Pigeon Talk

[biophiliac]

I hope I am not boring anyone. You are my only audience who shares an interest in these birds!

Are you kidding! Of course you're not boring, at least not me!!!

he gorges herself in the morning because she does not know if the food will be there later o

Racing homers are usually trained to come to the feed call and eat up right away, twice a day. They know if they don't eat at 'dinner' time they miss out til next meal. But I agree with @cavemanrich that Rosie was probably released with her mates when the owner died and so experienced some very hard times.

e seems to enjoy gentle touch after a while, and calms and fluffs her feathers, but she is wary of the approach of the hand.

I have noticed that the approach of a hand from above tends to cause avoidance more than say touching a foot or the belly area. Also, I can touch some (while on a perch in the aviary) with my forehead and not get a flight response. Interesting how they interpret the dangerousness of different parts and actions of a human. Even my tamest ones that fly to me and land on my head do not enjoy being picked up and held. (Except for Doo, who loves those opportunities to bites and gnaw on me like a puppy.) I think I would not like to be picked up by a giant, even if the giant was my friend.

Please keep the updates coming.

 

[biophiliac]

wherever we went, he'd go and his little one-bird fan club would follow him.

Sounds very amusing!

 

[memphis]

I always look forward to Olive and now Rosie updates! Your not boring me Serin!

 

[Fields Mountain Farm]

I also have a 7 grain s

I have no idea what happend here.. It was meant for a pm but then I erased it...or thought I did..

I hope I am not boring anyone. You are my only audience who shares an interest in these birds!

Rosie is very different from Olive, but understandably so. Not only is she the product of tens of generations of very different selective process but she has also had a much harder life. Unlike Olive, she has lived through stressful circumstances, known starvation, probably seen predators. She gorges herself in the morning because she does not know if the food will be there later on. She is very suspicious of our cat and of humans. Her tameness now seems to me to be more learned helplessness than trust, as given the chance she runs like a mouse, but once held she goes limp and gives up all fight. She seems to enjoy gentle touch after a while, and calms and fluffs her feathers, but she is wary of the approach of the hand.

Olive's indifference toward Rosie at least makes me feel good that I was not depriving her of a life with other birds. But I am also glad they don't bicker at all. I have a suspicion that Rosie will probably eventually bond with Olive and that Olive will stay bonded to me and we will have a love triangle situation. I have had that before when we got a new budgie as a friend with our single tame one some years back. The new untamed bird bonded to the tame bird and the tame bird tolerated the other budgie but preferred to be with people so wherever we went, he'd go and his little one-bird fan club would follow him.

I enjoy reading about Olive and now Rosie... and your other critters as well. Keep em comin!
I dont have suggestions, other than whats already been suggested. But I sincerely hope Rosie settles in and learns you can be trusted. And I believe she will in time.

Good morning all!
I'll be out again today. Dad needs me to sit with mom till 4 this evening. Hope y'all have a great day!

 

[sourland]

Are you kidding! Of course you're not boring, at least not me!!!



I have noticed that the approach of a hand from above tends to cause avoidance more than say touching a foot or the belly area.

Please keep the updates coming.

This tends to be typical of almost all fowl, as raptors/predators generally attack from above.

 

[backyard pigeons]

I hope I am not boring anyone. You are my only audience who shares an interest in these birds!

Rosie is very different from Olive, but understandably so. Not only is she the product of tens of generations of very different selective process but she has also had a much harder life. Unlike Olive, she has lived through stressful circumstances, known starvation, probably seen predators. She gorges herself in the morning because she does not know if the food will be there later on. She is very suspicious of our cat and of humans. Her tameness now seems to me to be more learned helplessness than trust, as given the chance she runs like a mouse, but once held she goes limp and gives up all fight. She seems to enjoy gentle touch after a while, and calms and fluffs her feathers, but she is wary of the approach of the hand.

Olive's indifference toward Rosie at least makes me feel good that I was not depriving her of a life with other birds. But I am also glad they don't bicker at all. I have a suspicion that Rosie will probably eventually bond with Olive and that Olive will stay bonded to me and we will have a love triangle situation. I have had that before when we got a new budgie as a friend with our single tame one some years back. The new untamed bird bonded to the tame bird and the tame bird tolerated the other budgie but preferred to be with people so wherever we went, he'd go and his little one-bird fan club would follow him.

I have read, and enjoyed every update! Please don't quit!

It is very interesting how much different Rosy is than Olive. Rosy will pick up behaviors from olive very quickly I'm sure.

 

[Serin]

I have noticed that the approach of a hand from above tends to cause avoidance more than say touching a foot or the belly area. Also, I can touch some (while on a perch in the aviary) with my forehead and not get a flight response. Interesting how they interpret the dangerousness of different parts and actions of a human. Even my tamest ones that fly to me and land on my head do not enjoy being picked up and held. (Except for Doo, who loves those opportunities to bites and gnaw on me like a puppy.) I think I would not like to be picked up by a giant, even if the giant was my friend.

Please keep the updates coming.

Most of my birds are like that with my head. They only are wary of our hands - we don't grab them with our mouths or our feet. My canary (i have only my one male again - sold all this year's chicks) is scared to death of my hands but will sit on my foot.

I only approach Rosie from below the level of her head to pet her neck and she is okay with that. Being picked up from above is frightening because that's what raptors do, though I can lift Olive now as we are to the point of complete trust and she does not find anything I do threatening. It took about 3 months for her to let me catch and hold her, initially I had to bribe her to step up for treats but she is now very easily handled and I can scoop her up.

Remind me to take a new video of Olive sometime. I last did so when she was still really new here and she was just starting to tame down. Her behavior now is adorable. She lays down and spins around (never all the way like cocks do, but back and forth) and coos like crazy when I pet her and she will sit next to me and snuggle into my hand making happy noises as long as I let her. Sometimes I'll run down the hall and back and she'll fly after me. She's like my shadow. I could definitely take her outdoors and she wouldn't leave and she has gotten out briefly by accident once and landed on my head when i opened the door. If we didn't have hawks, I would.

On an only semi-related tangent, were German owl pigeons selectively bred to make owl like noises? Olive very rarely makes burbling coos like the usual pigeon. Only when she is extremely excited, as when I have been out for the day and come home and pet her, she'll do one. But she makes quiet "hoo, hoo" noises all the time and will repeat them as long as I am petting her.

Rosie has yet to make a single sound. Haven't let her out today. She spent seven hours just sitting on her ledge before briefly jumping down to gorge and drink and then back onto the ledge.

 

[Serin]

She made a sound! I was changing the cage papers and she growled at me. I'm glad because it means she's getting at least a bit more settled lol.

 

[Hokum Coco]

Very good. Did they trickle in, or as a group?

I am guessing they flew home as a group (20+- mile toss) as they were all here when I arrived.
I flew a slightly different flock yesterday from the same location and they all arrived this morning. A freak storm hit the coast line where the release was made.

 

[holm25]

Young Horseman and baby Damascenes.