Blog - Page 16 of 40 -

June 12, 2019
by Elizabeth
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Palomacy Coo-loring Contest!

August 12th Update:
2019 Coo-loring Contest Now Closed. See the beautiful entries & winning images here!

Hello! Quiggles Dove here to announce Palomacy’s first ever Coo-loring Contest! There are three age categories: Nestling 0-8, Fledgling 9-14, and Adult 15+. The winner in each group will be chosen by a panel of judges, and will each receive a special prize pack. More details coming soon, but for now, start coloring!

CONTEST RULES:

To enter, download and print one of the three attached pages or if you have your own official Palomacy Coo-loring book, you can choose any picture you’d like to color for your entry. Only one entry per person, please!

Use any media (pens, crayons, markers …?) to complete your creation. Take a good quality photo of your entry and send to special@pigeonrescue.org with “COLORING CONTEST” in the subject line. Include your name, age, and city/state with the photo – but please do NOT sign your name on the entry! In order to be fair, our panel of judges will not know who entered each picture.

Entries will be added to an album (check back here for the link soon). Deadline for entry is 10pm PT Wednesday July 31, 2019 and winners will be announced August 12th. Winners will be contacted for their address to send out prizes. Submitted entries/photos may be used for Palomacy promotional materials (more details on that in the fine print below).

Please share this contest far and wide!

The fine print: By entering, you warrant that the entry is your original work. You grant Palomacy the nonexclusive, irrevocable, perpetual right, license, and permission to use, modify, adapt, reproduce, publish, perform, create derivative works, and distribute the photograph or any portion thereof, throughout the world, in any printed form and any other media, via any method or device of reproduction, publication, and distribution known or later developed. You will not receive payment and you may not be notified of any publication. Palomacy may (but shall not be required to) attribute authorship and copyright ownership to you if and when it publishes and distributes the photograph, and you grant Palomacy rights in your name and identifying information to this extent.

Palomacy assumes no liability, and you waive any and all claims against Palomacy, for printing, typographical, human or other errors of any kind in any contest-related materials or for stolen, lost, late, misdirected, damaged, incomplete or illegible entries. If the Contest is not capable of running as planned for any reason (including but not limited to infection by computer viruses, tampering, unauthorized intervention, technical failures, or any other cause), Palomacy may in its sole discretion disqualify any entry or entrant and/or cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the contest. Palomacy may in its sole discretion award a prize from among all eligible non-suspect entries. By entering, all contestants agree that the contests are governed by laws of the state of California for the resolution of all claims and disputes.

June 7, 2019
by Elizabeth
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A Tale of Two Fledglings

Guest Post by Sky

Rescued fledgling pigeon Pidgey

We have always had an abundance of birds at the barn- barn swallows, blue jays, crows, geese, etc. It was no surprise when a mated pair of pigeons started building a nest in our hay loft. However, it was a surprise when I walked into one of my horse’s stalls and saw a bird just sitting on the floor. I got closer and picked the baby right up. Assuming it was injured, I began calling wildlife rehabbers but, because pigeons are considered non-native, could find no one to help. I did more research and found the Palomacy Pigeon & Dove Help Group on Facebook. I joined and posted immediately. Elizabeth and I spoke on the phone and decided the best course of action was to give the pigeon a few days of rest and to re-evaluate, assuming it was solely spinal cord swelling that would subside with time. I named the sweet little bird Pidgey. Pidgey learned how to self-feed by watching a video of Palomacy pigeon Glory when he was a fledgling excitedly squeaking and eating. Pigeons are so smart.

Rescued fledgling Pidgey supported in a rolled-towel-noodle donut

Unfortunately, the pigeon’s left foot grew numb and cold and Elizabeth and I agreed a vet visit was in order. The vet examined her and felt a bend in her left leg. The radiographs showed just what the vet suspected: a severe break in Pidgey’s left leg. It was determined that Pidgey could live a perfectly happy life as a pet and the vet placed a splint on her leg. We also took home prescriptions for Meloxicam and Gabapentin. Pidgey LOVES to cuddle and is doing well.

Pidgey broke her left leg in the 50′ fall from the nest to the barn floor

Pidgey is a very good little patient

Just when we had fundraised enough to cover Pidgey’s $400 vet bill, something else happened. Again, I walked into my horse’s stall and found another bird sitting there, Pidgey’s twin, using her wings to try to walk. I was in disbelief. This time, I brought the fledgling up to the hay loft and sat her on the floor below the nest in hopes that she would make her way back up. When I returned in the morning, she was still there. I took her home and named her Scout. I reached out to Elizabeth, Ashley, and the other moderators of the Palomacy group. Once again considering spinal trauma from the fall the likeliest option, I provided supportive care, administered Meloxicam and let her rest and keep company with her twin Pidgey.

The rescued twins, Pidgey & Scout, relaxing with Sky

Two more days went by with no improvement so I brought Scout with me to Pidgey’s follow up appointment with the vet. They took radiographs of both legs and her spine. The vet came back into the room after some time and said that both of Scout’s legs were broken.

She told me we could try to splint both of her legs or we might consider euthanasia. I quickly called Elizabeth to ask her thoughts. She assured me that we weren’t there yet, “We don’t start with euthanasia.” I agreed. Scout now has both legs in splints and is on Meloxicam and Gabapentin.

Scout broke both her legs in the 50′ fall from hay loft nest to the barn floor

Pidgey and Scout are home and doing extremely well, especially considering what they’ve both been through at such a young age. We have a long ways to go with many more follow up appointments, but I know these birds will have a long, amazing life! (And we’re adding a barrier around the hay drop to protect future fledglings from a 50′ fall.)

Pidgey & Scout- safe!

If you would like to contribute towards Pidgey & Scout’s 3-broken-legs vet bill, please click here. (If there are any funds left over, they will be donated to Palomacy.) Thank you.

I have always loved animals and since I could talk they’ve been all I’ve had any interest in. I lost my dad at the age of eleven and while my love started long before that, the animals in my life have been a tremendous source of comfort since his passing. I share my life with two horses, my pug x boston terrier mix, two leopard geckos, a hamster, a ball python, and (now) two pigeons.

June 4, 2019
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on Palomacy Earns 2019 Top Rated Great Nonprofit Status

Palomacy Earns 2019 Top Rated Great Nonprofit Status

Thank you so much to the 186 supporters, volunteers and adopters who have shared their Palomacy stories and earned this recognition for rescued pigeons and doves! Please share your story too. It’s easy to do and helps raise awareness about our misunderstood and under-served birds.

With gratitude,

May 29, 2019
by Elizabeth
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Willie-Mae

Guest Post by Chava Sonnier

This is how Willie-Mae’s rescue began…

Here is Willie-Mae the day she was rescued, looking puffed and concerned… a kind young man saw a cat carrying Willie-Mae in its mouth and remembered that his high school teacher had adopted two pij from Palomacy and did a presentation on the importance of being kind to pigeons in their class, so he put the pigeon in a box, named her Willy Nelson, and brought her to his former teacher, Dana, who posted on Palomacy saying she couldn’t drive to Wildcare because her husband had just had surgery, Elizabeth tagged Stephanie and I knowing we were located in Fairfield, I wasn’t on Facebook at the moment because I was at the vet with Jonah, so Stephanie called me, gave me Dana’s number, I called Dana and got the pigeon…

Our initial plan was for me to provide initial triage and care for a couple of days and then for Stephanie to take her to WildCare that coming weekend for rehab in a more wild-pidge setting, with Dana sending her contact info to WildCare so that she could eventually be released back with her Fairfield flock. However, when she arrived she was a classic “collision bird,” with neuro trauma her primary injury that had made her immobile and susceptible to being picked up by the cat in the first place… She could keep herself upright as seen in the photo, with a bit of a tilt to the right, but couldn’t stand or walk. My husband and I were concerned about her prospects for making a complete recovery, so we decided to rehab her here, with the plan of releasing her back to her Fairfield flock if she recovered and was releasable, and fostering her if she wasn’t. I had her DNA tested once we began to strongly suspect she wouldn’t be releasable, and she was a female! I’m pretty good at age guesses based on the condition of ceres, and I’d say she’s between her 1st and second year.

Here she is now, looking much more confident! She’s especially tiny, and especially fluffy (my friend’s 13 year old son got wide-eyed, dropped all his teenage bravado, and whispered “she has magical feathers” the second he petted her). She walks well now as long as she’s going straight forward! When she has to turn right or left, one of her legs doesn’t keep up with the other quite as well and she loses her balance easily, and if she has to step up she has the same issue and is prone to face-planting, poor dear. Her mobility challenges also get worse if she’s stressed/startled and feels like she needs to move quickly, and sometimes instead of moving quickly like she wants to she just winds up “sitting” down with her feetsies sticking straight out in front of her. So I’m quite confident she’s not releasable, but she gets around very well in a pet setting and eats, drinks, goes in and out of her nest, etc very comfortably. She’s still absolutely terrified of the concept of people’s hands, but admittedly for the majority of her time here we had been treating her with an eye towards release so I haven’t actively been trying to people-socialize her, so I’m sure with regular attention she will become much tamer, as now that we’ve concluded she’s definitely not releasable I’ve been spending much more time with her and she will already walk over to you and make tiny little lady-bird coos to you to have a conversation.

And here’s Willie-Mae making friends with Sizzle, a lonesome special needs bachelor. (We call this pHarmony.)

The pigeon next door…

Sizzle & Willie-Mae, making friends

June 9, 2019 Update

Sizzle & Willie-Mae are married & adoptable together

May 28, 2019
by Elizabeth
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Freddie’s Story: An Almost-Survivor of Pigeon Racing

Guest Post by Hannah K

Freddie, so weak & exhausted, the day he was brought to us

It was a busy Sunday afternoon at work. I walked in to find a box on the table with a scared little face peering out of it.

My colleague and I carefully opened the box and got him out. He was a very big pigeon but I remember thinking how light he was for his size. I immediately got him some bird seed and water and watched him tuck into it with a voracious appetite. He only weighed 200 grams when he should have weighed 400. He was a domestic pigeon, emaciated from being lost with no one to feed him.

Freddie was very happy to finally have food & water

Once he was more comfortable, we started to check him over. We saw his leg bands and determined that he was a racing pigeon. The lovely gentleman that found him had mentioned that he could not fly. I felt worried as I knew that he was most likely lost and injured with babies or a mate somewhere far away.

I called the number on his leg band and offered to adopt him. The owner was happy with this as he did not want him if he was unable to fly.

It was straight to the bird vet on Wednesday. Luckily he seemed physically healthy, asides from being severely underweight. We decided to keep him in hospital to build his strength up and then do some tests.

His blood test results came in on Saturday night and it was not good. He was anaemic, liver enzymes elevated and had Haemoproteus (a blood parasite). Unfortunately treatment options were very limited as the medications needed were not available in Australia. We still had hope though as we heard some pigeons could still lead a relatively healthy life with this condition.

We made the decision on Sunday to bring him home, as we were worried he was getting stressed and overwhelmed. We would continue supportive care at home and try to continue looking for other medications.

It was so wonderful having him back with us. My husband and I spent all afternoon holding him and telling him how much we loved him. We also named him Freddie, a name close to our hearts.

That night, he suddenly passed away in my arms. I cried and cried. One part of me felt silly for grieving. After all, I had only known him for a very short amount of time. But now I realise that this is what pigeons do; they touch our hearts in ways we cannot understand with their gentle and loving nature. I hope more people will have the honour of experiencing how special they are. I feel lucky to have had Freddie and I am glad that he passed away surrounded by love.

Rose, Ashley, Gwenn and Elizabeth from Palomacy provided me unwavering support and compassion during this difficult time. I will be forever grateful for all their help.

Hannah is a huge animal lover from down under (aka Australia).

Editor’s Note: Pigeon racing is a cruel “sport” in which many thousands of domestic Homer pigeons are bred, suffer and die trying to fly hundreds of miles back to their home so that humans can gamble on which might get home fastest. Learn more here.

May 17, 2019
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on Palomacy Saved Sizzle (With Your Help)

Palomacy Saved Sizzle (With Your Help)

Sad fantail pigeon in a shelter cage looking at the camera questioningly

Sizzle was depressed at the animal shelter

His little body told a sad story. He was brought into the shelter and surrendered by his owner on 4/20/19. No name, sex unknown, feathers thrashed, crawling with parasites, not-yet-diagnosed arthritis in both legs and with an untreated broken right ankle that had, over time, fused into an unuse-able infected, painful liability. He couldn’t walk but could scoot and fly a short distance.

At the shelter, the busted up Indian Fantail was named Sizzle and put up for adoption with a promise of medical treatment required. A volunteer gave him a mirror for company and to try and determine his sex. (Pigeons love mirrors, are proven to self-recognize in them and males usually can’t resist cooing at and showing off for their reflection. Females are most likely to just sit companionably close to their reflection.) Sizzle showed no response to the mirror at all suggesting he was either female, feeling poorly or both.

On 5/5, the volunteer, Lacy, reached out to Palomacy seeking help for Sizzle. She was worried about his prospects. When we heard about him, we were worried too. With his medical problems, Sizzle was more likely to get euthanized than adopted despite his wonderful pet potential. Special needs pigeons make lovely, charming and inspiring companions. They are very adaptable and can live long, happy, love-filled lives given the chance. We have seen special needs pigeons of all sorts- blind, crippled, paralyzed, neurologically impaired- thrive inspite of their challenges. There is a saying, “Pigeons bloom where planted” and it is true. Plus Palomacy has a motto: We don’t have to start with euthanasia.

Lacy writes, “When we first saw Sizzle, we knew he was very special. The shelter kept him warm and fed him, and as amicable as their efforts were, they did not understand his needs or know how to properly care for him. We reached out to Palomacy who accepted him with open arms and a promise to care for him the way he deserves and to treat him for his needs.”

On 5/8, Lacy and her fiance arranged for Sizzle to be released to them as a Palomacy rescue and then made the 200 mile round trip to deliver him to me.

Charming young man & his fiancé lovingly holding a rescued Fantail pigeon

Ben & Lacy brought Sizzle to Palomacy for foster & vet care

The minute he arrived and heard the other pigeons, he perked up and started cooing, declaring himself to be all man bird. He had been depressed at the shelter. Being around other pigeons is a great tonic for a depressed pigeon. I gave him a bath and after some time basking dry in the sun, settled him into his VIP cage in my special needs bird room.

A wet Fantail pigeon holds up his soaked wings for maximum sun-catching

Post-bath Sizzle drying himself in the sunshine

A Fantail pigeon looks into a mirror at his handsome reflection

Sizzle admiring his reflection in his nice big mirror

On 5/10, I took him to Medical Center for Birds to see Dr. Gianopolous who admitted him for radiographs and wound care. There, we learned just how bad Sizzle’s broken but untreated ankle was. We could also see evidence of an old injury to his vertebrae as well as an unidentified mass that could be either kidney or testicle-related. Sizzle’s not had the easiest life so far but we are going to give him his best life going forward, for as long as he has.

A young woman in vet scrubs cradles her Fantail pigeon patient while examining him

Dr. Gianopolous meets, exams & falls in love with Sizzle

A full body radiograph of Fantail pigeon Sizzle shows evidence of his injuries

Sizzle’s radiograph shows arthritis, a badly broken fused ankle & more

A radiograph showing a jumble of broken & mis-positioned bones fused into an unuseable mess

This is what happens to a bird with a badly broken, untreated ankle

A pigeon on his back with his feet shown from the bottom, one with a big, painful but now cleaned pressure sore

Sizzle’s infected pressure sore (from bearing weight on his fused ankle rather than foot) after wound care & before bandaging

I picked him up on 5/13 and brought him back to foster with me while we figure out the right long-term placement for him. Sizzle is great company and a very good patient, easy to medicate twice daily. He’d do best indoors as a pampered family pet or in a small aviary with a mate or gentle flock. Please let us know if you think you might be the person Sizzle is looking for.

Fantail pigeon gazing lovingly at a fine art poster of a dove blown up to be 20X his size

Ambitious Sizzle fell in love with this giant portrait of dove Lily

Fantail pigeon sitting companionably on the couch

Sizzle hanging out with me on my couch desk

And of course, dear Sizzle’s story is just one of many. Just since 5/5, we’ve also taken two juvenile King pigeons, Handsome and Beautiful and two doves, Fran and Ziti, into our care; we are coordinating the rescue of another not-yet-named stray dove; placed single female pigeon Flapjack in a forever home with rescued and no-longer-lonesome mate Super Lucy; rescued Iggy the stray Fantail; rescued, around-the-clock cared for and are mourning the deaths of two grieviously injured and terribly missed little pigeons, Patience and Ember; provided daily care for 140 fostered birds and advised on how to rescue and help almost 100 other pigeons and doves in need all over the country and beyond. And if we had more resources, we could be doing more.

There is a huge need for Palomacy! There are so many more people who are breeding, using and endangering these birds for their hobbies, sports and businesses than there are resources to help the inevitably lost and injured. We rescuers are vastly outnumbered and we need all the support you can offer. Thank you for donating to Palomacy! Thank you for volunteering and adopting and sharing and for all you are doing in your own world to help these sweet birds. You are making a difference!

Learn more about how to foster or adopt

Donate to support Palomacy’s work

Join our online Palomacy Group to get involved

A Fantail pigeon whose feathers are thrashed but who's hope is visible looks out from his VIP cage

Sizzle thanks you for saving him

May 16, 2019
by Elizabeth
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Pepper’s Story

Guest Post by Carol Davie

Shows a lucky rescued domestic pigeon safe in adopter's hand

You’re safe now, Pepper

Pepper is a Pakistani High Flyer Pigeon. He was spotted, last winter, alone in a small town in Ontario, Canada. Our Canadian winters are very cold. I was contacted and had the neighbours of that town on the look out for him. He managed somehow to be loose for almost two weeks. A miracle in its own. By the time By-Law Officers found him, he had been injured, possibly spinal trauma. Bad left, drooping wing and right foot with little feeling in it. That town does not have an animal shelter, so he was fostered to a local pet shop. The town pays to board the bird for 10 days, hoping the owner can be found. When the 10 days were almost up, the pet shop owner contacted me. He was afraid that the bird would be euthanized due to his injuries and no one coming forward to claim him. Seeing that little pigeon being held in a rabbit cage, tugged at my heart. I drove in to get the pigeon. It was far too cold to put a special needs pigeon outdoors with my flock, so I kept him in my indoor aviary for the winter.

Fantail Opal & High Flyer Pepper wintered indoors

While the rest of the flock enjoyed their big, beautiful aviary

Rescued pigeons cozy in their enclosed portion of the aviary

This spring, Pepper was introduced to my flock. He can’t fly at all but was still courted by two single hens that I have. One tried to coax him to follow her up to her box but, of course, he couldn’t. Snowy, the other hen, seemed to realize he couldn’t fly and she immediately walked up the ramp to Pepper’s box. They had not mated, but both birds went into the box and laid down together!

Snowy & Pepper made friends fast

Within 24 hours of being added to the flock, this little handicapped pigeon had a wife. This morning, when I entered their aviary, there was Pepper incubating their very first egg*. Some say that a pigeon is meant to fly, that he won’t have a full life without flight. So NOT true. Pepper is a very happy little pigeon and enjoying life despite the inability to take flight. I love happy endings.

Pepper proudly sitting on the egg Snowy laid (*which will be switched out for a fake egg to prevent hatching)

*Because there are far too many unreleasable pigeons already in need of homes, real eggs must be switched out with fakes to prevent hatching. With the overwhelming number of “surplus” pigeons, there is no ethical way to permit breeding.

Pigeon foot prints tell stories in the snow

Carol built this amazing aviary on to her house to help care for rescued, unreleasable pigeons

Carol’s love of birds, and taking care of them, has kept her younger than her years. Actively involved with parrots for over thirty years, she did outreach programs to promote better understanding and care of captive, exotic birds. She is retired from the medical profession but has run a bird-sitting business for quite some time. Three years ago, an injured Homer was brought to her and now pigeons are a huge part of her indoor flock. Cockatoos, Bourkes Parakeets and any number of different boarding bird species fill her life and home. Her pigeons now number seventeen rescues. The pigeons are not caged and enjoy the freedom of a large bird room and often frequent visits around the home, obviously looking for her. She enjoyed a loving marriage for 41 years, has two grown children and four grandchildren. Now, as a widow, her time is spent caring for her birds, her gardens and her home.

May 1, 2019
by Elizabeth
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“I Fell in Love Instantly”

Guest Post by Ari Wee

The many pigeons at Piazza San Marcos (photographer unknown)

One of my favorite memories ever was being 10, free, and feeding the masses of pigeons of Piazzo San Marco. Aptly dressed in a yellow puffy coat, pigeons were descending on me from all sides to feed on the corn in my hands and to hopefully explore my jacket. Fast forward about 18 years. Pigeons have always been a fascination to me. Exotic birds to this suburban kid, I had proudly put self made pigeon posters in my college dorm and then my first office. Pigeons were always associated with a lighter, warmer, cozy time in my life. I got older though. And life got heavier. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and two bad things happened back to back at the end of 2017 and beginning of 2018. Diagnosed with PTSD and its friends severe depression and severe anxiety, I was a different person. To get through it I had to tap into something, anything happy. It all started with the pigeons on the balcony. Their cooing and predictable schedule gave me reassurance. We became fast friends when I started feeding them. Soon, it became normal to eat breakfast and lunch with the pigeon couple. They cheered me on with their coos and made me keep a normal human schedule and get to my job on time. And that got me to tap into that Venice memory. Soon, I was looking up if pigeons could be pets because the balcony pigeons, while feral, were so sociable. I soon found Palomacy. My boyfriend took me to an event they had in Japantown in August of 2018. That’s where I met Elizabeth, Borealis, and Cadence. Cadence was a roller pigeon who survived a hawk attack and Borealis was her grounded husband. I fell in love instantly. I just couldn’t get them off my mind. I tried to go to as many events as I could just to see them. I read their stories online. I showed off their pictures.

Ari & Ilya with Cadence August 2018

After many conversations, I convinced my parents to adopt Cadence and Borealis. We all–me, my parents, Cadence, and Borealis–did the big drive home from SF to Dallas, TX to make it in time for Christmas. I’m really grateful for Elizabeth and Palomacy because they helped make my pigeon dreams a reality.

Borealis & Cadence

Ari & Cadence

Elizabeth was so warm and welcoming and showed me the ropes of pigeon care–what they eat, how to put on pigeon pants, what a pigeon home should look like, what a healthy pigeon looks like, what an unhealthy pigeon looks like, how to travel with a pigeon, how to handle a pigeon, the list goes on and on. She checked in on us before, during, and after the drive to make sure everyone was adjusting well. I really have never met someone or worked with an organization that cared so deeply for their cause. No question was stupid. No concern was ignored.

Cadence & Borealis- home!

I loved my time with Cadence and Borealis so much that when I came back to SF, Elizabeth let me foster a pigeon couple, Gypsy and Fish. Registered as ESA, they live in my bedroom in my apartment. They’ve been amazing companions, they’ve helped me keep a schedule, they get me emotionally ready to get out of bed. I can’t imagine life without them.

Ari welcomes Fish & Gypsy

Gypsy & Fish wearing their Avian Flight Suits (pigeon pants)

And without fail, Palomacy and Elizabeth have been here to hold my hand and answer my questions. And it’s not just Elizabeth. Palomacy itself provides a lot of literature to educate new pigeon parents on the basics and the intricacies of life with pigeon. On top of that, Palomacy has a fantastic network of pigeon parents (foster or adopted) and experts. I can literally ask any question from pigeon healthcare to ESA housing rights and someone will answer or will find someone to answer me. I’ve never felt more supported when adopting an animal. I wish all animal rescues operated like this.

Palomacy does a great job at pigeon advocacy as well. The Palomacy crew gets out into the community to reach all kinds of people to not only debunk the trash dove stereotype but to also open people’s mind to considering these birds as pets and family.

Ari & Gypsy volunteering at an outreach event

Outreach ambassador Gypsy making a new friend for pigeons

Palomacy is a fantastic group and I truly appreciate what they do for the environment and our community.

Originally posted by Ari Wee as a review on Great Nonprofits 5/1/2019

March 15, 2019
by Elizabeth
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Shining Examples

Guest post by Alicia Montanez

Rose & Alicia meet

I’ve always loved birds. There’s such a sense of freedom about them. For birds, the sky isn’t the limit, the sky is the norm. Every time I pick up a pencil or a pen or a paintbrush, I always draw wings.

Years ago I consigned myself to the fact that I’d never have birds as pets. I didn’t feel like I could offer a parrot the kind of enrichment and engagement they needed, and the smaller birds like finches and canaries never quite caught my fancy. Birds, in my mind, were best enjoyed by watching them wing their way between trees.

Around eight months ago, I stumbled across a blogger who kept pigeons and doves as pets. I was floored by what I learned, to say the least. The blogger said that pigeons made tight emotional bonds within a complex social structure that was rich enough to even include humans. She said that pigeons were incredibly smart and could even be used as assistance animals. I dove (pun intended) into research and came out the other side with a massive stack of information from a bird rescue called Palomacy.

Just this last month I was finally able to bring a pair of beautiful pigeons into my home for a short while thanks to Palomacy. I was worried about a lot of factors–would my allergies tolerate pigeons? Would my housemate tolerate pigeons? Palomacy’s Elizabeth helped walk me through all of my questions and concerns and specifically tailored my foster experience to be the best possible for me and the birds.

Jake, Rose & Alicia

Elizabeth paired me up with two married pigeons named Jake and Rose, who were blinded some time ago when someone dyed them green for a “dove release” event. We put them in pigeon pants (an excellent invention!) and let them roam around my apartment while we talked about how to take care of them. Right from the start the birds were wonderfully patient and tolerant. They were so brave and curious and Rose went right away to inspect my two rabbits in spite of the rabbit’s offended (foot thumping) remarks.

Rose investigating the source of the thumping.

Across the week that I shared my home with Jake and Rose, they surprised me at every turn. They learned entire phrases and expressed preferences when asked. Saying “I’m going to pick you up now” resulted in resigned acceptance while their responses to “can I pet you?” depended on their mood. They could tell the difference between when I was asking them something versus telling them. Their intelligence and understanding astounded me.

Jake meeting Piebald the rabbit.

Both Jake and Rose were incredibly flexible, adapting quickly to any new situation. Jake happily perched on my hand when I introduced him to my brother’s coworkers, and Rose took any and every opportunity to explore anywhere she could reach. They were both delighted when I filled up the bath with a few inches of water and let them play. Afterwards, they snuggled up on a warm towel and gave me a wonderful show of feather fluffing and preening.

Rose contentedly loafing post-bath.

Jake would sing little love songs to his wife, who in turn would snuggle and offer kisses. They would help each other navigate–when Jake kept pecking outside the food bowl Rose put her head underneath his to guide him to where the seeds were. Whenever Rose would go on an adventure in my apartment, the more reluctant Jake would coo gently to tell his wife where he was so she could come back to him. Even though they were blind, they didn’t let it stop them from living full and beautiful lives.

Married couple kisses

Jake and Rose are two of the many pigeons available for adoption from Palomacy. They’re shining examples of the capacity pigeons have for love and adaptability. So many of these birds have been injured or abandoned or abused, and yet they’re still willing to reach out and engage in new relationships with anyone who will give them love and understanding. If you’ve ever thought about adding a new animal to your heart and home, I would highly recommend a pigeon. I would also highly recommend adopting from Palomacy–working with Palomacy has genuinely been the best rescue experience I’ve ever had, and I’ve worked with countless rescues. Palomacy truly understands the value of these birds and the people who bring them into their lives.

Continue Reading →

February 21, 2019
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on Rescuing the All Star Doves

Rescuing the All Star Doves

Your support saved these birds’ lives.

In transit- six of the 28 All Star Ringneck doves rescued

On November 28th, Palomacy received word that 28 domestic Ringneck doves (all descended from five) needed rescue as their person, a resident of the All Star Trailer Park, could no longer care for them. They were all living outside, crowded into unsafe cages so it was 911.

This flimsy cage is a death trap, not at all safe for outside use!

The thing is, Palomacy foster homes and aviaries are always full up. The number of birds needing rescue is never-ending and our rescue is small. We don’t have a sanctuary or a shelter facility though we very much need one. With every available foster space filled with the 130 birds already in our care, we didn’t have any place to house a flock of 28 additional birds. The one shelter in the area that accepts birds was maxed out with a recent intake of 20 ducks.

We networked and scrambled to try and find safe places for the doves to land. We got a couple of leads for potential aviaries and our current dove fosters looked to see how they could squeeze in a few more.

On December 2nd, super volunteer Jill (an all star in her own right) loaded up her car with carriers and made the 100 mile (one way) trip to go get the doves. We didn’t know where they were going to go, only that they had to be rescued. While she was making the drive, dove foster volunteers Liese, Faye and Emma were preparing to fit a couple in here and there and I was working on the aviary leads.

Crates loaded, on the way to rescue

We never know what we’ll find when we head out on a rescue. The All Star doves were living in terrible, unsafe and overcrowded conditions. And all except for one little splay-legged dove now named Jade, were in perfect shape. Strong, healthy birds, They are what we call a “survival of the fittest” flock. Birds that were injured, ill or weak died while the strong survived. Some had gotten out now and then and been caught and killed but miraculously the cats, raccoons, raptors and rats hadn’t yet killed them all in their their flimsy cages.

Unprotected from predators, the doves were living on borrowed time.

Jill was welcomed and helped by Genevieve, the kind neighbor who had been feeding the All Star doves and who reached out to find help for them. They worked carefully to catch and transfer each dove from the cages to carriers, under the curious watch of the cat locals.

Genevieve was very happy to see the doves rescued

And then another miracle. One of our aviary leads became a real possibility! Robin, referred to us by a local wildlife rescuer, had a vacant aviary, was home and willing to quickly complete our screening process! By the time Jill had all the doves loaded up, I had a wonderful potential fosterer for her to go meet!

I have no idea what we would have done if not for Robin’s big, wonderful aviary and her immediate willingness to help us help these doves. She and husband Dean welcomed Jill and the All Stars. Together they reviewed Palomacy’s foster policies and assessed the aviary for safety enhancements the doves would need. A couple hours later, 16 incredibly lucky doves, who had never been outside of small cages, we’re stretching their wings and exploring their great big new foster aviary while their 12 friends rode along with Jill heading to the Bay Area to be fostered at her home in Sunol and in our Andy’s aviary in San Jose!

Robin & Dean emergency fostered 16 of the 28 doves

Jill to the rescue!

In the two and a half months since this rescue began, volunteers helped to catch, band, photograph, name and enter all 28 into our adoptable birds database so that they appear on all the pet search sites.

Volunteers Patti, Maryam, Jill, Cynthia & Robin catching, banding & naming doves

Doves banded so we can tell them apart

Dove cheat sheet

So far, nine of the All Stars- Piper, Pumpkin, Bossman, Georgia, Beau, Jasper, Ruby, Willow and Jade- have found their forever home with amazing adopter Angela!

Adopter Angela

Special needs dove Jade made a special friend

Kris

Jackpot

Dodger

McGyver

Ambrose

Beatrice

We still have 17 beautiful All Star doves eager to be adopted (in addition to the 20 doves we were already fostering) and though we no longer have the use of (traveling) Robin’s aviary, we’re making do with another smaller aviary (also heroically wrangled by Jill with ongoing assistance from Faye, Liese & Emma!) and a lot of creative dove tetris. Extra special thanks to Andy’s (Rescue) Pet Shop for so kindly hosting double aviaries & double foster dove flocks for us! We have 20 amazing, adoptable doves just waiting to meet you in San Jose.

Liese, Jill & Faye moving doves!

Two dove aviaries for double the fun at Andy’s Pet Shop in San Jose

Special delivery greens courtesy of Liese

Ambrose at Andy’s

Ambrose, Winner & Breeze

We are though, as you can imagine, still even fuller than overfull and so in urgent need of adopters (for both doves and pigeons) in the Northern California area and we know of lots of adoptable birds all over the country so we can help you to help birds wherever you might be. Learn more here.

Please help us to continue this life-saving, rescue gap-closing work! Adopt a lovely bird or two or ten! Foster, volunteer, donate. Share this story and your love for birds. They need our help and we need yours. Thank You!