pigeon hole

Mike Tyson

2011-08-23T13:15:00.002+02:00

I was doing some research on eating vegan and came across this photo of Mike Tyson, who raises pigeons.

2010-12-13T01:36:00.003+01:00

Jim and I continue to have our flock of pigeons, with Henry and Snap Dude eating out of our hands. Snap Dude, left, has been with us for about six years. Henry, right, is the offspring of Pierre, the baby bird I first rescued and raised in 2004.

Each subsequent summer has brought new pigeons into our life,as they quite literally 'fall from the sky' onto our doorstep.

Racer Five

That’s how a pigeon that we named, Racer Five, arrived mid july. Jim saw him on the road in front of our house unable to fly, with a cat nearby perched and ready to pounce. He didn't resist when Jim picked him up, as he was used to being handled by people; he was someones racing pigeon. Turned out Racer Five was on route from Orlean to Pau, 900 kilometers, and was two-thirds his way home. We found this out after we called the number off the green band on his leg and talked to the owner. He told us the bird was probably just tried and over heated, and asked if could we keep it till it was able to fly; could be a week or two. So I set up a corner in the kitchen with newspapers a water bowl and food. The pigeon seemed to know to stay on the paper, except when we left the door to the front room open and he would go hide somewhere and we would have to then find and chase him around to get him back in the kitchen. He didn't seem so interested in the food we gave him, and only ate when he was out on the terrace with the other birds. Because he couldn't fly we always had to bring him inside when we weren't around, due to the cats that frequent our terrace knowing there are pigeons to eat. After a couple weeks Racer Five was spunky and healthy but still not flying. We finally realized he had a broken wing after we tried dropping him from a few feet to see what happened. Well, how else could we know? We then we knew we had a problem: the owner would have no use for a racing pigeon that didn't fly and we couldn't keep the bird. We called a friend who keeps pigeons and asked her if she would take him, she came by one afternoon and we boxed him up and sent him off to his new home.

Tai Tai

The same day we got Racer Five settled in his new home we got a call from Mary Claude, a friend who's home is a designated official bird rescue sight. She had raised a baby pigeon by hand and now it was ready to join a flock, but there weren't any other pigeons where she lives. Mary Claude has a way with birds, she even kind-of looks like a bird. She has raised several birds that have returned to nature. But she bonds with her birds in a way that, after they go back to nature they are known to stop by her house during migration just to say hi. I must admit I was a bit jealous when she told me her pigeon rode around on her shoulder; I've never gotten our birds to do anything but eat out of our hand. Even Pierre, who I raised by hand, and I wanted to believe loved me like a mother, was really just interested in getting a free hand out. But she told us, what began as fun - the bird following her around or riding on her shoulder, soon became a problem as the bird would not let her alone, it shit all over their house and showed no signs of returning to nature.

Mary Claude asked if she could to bring Tai Tai over to our house and introduce it to our flock of pigeons, since it had not encountered other pigeons, it apparently didn't know it was a pigeon. When she first let Tai Tai out of the cage on our terrace, the bird sat on Mary Claudes head, then shoulder and was biting her finger - another irritating activity it had developed. Then it flew off to a roof behind our house and sat with the other pigeons, flew back and landed on my head this time, before flying off again not to be seen the rest of the after noon. We assumed success. NOT

Jim noticed the mentally retarded man, who lives behind our house, sitting on a stoop with Tai Tai on his shoulder laughing that the bird was biting his hand. The next day the same woman who took Racer Five showed up at my door with Tai Tai in her arms. She had been at Le President Cafe on the corner and Tai Tai was there walking on tables, landing on peoples heads and biting peoples fingers. Some kids had captured the bird and were tormenting it, so she rescued it and brought it to our house. I said, "I know that bird.", then explained the history: that Tai Tai didn't know it was a pigeon and wanted to hang out with humans, which was all it had know until the day before. Tai Tai was frightened and shaking from her experience. OUr freind then offered to take Tai Tai with her to keep, as she had done with Racer Five. So we boxed her up in a real wicker pigeon carrier I found in the basement of our house.

Yesterday I saw the woman with who took the birds and she reported that both pigeons are doing fine; Racer Five seems happy runnings around on the floor of the cage retired from his racing career and Tai Tai is slowly getting the hang of being a pigeon, although she will have to remain in a cage as she will probably always land on heads and have the habit of biting people.

Returning to France, and our pigeons, for the summer

2009-06-11T11:31:00.004+02:00

That is Jim with Pierre, the pigeon we raised, on the left and Snap Dude on the right.

We returned to our home in France this May and within an hour, Pierre and Snap Dude were on our terrace to greet us. Maurice, Pierre's wonderful partner for the past five years, never showed up. We assume Maurice didn't make it though the winter, and we wondered if Pierre had already chosen a new partner or if perhaps she and Snap Dude, Maurice's competition for top pigeon, would get together.

For one week we enjoyed Pierre's company, then we took off for a week trip to the Camargue and when we returned, she was no longer around. We assume that she left the flock to find a new partner.

In the mean time, one of Pierre and Maurice's progeny, Henry has taken to eating out of our hands, and competing with Snap Dude for top billing.

Life goes on, but I can't but hope that Pierre comes back someday for a brief visit, if not to stay. And if we don't ever see Pierre again, we at least have Henry and Snap Dude to continue to entertain us. This is a picture of Henry:

Pigeon Portraits from around the world

2009-04-08T23:05:00.010+02:00

Sorry I haven't blogged lately. There are many birds here in Bodega Bay, home of Hitchcock's famous film, The Birds, but not many pigeons. Besides I'm working on my children's book about Pierre the baby pigeon and life in France.

My friend, Susan Dorf, just sent me these photos of Pigeons San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. And this has prompted me to add a new blog that I will add to with my photos or others photos of pigeons around the world.

And here are some more pigeons photos from around the world:

Amsterdam

France

On our terrace in France

The Pigeonhole Principle

2008-12-22T08:56:00.005+01:00

The inspiration for the name of this mathematical principle: pigeons in holes.

Here n = 10 and m = 9 so we can conclude that some hole has more than one pigeon.

Also known as Dirichlet's box (or drawer) principle, states that, given two natural numbers n and m with n> m, if n items are put into m pigeonholes, then at least one pigeonhole must contain more than one item.

Pigeons return to scene of Mumbai siege

2008-12-15T20:07:00.003+01:00

Mumbai, Dec. 6 2008 (AFP) -

Thousands of pigeons that flew the coop as Islamist militants and Indian security forces battled for almost three days at Mumbai landmarks last week have begun returning.

Pigeons that were a constant presence around the Jai Mahal and Trident/Oberoi hotels and Mumbais's main railway terminus disappeared for more than a week after the November 26 attacks that turned the city's southern peninsula into a battleground.

To the delight of bird lovers and tourists, many of whom feed the birds, the pigeons have begun to return, the Mumbai Mirror said. The Mirror quoted Yuraj Kaginkar, the hospital manager for the Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, saying the he had found some pigeons with injuries that must have been sustained during the siege.

Traveling with his ambulance to sites taken by the militants, he found "a lot of pigeons with injuries to their head, wings, feet and some fractures," he said.

Constant blasts had forced pigeons that roosted in the hotels to keep circling, unable to eat, for three days, he said.

The times of India said 15,000 pigeons were fed daily opposite the Taj, and quoted an animal activist saying grain had been put down to attract the birds back.

Many of India's 1.1 billion people are animal lovers, believing animals, like humans, possess souls.

Friends and Pigeon Blog followers:
This article was brought to my attention by a friend. If you find any interesting pigeon stories or facts, please pass them on.

RICHARD TOPUS, WWII PIGEON TRAINER

2008-12-15T19:15:00.004+01:00

This obituary was sent to me via my friend Cal. Thanks Cal!

Richard Topus WWII Pigeon Trainer

In January 1942, barely a month after Pearl Harbor, the US War Department sounded a call to enlist. It wasn't men they wanted. The Army was looking for Pigeons.

To the thousands of American men and boys who raced homing pigeons, a popular sport in the early 20th century and afterward, the government's message was clear: Uncle Sam Wants your Birds.

Richard Topus was one of those Boys. He had no birds of his own to give, but he had another unassailable asset: He was from Brooklyn, where pigeon racing had long held the status of a secular religon. His already vast experience with pigeons- long ardent hours spent tending and racing them after school and on weekends qualified him, when he was still a teenager, to train American Spies and other military personnel in the swift, silent use of the birds in wartime.

World War II saw the last wide-scale use of pigeons as agents of combat intelligence.

Topus, just 18 when he enlisted in the Army, was among the last of the several thousand pieoneers, as military handlers of the birds were known, who served the United States in the war.

A lifelong pigeon enthusiast who became a sucessful executive in the food industry, Topus died Dec. 5 in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the age of 84.

Pigeons have been used as wartime messengers at least since antiquity. Before the advent of radio communications, the birds were routinely used as airborn couriers, carrying messages in tiny capsules strapped to their legs. A homing pigeon can find its way back to its loft from nearly a thousand miles away. Over short distances, they can fly a mile a minute.

(Actually the longest recorded flight took 55 days to fly from South Africa to England)

In World War I, pigeons proved their continued usefulness in times of enforced radio silence. After the United States entered WWII, the Army put out the call for birds to racing clubs nationwide. In all, more than 50,000 pigeons served the United States in the war.

Topus enlisted in early 1942 and was assigned to the Army Signal Corps, which included the Pigeon service.

Though the Army phased out pigeons in the late 1950s, Topus raced them avidley till nearly the end of his life. He left a covert, enduring legacy of his hobby at Friendship Food Products, for which he oversaw the design of the highly recognizable company logo, a graceful bird in flight, in the early 1960s.

- New York Times

Pierre the baby pigeon

2008-11-10T00:05:00.011+01:00

Pierre was so young when we found her, most people told us we shouldn't bother trying to save her. "Impossible" is what they said. OR WORSE, they would ask, "Why bother?"

But against all odds, and even against the wishes of our neighbors, who thought there were already enough pigeons in the world, we saved Pierre.
Pierre was some kind of miracle.

And so, when Pierre got a little bigger, she lived on a branch in our kitchen.

Till one day when she flew away.

It was the following summer, when we returned to our french village, that we found Pierre (right) living in the attic behind our terrace with her mate, Maurice (left).

The only way to determine the sex a pigeon is by behavior. Males bow and coo and strut, with fanned tails dragging the ground, around their object of affection. Females are more demure. Maurice was clearly the male. So much bigger than the other birds, he reminds me of a Parrot, except he's all black with iridescence.

Pigeon Fact: Pigeons are close avian relatives to the parrot.

Amsterdam Pigeons

2008-10-26T17:11:00.008+01:00

Each fall, on our way back to California, we stop in Amsterdam for two nights. It's a wonderful way to finish our time in Europe, and begin the transition to returning to the US of A. We are back to speaking english, and I am amazed how tall everyone is. In France, at five feet ten, I look like an amazon; in Amsterdam I feel almost diminutive.

I had fun looking for images of pigeons in Amsterdam to photograph. The last photos are of a homeless man feeding pigeons. He told me he did it for his karma. Enjoy

Famous War Pigeons

2008-10-14T12:04:00.018+02:00

One of the most interesting aspects of the history of pigeons is their service in the military. During WWI the homing pigeons played a major role in communications - often they were the only means of communication available. The US and French military maintained and used homing pigeons up to and including the Vietnam War.

During both world wars Pigeons were brave soldiers holding the rank of captain. They were often released from behind enemy lines from Airplanes and from ships far out to sea. Many a downed airmen owes their life to a pigeon he let go as he sat in a tiny rubber raft in the ocean.

They were even used to rescue men lost at sea. In WWII, US forces took advantage of the pigeon's excellent eyesight (up to 10 miles, even in fog) and rare ability to see and recognize different colors. Specially trained pigeons rode in the bellies of rescue planes, pecking a button upon spotting the orange survival vest of a downed pilot.

Pigeon soldiers were decorated and buried with military honour. The Dicken Medal was instituted in 1943 to honour the work of animals in war recognized for their outstanding acts of bravery and devotion to duty. Recognized worldwide as the animals' Victoria Cross, the medal was awarded 54 times between 1943 and 1949, to 32 pigeons, 18 dogs, three houses and a cat, to acknowledge actions during WWII.

Here are just a few short histories of some famous war pigeons. These are amazing stories of pigeons fighting to return home no matter what the cost. Many pigeon were mortally wounded carrying life-saving messages across Asian jungles, vast deserts and the frozen arctic. These are stories of pigeons that were shot at, caught in crossfire or hunted down by Hitler's Platoon of Falcons. They lost eyes, feet, and other body parts, but continuing their missions nonetheless.

KENLEY LASS was dropped into France with an agent codenamed Phillippe who was parachuted behind enemy lines. In October 1040 Kenley Lass flew back to her loft, the first successful receipt of secret communications from an agent working in occupied Europe. She received her Dicken Medal in March 1945.

MARY OF EXETER, the pigeon that just wouldn't give up.

Also a recipient of the Dickens Medal, she served for five years during the Second World War until 1945, dropped prepeatedly into France and then returning to England. Mary was enlisted in the EXETER GROUP on the National Pigeon Service lines of defensive communication.

Four times she was injured, but each time she recovered to deliver her messages. The first time she was shot. The second time, when she didn't return, they assumed she had been killed. Four days later she dropped down on her loft covered with blood. She was ripped open from neck to her breast, she had been attacked by a falcon. Injured the third time she once more recovered only to be hit by shrapnel during a bombing raid. The shrapnel damaged her head and neck, but her resourceful owner, Charlie Brewer used skills from his trade as a cobbler to make her a leather collar and she lived for another ten years. She was buried with her collar. She had a total of 22 stitches in her one pound body, the equivalent of 4,000 stitches in the body of a 200 pound man.

THE MOCKER, was born in 1917. He was wounded on his 52nd mission. He lost his left eye and part of his cranim. He was awarded the "Distinguished Service Cross," as well as the French "Croix De Guere. The Mocker died on June 15 1937. He was the last WWI pigeon hero to die.

WHITE VISION

The weather was bad and the search was called off. But White Vision was released from the boat and arrived at her home loft at about 5 pm, having flown over 60 miles of heavy seas against a head wind of 25 mph, in poor visibility, to deliver the coordinates of a stranded Catalina Flying Boat. All 11 crew members were rescued.

PADDY

An Irish pigeon awarded the Dicken Medal after being the first pigeon to arrive back in England with news of the success of the D-Day invasion, out of hundreds dispatched. He flew 230 miles across the English Channel in four hours and five minutes, the fastest recorded crossing of the English Channel.

WINKIE, the first ever Dicken Medal recipient.

On Feb 28th 1942 a British Beaufort bomber was forced down in the North Sea. Winkie thrown free of her onboard container, wings clogged by oily water flew to the Scottish coast 129 miles away. Meanwhile the bomber crew huddled in a dinghy shivering from the cold. Shortly before dawn, Winkie arrived in Scotland and a code tied to her leg helped lead the rescue team to the downed plane. The crew later gave a dinner in London to Winkie and her owner in appreciation of her life saving fly.

BLACKIE HALLIGAN

During WWII the delivery of a message that needed to be relayed back to headquarters was entrusted to a member of a special brigade, a homing pigeon named Black Halligan. The journey to headquarters should have taken just 20 minutes, but Blackie was shot down in the Japanese fire. Five hours later the maimed and bloody bird managed to complete its trip bearing the important message.

MARY

She flew during 5 years for the Allied Powers, was wounded 22 times, and killed in action. When her body was found, it was covered with wounds. Mary was decorated with the Dickens Medal, and buried with full military honors.

KAISER

Lastly, the most famous pigeon prisoner of war, Kaiser, a German bird captured during WWI was born in 1917 and captured in 1918 by American forcs in the battle of the Meuse. He was used in the Signal Corp breeding program and sired over 100 children, during his long life. Kaiser died in 1949, at 33, making him not only the oldest recorded Pigeon on record, but also the only pigeon to have served in both world wars.

Other famous pigeons decorated and buried with military honour:

Lord Adelaide

President Wilson

Julius Ceasar

Lady Astor

Jungle Joe

Berma Queen

The most well-known military pigeon from WWI was Cher Ami, and from WWII, G.I. Joe.

Both these highly decorated pigeons have stories that deserve their own blog.

Pigeonniers

2008-10-12T21:10:00.017+02:00

The Lot pigeonniers are characterised by their diversity of styles and proliferation over the whole of the Quercy region. This beautiful round stone pigeonnier featuring a small turret is located just outside of our village.

This pigeonnier, in neighboring Calvignac, is a wonderful example of a Toulouse style Pigeonnier.

Pigeonarries can vary from very elaborate structures, to just small holes leading into the attic.

Pigeonniers were sometimes incorporated into the house as turrets. This is a pigeonnier in the form of a small overhanging watch turret of half-timbered construction.

Stone porch pigeonnier serving as an entrance to the property.

The square tower pigeonnier, undoubtedly the oldest type, was originally built on noble's lands. These twin towers situated at the entrance to the courtyard symbolically served a defensive purpose.

Pigeon-Houses of the Midi Pyrenees Region

Lastly, my latest photo for my Pigeon Portraits Project, a group pigeon portrait.

Mambo

2008-10-12T12:45:00.004+02:00

This past August we successfully raised another baby pigeon that we named Mambo. Jim found him fallen from a nest near the public garbage cans, by the castle tower. That same day our mason found another baby pigeon, about the same age, behind our terrace. I mixed a batch of mashed seed and egg yoke to force feed the little guys. I've tried saving 2 other baby pigeons, since my success with Pierre, but they didn't make it. I've learned to not get attached, or to name them right away.

After two days the second bird died. I didn't think Mambo would make it. It was almost impossible to feed him. Every two hours I would chase him around the terrace and use a towel to catch him. I'd then use the towel to wrap him up, just keeping his beak sticking out. With one hand I pried his tiny beak open and with a finger shoved the mash down his throat. I do have videos. Little tenatious Mambo after two and half weeks of me running after and wresting with it to eat, finally learned to eat seed on its own. But he still couldn't fly, so he hung out on our terrace. At night, when all the other birds went to their lofts, he would walk into the kitchen and over to the towel in the corner to sleep.

We worried he wasn't getting enough to eat as he was still too young to be on his own and if we put seed out on the terrace, the other birds ate it and he didn't have a chance. We set a feeding spot in the kitchen and left the window open for him to come in. He didn't like coming in and he never did get used to us.

Now he is flying and living with the flock - and we don't know any more which one he is. Here is a photo of Mambo after we found him and in the kitchen window.

Pigeonniers, et le Petit Gitan

2008-10-03T15:40:00.014+02:00

Since last May, when attending an annual gypsy pilgramge at St. Marie de la Mere, in the Camargue, I've been questioning the concept of camping. We were one of three tents among thousands of camper vans. Considering our tent blew down at 3 a.m., and we spent the rest of the night curled up in the back of our car, I'm surprised it has taken us this long to get our own. Announcing the newest member of our family, a ten year old Citroen, called a Romahome. We've named it, le Petit Gitan.

We started the first trip the day we picked the camper up and headed south to the Mediterranean. Our second day we were in Collioure, and that finally brings us to the subject of this blog - PIGEONS! Here is my pigeon portrait from Collioure.

Blog highlight: Pigeonniers

On our trip to check out the camping car, we drove by a wonderful example of double arcade pigeonniers (pigeon houses).

Pigeon facts:

No other farm animal or bird has received such favored treatment or been provided with such carefully built dwellings.

Pigeonniers (pigeon houses) range in construction and can be classified into several general categories.

The porche (porch) pigeonnier was derivative of the arcade pigeonnier which was situated at the entrance to the farm courtyard, thus symbolically serving a defensive purpose.

-Pigeon Houses of the Midi Pyrenees

There will be lots more on pigeonniers, in upcoming blogs. Here is an example of a round stone tower pigeonnier built below the limestone cliffs on the out skirts of our French village.

Upon our return home, some of our pigeons were waiting for us on our terrace.

Pigeons in Paris

2008-09-13T13:25:00.000+02:00

There is no better place on earth to commence my pigeon blog than Paris. I wonder, am I the first person ever, in the history of the world, to go to Paris in search for photographs of historic sights featuring the most ubiquitous and least appreciated residents of this great city, pigeons? Perhaps.

Pigeon fact: Pigeons have played an important role in the history of Europe, and Paris in particular. During the Siege of Paris, lasting from September 19, 1870 to January 28, 1871 (which brought about French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War and led to the establishment of the German Empire) pigeons were the only source of communications for those trapped in Paris. Pigeons were regularly taken out of Paris by balloon then taken to their bases, first at Tours (200 km from Paris) and later Poitiers (300 km). After their arrival from Paris and when they had been fed and tested, they were ready for their return journey. During the four months of the siege, 150,000 official and 1 million private communications were carried to Paris by the pigeons.

If you love pigeons, like I do, where ever you go it feels like you are among friends. Paris is filled with pigeons, and most people despise them. I have to admit they aren't as good looking as pigeons here in the South of France. But then they are eating french fries and bread, not grain, as they should be. None the less, I did find a few fellow pigeon lovers and had to take their picture too.

When I heard that the Pope was going to be in Paris the same time I was, I decided I'd like to try to get a picture of the Pope, in Paris, with a pigeon. In the end I did, with the help of large public screens located all around the city showing the news of the event.

My little friends were everywhere I went - they even came to see me off at the train station.

Pigeon with Pope ( small blue screen