Strange But True ..

[TAWhatley]

I was busily cooking dinner last evening when a call came in from a local veterinary clinic. Seems a lady showed up on their doorstep with a Mourning Dove "attached" to the grille of her SUV. She felt she had probably driven all the way from Pomona to Laguna Niguel with the little dove "attached". The vet clinic staff "extracted" the dove from the grille of the vehicle, the lady took off, and they were standing there wondering what to do next.

A vet examined the bird and pronounced it no worse for the wear of being a hood ornament of sorts for about 50 miles of freeway driving.

They called me and arranged to drop the dove off. Truly, it was fine .. not a feather out of place .. not even a tiny wound or injury.

I set the dove up in a comfy temporary abode last night with food and water available.

This morning after a quick check for the resident hawk, I released the very anxious to be free dove in my backyard. S/he flew off to the southeast with nary a look back but was probably wondering how the heck s/he got here from there ..

Terry

[mr squeaks]

WOW, Terry! That IS one for a "Believe It Or Not" by Ripley...

How often would one hear of an ending like that??!

Truth CAN be stranger than fiction!

Thanks for posting and I am REALLY glad the dove was OK!!

Shi

[Charis]

My friend Deb has had Owls come into the Audubon Wildlife Care Center under exactly the same circumstances. She said it happens quite frequently with Owls. All Owls recovered their ordeal to hunt another night.
Wow...what a ride.

[flitsnowzoom]

Oh, MY Poor little dove. I'll bet she was totally weirded out!! Glad she seemed none the worse for wear and was able to fly off on her own the next day.
Those birds must really be lucky to get attached to a car in a manner that doesn't cause permenent damage.

Like you say "one for the books"

[Reti]

Poor little thing. She must have been terrified.
What an adventure
Glad she was unharmed and could be released.

Reti

[Skyeking]

Wow, I'm sure glad that "wild and frantic ride" didn't leave any emotional scars as well. Thanks for picking up the little dove and giving it a place to "unwind" relax, recoop, and to rehome from.

[Dezirrae]

And how wonderful to hear that someone would actually take the time to stop at the vet's and seek help for the little guy/girl It must have been fate that s/he was lucky enough to wind up having a "sleep over" in your loving house!

[Maggie-NC]

What amazes me is that the lady even saw the dove. Looking at the grille is something I never do.

Poor little guy must have been so traumatized with winds hitting him constantly. I am so happy he survived this ordeal.

[Marion Springer]

About a month ago a vet to whom my daughter Linda had taken her Lovely Lacey to sometime back called Linda and asked if she could take in a pigeon that had been attacked by a turkey vulture.

The vet said that a man was driving along when he saw the pigeon being attacked. He stopped his car, got out and rescued the pigeon and took it to the vet's office then went on his way.

The vet determined that the pigeon was apparently OK in that it had no obvious damage. She kept it for a few days then tried to set it free but it wouldn't fly. It just wouldn't go . She couldn't keep the pigeon, thus the call to Linda.

We picked the pigeon up from the Dr's. office and brought him home. He is very contented to be inside and observe the world from the safety of a good sized cage. He has no interest in flying and that's OK with Linda and me. We will care for him as long as he needs us.
Marion Springer

[TheSnipes]

Originally Posted by Marion Springer

We picked the pigeon up from the Dr's. office and brought him home. He is very contented to be inside and observe the world from the safety of a good sized cage. He has no interest in flying and that's OK with Linda and me. We will care for him as long as he needs us.
Marion Springer

Hahaha that is one smart bird if you ask me! Once bit twice shy as the saying goes...

[Pidgey]

I've always heard that doves aren't that great at finding their way back from any real distance. Anyone know anything about that?

Pidgey

[Maggie-NC]

Pidgey, that is my understanding too.

Not too long ago, someone mentioned that when you release doves they should be taken back to the same place where they came from. In our case, that is almost an impossibility because 9 out of 10 times you never know where the bird came from if you get it from a wildlife center or vet. Most of the time the folks just don't write that info down.

That has troubled me since I read it but there's not anything I can do about it....just hope that those we've released here in our yard will stay where they have plenty of food and water all the time.

[indianbird]

All i can say its mircle that still be live after that many miles bein stuck in the grill.
God is great.

[Margarret]

WOW What a ride she must have had. I'm so glad that this story has a happy ending!!!

Margaret

[TAWhatley]

Originally Posted by Pidgey

I've always heard that doves aren't that great at finding their way back from any real distance. Anyone know anything about that?

Pidgey

That is also my understanding. I'm sure the dove will do fine here in my area and especially if s/he joins up with the flock of doves that hang out at my place everyday. I could have tried to take her back to Pomona, but even doing that, I could have ended up releasing her many miles from what her home territory had been.

Terry