A Long Way Home

Monday was all about pigeons. I was shipping six to their new home in Georgia and, because of that, would be able to save five that were timing out at SFACC and move them to Marin Humane Society...

My morning started with calls to the SF USPS Live Shipping Specialists to confirm flight availability and no weather delays. Then I tackled putting together the special live-bird shipping box that, even though I've assembled several before, always feels like an origami puzzle to figure out. They're cleverly designed.



Then I drove to SFACC to pick up the five king pigeons they had who were just about out of time and, without adoption or rescue, would have been euthanized. The six who were adopted and going to Georgia opened up spots for and saved the lives of these guys.




After boxing the SFACC pigeons up, the next stop was the Marin Humane Society. Before we released the new birds, I caught and boxed up four that were going to Georgia- two couples: Neptune and Milkyway (found together in downtown SF and rescued by a good Samaritan over a month ago) and Sandy & Cleo- also SF strays.

Even though I'm thrilled to be sending homeless shelter birds to an adopter (!) and a HOME (!), it is never any fun to catch and put them in the small compartments of the shipping box. They have no idea that anything good will ever come of this and look at me like, "Hey, what the hell?"

It's much more fun to release the formerly-caged-alone-in-small-cages SFACC pigeons to the big, luxurious barn stall at MHS where they get to live as a flock and not only have a big, roomy, barn stall but also an outdoor yard!






After that was all handled, I went to pick up the last two birds that were being shipped to Georgia- Kizzie & Millie, from their MickaCoo-volunteer provided foster home in Pacifica.

I brought Kizzie home as a sick baby bird almost a year ago. His sister Izzy died at the vet's but he recovered and was special in every way. Kizzie always did things a little differently than everybody else. Now, he's a grown up man-bird with a wife and responsibilities. He did not think that my taking his hen, Millie, out of their nest and off of their fake eggs was right at all. His foster mom, Cheryl, reminded me that I should expect some serious Wing Fu and she was right.

I put Millie in the box first and then, before I put Kizzie in, I showed him where she was. It's best (so they say) for the birds to travel in separate compartments but I doubt that Kizzie and Millie would agree with that approach.

Then, I sealed the box up and drove them to the SF USPS Airmail Center to catch their plane to Georgia. Of course, I'm thrilled to have a home for them (and adopters pay shipping in addition to the adoption fee- it isn't cheap and people only do it because they want to help these birds- it is NOT cost effective) but I always feel sick and tense shipping them and don't relax until they arrive safe and are out of the damn box and into their HOME

When I got home from all this, I looked through my window to see somebody's lost banded pigeon trying to figure out a way to get into my coop.

I was like, "Really? This is what I come home to after a day full of pigeons? Somebody's lost bird?!"




I could have just ignored him but no- I couldn't. So I went outdoors and he scooted away but I very casually ambled over to the coop door and opened it a bit and then, very nonchalantly, walked around behind him and herded him into it. He looked like a roller to me and I was hoping that he was one of Michael's- a nice guy who lives a mile and a half from me and flies rollers.

Once he was safely in my coop, I was able to catch him and read his leg band. I came indoors to research it and surprise- this same little roller, NBRC #1970, came to my loft last October and WAS Michael's. I hadn't recognized him- strange since he's distinctively marked. If he was all white, I might have. Michael came over and picked up my little friend so that was a very happy ending.

Tuesday was not so fun because the shipped pigeons, though guaranteed to arrive by 3pm, didn't and all my many calls and messages to various USPS customer service options got me nowhere (except that they did initiate a "search" for the late birds and that's probably slightly more helpful than nothing).

I knew that they would probably arrive the next day and I knew that they would be fine but I like to stay on the USPS like white on rice the whole time the birds are "in the box" and get them home and out and happy as soon as possible. I know that pigeons, king pigeons especially, are very, VERY stoic and that they handle the confinement and confusion better than probably anybody else could but even so- I don't want to exploit their good nature any more than is absolutely necessary.

I was very happy to be awoken this morning by a call from the USPS letting me know that the birds had arrived. I've spoken with their adopter, Tony, and all are doing fine. He's impressed with how big and beautiful they are. And he's right. They are big and they are beautiful.

Tony raises white fantails, frillbacks and white homers (which he releases at ceremonies within their fly-home-zone). He's adopting the kings to save their lives and to help act as foster parents for some of the youngsters he'll allow his fancy birds to breed.

These virtually thrown-away birds are lucky to have found their long way to a good, caring home.