[Leica] IMG: Birdman of Inveresk

[RicCarter]

fascinating

thank you

ric


> On Sep 30, 2017, at 7:03 PM, Douglas Barry <imra at iol.ie> wrote:
> 
> 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
> 
> 
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