sandeyeIt cannot fly, it must not die…
September 9th 2009 23:30
Another youngster from the recent births or an older pigeon with a problem, I do not know - but a pigeon was acting very strangely. It ran about the lawn and did not fly back home with the other pigeons after feeding. I kept an eye on it and in the evening it still acted this way. I saw it crouch and bend a wing as if to fly upward, but then run off again, circling the lawns.
For some reason, the pigeon seemed unable to fly. Its feet were not gray ad its nose was white, so I did not think it was one of the young, but it might have been, I suppose. If not, it might have got injured by the magpie that swoops at the birds if they nibble the bread and cookie scraps when it wants them - or some other reason, but it could not fly properly.
Then it began to rain, and the pigeon ran about a bit and then stood on the drain in the corner. This is when I took action. If it could not fly, it could not stay outside overnight and survive. Whilst we have no cat, some neighbors up the street do and theirs often come in our yard at night. I therefore went outside and tried to pick it up - to put it on the windowsill or lantern, out of harm's way. It would flap upward about a foot and then land again trying to escape, and if I had been a cat, it would have been agonnas.
I did not want to rush or otherwise scare it, but it kept running round the lawn - eventually I chased it up the steps into the house. I found an old cardboard beer carton that I had used to store my potatoes and onions in and put the pigeon into that for the night in my bedroom.
It managed to 'scramble-flap' up onto my bed a half hour later and stood there staring at me, not long after I had hopped in. thinking it might just have had indigestion and be OK now, I let it outside again. Only to find it exhibited the same behavior and ran about the lawn without flying upward. So I once more caught it and placed it in the box, closing the lid partially this time. Releasing it in the daytime, it acted strange for an hour before managing to get airborne and disappear with the rest of he flock.
For some reason, the pigeon seemed unable to fly. Its feet were not gray ad its nose was white, so I did not think it was one of the young, but it might have been, I suppose. If not, it might have got injured by the magpie that swoops at the birds if they nibble the bread and cookie scraps when it wants them - or some other reason, but it could not fly properly.
Then it began to rain, and the pigeon ran about a bit and then stood on the drain in the corner. This is when I took action. If it could not fly, it could not stay outside overnight and survive. Whilst we have no cat, some neighbors up the street do and theirs often come in our yard at night. I therefore went outside and tried to pick it up - to put it on the windowsill or lantern, out of harm's way. It would flap upward about a foot and then land again trying to escape, and if I had been a cat, it would have been agonnas.
I did not want to rush or otherwise scare it, but it kept running round the lawn - eventually I chased it up the steps into the house. I found an old cardboard beer carton that I had used to store my potatoes and onions in and put the pigeon into that for the night in my bedroom.
It managed to 'scramble-flap' up onto my bed a half hour later and stood there staring at me, not long after I had hopped in. thinking it might just have had indigestion and be OK now, I let it outside again. Only to find it exhibited the same behavior and ran about the lawn without flying upward. So I once more caught it and placed it in the box, closing the lid partially this time. Releasing it in the daytime, it acted strange for an hour before managing to get airborne and disappear with the rest of he flock.
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