A Couple of Surprises from the Beach -->UPDATE 23 July

DrJoePrime · Jul 4, 2008

I've been spending my evenings at the beach for an hour or so of detecting. A few evenings back I spied a miserable looking little pigeon shivering on the sand under the pier. It was rather young so I tried to place it back to what looked like a nest entrance. But the bird just sat there shivering and I just knew it would fall out again.

I've witnessed some horrors from atop the pier on a few occasions. The larger seagulls actually grab and eventually kill and eat the young pigeons. I knew that this was the end for the little guy. I couldn't leave it there. So I tucked it under my shirt and walked back to the car. My wife was not surprised as I did this in April too.

So it's doing fine and hopefully it'll be large enough to fly in the next 10 days or so. I release it under the pier. They quickly make friends with the other pigeons and imitate them and will be OK.

And now to my FIND of yesterday evening. No baby pigeons but...

A very nice evening for the 3rd of July. My beach hunt was going reasonably well ..enough clad quarters for battery money and the occasional nickes and dimesl too.

One thing I have to mention, the beach goers are pretty much SLOBS! And the worst for me are the diapers left on the sand. OK, so my small revenge: I actually look for the worst trashy areas and concentrate there. I figure sloppy people, careless people and losers of things.

And it paid off this evening ... not 2 feet away from an open diaper laying in the sand (YUCK. How can people do THAT?) I get a nice clean dime signal. It rattles nicely in my scoop AND it's not a dime but rather a Silver ring with 2 diamonds :icon_sunny:

(real? ... I say YES!). I've heard that Silver rings are too cheap for diamonds ... but these diamonds just look too good. I will check them out with a diamond tester and see anyways.

!st photo is current pigeon (about 3 weeks old, <can tell from the feathering>)

2nd photo is April's rescue just about at release time (about 4-1/2 weeks old)

3rd photo is my 925 Silver ring with 2 diamonds, larger obvious one and smaller one less obvious <they ARE diamonds ... no matter what anyone says!>

HH Joe

CRUSADER · Jul 4, 2008

Re: A Couple of Surprises from the Beach

I've saved two pigeons. 1 whilst detecting & 1 whilst fishing. When I opened the box the next day, it flow around my living room & landed on my shoulder. I guess it was confused with a parrot

Dirt Dobber · Jul 4, 2008

Re: A Couple of Surprises from the Beach

Nice ring ,did you test the diamonds? About the pigeons-----Let nature take its course. D.D.

treasurefiend · Jul 4, 2008

Re: A Couple of Surprises from the Beach

Good job on the ring!!! Also good job on the birds, I HATE BIRDS, but you did a good thing. :thumbsup:

ivan salis · Jul 4, 2008

Re: A Couple of Surprises from the Beach

well sea gulls gotta eat too -- life is cruel --- it natures way of weeding out the weak and dumb--- too weak or dumb to stay in the nest -- too bad for you says mother nature (she can be a cold heart mother at times) but we humans have a heart --- its hard the see birds flock and kill things (its painful to see to see and watch it in "action")---I have saw a batch of crows killing a seagull with a busted wing once -- they surrounded him and circled him pecking and biting at him --he fought back but he was doomed --with a badly busted wing and badly out numbered --he had no chance of living thru it -- I in pity killed him quickly to end it fast rather than see him suffer and die slowly -- I left the body out afterwards for the crows cuz well its was their "meal" I messed with and they gotta eat too -- Ivan

Mat in MA · Jul 5, 2008

Re: A Couple of Surprises from the Beach

One thing I have to mention, the beach goers are pretty much SLOBS! And the worst for me are the diapers left on the sand. OK, so my small revenge: I actually look for the worst trashy areas and concentrate there. I figure sloppy people, careless people and losers of things.

And it paid off this evening ... not 2 feet away from an open diaper laying in the sand (YUCK. How can people do THAT?) I get a nice clean dime signal. It rattles nicely in my scoop AND it's not a dime but rather a Silver ring with 2 diamonds

Now isn't that justice for ya? Could it be that the woman who left the open diaper is the same one that lost the diamond ring. It would be nice to think so. Great find.

allen · Jul 5, 2008

Re: A Couple of Surprises from the Beach

nice looking ring,but the pigeons in my area are pest'....

oldcoyote · Jul 5, 2008

Re: A Couple of Surprises from the Beach

Nature takes it's course in the 'Free Will' of man as well as anywhere else. "Shall I be kind today, or shall I not?" Which course would I admire more? :icon_study:

Roger Mn. · Jul 5, 2008

Re: A Couple of Surprises from the Beach

When i was 12 i found a white pigeon.It couldn't fly so i took it home and put it in the rabbit cage. I would let it out to eat gravel and put it back in the cage.This went on for a couple of years. It would beat my hands with it's wings when i reached in to take it out. One day i let it out and forgot about it and when i went looking for it all that was left were feathers all over the place. I bet the pigeon put up one hell of a fight with a cat. I never tryed to save birds any more.Nice ring.

capndan151 · Jul 6, 2008

Re: A Couple of Surprises from the Beach

open diaper? that's pretty bad. The one I hate is the used condom wrapper. sometimes gives a decent signal That's why they say not to dig with your hands. Ever get a needle? That's bad.

DrJoePrime · Jul 11, 2008

Re: A Couple of Surprises from the Beach

This is an update.

I took photos of the little pigeon yesterday the 10th of July. I've included his original photo at the top.

It's gained a lot of weight and looks really good. Flies well... and eats by itself but all the time chirping for me to feed it. It is amazingly affectionate ... and as I write this it has flown to my shoulder and is leaning against my neck and sleeping. I have very mixed feelings because I NEED to release it Monday or Tuesday but don't want it to go to humans. The first one I realeased found immediate pigeon friends and never looked back...I'm hoping it will be the same with this one too :icon_scratch:

.

The white bird in the 2nd photo is my Goffin Cockatoo (he wants it to go too!).

HH Joe

DrJoePrime · Jul 23, 2008

Re: A Couple of Surprises from the Beach -->UPDATE 10 July

This is an UPDATE on the baby pigeon from early July.

Last week 17 July Thursday morning at 6:00 am I tried to release the healthy and flying pigeon very close to his old nest under the pier. He sat on the wooden cross beams and eventually joined a small group sitting at another cross beam. It was amazing how happy he seemed and joined the small group scouring the sand for food. BUT then when the group got spooked (not sure why) he just stood there in the sand puzzled and then when he spotted me he flew to my shoulder.

I wanted so much to leave him there but I spotted a huge seagull keeping an eye on us and I could just hear it's thoughts "ah...stupid pigeon .. FOOD ..GOOD FOOD". The pigeon was just too bonded to me to be released. I brought him home.

After a lot of thinking I decided to advertise a "Tame Pigeon" in Craigslist. 19 July Saturday Morning I hit the perfect home for him. A bit of a drive out to Fullerton (50 miles round trip) but a wonderful young couple with an outdoor aviary. When I arrived there I took "Pidgie" out of the cage and he hopped to my shoulder. Then he flies and lands on his new master's head! Instant love there.

Yesterday I got an email from them. Pidgie's new name is George and he is already outdoors in a corner of the back yard. He follows them around the yard and enjoys pecking at the gravel in his little corner.

A lesson learned: with a really young pigeon they will tame up and be impossible to be re-introduced to a wild life. The good part with pigeons is that they can be kept outdoors.

HH Joe

ivan salis · Jul 23, 2008

yep he imprinted on you --but it in that case its was let him imprint on you or step away and let him die ---once out of the nest the seagulls would have picked him off ---the stronger ones in the nest tend to kick out the weaker ones --its survival of the fittest in action nasty but needed in nature.

death by being pecked by seagulls is a long nasty ordeal --- happy to hear "george" got a "second chance" --not many animals do