A failure moment today

[ffiscool]

I was closing my bedroom window and saw by an outside hedge, a pigeon. It just sat there. I watched for a bit and cars were within inches of it, coming and going and it still sat there. I went down with water, thinking if it's not scared of cars, I should be able to get close. Wrong, it walked away, I could see a damaged bit above one wing and it had blood on its beak, I imagine from trying to clean itself.

I saw where it was aiming for, so I went to put my front door in the latch and then couldn't see it.

I know it won't survive and I couldn't have taken it indoors, but had it not moved, I would have called RSPCA or RSPCB

really made feel so sad, like I failed it.

[skysmum]

Ohhh i hate that, he had probably been hit by a car . P's are so silly with cars, they take off at the side of the road and being a bit heavy just don't make the height. I was a car behind one that hit a P the other day, feathers everywhere and i couldn't stop because the traffic was so bad . Hope he found a safe place to nurse his wounds and will be ok.

[Hezz]

Poor birdy, hopefully it's okay, but you can't be responsible for everything, if you couldn't catch it, there is not much you could have done.

[OP]

Don't beat yourself up ffiscool, easier said than done I know, but they are quite hard to catch. As already said hopefully it would have found somewhere to recover from its injuries.

[milliej]

Not your fault at all, in any way, shape or form Fran! There's really nothing you could have done, they move quickly when they want too and your home security is vital! Definitely not a failure (unlike me with my bedding for the budgies Oh hum!

[weelouie]

Jan 14, 2017 19:01:09 GMT ffiscool said:

I was closing my bedroom window and saw by an outside hedge, a pigeon. It just sat there. I watched for a bit and cars were within inches of it, coming and going and it still sat there. I went down with water, thinking if it's not scared of cars, I should be able to get close. Wrong, it walked away, I could see a damaged bit above one wing and it had blood on its beak, I imagine from trying to clean itself.

I saw where it was aiming for, so I went to put my front door in the latch and then couldn't see it.

I know it won't survive and I couldn't have taken it indoors, but had it not moved, I would have called RSPCA or RSPCB

really made feel so sad, like I failed it.

I had a similar experience a few years ago when I found a little black domestic rabbit hiding under a bush while I was waiting for a bus. It was -20 C and this was a short haired rabbit, probably dumped outside by someone who didn't want it. I spent a good 20 minutes trying to round it up. It would sit still and wait until I was just within reach, then hop slowly away. The weather forecast was for a blizzard the next day, so that increased the urgency of catching it. I was running around trying to drop my coat over it to catch it, no luck. I called the city animal control, as well as a local rabbit rescue, nobody could be bothered to go out there. I was forced to give up, as this place was over 2 hours bus ride away from my home. I also felt like I failed it, and felt pretty bad wondering what happened to it. 

I ended up researching rabbit care, building a cage, then I went to a local shelter and adopted one of their rabbits. The one I ended up taking home was another black one, similar to the one I found outside. I now have four rabbits, a tiny Netherland dwarf who lives with my black one, and two Flemish Giants - one is a little black baby. Once they're fixed and bonded, they will be house rabbits. 

Feral pigeons are notoriously difficult to catch unless injured. Most are racing homers so they are excellent flyers. They're also extremely intelligent. So there's no need to feel bad because you couldn't catch the one you found. But - pigeons and doves actually make pretty good house pets. They can be tamed (chopped peanuts are like millet to them) and will bond to you like any budgie. They're cheap to acquire, feed and house (you just need a big wire dog crate). People even make "pigeon pants" for them so they can have the run of the house without making a mess. There are even pigeon rescues and shelters, which have both ferals and domestic breeds. There are meat pigeon breeds that often end up in rescues, Kings and Runts. They are popular pets, docile and bigger than ferals. Here's a good website about pigeons as pets: www.pigeonrescue.org