[Leica] IMG: Birdman of Inveresk

[ric at cartersxrd.net (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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