Rescue

Hungry, injured and unable to fly, a lost racing pigeon sought help from a kind homeowner named Sandy, hanging around for days and looking at her with his big, smart eyes; shy and lonesome both at the same time. She got the message, researched pigeon rescue, found Palomacy and reached out for our help. While this was a novel experience for her, it is not for us. People use and endanger millions of domestic pigeons like Norm every year and rescuers receive requests daily to help those lucky enough to be noticed.

Palomacy Care Coordinator Jill picked up Norm on March 13th and brought him home for assessment and fostering.

In Jill’s loving care, Norm’s wounds healed, his predator-ripped-out tail feathers grew back, his clipped flight feathers molted and new ones grew in. He was doing great and even courting pretty lady bird Raisin.

Event

On April 23rd, we were thrilled to represent for Palomacy at UC Davis’ big, amazing 108th Picnic Day in Davis, CA. We had a booth on Hutchinshon Field and this outreach started off just like the hundreds we’ve been doing all over the San Francisco Bay Area since 2007.  Event attendees are always blown away to meet pigeons. Most are new to the idea of pigeon rescue and they are amazed to meet these dear, beautiful birds and to learn their stories. It’s an awesome experience for all involved and really furthers our advocacy and adoptions. (Palomacy is pigeon diplomacy.)

We are super careful to keep our ambassador birds secure and safe. While many can fly (and most all can get blown airborne), none of the pigeons we rescue can survive on their own so we are very careful not to let them get loose. Our birds are either confined in their carriers or held close, leashed and wearing pigeon pants (combo diaper and harness). We teach how to fasten the pants correctly, to wrap the leash strap snug around your wrist and how to hold the bird close and safe. We teach how to carefully open carriers and safely manage doors. And it works. Over 15 years, at more than 100 events and with many hundreds of ambassadors- human and avian, we have never lost a bird at an outreach except for one. Norm.

Pigeons are incredibly chill. We call them “masters of leisure arts”. Even at busy events, they’ll relax, lounge and nap in their carriers or our hands. They are super mellow in aviaries too. We teach aviary door safety but don’t require a double door for pigeons.

And we also teach that pigeons can go from zero to sixty instantly. They can be a mellow potato and then get an idea and launch! We teach about how, when they want to, even a big, chunky, usually slow pigeon can shoot through a narrow gap, should they want to. Many Palomacy people have heard the story of how one time I noticed my big King foster Santino strangely poised and watching me come in the aviary door with an unusual intensity. I said, Oh no, you don’t and was even more extra careful coming back in through the door. Despite that and there only being a little gap between my head and the doorway when I came back in, he shot through! We call it “threading the needle”. Thankfully our amazing Santino returned safely the next day. It taught me a lot about how, when of the mind to, a pigeon can shoot off like a bullet.

Lost

On Picnic Day, Norm, safe in his carrier, had decided, same as Santino had, that he wanted to fly. He still had that unfinished race tugging him. Rather than just calmly waiting to be taken out like our outreach pigeons usually do when we carefully open their carrier, Norm launched through the small opening and shot up and away, flying fast. Our worst fear had come true.

We instantly created a graphic and all of us started sharing it with everybody at the event, in the area and online. Even campus police got the jpg thanks to a kind dispatcher. We posted to social media, NextDoor, craiglist, UC Davis groups, and all the lost pet and lost bird sites serving where he was lost, where he had been rescued and where he had been fostered for five weeks. One volunteer was notifying area vets and shelters while another printed and delivered 200 flyers that outreach volunteers handed out and posted.

The most important thing to do when trying to recover a lost bird is to alert as many people as possible as soon as possible. The lost bird will be seen and, if seen by someone who knows they’re missing, the odds of recovery are so much better.

Pigeons are all about home. They want to be home and they try to get home. Many lost pigeons, when looked for, can be recovered and we were really hoping to rescue Norm again. We’re also a go-to resource for found pigeons so we really expected to find him. We haven’t yet. We’ve been alerted to several other pigeon racing survivors in need of rescue (racers don’t look for their lost birds) and we’re working to help them but so far, no Norm.

And we got a bunch of phishing Google Voice scam texts trying to exploit our loss but it was very obvious so their efforts failed. (Watch out for the lost/found pet scammers.)

We haven’t given up. We’re still looking for Norm. Please text 415 420-7204 if you see him.

Additional Info:

Palomacy Help Group

Escape! (Read this BEFORE an escape happens)

10 Tips for Finding Your Lost Pigeon

What Does a Leg Band on a Pigeon Mean?

What to Do (& Not Do) If You Find a Pigeon or Dove

How to Catch a Pigeon or Dove in Need of Rescue

How to Care for a Rescued Pigeon