Taylor met & fell in love with rescued pigeon ambassador Sochi (Photo by Patti Delaney)

Thanks to all of your very generous contributions, large and small, personal and financial, Palomacy stayed aloft another year, continuing our work of simultaneously responding to the constant, high demand for pigeon and dove rescue while also building the organizational capacity we need to be sustainable. We are, though, struggling right on the edge- we need more funding, more adopters, more people-power.

With your help, we rescued 336 birds (directly) in 2016, placed 199 into amazing (non-exploitive) forever homes, helped countless others across the country (and beyond) with our coaching, referrals and education. We begin 2017 with 124 birds in our foster care and a waiting list of many more who need our help. The world needs more Palomacy.

In 2016, we pulled off a miracle that saved the lives of 108 birds that were displaced when a Bay Area rescuer was priced out of his home. We participated in a rescue group volunteer program assessment I am thrilled (and a little surprised) by how “healthy & highly functioning” the assessment indicates Palomacy is. They said that we received some of the highest satisfaction scores seen. Yay! We saved the life of a true rock star pigeon named Prince when no one else would. We mobilized a team to help an elderly man and his flock of 53 doves when he had no where else to turn. And so much more…

Gem, Flitwick, Avery & Lucky LaRue (Photo by Liese Hunter)

We’re honored to again be a Top Rated Great Nonprofit with 124 five star reviews including this one: “I first encountered Palomacy when I was a wildlife rehabber new to pigeons. I was given helpful advice and encouragement – and I was inspired to build an aviary and start my own pigeon and dove sanctuary! Not only does Palomacy help specific local birds, but Elizabeth and core volunteers have built a positive, supportive community that connects and assists people across the country to care for birds in their area. Thanks to their network and online group, I have been able to find wonderful adoptive homes for several of my rescued birds, and help coordinate foster homes for others. Palomacy is a necessary resource and safe place I can refer people to. I can’t say enough good about this organization!”

Our fast-growing social media presence is making a life-saving difference. In May of 2015, we welcomed our 4,000th fan to our Palomacy Facebook Page. Today, we’ll surpass 22,500! As a result of our growing reach, we are inspiring, connecting and educating pigeon and dove people all over the world. Through Palomacy, a group of pigeon rescuers in Las Vegas has formed to help each other help birds. Another group has formed to catch and untangle the stringfoot pigeons suffering in San Francisco. We inspired 101,098 likes for rescued pigeons and doves on our Instagram account in 2016 and we and our volunteers and adopters are making many new friends for the birds!

One of the 2016 developments that I’m most proud of is that our Palomacy Facebook Group achieved the critical mass needed to become a valuable destination for people in need of pigeon or dove help. It has become a wonderful source of crowdsourced information, referral and education. In prior years, I couldn’t reliably refer people to the Group for help because there weren’t enough active members to respond. Now there are and it is a go-to destination for collaboration and assistance. Something urgently needed in this overlooked and under-served animal rescue space.

We have many accomplishments this year but we are struggling against an organizational limit that, despite my best efforts, I have not been able to break through. We need more help to break the bottle neck I have become to maximize the good that we can do. I am spending too much time on tasks that others could do and too little on those that need me.

I am writing to both thank you for supporting us in 2016 and to ask for your support for 2017. This has to be a breakthrough year for Palomacy and I really need your help to make it happen. Please- if you can, make a generous donation right now to help us do this work! And please, consider becoming more involved on a day to day basis. There is so much good that needs doing!

You are such compassionate people! Thank you! Your kindness is truly making a life-saving, culture-changing difference.

Elizabeth at our Ploughshares Nursery foster aviary (Photo by Heather Finnecy)