Lost pigeon

lilydonoghue

A pigeon turned up in my garden on Monday. I managed to catch it and got in touch with Kildare Wildlife Rescue. I arranged to drop the pigeon to them but he got out. He has a band on him and we called a man the rescue gave us his number. He was not helpful at all except to say the pigeon is from Northern Ireland. My husband checked some website but it appears nobody is looking for the pigeon.
Anyway, since Tuesday the poor bird is living on my roof. He’s there in all the wind and rain. He will come down for food but only once everything is very quiet. We tried but cannot catch him again.
im looking for a home for him or even some advice. I don’t know how long he can survive on my roof (it’s a bungalow). My heart is breaking over this bird. I don’t know a thing about pigeons but I think this one would not know how to survive. There’s magpies around tormenting him too.

XLR 8

I had a similar issus a few years ago. I actually managed to get in touch with the owner who lived in Dublin. He had no interest in coming to collect his bird, instead he asked me to drive to the M50 and release it. I obviously didn't bother and after a week of rest he took off.

glen123

Interestingly we also had one since last Sunday. He had two bands on him. We just kept giving him food and water having read that once he gets enough rest, he'll take off and this is exactly what happened - he was gone on Thur morning after 4 days of rest.

lilydonoghue

Thank you for the replies. I think the owners of these birds can be very irresponsible. This pigeon has been so used to sitting in a pigeon coop that is what he is doing on my roof. Maybe I’ll just leave him and he will find a way to make a life for himself.
I now have a renewed hatred for people who breed these birds and then just put them out for whatever reason. It’s obvious this bird isn’t used to being on his own.
My biggest concern is for him at night when he’s sitting on the roof exposed to the weather. There are 4 cats next door. Hope they don’t get him.

The Continental Op

If they don't make it back home then the breeders don't want them back. Had that a couple of times when I've contacted owners.

SuperBowserWorld

Ah, just keep feeding him and he'll leave soon enough. He might be resting before flying to the Aviva for a bird's eye view of Taylor Swift.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122315192#Comment_122315192

I'm not sure pigeons get on with swifts 😁

SuperBowserWorld

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122315217#Comment_122315217

All amazing birds. Pigeons, Swifts, Taylor Swift.

lilydonoghue

Does anybody know how these unwanted pigeons fare when left alone.

Rows Grower

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122315175#Comment_122315175

It's fairly understandable why people who keep homing pigeons wouldn't want one to keep one that can't find it's way home.

On the plus side you can be sure that the bird had a very good quality of life before it lost it's way.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122315378#Comment_122315378

So had race horses and we know how they ended up.

Rows Grower

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122315382#Comment_122315382

Backed a few myself over the years but was never really interested in it as a sport. I know a lot of them are living a life of luxury after great careers.

Hopefully the pigeon on the bungalow roof will move on to bigger and better things soon.

lilydonoghue

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122315378#Comment_122315378

well I think they should be responsible about it. A bird bred in captivity cannot do well in the wild. They don’t respect the birds who serve them.

Rows Grower

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122315805#Comment_122315805

Lily whatever you do, don't read up about shooting clubs rearing pheasants.

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122315805#Comment_122315805

They lose birds. It's not deliberate, or the breeder's fault, if a bird gets lost. It'll probably fall to a predator if it doesn't get it's act together and return home. Racing Pigeons are extremely well cared for.

lilydonoghue

this bird is tagged and the wildlife rescue helped us but nobody is looking for him.

lilydonoghue

Yes they are well cared for but only to a point. This bird is not registered as missing. I think it’s cruel to rear them in captivity and then not care how they fare if they get lost.

Lewis_Benson

Had one turn up in a work yard years ago in Athlone.

One of the lads took him home, he didn't survive as it looked like he had been clipped by something, a car maybe.

The lad who took his home contacts the Irish wildlife society who put him in contact with someone in the uk, found out he was a racing pigeon, and had taken off from Birmingham, obviously got very lost to end up in the midlands of Ireland.

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122316714#Comment_122316714

First of all they're not wildlife and the wildlife services would just politely steer you to the Racing Pigeon groups. You don't know that nobody is looking for it. It could be very far off it's intended route. It happens. Unfortunately racing pigeons fall foul of bad weather and predators quite often. It may well end up feeding a bird of prey or a family of foxes near you.

lilydonoghue

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122316800#Comment_122316800

yes we’ve been on to the racing pigeon groups and they say nobody has registered him missing. It’s from Northern Ireland. The wildlife rescue were going to take him and find a new home for him but unfortunately he escaped from the box just as we were leaving to take him there.

lilydonoghue

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122315811#Comment_122315811

I live very close to f***ers who do just this. How they can enjoy shearing those beautiful birds just to chase and shoot them is pathetic. To put yourself and a gun against a defenseless creature is not sport.