ROCKPORT - Henderson Court resident and animal lover Jim Oliver knows pigeons are not usually shy around people. So he wasn't surprised to see a pigeon hanging out near where he was working in a family's yard on Lighthouse Way. As Oliver finished his work for the day Thursday, the pigeon walked up to his feet and looked up; it was at that moment that Oliver had a hunch there was something special about his new feathered friend.
"I assumed (the pigeon) was just stopping and would eventually leave, but it wasn't going anywhere," Oliver said. "It walked right up to my feet, stopped and was just looking at me. I thought, geez, this thing is tame. I thought it was wild until I saw the bands."
The metal bands turned out to be identification markers, which explained why the bird felt comfortable around Oliver, but he was never able to get close enough to read what the tags said until returning to the yard the following day.
The pigeon never left the property overnight, instead it stayed on the family's hot tub close to their mini-horse, goats, dog and cat.
"The family told me the bird stuck around the house all night, it didn't seem to mind the animals," Oliver said. "The family was going on vacation so I got an animal carrier and some food and brought the pigeon home."
The tags on the bird's legs read: AU 2007 NTC #19. After doing some research online, Oliver was able to determine the pigeon belonged to someone in the Bristol County Racing Pigeon Club of the American Racing Pigeon Union. He contacted the club's secretary, Joseph Almeida, of North Tiverton, R.I., who told Oliver that the pigeon was from Fall River and most likely lost.
"They are trained to come home but sometimes something happens and they don't make it," Almeida said. "I've been into racing pigeons since the 1970s and I've only lost (a couple). If somebody has control of it, usually the owners will go and pick the bird up."
Almeida, who said the sport of racing pigeons is still widely popular around the world, especially in Europe, said the date on the tag represents when the bird first started to receive training. "This is a young bird, and it's probably lost," he said, adding he was trying to contact its owner. "Sometimes they just stop for a couple of days for food and to get their strength back and then come home."
"I assumed (the pigeon) was just stopping and would eventually leave, but it wasn't going anywhere," Oliver said. "It walked right up to my feet, stopped and was just looking at me. I thought, geez, this thing is tame. I thought it was wild until I saw the bands."
The metal bands turned out to be identification markers, which explained why the bird felt comfortable around Oliver, but he was never able to get close enough to read what the tags said until returning to the yard the following day.
The pigeon never left the property overnight, instead it stayed on the family's hot tub close to their mini-horse, goats, dog and cat.
"The family told me the bird stuck around the house all night, it didn't seem to mind the animals," Oliver said. "The family was going on vacation so I got an animal carrier and some food and brought the pigeon home."
The tags on the bird's legs read: AU 2007 NTC #19. After doing some research online, Oliver was able to determine the pigeon belonged to someone in the Bristol County Racing Pigeon Club of the American Racing Pigeon Union. He contacted the club's secretary, Joseph Almeida, of North Tiverton, R.I., who told Oliver that the pigeon was from Fall River and most likely lost.
"They are trained to come home but sometimes something happens and they don't make it," Almeida said. "I've been into racing pigeons since the 1970s and I've only lost (a couple). If somebody has control of it, usually the owners will go and pick the bird up."
Almeida, who said the sport of racing pigeons is still widely popular around the world, especially in Europe, said the date on the tag represents when the bird first started to receive training. "This is a young bird, and it's probably lost," he said, adding he was trying to contact its owner. "Sometimes they just stop for a couple of days for food and to get their strength back and then come home."
Almeida has received calls from concerned people who have found his pigeons as far away as Connecticut, New York and Scranton, Pa.
The homing pigeon is a variety of domesticated rock pigeon. Most competitive pigeons fly distances between 100 and 600 miles, Almeida said. A pigeon's average flying speed is about 30 mph but they can fly as quickly as 60 mph, if needed.
The first reported use of messenger pigeons took place in Baghdad in the year 1150. The practice continued for hundreds of years. Paul Reuter used a fleet of 45 pigeons to deliver news and stock prices as early in 1860 and pigeons were used extensively in the World War I years to deliver military-related messages between troops.
Oliver hopes to find out from the owner if the pigeon had any particular destination and has vowed to take care of the bird as long as needed.
"I didn't know they still had that type of thing (with pigeons) but it will be fine until the owner can get it," said Oliver, owner of five cockatiels and two dogs. "My daughter is also an animal lover, so she likes having it around the house."
A pigeon can be shipped with special care by the U.S. Postal Service if the owner would like the bird back that way.
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