It was a slooooow week, with few calls and no intakes. There was a call from a vet clinic in the Atlanta area about a common nighthawk with a wing fracture that was supposed to be headed this way, and they even very kindly emailed their x-rays; however, the bird never arrived and they never bothered to let me know if it had died, been transferred to another rehabber in the metro area, or what. And with vet clinics being closed on weekends, it’ll be Monday before I can follow up and see what this poor bird’s fate was.
The great horned owls are still in the raptor flight; the goal is to get them out this week. They’re flying well enough to be released now.
The red tail I was convinced had mucked himself up last week caught a lucky break—which is probably a poor choice of words, all things considered. His original fracture of the ulna is healing adequately, but he has a minor fracture at the head of the radius. Since he’s come this far and seems to be healing well, we’re giving him time to see how this will impact his flight ability.
The great horned owls are still in the raptor flight; the goal is to get them out this week. They’re flying well enough to be released now.
The red tail I was convinced had mucked himself up last week caught a lucky break—which is probably a poor choice of words, all things considered. His original fracture of the ulna is healing adequately, but he has a minor fracture at the head of the radius. Since he’s come this far and seems to be healing well, we’re giving him time to see how this will impact his flight ability.
Original x-ray, Aug. 13
Last week's x-ray
One of the few calls last week was from a woman who’d found a banded pigeon and wondered what she should do. Since that question comes up at least every couple of months, let me address it here for your edification.
Banded pigeons are racing, or homing, pigeons. Breeders spend vast sums raising them, vaccinating them (they can’t race without a clean bill of health), banding them…and then they load them up, drive several hundred miles from home, release the birds, drive back home, and wait to see how many make it back. Yeah, when you find the logic in that, please let me know.
These birds have no idea how to find food on their own; they’ve been captive raised and had their food provided. They fly until they literally drop from exhaustion and/or hunger, and if they’re lucky, some kind soul sees them and makes sure they have food and water for the several days it takes them to rebuild their energy reserves to complete their journey. Frequently, they become raptor food. Hey, when the buffet is provided…
So what can YOU do if you find a banded pigeon? First, provide food and water; the bird needs both desperately at this point. A regular wild bird seed mix will be fine; scratch feed is also good. DO NOT offer bread; bread is NOT a suitable food for ANY wildlife.
Once you’ve taken care of the pigeon’s immediate needs, you need to locate the owner. The band contains the info you need to do so. Details on how to do that can be found here: https://www.pigeon.org/lostbirdinfo.htm
Once you’ve located the owner, you can contact him/her to let them know you have their bird. Here’s where it can get downright infuriating. Some owners will flat-out tell you that since the bird didn’t finish the race, they don’t care what you do with it. Others will immediately get directions from you to come get their bird. It’s hit and miss; I’ve had both experiences.
If the owner falls into the “Oh God, I want to strangle you through the phone” category, congratulations, you have a pet pigeon. He may or may not be socialized, but with time and patience you can have a very affectionate bird. But the homing instinct will always be there, so he can’t be allowed to fly freely, or he’ll be on his way to his “home” where he’s no longer welcome; you’ll need some sort of enclosure (like a flight pen) that will allow him to stretch his wings and fly. Plenty of pigeon breeding sites will provide info on appropriate enclosures, so have fun researching that for yourself.
What, did you think I was gonna do ALL the work for you? That’s what Google’s for!
Banded pigeons are racing, or homing, pigeons. Breeders spend vast sums raising them, vaccinating them (they can’t race without a clean bill of health), banding them…and then they load them up, drive several hundred miles from home, release the birds, drive back home, and wait to see how many make it back. Yeah, when you find the logic in that, please let me know.
These birds have no idea how to find food on their own; they’ve been captive raised and had their food provided. They fly until they literally drop from exhaustion and/or hunger, and if they’re lucky, some kind soul sees them and makes sure they have food and water for the several days it takes them to rebuild their energy reserves to complete their journey. Frequently, they become raptor food. Hey, when the buffet is provided…
So what can YOU do if you find a banded pigeon? First, provide food and water; the bird needs both desperately at this point. A regular wild bird seed mix will be fine; scratch feed is also good. DO NOT offer bread; bread is NOT a suitable food for ANY wildlife.
Once you’ve taken care of the pigeon’s immediate needs, you need to locate the owner. The band contains the info you need to do so. Details on how to do that can be found here: https://www.pigeon.org/lostbirdinfo.htm
Once you’ve located the owner, you can contact him/her to let them know you have their bird. Here’s where it can get downright infuriating. Some owners will flat-out tell you that since the bird didn’t finish the race, they don’t care what you do with it. Others will immediately get directions from you to come get their bird. It’s hit and miss; I’ve had both experiences.
If the owner falls into the “Oh God, I want to strangle you through the phone” category, congratulations, you have a pet pigeon. He may or may not be socialized, but with time and patience you can have a very affectionate bird. But the homing instinct will always be there, so he can’t be allowed to fly freely, or he’ll be on his way to his “home” where he’s no longer welcome; you’ll need some sort of enclosure (like a flight pen) that will allow him to stretch his wings and fly. Plenty of pigeon breeding sites will provide info on appropriate enclosures, so have fun researching that for yourself.
What, did you think I was gonna do ALL the work for you? That’s what Google’s for!
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