Your "handle" and how you got started

[Lady Tarheel]

Shi (Mr. Squeaks) mentioned that it would be fun to find out how we came up with our "handles" and I thought it may be fun to find out how everyone became involved with pigeons. So here goes my part.

The "Lady Tarheel" came about because North Carolineans are nicknamed "tarheels" and I am also a huge fan of the UNC Tarheel basketball team. I just stuck the "Lady" on to show I'm female.

I think I was born loving animals/birds. My entire family was always rescuing one critter or another, particularly my mother. There was always a rescued dog or cat we cared for and even though my mother was desperately afraid of dogs she usually wound up being the caretaker. She found an injured garden snake once and when I came home from school he was in a fishbowl on the piano. He stayed there until one day she put him out to sun and "Clarence" escaped. I have had pet chickens - one named Trudy who was blind and crippled and she lived a long time. We had one old rooster that stayed in the house until we went on a trip and a neighbor said she'd take care of him, and she did, right in a pot. Mother was so mad!

I married a man who grew up the same way I did with animals always around. He raised many pigeons when he was a child and has always loved them. Early in our marriage he rescued one pigeon and we kept him until he could be
released. The next bird we had was an Evening Grosbeak named Starsky (about 25 years ago). He was in our back yard with a broken wing and we
had him for a little over 3 years. We didn't get into the real pigeon business until my husband and I retired and he started walking several miles a day and began finding all these little fellows and bringing them home. Early on, we got in so many sick ones that we started looking around for help and found other rehabbers and veterinarians, took classes on bird rehab, read everything I could find and did a lot of it "by the seat of our pants".

Rehabbing is a little different from what most forum members do, we suffer more losses and have more disappointments BUT our successes have far outweighed the losses and that is what is important. We love what we do because we love these wonderful little pigeons.

maggie

[pdpbison]

Hi Maggie,

Cool...

I would love to take some Classes on Avian and rehab matters! I do not think there are any here, tho'.

pdpbison occured because I needed a user name and could not think, so that name came easy, since my initials are 'P.D.P.', and my Workshop - Business is named 'Bison Studios'. If you google it, or google Philip Poburka, you will find mentions of my Tool Making, and some mentions of my Box and Cabinet Work, although my Workshop is occupied in many different small scale things in addition to these occupations. Sole proprietor, no one else but me doing stuff in there. Long hours, low pay, dim light, clutter, dust. The last of the 'old time' for-real Workshops for this town anyway.

My first Pigeon was one I saw laying in a buisy street, I made a u-turn and parked so as to momentarily protect it, as I got out of my Truck and examined it and gently scooped her up. She was unconscious, had been mauled by a Dog, and took three days to wake up. She had lots of punctures, a broken thigh and many missing Feathers.

I had nothing for prior experience or knowledge, but amazingly, she survived and got well over many weeks with no medications. She elected a mate which was a white and patches of pale grey Pigeon a Vet gave me that had been raised in a cage and had never flown and was grouchy for a long time, but these two made many truely beautiful Babys.

She was black with a white head tuft, long body and long wings and white primaries. Once she did start flying again, she was probably the fasted flier I have ever seen. She was an old Bird and had the larger areas around her eyes.

She ( who I had innocently named 'Elmo') and her mate, ( whom I had named 'Little Cloud') built a nest on top of my old Roll Top Desk, were tender and very dutiful parents to their many offspring, helped me raise various orphan Babys whom they accepted and fed and looked after, even as I filled in to give them resopites from the nest wwhen they were incubating or raising their own, and were sweet and charming Birds who flew out in the world every day.

Elmo loved storms, and the more lightening and thunder and heavy rain, the more she liked it, and would perch on the top rung of an old Ladder that leaned against the back of the house whenever we had a good storm here.

Well, having her at first, eventually led me to a Bird Vet here, who started giving me bring-ins they thought I could deal with...orphan Babys, injured but likely to get well adults, and so on, so that is how it started for me.

Bad thing about that Vet though, they would never share any real info or guide me or educate me, and really, probably did not know all that much about Pigeons to do so anyway, they did not know how to treat the Trichomoniasius, and I got my first info on that matter from a fellow who had Hawks...so all of my humble education happened otherwise than frm ny mentors or teachers, and slowly...until Pigeontalk!

Phil
Las Vegas

[dnrslucky1]

I have always been an animal lover and also have cared for many injured and orphaned animals! My favorites are raccoons, I raised one that was only a few days old, very tiny, eyes still closed! She "Fi Fi" was adorable, but come spring they always leave on their own! By the way I live on 3 acres in a very wooded area. As pets, I have an African Grey parrot, whom I rescued from a local pet shop for way more money than I could afford! But he was so lonely, nervous and loved me from the first time he seen me! He would bite anyone but me. 3 cats, 2 who I hand fed also. One was found ducktaped in a box on a 90 degree day, and was near death, the other one was given to me by someone who didn't have the time to bottle feed, and the third was a stray. Also 2 dogs, a Llasa Apso, also rescued from a pet shop for more than I could afford, but he had been in a small cage for 2 months and I couldn't stand it! A large German Shepherd that the breeder was gona destroy, but after some begging decided to give him to me! So as to dnrslucky1, My name is Denise for the d, n stands for and, my son-in-laws name is Rick for the r, s for plural, lucky is the German Shepherd's name as we rescued him together and I always use that handle on all forums so I don't forget it! Lol! My pass word is always my other dogs name. My pigeon interest came came as I am trying to save a little deformed, helpless Pigeon now named Peepers!

[upcd]

Unicorn, Pegasus, Chanelle,Debbie=upcd After that I thought of CD's with little wings flying all around. Started into pigeon at 10 years old with my 1 st pair of Indain Fantails. Got into many different breeds of pigeons threw the years. Also raised many different kiinds of animals. I have worked in Vets offices, Zoos, Pet shops. People have always brought the injuried animals. I tend to find the sick and injuried too. I just really enjoy working with animals. But pigeons are my favorite. I now raise Indain Fantails, West of England Tumblers ,Brimingham Rollers and Teddy Bear Hamsters. For pets I have 3 dogs, 2 cats,3 fish, and 2 rats. So the turth is out. I am addicted to animals.

[Victor]

Just plain ol' ordinary boring and basic VICTOR. Yup, that's me. But many of you recall me as Vdog505, but I already posted a thread titled "Vdog is gone"

I thought about creating a "special name" but I decided just be a regular ordinary me.

It is neat though reading the thoughts everyone else is sharing about their handles and the love that we all seem to have for animals in general.

Our hearts are focused on pigeons and birds in this forum, but we all have a place in our hearts for others as well.

We have an almost 18 year old mixed terrior-poo (Huggy) that is still quite active. When I look into his cataract covered eyes, I still see the love he has in them as he looks back at me.Loyal and faithful he is indeed.

Our other dog, a mixed long haired Dauschand (Sabastian), is learning many of the ways of his older mentor as he has been with us for a few months.Loyal and faithful he is learning to be.

Then comes the kitty we rescued many years ago, age is crepping up on him now, but he will probably not be replaced, as he is one of a kind, and protective of my pigeon Tooter when he is outside. A few days ago a stray cat that has been lurking lately, approached Tooters outdoor cage, and "Lil Kitty" put the cat in his place. I have not seen the cat since.

Then there is our squirrel we rescued last early summer named "Zipper". She is now an indoor pet and very spoiled. We just ordered an indoor acrylic cage for her, so now we will have a larger indoor home for my pigeon.She loves her weekly warm bath and to be petted behind her ears.

And of course there is "Tooter", a wonderful compliment to our animals that we have, not to mention the wild birds and squirrels that frolick in our wooded back yard. Our pigeon has inspired us to learn more about pigeons, truly unique, intelligent and beautiful creatures they are.

EDITED JULY 27,2006

Quite a few changes have occured since the last posting to this thread when we only had our single pigeon named Tooter. Many of you know that on December 31st a hawk had him but Tooter was able to fend off the hawk with a bit of help from me. Tooter fled the opposite direction and was gone for 7 and a half months til he miraculously re appeared on our roof top, and hopped into his cage. Quite a pigeon after 2 years prior being shot at twice. One pellet exited and the other is still lodged in near his lung. Tooter is quite the fighter...a hero in my eyes.

During his absence, we also acquired 5 more pigeons, mainly from wonderful members of Pigeon Talk, acts of love and compassion:

Beaskley

Rosco

Uchiwa

Barbie (this one we rescued...unreleasable)

Paris

In addition, my daughters gave my wife Bev an adorable puppy that we named Chewy for mother's day.

Our family has grown indeed!


Adding two Siblings born Feb. 9, 2007 ffrom Paris and Barbie:

Clayton

Emilie

[TAWhatley]

Well, I certainly wasn't too creative with my handle .. TA are my first and middle initials and Whatley is my last name ..

My first three pigeons were Ptero that I raised from a baby, my aged Traveler, and Stinky (aka Catherine The Great). Ptero totally stole my heart and Traveler and Stinky taught me just what very courageous and tough birds pigeons can be when faced with horrific injuries.

Traveler was found at the local Green Thumb Nursery with his head looking like raw hamburger. He was a long time healing and did lose the sight in one eye, but definitely rules the roost around here.

Stinky was found in a trash can at a park .. she was extremely emaciated and had a badly broken leg and had just been tossed in the trash and left to die. She stank so badly, that Stinkly was the only possible name. The smell wasn't from being in the garbage but from her body shutting down and literally devouring itself in her attempt to survive. She smelled terrible for a couple of months but eventually became a plump and shiny bird whose leg healed perfectly (thank you, Dr. Lee).

So, that's my story ..

Terry

[feralpigeon]

Hi Maggie,Mr.Squeaks et al,

I've always loved animals in general and the "family" pet was always really "my" pet, my grandfather was a doctor, so I even thought of becoming a vet....then I started the first grade and changed my mind
I was the official bleeding heart for animals in the family.

My 1st rescue was a moth, who I decided to "help". I put it in my shoe and covered the opening so it could, um, recover. Silly girl. That was my first HVAC lesson.....always have an air supply.

I first noticed pigeons in high school when I saw a pic in Look or Life of an old woman sitting on a New York Central Park bench covered with pigeons.....I decided then and there not to succumb to the aging process. Well, damn, some three decades later and not a year younger, I got a job overseeing the facilities for a non-profit group that dealt with the homeless in SF. Enter, the wonderful world of inner city pigeons.

At one of the facilities, one of the resident pijies adopted me. She would follow me where ever I went while there, including into the building to "help" me. When the flock would sight me outside and swarm me, she would wait by my car for me. As time progressed, her health was nose-diving and I was pretty upset by it. Folks started talking about the sickly pigeon as tho they were gonna get sick from her. I couldn't stand some of the attitudes about pigeons and started surfing for other info on the net. I found ray'njudy's story about Bernie on the internet, and some other positive sites, and then wow--Pigeon Talk. Since my heart had been stolen by this feral pigeon, well, you know the rest. I inquired here about the pij and eventually caught her and received help from this site for meds and care.

Dumpster Diver or DD, is now a permanent resident here at my home. As life would have it, she's caught the eye of a WOE tumbler, Sir Lancelot. As for those two characters, to be continued......

In the meantime I've found great joy/fulfillment in feral pigeons and being an honorary member of the various flocks.

fp

[nabisho]

I've been NAB since I signed onto my first dial-up BBS (he Motherboard) out of L.A. back in about 1985 using a Commodore PET and a Bell 113 moden, there was no Internet in those days, and speed was 110 bps ASCII text only. I hadn't had a pet of any kind for about 20 years when I ran into little George out back of the office in Nov. 2004. He was in pretty bad shape, legs paralyzed and I tried my best (with the help of all the fine folks here) but he died in about two weeks. It was about a month and I missed the little fellow a bunch so I emailed the lady that runs the Humane Society in Reno and told them George's litle story and ask if they ever got any pigeons in that couldn't be released to give me a call. About two weeks later they got in Gee-Two (stands for George Two) he only had one wing and was scheduled to be off'd because no one wanted a one-winged pigeon and they can only keep unwanted birds for a week or so. I went up and got him right away. Then one day last spring one of my coworkers called up and said his dog had bit a pigeon over in one of our buildings and he couldn't catch the thing, but it was hurt and hiding under the machines. So I went over and got the little fellow and named him Gee-Three, he had a crumpled wing and a punctured crop, but I got him healed back up and he's in pretty good shape now, but he can't really fly too well, he tends to crash and miss perches a lot, he wouldn't last long in the wild. So that's it, here in the high desert of the great American Southwest lives NAB, Gee-Two, Gee-Three and a whole yard full of bunny rabbits.

NAB :-)

http://nabshouse.20megsfree.com.20me...om/photo4.html

http://nabshouse.20megsfree.com.20me...om/photo5.html

[Snow White]

Well, this is actually what my family and friends call me. I am truely a sap when it comes to birds and animals. I cannot stand to see anything suffer and will go out of my way to help. I have been this way all of my life. Most of my rescues have been kitties, but I have also rescued two dogs. Both of them are Australian Cattle Dogs (blue heelers) named Dingo and Dakota. My two kitties are gray tabbies, Emily and Snickers. Then, of course, there's Edie-Bird, my pij. My backyard lookes like a wildlife sanctuary with bird feeders of every shape and size, birdbaths, critter dishes, finch bags (you guys get the picture). I am very lucky to have my husband who keeps me grounded or I would probably have more of a zoo. I also participate in bird studies with the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology (not sure if I spelled that right) for migrations and disease studies of birds in my area. If anyone is interested, you can log onto their website at Cornell University and just search for Ornithology and it tells you how you can get involved.

O.K. I do have those big binculars to bird-watch. They were a present from my husband.

[Lin Hansen]

As everyone can see, I didn't get too creative with my user name either...it's my actual name, just shortened the Linda to Lin.

I can't remember all the details when I first joined Pigeon Talk, but I remember I tried a few other names that were already taken, plus I wanted a user name that was not too unusual and easy to remember for logging in. Little did I realize then that I would eventually become a "regular" who would be logging in several times a day, every day! LOL

I've always loved feeding the little birds and animals that would come to our yard. We live in a suburb that is pretty built up...the houses are close together--not too much open space. So, pretty much all we get are birds and squirrels. We had a feeder up for the birds and would put peanuts out for the squirrels. We even had one very friendly squirrel who would take the peanuts from our hands. Now and then, we have spotted skunks, groundhogs, opposums and raccoons, which is always exciting. We even had a groundhog living under our shed for quite awhile....he loved hearts of Romaine, carrots and apples!

Here's where pigeons come in....a couple of years ago, our town passed an ordinance that would allow only one bird feeder per family on everyone's property as some residents were complaining about some people who would have crowds of birds coming to their property. We only had one feeder up, even though we are a three family. So...my husband (being an ornary type), promptly put up two more feeders. Now, we had more birds than ever coming and little by little, the local pigeons discovered us. When they would gather, I would scatter seed out on my driveway so they could eat in comfort instead of trying to do the "limbo" to get seed out of the feeders. As you can imagine, we attracted quite a crowd.

One day, we noticed a pure white pigeon in trouble. He didn't have the use of one leg and couldn't fly very well. The temperatures were falling below zero and he was only flying to our roof at night instead of to a real sheltered roost, so we caught him and brought him inside. I took him to our local vets who were kind enough to look him over and give him some shots (they waived the ofc visit fee), but recommended a sanctuary about 2 hrs from my home, which is where I wound up taking him. I had him for about a week, and during that time, found Pigeon Talk.

I loved this forum because it was so informative and the people are so nice and friendly, so I just kept visiting to learn in case I ever had a similar situation occur. I still feed and watch over the ferals, and so far I've been lucky, but feel good knowing I have such knowledgeable friends to turn to, if a problem ever comes up.

Oh boy, this post is turning into a book, but just want to add that my personal pets are a guinea pig named Cleo (rescued) and a beautiful, sweet Calico cat named Penny, who was abused in her former home.

Maggie, this is a great thread....I'm enjoying reading everyone's responses. Thanks for starting it.

Linda

[Victor]

Originally Posted by Lin Hansen

Maggie, this is a great thread....I'm enjoying reading everyone's responses. Thanks for starting it.

Linda

I agree with you Lin, this is really a great thread. It is bringing out the best in all of us and helping us to understand each other a lot moe.

THERE ARE MANY MORE MEMBERS OUT THERE, OLD AND NEW, LET'S HEAR FROM YOU TOO! COME ON WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

[KIPPY]

Kippy was the first and only pigeon I had at the time and being pigeon.com. It was an easy one!

[re lee]

Mines simple also The RE is my first and middle intial then Lee my last name. I was young in the 1950s And just wanted pigeons. My dad brought me home I believe 2 pair of ferals That was then The bug bit me. And I have had pigeons Most my life. I have raised. racing homers, modenas mookies. And fantails. Have had for short times. trumpeters , magpies, pouters. rollers. owls, But really never kept them to breed. Thought I liked them when I got them then would change my mind. I now have the fantails. AND have 10 homers that have came back that I gave away about a year and a half back. I might just keep them AS they were young birds unflown trained out just 25 miles. So I think they are pretty good birds to come back after this time. But I do have to cut the birds back to stay in the birds. But thats some of my story on my life with pigeons.

[Cricket]

Cricket is my nickname since I was a baby. The story goes something like this, I used to crawl and crush leaves in my fists. Apparently, I crawled and crunched lots in my path. One day, while under the wathcful eye of my Aunt, I crawled into a bunch of crickets. I did not hurt any, but you can imagine, a fist full of crickets and a baby? Cool. I may have even tasted one? Anyhow, it stuck and it is also easy to remember for me.
I have been addicted to the Animal Kingdom from the get go. I have been a vegetarian since I was about 7, when I really understood where all the food came from and that I did not need to eat animals to survive. I am an artist and my first artwork depicted pigs and cows and chickens pleading for their lives. Sad really, but the images helped to keep me a vegetarian! I worked for PETA during my college education and learned so much more about the plight of abused and or neglected animals.
When I was a teenager, I used to go to our town green with peanuts and bread crumbs to feed the pigeons. These ferel pigeons would see me a block away and fly to me and land on my head, shoulders, arms etc. until I was in the park feeding them! It was such a privledge to be accepted and recognized so naturally pigeons quickly became one of my favorite species. I loved them all of my life, but had never considered raising or housing any.
I have worked with horses for a large part of my life and am now the owner and operator of a dog and cat Grooming facility. I simply get along with animals, even more than with people! I know you can all relate.
My first pigeon is the one I am currently rehabbing. He is sick presently, but with the help of all of you wonderful and exceptional animal lovers, he will recover to a world of happiness. I am in the process of building a fabulous pigeon loft and have every intention of rescueing more...
I live with a rescued bunny rabbit named Psycho Bunny. She is a pure black dwarf rabbit found under a parked truck in a parking lot. I also own a shepherd/coyote mix named Raje. He is eleven and more like a brother than a pet dog. Then I adopted a siberian husky from a client who could not handle her. Her name is Chicken. She unfortunatley has a bad reputation around chicken coops... ugh. Not while in my care of course. She is nine. I would love to have cats but the coyotes are so abundant where I live to have a indoor/outdoor cat is dangerous. Indoor is not an option since I have a rotating door. Two teenagers, a husband and the dogs. Can't trust the door.
I am obsessed with finding homes for dogs and cats through my shop. I have been grooming for almost 12 years and have hooked many people up with their pets. I love working with animals. I love being with animals and I love people who love animals! So naturally, I ended up here! It is great to learn about familiar names and to share with such an awesome group. Thanks Maggie for starting the thread.

[pigeonmama]

My handle ? Pigeon Mama? Why, what else would you call me? I've always loved animals, was always known as " the littlest Jordan kid" in our town, and known for having some sort of critter hanging off me or out of a pocket, somewhere there would be a critter, frog, fowl, or feathered. Frogs with broken legs, babt birds found on the ground, 3 raccoons, monarch butterfly larvae, snakes, all were cosseted, bandaged, healed (or died if too badly injured) then released when ready. I remember one of my male cousins catching frogs and throwing them out on a major highway (wow, tarred road up here), so that cars would run over them. I dodged cars and nearly got hit a few times, collected and saved what frogs I could, and when my cousin went back to the pond to capture more victims, I ripped a thorn covered cane from a rosebush in front of my parents store and whipped my cousin all the way home. Many of the critters here now are rescues, 2 cats are SPCA cats, many of the chickens and one of the turkeys came out of a terrible situation. These critters are much loved, but we don't allow eggs to hatch. We also don't eat the eggs. I collect eggs daily, and when I have a good batch, hard boil them, mash them and feed to the chickens. The dog, well, he's a " reverse rescue" He came to rescue us after we lost our Lucy Lickie Lips.
I used to ride the horses in town, even those no one else would ride, or had never had any training. My favorite little horse was a little Arab/ Quarter horse gelding that was supposed to be a "man killer" Well, he may have been a man killer, but I used to ride him all over town without a bridle, saddle, not even a halter. For me, he was hand, leg and voice control. I used to lay on his back with a book, sometimes even fall asleep, while he grazed. My parents tried to buy him for me, from the man I trained him for, but the man wouldn't sell. Poor Star, I'd go see and ride him often. The man didn't take care of him, he was worm infested. My mother would buy wormer for me to give him at her expense. Finally, Star got caught in barbed wire fencing and literally cut off a leg and had to be put down. I was so angry at this man, and did he know it !!
Well, there's many critters I haven't mentioned, but you all aren't ready to read a novel tonight, I'm sure. More, later.
Daryl