Pigeon!

[rydra_wong]

I had to check the comm profile to try to decide if this was legit, as this was clearly not a wild pigeon; it was obviously someone's sleek, well-fed and well-cared-for homing/racing pigeon.

However, it was definitely "unsupervised", as it was hanging out at a gritstone crag eating bilberries and watching the climbers.

It wouldn't quite let people touch it, but was otherwise very comfortable with humans and happy to let you get very close.

I took a lot of photos of it trying to get a shot of the tags on its legs, as I was worried it was someone's beloved pet and lost. But when I got home, I found out that the "report a found pigeon" websites (they exist, naturally) say in rather weary tones not to even bother unless the pigeon's been around for at least 48 hours; apparently they like to take pit stops.





So handsome:



Trying to see if I might have exciting food items in this plastic bag:

Comments

[redsixwing]

What a lovely sleek pigeon!

I think he belongs here. Nice photos.

[yourlibrarian]

I found out that the "report a found pigeon" websites (they exist, naturally) say in rather weary tones not to even bother unless the pigeon's been around for at least 48 hours; apparently they like to take pit stops.

Hah! This I didn't know.

[rydra_wong]

It's subject to an exception if the pigeon is ill or injured.

But you need to have actually captured the pigeon in order to report it; they're not interested in hearing "your pigeon was around for a while and then it flew off again".

Mind you, that's for the UK; I don't know if other countries have different Pigeon Rules. *g*

What's next, message by owl?

[veritas_poet]

People have homing/racing pigeons?! In today's modern world?

I had no idea!

Re: What's next, message by owl?

[rydra_wong]

Oh yes! No longer used for pigeon post, but still raced:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigeon_racing

(It being today's modern world, pigeon doping is of course a thing.)

Re: What's next, message by owl?

[veritas_poet]

That's kind of amazing!

(It being today's modern world, pigeon doping is of course a thing.)

Ugh, of course.

Anyway, I learned something new today. Thanks!

Re: What's next, message by owl?

[rydra_wong]

P.S. It turns out I was wrong about "no longer used for pigeon post":

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_pigeon

Between 2009 and 2015, many pigeons have been reported to carry cell phones, SIM cards, phone batteries and USB cords into prisons on the Brazilian state of São Paulo.

In 2010, Indian police expressed suspicion that a recently captured pigeon from Pakistan might have been carrying a message from Pakistan.

In 2016, a Jordanian border official said at a news conference that Islamic State militants were using homing pigeons to deliver messages to operatives outside of its "so-called caliphate".

Re: What's next, message by owl?

[veritas_poet]

So crazy!

[shirebound]

Nice shots!

[melannen]

Of course a pigeon is legit! It is a part of nature even if it is being cared for by humans! Also pigeons are great, that is a very handsome one.

(hi. yr mod here. yr mod is not really going to ever be actively modding this comm unless things get WAYYYY off course but I don't think that will happen, she is mostly super happy that her benign neglect has actually been working and it has not died???)

If someone wants to post pics of their new smartphone though, I do expect a lot of rhapsodizing about how amazing neodymium and terbium and liquid crystal are, because isn't nature great.

[rydra_wong]

Well, I figured that photos of pets would not normally be within the remit of the comm, for example. But it was at least hanging out in wilderness. *g*

Also pigeons are great, that is a very handsome one.

I'm used to London pigeons, so have never seen a pigeon looking so sleek and well-groomed.

[peoriapeoriawhereart]

A beautiful guest. Today I got to inspect one of the 'staff', a mourning dove, that I suppose was eating insects in the drive. Eventually my inspection drew too close and it flew off.

[manuleanders]

Very pretty!