Guest post by kiersten stein

◦Safeway Manager calls Jill: “There’s a pigeon running wild in the parking lot!”
Jill texts kiersten: “Hey. Domestic pigeon at Safeway Livermore needs rescuing. Can you help?”

First Attempt

– kiersten arrives armed with a cage, a large towel, seed, and a growling stomach;
– The agile, artful dodger was a black and white German Owl Pigeon with a two-week Safeway Evasion Course under his plumage. Two hours in, “The Little” continues to evade capture, darting under cars and around shoppers exiting the store; eventually, it flew around the building and disappeared;
– The Little won the round, and Safeway shoppers aged me a few years, but this wasn’t over.

Challenges:

Too many people were trying to help, causing it to fly off and return repeatedly. I needed another pidge person with me since scurrying under parked cars in a busy shopping center was his skill.

Outcome:

Shoppers and the Safeway Manager were educated about Palomacy’s mission, so Attempt 1 wasn’t a complete wingfu.

Lessons of the day:

Add a net to your kit, bring a flask, a friend, an abundance of patience, and always keep the Elizabeth mantra in the forefront of your mind: YOU ARE AMBASSADORS OF TRICKLE-UP COMPASSION, so…

Next Day, New Strategy:

kiersten’s rainy, bleary-eyed birthday morning

– 7 a.m. (sigh), cage, towel, seed, flask, friend;

– Lowe’s employees point out the funny-looking bird in the rafters near the lumber entrance. Here birdie birdie birdie…nope, he stretches and takes off toward Safeway; we pack up the gear, jump in the van, and head for Safeway;
– Safeway shoppers gather as the puddle jumping begins
– Back-and-forth negotiations ensue for more than an hour between Lowe’s and Safeway parking lots with a non-caffeinated friend as he flits and flirts;
– Is this Mission Impossible? Will I be one friend short after this? Come on, you scruffy, scrappy little weasel, aren’t you hungry!

Q: How do you coax a funny-looking little pigeon into a cage who moved more like a bull?
A: Take a swig, towels up, string in hand, cage door set, seed trail laid, SUCCESS!

– Next, a warm home, spa music, a degreasing bath, food, clean water, and a health check for Punky, and Birthday Margaritas for kiersten.

The next day, Punky was picked up and transported a couple of hours away to Jillville for intake. I already had a flock of four and was getting ready to embark on a cross-country trip, so I could not foster him, but he left indelible marks on me: parking-lot grease from his feathers and others on my heart, so weeks later, I told Jill I would be interested in adopting him upon my cross-country return, only to learn a month later that he coupled with a scrappy she-bird at Jillville, “Shrimp” is her name. She is a very small roller with no problem wrangling Punky’s spit-fire, and they adore each other.

This one little bird touched more than 50 humans in a day, got me out of bed before 7 a.m. in the rain, no less, and his antics resulted in educating the public further and providing a safe home for two more pidges instead of one.

 

 

This community is truly incredible; it’s a rare coalition, and together, we are far-reaching.

I could share thousands of stories of birds and their humans, but I’ll leave that to the Palomacy calendars and Facebook group. When we extend a helping hand to a pigeon or dove in need, we spark ripples of change that reach far beyond one life, inspiring hope and humanity in ways we might never fully see, and sometimes, we show up on social media wearing our PJs and looking insane in random parking lots.

kiersten stein – Palomacy Supporter & Proud Birrb Mom