if he needs one

[amyable]

That was a really great story, with the outcome we all wish we could have for our injured ferals. Thanks for sharing that Jaye.

Janet

[Jay3]

Thanks for the update. Nice to hear about happy endings. If he stops by for lunch, let us know.

[Charis]

Wow! .....

[Ivor]

Hi Jaye,

So great, such a good job, I'm sure she will never forget you.