[Leica] IMG: Birdman of Inveresk

[Jayanand Govindaraj]

That is a super story! Unusual, as well.
Cheers
Jayanand

On Sun, Oct 1, 2017 at 4:33 AM, 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/Birdm
> an+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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