Thanx Nate for your kind words. I was thinking the same things that you wrote. Would Abi have been happy held captive in a loft? No he would not. I would watch him with the mourning doves every afternoon, he cooed and chased them off the ground and sky high! He would circle the house here three or four times and then land on the roof. He loved his freedom, unfortunately I think it may have cost him his life. I guess that is mother nature. It cannot be controled and it would have been selfish of me to confine Abi. I remember one cold night here this past winter....I picked him up and put him in that shed, I filled it with newspapers, straw and lots of food and water. Early in the morning when I went to check on him and free him he was so ready to fly out of there. It is so sad now to see all the mourning doves feeding in the grass without Abi following! There have been alot of hawks around here recently...I am hoping Abi was smart enough to avoid them! Or maybe my human touch and kindness towards him led him to someone else who harmed him.

You cant torture yourself with thoughts like that. chances are that Abi has fully matured and gone to lead her own life with a mate, Many years ago i found a very young jackdaw fallen out of nest, his breastbone was poking through his chest, brought him home and was told by the experts he would die, he didnt, slept in my room, as he got a bit stronger he would hop round my bed til i picked him up and would sleep on my pillow. Eventually we tried to get him back into the wild, even took him back to where i found him, he was still on my shoulder when we got home so we put him in the shed and let him out every morning. He would hop in for breakfast before playing out for the day but was always sat on the wall waiting for me to come home from school. Gradually he ventured further to the point of having to call him for bed and many times i walked further down the road eventually about half a mile away looking for him until one day he never came back, it coincided with him getting his adult ring so we had to focus on the fact he had found a mate, the alternative we couldnt bear. I was heartbroken for a long time and would shout his name whenever i saw a jackdaw, even now i get wistfull when i see one and wonder what did happen. It was a very gradual process. Ithink he just needed us to help him grow up and though he was incredibly tame and affectionate to us the call of the wild eventually won him.

I am wondering if the wierd neighbors next door put some poison down somewhere. They hate any animals in their yard except their dogs. And they have only a little fenced section where their dogs are allowed to go. My backyard is empty of squirrels yesterday and today and only saw two morning doves today. Wierd!

Knowing these birds a little, Abi has shown there was a human with in his world, Feral Pigeons simply are not as friendly towards humans as one would think, unless they are (park ferals) where humans feed them daily.
Abi could very well be a loft bird that comes to visit you often, but somewhere along the line, there is or has been a human.
Donna, you have done your best by Abi, you won that little ones heart, even as a (unknown human), Abi felt a trust in you, be proud of this fact.
You have touched Abi and Abi has touched you, truly a remarkable relationship.
Its that time of year for mating and such, there very well could be a new love in Abi's life, I guess what I am saying is, Please don't think bad things that could of happened, try and think of all the good things that can happen.
Lets all pray your dear friend returns to the love you both share.
For now, "Hang onto the special moments you shared with Abi".

Thanx for your kind words Arty! It will be a week tomorrow morning since I last saw Abi. I am hoping he found a mate and is safe somewhere. Today is day three not seeing my little squirrel "Peanut" also. He is gone too and so are the others...wierd. I handfed him here for two years. He would hang in the yard here all day and even scratch at my door to be fed every morning. I am hoping no one put poison out somewhere. There are alot of feral cats in and out of this yard too! The mourning doves are not even around. My backyard is like a ghost town now....very strange!

Well, now that you have mentioned it, our Duck friends are coming here less often, still I change there tubs of water each day.
There used to be so many squirrels around I had a hard time counting them, not just a hand few as I am seeing now.
But I am seeing more birds visit, soooo things are balancing out here in the long run.
Only (mother) knows where her little ones are and what they are doing.....
I got another call this morning, another Racer is hanging around this persons house, I told her how to live trap the bird and get the complete numbers off the band.
2 days ago, another racing owner turned his back unto one of his birds, Had to find a adopter, to far for me to drive.
I completely forget that you already are caring for dogs, so Abi shouldn't be Leary about that.
I am concerned about you, I know how concerned you are about Abi, but please try and think positively.
Just some food for thought, I have received less e-mails concerning poisonings this year, This could very well be a sign of changes to come, I keep (hoping) anyways...
We all have HOPE and prayers never hurt....
Peace to you my dear friend...be good!
Arty

Was sending an email from my laptop at my desk in the window today and all of a sudden I see a white bird fly down on the lawn! Abi returned after 8 days! Half of his tail feathers are missing and he looks like maybe he was trapped somewhere....he ate out of his seed dish for like 20 minutes! He even went back up in that tree by my bedroom....he never goes there anymore! I am soooo happy Abi made his way back to me!

Oh Donna, you've just made my day! This is wonderful news. Please tell Abi he needs to just stay with you from now on.

Thanx Karen, I thought I was seeing things. I ran out and had to make sure it was really Abi. Well, he sure made my day too!

You don't know how happy I am for you!
I have been waiting for this post!