Big Bird Adventure

Published on: Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:13:19 -0700

So here's my big exciting story: After calling all over the country and then state all day, I left messages everywhere regarding the unusual pigeon that was on my ledge eating since this morning. I managed to get close enough to see that he was banded in orange and to get the # 013. Finally, I could see on the band words and #s. This was while wearing 3 pairs of glasses and getting as close as I could, less than an inch away through the screen. He was eating and gorging himself, napping in between, naturally with his banded leg pulled up so I couldn't read it. It turned enough finally so I could see 'If lost call Angelo' and with more hours of effort '973-296' God help me I couldn't get the last 4 numbers! I had already left messages for people who keep and deal with pigeons all over NJ, so my phone was ringing with folks calling me back nonstop. Additionally, I was searching on google for anyone named Angelo that had top do with pigeons, and talked to a man in MA who sells pigeons to a man in Edison NJ. Spoke with him, his father, the phone chain was expanding exponentially while I kept chasing the pigeon and trying to read the damned tiny band! Then I was able to make out Clifton NJ! STILL I couldn't find the right man! Eventually, after many failed efforts to capture the bird with my long bamboo-handled critter net, I DID IT! I caught her. (I later learned it was a she!) I grabbed it like I've seen them do in the movies and turned her over, but I was STILL unable to make out the last 4 numbers! There was a man in the parking lot and i asked him to PLEASE help me read the numbers. By then phone calls started coming in from people who told me that they'd be happy to come and take the bird. The man in the parking lot COULD read those numbers and wrote them down for me, provided me a brown paper bag to calm the pigeon in, and I brought her upstairs, got her situated in a much larger well-aerated bag, and called the # on the band. As I was calling the number, another call started to come through to me...FROM THE EXACT SAME NUMBER! I called so many people and places that the owner was trying to call ME at the same time! AMAZING! MAN was that guy Angelo happy to hear from me! He said that the bird got out yesterday, must be starving. I said NOT ANYMORE! She would have eaten everything if I'd kept putting food out! He laughed and asked if she'd had water. Then he drove all the way to my apartment from Clifton during rush hour to get her. He showed up about an hour later, a middle-aged Greek man in a beautiful Mercedes, told me how much he loves his birds, that he's spent over $50,000 on them in the last 10 years, and showed me his website: http://www.angelosdoneks.com/ He said her name is Doneks, their all his little Doneks'. The bird's father is from Canada, the bird is from Greece! He just brought her and a few others down from CA in April. She's a baby, she flew too high, he said. 4 months old. Then, when he turned her over and looked at her band he said, 'THIRTEEN! I thought you had EIGHTEEN!' He didn't even know 13 was missing! He said she must have been gone about a week or two. He also said, 'If 18 also shows up, give me a call!' we were laughing about that. Then he showed me how to tell that she was thin, had lost a lot of weight. I told him that she did eat and drink a lot today. Dave is 10 years old today, she stood there pie-eyed staring up at us while we held and petted the bird. I said to her, 'See that? We can do something you can't do. WE can actually catch a bird. Dumbass.' Anyway, he hugged me and thanked me and took off for home because he lets the birds fly each evening and it was going to be late for them tonight. I was so happy to have helped! I went back to the apartment of the other man who helped me to tell him the happy ending for Doneks #13 and thank him again so much for helping me make that happen. He seemed pretty happy, too. The fact is that Doneks is a pet, and around here with our hawk and all the feral cats she wouldn't have lasted very long. Lucky for her, she found me! Dave is sleeping, the doves are enjoying the food I'd put out for Lucky 13 and all is becoming calmer now. Naturally I took MANY films and photos, so here is one of the few video memories I'll have of today's wild ride of excitement. I hope you can enjoy and appreciate my adventure!

Author: rmmann1
Keywords: Doneks birds pigeons adventure
Added: June 18, 2008