Well, I was asked to return to 911pigeonalert by the owner of the board.
Its that time of year, Ellen and I spoke for awhile on the phone, my political involvement with helping the Pigeon came up, seems being a Moderator of the 911pigeonalert board demands I tone down on my political objectives.
A racing friend of mine said he took 25 birds out for training, 4 came home, where are the others I asked him, well they probubly joined the feral flock that lives close to here, he went on by saying those birds should be destroyed.
So I said to him, "you love and care for your Pigeons but support the destruction of the wild pigeons?".
The politics involved within the racing world are hard for me to understand.
I was reading the 911pigeonalert mission statement.
911 Pigeon Alert Group
Mission:
To assist in the rescue, recovery and return of lost/found pigeons to their breeder/owners. To educate the public on pigeons, reducing or eliminating any misconceptions and myths they may hold about pigeons. To track and make available recovery and return statistics to those organizations affiliated with the group.

Who are the 911 Pigeon Alert Group? -

The 911 Pigeon Alert Group is made up of dedicated individuals including racing and show pigeon hobbyists, pigeon rehabilitators, and volunteers who are members of the public. Group Moderators and recovery & return Facilitators include members from the AU, IF, NPA, NBRC and other organizations.

What does the 911 Pigeon Alert Group Do? –

Volunteers assist with as many as 50 lost pigeons per week that are reported found. Many times the finders are members of the general public who have no clue as to how to care for pigeons, or how to get them back home to their owners. These birds, when banded, are traced back to their breeders/owners and the finders and owners are put in contact with each other. This allows the birds to be returned to their home lofts easily.

How does the 911 Pigeon Alert Group work? -

The 911 Pigeon Alert Group uses Web (internet) based tools to allow the finders to indicate they have found a bird, as well as share the information about the birds’ condition, appearance, and registration band numbers.

The Groups main access point on the Web is 911PigeonAlert : Lost & Found Pigeon Assistance .

The Groups primary email address is 911PigeonAlert-owner@yahoogroups.com where any contact info can be passed on to Group Moderators.

When someone finds a lost pigeon, the information about the bird and the finder can be best passed on via an online contact form on the Web. This form, found at 911PigeonAlert.org - Lost/Found Form is the most efficient means of getting a quick response about the lost / found bird. This is a user friendly form used to share all of the information regarding the found pigeon and send a message to the moderators of the 911 Pigeon Alert Group. The finder will receive information back in less than a day providing them with information on caring for the found pigeon as well as assistance in tracing the birds’ breeder/owner (when the bird is banded with a National Organizations band).

What type of information is provided the public?

The 911 Pigeon Alert Group provides instructions on feeding, housing, and caring for an injured pigeon while its home is being located. The Group also provides contact information on the various National Pigeon Organizations and on local pigeon enthusiasts who can assist with caring for the lost / found bird.

What is the Goal of the 911 Pigeon Alert Group?

The primary goal of the Group is to assist the public in returning found pigeons to their breeder/owner whenever possible. When the breeder/owner cannot be located, or when the breeder/owner is willing, the pigeon is adopted out to either the finder or an existing pigeon fancier nearby.

Ancillary goals include; 1) To educate the public by providing informational material on pigeons to reduce or eliminate any misconceptions and myths they may have about pigeons. 2) To assist with misplaced and injured pigeons when ever possible, including those without bands. 3) To bridge the gap between misinformation and ideas held by the public and the truth about pigeons, their habits, health, and effects on humans.

What is the 911 Pigeon Alert Group expecting from the Pigeon Enthusiast?

Those pigeon fanciers who breed and band pigeons with traceable registered bands are expected to be responsible for the birds they breed and own. When one of these birds is lost, and subsequently found and reported to the 911Pigeon Alert Group, the band will be traced back to the breeder/owner. When the breeder/owner is contacted, they are expected to willing accept the return of their lost bird. We need them to occasionally interact with members of the public who may have found their bird, and to interact in a politically correct manner.

This means they are polite and cooperate with the return of their banded bird, and provide only the best image of pigeon fanciers to those members of the public.

What is the 911 Pigeon Alert Group expecting from the National Organizations?

The 911 Pigeon Alert Group expects the National (banding) Organizations to require their members to act in a responsible fashion when retrieving their pigeons and when dealing with others. We expect these same organizations to take action when an organization member is unwilling to accept the return of one of their own banded pigeons. We ask that all National banding organizations support the concept that there is an implied responsibility when breeding and banding pigeons, and that this responsibility includes retrieval of found birds.

Why was the 911 Pigeon Alert Group founded?

The 911 Pigeon Alert Group began as a coordinating effort to bring together the many individuals who were performing the rescue, recovery and return function with lost/found pigeons on their own. It was viewed as a method to consolidate resources and enhance the efforts to get lost/found pigeons (especially performing pigeons) back to their home lofts.

Today the Groups goals include promoting a positive public image of pigeon fanciers, encouraging pigeon breeders to continue to be responsible about the return of their birds, and to facilitate the placement of those birds when returning them to their original homes is no longer an option.

High points of the Group so far?

The 911 Pigeon Alert Group has been able to assist with the rescue, recovery and return (or adoption) of nearly 1000 pigeons since its inception. We have aided in enhancing the image of pigeon fanciers with many local and regional government bodies and agencies. We have helped return birds (including Racers, Rollers, Tipplers, Kings, Fantails, Highfliers, Modenas, Runts, and doves) to homes throughout the world. The Group has assisted pigeons, in Europe, Canada, Poland, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Scotland, and the United States.

Ellen Walley
Owner/Moderator 911 Pigeon Alert Group

I informed Ellen that I am not a racer, I am not a breeder, I am a Rescuer and a Protector of the Pigeon, I enjoy helping the Racer get home safely, I thrive on helping the Pigeon in general, the more mankind abuses this bird the more I will get into the way of such abuse, I left it at that.
I can't help but to wonder if there will ever be (PEACE) for the bird of Peace....the Pigeon.
BrokenWing

__________________

When all is done that is asked from me and I can fly no higher, I pray this day his hand extends to welcome home a flyer.
Author : http://www.pigeonrescue.com/
Website:http://pigeonworld.informe.com/index...e3a2a754004832
Watch: http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...29577913622678
Sign: http://www.all-creatures.org/alert/alert-20070124.html
E-Mail tallship30@yahoo.com

Arty do you know why some people want to see an end to the wild pigeons?

I can see issues with the general public, the Pigeons do multiply rapidly, they can be very messy when speaking of large numbers, there fecal matter can be an issue, one will find this same issue with all community birds such as the Starling, the Monk Parakeet, the Sea Gull etc.
The Racing world is disturbing to me, this world contributes a great deal to the Feral populations, fact is all Feral flocks we see today are directly from the Pigeon hobbist and or the Racing world, these birds when trained and or raced fail to make it back to there lofts for reasons un-known, it could be a storm, or a hawk or eagle that takes chase and dis-orients the bird, the bird ends up with a feral flock.
Then there are Racers that practice Basket Culling, where multiple birds are taken far from there lofts and released to fend for themselfs, this helps the racer keep a clear mind as he-she didn't actually kill the birds by a quick snap of the neck, this contributes to the feral population and to the General publics problem.
As you can see Culling is alive and well within the Racing Sport, these Racing people breed multiple birds hoping for a winner, to large of a bird are destroyed, as well as to small, there are standards to follow.
As with all wildife there are diseases and viruses, Racing folks won't allow a Pigeon that they have lost back into there loft that has been missing for a length of time, this would place all there birds into harms way, so many folks simply kill the bird when returned to them, many folks say this doesn't happen, but when you hear Loft owners admit this it TAINTS the sport.
So....most Pigeon Racers support the destruction of the feral flocks, these flocks encourage there birds not to come home...they claim.
Also, many Racers will say "keep the bird", the last thing a Rescuer wants to hear, well, the bird couldn't find his/her way home and is no good to the Racing Person.
I took in well over 28 Pigeons from one person that called upon me, this Racing Person was going to cull his birds, but found me, his loft is now full again as he tries to come up with a winner.
He has lost many birds during training, Feral flocks continue to grow, the publics responce continues to grow, and the Pigeon continues to be slaughtered as if there life has no meaning.
My heart continues to RACE as I try to protect this wonderful bird in all this political bull.

There are many folks spending valued time helping the Pigeon.
911pigeonalert is one group dedicated to helping all Pigeons.
At one time there was this little Pigeon perched on the outside light to these folks home, they wouldn't touch the bird but could see the bird had bands on his/her legs, for days I watched a Moderator try and get these folks to catch the bird and read the bands so we could find the owner, they simply would not touch the bird.
I became involved and called that cities pigeon clubs, I finally located the names and phone numbers of a member that I hoped would help, when I reached this person he drove to the house and caught the bird, called me and reported the bird was a Roller and that he knew the owner, for 3 days we tried to get the people to catch the bird, it took me 2 hrs of making phone calls to get this bird some help.
Why is the public so concerned about these birds, mainly because they have been mis-informed about these wonderful birds, pest control companies flurish on making statements about these birds that simply put are not true, never has there been a reported case of anyone becoming ill from coming in contact with a Pigeon, they are wonderful birds.
Then you add a few (higher up) people that make stupid remarks about the Pigeon and this fuels the publics image.
I have spent a generous part of my life helping these birds, My work is not done yet.
These birds have helped mankind so very much through out mankinds history, looking at the Passenger Pigeon, (now extinct) these birds used to number in the billions, there flocks used to fill the skies and some where as long as 4 miles, These birds fed mankind for many years, folks were poor and starving, these birds gave there mere extistence to Mankind, now they are gone FOREVER.
I weep for the Pigeon, I become angry, Frustrated, Then I see the same thing happening to the Quaker (Monk Parakeet) and the starling and the Sea Gull, all at the hands of Mankind and his/her Killing ways.
Will things ever change?
As more and more wild animals become extinct my heart tells me (no) things will never change, then a new bird is found and I see (hope).
There is always HOPE, there is always PRAYERS, there is always YOU & I doing are best to make a difference.
BrokenWing

Turn me loose from your hands
Let me fly to distant lands
Over green fields, trees and mountains
Flowers and forest fountains
Home along the lanes of the skyway

For this dark and lonely room
Projects a shadow cast in gloom
And my eyes are mirrors
Of the world outside
Thinking of the way
That the wind can turn the tide
And these shadows turn
From purple into grey

For just a Skyline Pigeon
Dreaming of the open
Waiting for the day
He can spread his wings
And fly away again
Fly away skyline pigeon fly
Towards the dreams
You've left so very far behind

Just let me wake up in the morning
To the smell of new mown hay
To laugh and cry, to live and die
In the brightness of my day

I want to hear the pealing bells
Of distant churches sing
But most of all please free me
From this aching metal ring
And open out this cage towards the sun

That's beautiful, Arty! Did you write it?

Author Unknown

I was following a rescue one day on 911pigeonalert as another Moderator was trying to help this poor woman that just found a Pigeon flopping around in the lake, this person saved the bird from drowning but found one wing had been severed, assumption was a eagle or hawk had hit the bird.
She couldn't get the blood to stop, I called her on the phone and reccomended table flour to stop the bleeding and told her to keep the bird warm as I located the owner.
I located the owner who turned out to be 5 miles away, he honestly thought my call to him was a joke, I provided the owner with the lady's phone number and address.
I called to follow up with the woman and she said she was very impressed with the flour and the blood was stopped and the owner had already called her and was on his way to get his bird.
She was very concerned about stories she had heard about the Pigeon racing world and how some bird owners kill the birds that don't make it home.
I assured her that this is not completely true, the facts are very many Pigeon racers love and care about there birds very much and that there are some that cull there birds, they kinda taint the sport.
As we spoke the owner arrived, he done his best to save his bird and called the rescuer and I with the sad news that the Pigeon had fallen silent.
This all happened within 15 minutes time.
911pigeonalert supports culling for life, this is where unwanted birds are adopted out, we strive to make changes that will inprove the sports image and the Pigeons image.
I bump heads sometimes with the Pigeon Racer, But for the most I remain respectful as can be.
The real hero's are those that see a Pigeon in need and help the bird.
BrokenWing