Ron MacKinnon says the rock dove was supposed to fly to Nova Scotia (177 miles away), but was sidetracked by a squall
An 11-year-old Sussex Corner boy is getting plenty of thanks after rescuing a starving and injured domestic rock dove.
Peter Gravlin spotted the bird twice near his grandparents' lodge in Shepody before he captured it.
The bird was being harassed by a hawk.
"She couldn't fly," Peter said.
"She kept on hitting her head on the ground. I got gloves on and I picked her up."
The 11-year-old boy said the white bird with brown speckles didn't mind being picked up.
He carried it back to the lodge operated by his grandparents, Ida and Larry Adair, where they gave it water and sunflower seeds.
Ida Adair then went online to try to track down an owner using a letter and number code from a tag found on the bird's leg.
After much searching and several phone calls, she was able to locate the Halifax-based owner.
The bird's name is Cookie and he and four other rock doves were released in Moncton on July 26. As homing pigeons they are trained to fly to Armdale, N.S.
Three of the birds made it to the destination in three hours. Two of the birds, including Cookie, are believed to have been sidetracked by a squall.
Ron MacKinnon, a rock dove aficionado in Moncton, is the person who released the birds.
He drove to Adair's Wilderness Lodge, to retrieve Cookie on Thursday.
"He's lost some weight," said MacKinnon, cradling the bird to his chest.
"He's had a hard go, poor little fellow."
Although thin, MacKinnon said the bird should make a full recovery.
He thanked Peter several times for rescuing the rock dove.
"He wasn't long for this world if you hadn't saved him," said MacKinnon.
