Bird numbers plunge in U.S. and Canada with people to blame

reuters ^

[Jamestown1630]

It’s very hard to get an adult wild bird to bond with you. I’ve never managed it.

I have a homing pigeon who was raised by a breeder; and then apparently bought by an unscrupulous person who never bothered to home and train him. Unfortunately, some people buy pigeons for ‘dove release’ at wedding/funerals, but don’t train them. It’s just fast money, no work, and then they buy another bunch.

My pigeon could have been trained. He was found down, not knowing where to go - probably released for an event, and left on his own. I tracked down the purchaser through the band and left many messages but they never returned my calls. In the process I learned from local pigeon fanciers that some people do this.

Anyhow, William hates me. Squeak, on the other hand, was a feral pigeon brought to me, found before he had fledged. He loves me and tries to drag me into his crate with him.

Even with wild hatchlings that you raise, you have to be careful to keep handling them and training them through fledging, or you can lose the ‘imprinting’.

[Daffynition]