At least one of my homers survived 8+ months in the wild

[LamarshFish]

I started my loft last spring, and incurred a handful of losses, mostly towards the beginning of my squeaker training. I affixed leg bands on all my birds, one with my phone number and on the other foot a colored band with a number identifying each bird. I got a call yesterday from a guy saying he had found a pigeon with my phone number on a leg band. The location was about 4 miles from my home. I drove there that night and retrieved the bird. The guy must have taken the leg band with my number off, in order to call me, because it wasn't there. The other leg band was also missing, but with my loft notes I was able to narrow the bird down to 1 of 3 birds, each of which have been missing since no later than May 2017. So this bird had survived out in the wild for 8+ months. It's unclear how it died, unlikely a hawk because not much of it was eaten. It's legs were broken, and it looked like its wing was broken as well, so maybe it was hit by a car since it was on the side of the road by a busy intersection. I brought the bird home so I could find an honorable way to lay it to rest.

 

[Hokum Coco]

It's unclear how it died,

That has happen to me a few times. On a happier note you sometimes are able to retrieve a live bird with the aid of said bands.

 

[LamarshFish]

That has happen to me a few times. On a happier note you sometimes are able to retrieve a live bird with the aid of said bands.

Yeah, that was part of my intention with putting them on. I think it was about $50 for 100 bands with my phone number on them, so they'll last me a while and I think it's worth it. Even getting info on a deceased bird can sometimes be helpful, or at the very least provide some closure.

 

[Hokum Coco]

Even getting info on a deceased bird can sometimes be helpful,

Exactly you may have another pigeon in the immediate area. Is it near an overpass or a bridge where feral birds hang out?

 

[LamarshFish]

Exactly you may have another pigeon in the immediate area. Is it near an overpass or a bridge where feral birds hang out?

There are populations of ferals everywhere where I live. There aren't thousands and thousands like you'd see in huge cities, but you can see them near most over passes by the highways, as well as near gas stations hanging on the roofs and such.

 

[stuckinthecity]

There are populations of ferals everywhere where I live. There aren't thousands and thousands like you'd see in huge cities, but you can see them near most over passes by the highways, as well as near gas stations hanging on the roofs and such.

Every time I go to a grocery store (large or smaller...) or any shopping place for that matter I see ferals flying around or perched up on the parking lot lights. I've seen some very pretty colors around here, too! Reds, almost solid whites.