A rescue story

A racing pigeon crossed our path when we were driving to an appointment. As we waited at a junction my daughter spotted a pigeon walking across the busy A34 and it was seemingly oblivious to the cars which were slowing down to avoid it. B, realising it was an exhausted racing pigeon, got out of the car and went into the road to try and pick up the bird which was still crossing the road. I put on the hazard lights so that he traffic behind knew I was not going to move my car and the cars on the main road slowed down almost to a stop while the pigeon was captured. B got into the car holding the pigeon on her lap while I continued along the road, turning the car round at the first opportunity.
We went back home and quickly found out the top part of a bird cage so that we were able to set up an emergency holding cage while we went to the appointment. The pigeon was very thin – he obviously had been flying for quite a distance and the last few days had been exceptionally hot for the UK. In a corner of the kitchen I laid down a thick pad of newspaper and put a dish of water and a dish of wild bird seed. When the cage was in place B opened the cage door and carefully placed the bird inside. Then I put a weighty box on the top of the cage in case the pigeon tried to escape. A hasty note was put on the kitchen table so that it would not be too much of a shock if F got home from work before we got back home.
Oblivious to the shock he might cause, the pigeon was feeding!
When we had attended the appointment and got back home F had returned before us and had decided to leave well enough alone. Now B could start the search for the bird’s owner – some racing birds are very expensive. ‘Sir Percy’, as we named him had a telephone number on his wing feathers, so first B phoned that number. Getting no reply she then took the information from the ring that was on the bird’s leg and phoned the information to the RPRA (The Royal Pigeon Racing Association). They were able to give further contact details. The mobile phone number achieved a result and the owner of the pigeon suggested that we feed the bird and release him but B would not agree to this. She explained that the bird was exhausted and needed to rest up for a few days.
The bird was from a Manchester loft and as this is much closer to the Wirral (where B works) than to our home, B told the owner she would take the pigeon to her workplace and that he could be collected from the RSPCA Animal Health Centre.


First thing next morning the owner went to the Animal Health Centre to collect his racing pigeon – he remembered to say thank you!!