Introducing my mini flock

[Insomniac]

This is Luna, she was rescued after her parents were poisoned, and she was going to be next. She's very curious and silly...she really wants to befriend our cockatoo, and she frequently lands on the windowsill of our parrot room, to peer in at the Hahns Macaw. When Tia, the cockatoo, is on the clothesline outside, Luna will land near her, and will try to get as close as she can. But she's no dummy, she never gets to close to Tia's beak. She isn't afraid of our dogs, which I suppose isn't a very good thing since not all dogs are friendly, and will walk over their legs while they're laying in the grass. The sheltie tries to herd her, but she pretends not to notice.

Her sibling was killed by a neighborhood cat, and she was alone for a week before we were given a friend for her by a local man with a loft in his backyard. This little one was still squeaking and hadn't left his loft yet.

We named him Vega Jr. after the original Vega, Luna's sibling.



I let them out to fly for the first time today since Vega's arrival, and was on pins and needles watching them fly and crossing my fingers that they would both return. They were so happy to be out, finally, after over a week of being stuck in the loft. They flew huge laps, grazing each other playfully in mid air, before finally (much to my horror) landing on the power lines behind our house. I don't think birds are commonly shocked by power lines, are they? Either way, I was just waiting for one of them to burst into flames...




I let them out at 8pm, and made sure that they hadn't eaten for a few hours prior, so they were back in the loft by sunset. Vega didn't go back in himself though, he roosted on the outside until my sister went out and put him back. Could he just be shy of the entrance?

These are our most recent additions. They don't even have names yet, I've been calling them "The Twins". Any suggestions?

They were rescued from a downtown car wash that has been eradicating their resident pigeons...they get stuck in the machinery and get run over by customers. A friend works there, and told me that they often have to put injured pigeons "out of their misery". I told him to contact me if ever they have a disabled pigeon, or one is about to meet it's end...so, these were our first car wash rescues, and I'm sure there will be more.

When they first arrived, they picked at some seeds, but I was worried about them as their crops felt very empty. When I put their cage outside of the loft with Luna and Vega, they immediately began squeaking and fluttering their wings, which I knew was a sign that they were hungry. I wasn't exactly prepared to hand feed them at the time, so it took a bit of inventiveness and I'm sure there is a much neater way of going about things! They weren't too fond of me, and didn't see me as a food source. I tried putting my fingers around their beak, as I knew they put their beaks into their mothers beak rather then the other way around, but they were just scared and struggled to get away from me. So, I sat with them in the corner of the yard, so that they stayed calm and didn't have a way to get around me. I mixed up some formula, and cut the tip off of a puppy-bottle nipple, and attached it to the end of a syringe. I held their heads still and stuck their beak into the nipple, and pushed the plunger. At first, it went all down their chests and made quite a mess...but once they realized that it was food, they were very eager and fighting to eat. The next day, I made them some warm Red River 12 grain cereal, and they ate it themselves out of a dish. Later in the day, their crops were full of seed. They're now eating on their own!




So that is my mini flock! I'm sure there will be more...I am completely hooked! I am typically against keeping birds in captivity...most hookbills, such as parrots and such, are deprived of so much in captivity...but pigeons are different. They can enjoy a natural life, live in a flock, mate, use their wings as they are supposed to...I love it, I love watching them fly and act as birds are supposed to. I just wish our parrots could do the same!

[Insomniac]

Here are a few more pictures!

'The Twins'






Luna and Vega on the garage



Luna Landing:

[Feefo]

You have a lovely flock!

Cynthia

[Charis]

Wonderful pictures!

[maryjane]

They are quite lucky birds! It's a blessing to receive "the twins" and Vega Jr. after losing Vega, and I'm sure Luna is happy with her new friends. That picture of the baby eating from the tube is just so cute. Birds have been roosting on power lines for as long as I've paid attention, not sure if it can be dangerous sometimes or not (you would think so). But so many of them do it and live to tell the tale, I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. The carwash sounds like they will be able to provide your flock with additional pigeons now and then, and what better way to help out and save lives. Thanks for doing it!

[Maggie-NC]

I enjoyed your pictures. Great looking pigeons.

Since you're already (kinda) using a celestial theme with Luna and Vega (which, by the way, is my favorite star) you might name the twins (from Gemini) Castor and Pollux.

BTW, welcome.

[Insomniac]

Awwww, that's a good idea Now I just have to figure out how to tell them apart.

Now I'm really worried though...I let them out at 7:30 in the evening last night and they did a few laps then landed in the yard as the sun was going down. At 830, all of them were in the loft but Vega was on the roof. At nine, Vega was gone. Now it's the next day and he's still not back. I'm really worried about him! There are ferals very close to here, and his old loft is close as well...maybe the guy was wrong, and he had left the loft before? Maybe he went back?

[flitsnowzoom]

Or Bubbles and Suds?


I hope Vega Jr is okay.

[Boni Birds]

I LOVE your Luna landing picture!!Thank you so much for giving those birds a home and care- you will enjoy them more each passing day,I am sure! My birds have enriched my life so much with friendship, stories and lessons in love!

[Garye]

Such beautiful birds. I'm glad they found a home they can be happy in.

[SkyofAngels]

So did Vega Jr. ever make it home? I really hope he is okay.
The reason birds(and squirrels) can land on power lines is because in order to get shocked they have to be touching the line and the ground at the same time and I haven't met a bird that big so they should be just fine on the power lines as scary as it seems.
As far as the twins I like the celestrial theme as well my moms doves are named twinkles, moonbeam, and stardust. She is a magical clown and she thinks those names sound *magical* So if you like those names feel free to use those too.
When I first got my birds(I have nine white homers) I couldn't tell them apart to save my life so I went into my bag o balloons and cut the tops off of nine different colors(the long animal twisting balloons they are called 260Qs) and they have that little band that when you cut it off makes a lovely little colored bracelet. I just slipped that on their legs(they are stretchy so it easy to get on) and they are just snug enough so they don't get caught on anything and I could keep track of the birds that way.
My birds are such divas with their accesories

[Insomniac]

Vega Jr. never came home.... I went searching for him, but he doesn't know my voice or like me very much, so I don't think he would have responded if he heard me...I'm really just hoping he flew back to his old loft. Maybe I should just retire his name, it doesn't seem to bring luck