[Leica] IMG: Birdman of Inveresk

[imra at iol.ie (Douglas Barry)]

I was driving along my driveway on Thursday when I noticed a pigeon 
wandering in a hesitant manner - not that I'm really au fait with the 
hesitant manners of pigeons, I might add. I rolled up to the bird, but 
it refused to shift despite the front of the car being over it. I 
reversed a metre or so, and got out to it. However, it seemed remarkably 
placid considering there was a giant human beside it, and just looked up 
and stared at me. I stared back and we sort of reached a Mexican standoff.

I was reluctant to get back into the car to drive on up to the house, as 
crushed pigeon would make a mess on the gravel, so ushered it along 
until I eventually got it well away from the car. Parking the car, I saw 
the pigeon had walked up behind it to the garage, and didn't seem in the 
least bit keen to take off into the wide blue yonder. As the cat was 
sleeping in the house after a heavy night on the tiles, I encouraged the 
bird to go around the back of the house where the lawn is bigger, there 
is take off space a plenty, and went inside.

An hour later, I came out and found the bird was still there, and then 
noticed there was a ring on its leg. Knowing nothing about pigeons or 
birds, bar a briefly lived budgie, I consulted the internet. Armed with 
the knowledge gleaned, I put it in a basket in the garage with food (it 
apparently likes pinhead porridge just like me) and water to let it rest 
and recover. The bird had probably been in a race from France to 
Ireland, was knackered, and my house is close to first landfall after 
crossing the Irish Sea, but the enigmatic pigeon stayed schtum, and 
didn't confirm this. I went in again to it after a couple of hours and 
the food and water were gone, so I refilled everything and let it alone 
for the evening to dwell on its thoughts.

In the morning, the cat shot through the open bedroom window and noisily 
let me know something was up. Fearing a massacre, I wandered out to the 
garage, but the defenses hadn't been breached, and the pigeon was 
looking extremely perky with both food and water gone. I gave it more 
and left it to finish its 24 hour recommended rest while the cat prowled 
excitedly around the outside of the garage, no doubt listening to the 
strange thumping of the little heart inside. Another consultation of the 
web revealed that there was a tracing service for lost pigeons, so I 
left its details, and mine, and waited for a response.

In the afternoon, the bird was even more perkier, so I confined the cat, 
and decided to see if it could fly. I carried the basket, with bird, out 
ceremoniously to the back garden in front of my assembled family and 
placed it on the patio table. The bird looked around interestedly, 
observing all and sundry, the drift of the wind from the Dublin 
mountains, the leaves dropping from the hedge, and decided to stay put. 
Eventually, I gave up waiting, picked it up, threw it into the air and 
it flew to the wall at the bottom of the garden. After five minutes or 
so of strutting, it took off and disappeared. It's funny, but I miss its 
beady little eyes.

However, my wife took this picture with her Samsung phone. 
http://www.gallery.leica-users.org/v/DouglasBray/NHLFs/Birdman+of+Inveresk.jpg.html

This morning I got a phone call from the pigeon tracing service who gave 
me the owner's name and number. I rang him to see if the bird made it 
home. The owner was a nice chatty chappie, and told me he has over 200 
pigeons and more or less lets them all race at the same time, so wasn't 
aware whether the bird was back or not, but cautioned me that the 
attrition rate is high with ten or more birds going missing each race. 
Sounds like the anxious experience that Battle of Britain airfield 
personnel went through during WW2. "Looks like poor Jimmy's bought it, 
damn Jerries!"

So you learn something every day. He says he'll update me, and maybe 
show me the pigeon keeping ropes, but pigeon racing has lost its appeal, 
as my heart couldn't stand the losses.... :)

Douglas