160609 Egyptian Swift Male gone after 1st time outside

160609 Egyptian Swift Male gone after 1st time outside
It's been 2 hours and I'm worried. 
For 8 years, I had two lesbian Pigeons.

Now I have a ménage à trois, ... Cleopatra and the new M/F Egyptians.
Two weeks ago she laid 2 eggs and all three sat on the nest, taking turns.
I've had the new Egyptians 1 month so decided to set them free outside, very first time in his 3 year life free outside.
Since he had 2 wife's, food, water, shelter, etc he would consider this "Home" and would stick around (They usually do).
. . He sat outside next to the aviary for quite a while eating, drinking, and taking a bath, then flew a circle in the yard, then up to a tree and sat there a long time.

THEN he flew in a very large circle over the house at a fairly high altitude...
then headed west. ...... been gone nearly 2 hours.. Still a GOOD chance he will return ??? But.. less than 100 miles west is where he was hatched... flew back there??
(Still waiting an hoping).

160602c 2731 Pigeon nesting material sticks Female Egyptian Swift
160609d 2731 Pigeon Male Egyptian 1st time outside
160609f 2731 Pigeon Male Egyptian 1st time outside
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160425 4 pigeons on railing, Nile later missing

160425 4 pigeons on railing, Nile later missing 
Every morning they would fly to the deck to say good morning... and beg to come in the house. Sometimes I would let them. Now Nile is gone (2nd from front). Niles wife, Cleopatra, and I miss Nile very much.



Pic 151220 2731 Pigeons four on railing Newbie 2.5 Nile Cleoplara.JPG
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160425 Cleopatra is depressed, Nile missing

 160425 Cleopatra is depressed ... for 5 days, hoping and waiting for Nile to return. Roof peaks that she never sat on before ... Hours gazing out searching and waiting. Standing on the spot on the railing where she and Nile spent time in the sun. In 3 years, they had never once left my yard.
 

. . Nile was always the first one to fly to the deck and see me in the morning.
. . Most likely Nile was chased by a hawk, now lost or killed? The Egyptian Swift breed has a homing instinct for up to 100 miles. They also fly with an amazing hawk evading maneuver, continuous very abrupt changes in direction. But he was very tame and vulnerable.
. . We put up posters at many places including the Humane Society. Some years ago I got an injured Pigeon back from there after 5 days missing.
. . Still hoping, but the odds are very poor now ~:<(
I'm very sad too. I really miss him......


Pics 160421f  2731 Pigeon Nile missing - Cleopatra.JPG ... plus p and q
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Looks like Velcro is going to stick around

If you missed part 1, Velcro nearly died -
Part 1 - Missing or dead, My best friend gravely injured. But It was a happy day with Champagne in the water bowl with the reunion of Velcro and 2.5 after 9 days apart (short video). 2.5 was so sad the whole time but was overwhelmed with Joy when Velcro returned. They love each other so very much.
2.5 didn't know what to do.. jumped from perch to perch for a half hour, then they went into the nest where 2.5 moaned and moaned for hours and hours (Orgasm?) .... Interesting, because they're both female (Lesbian Pigeons?).
Velcro is doing very well, her limp is getting better and her feathers are already starting to grow back and part of her stitches have fallen off. She slept on my arm all day yesterday, she's happy and content.
Today Velcro and Spot-Dove went to visit the family and twin 8 yr old girls who rescued Velcro the night she almost died. We gave them Beanie Baby birds, like Velcro.

MISSING – worse odds than the lottery, but…

I just can’t believe it…I just can’t believe it.. I just can’t believe it. I had already said "Goodbye" to her. I was sure she was gone forever, gone 5 days, 2 days in a very nasty blizzard, -25 wind chill…I was sure I’d never see her again. She had died. 

Pretty tough bird. Now I know what happened to her. Now I believe in miracles.
At night, 3/7/09 around 8:00pm, she was attacked IN the aviary by an animal (Cat I presume). She managed to escape and flew two blocks in the dark and spotted an open garage door with the lights on inside…she flew inside and landed up on a shelf. The Husband came out to close the door for the night and spotted her.
He chased her out but she flew right back in and back on the shelf again. His wife and twin 8 yr old girls came out and again they chased her out and she flew back in again. Then they realized she was bleeding and badly injured. The Husband simply reached up and put his hands around her and she didn’t resist. They took her in and cared for her then took her to an all-night Animal Emergency Hospital about 10pm (about 2 miles away).
The animal hospital stitched up a half inch puncture wound in her chest and shaved all the feathers off her back and under her wings and on her chest, then stitched up two long gashes in her back. She was x-rayed and limping but had no broken bones. Today 3/12/09 she is still limping badly, but in time I’m sure she’ll be fine.

Three days later the animal hospital brought her to the Humane Society where, to my amazement,  I found her Yesterday.
The entire staff of 6 and a few customers huddled around and we were all misty eyed and sniffling as I thanked them and took her home.
All her life she had never flown out of the back yard. She and 2.5 are the best of friends and they always stay in the yard.
This video is one of the reasons I love her. 

For years I didn’t close the aviary door at night but then a year ago I started to have some trouble. Over a few weeks, 4 pigeons killed or missing. Then I saw a cat lurking around and tried to trap it..no luck. So that’s when I began to close the aviary door every night. Now, for nearly a year, that cat has not been around. Since no cats were around and it was still cold, I decided to leave the door open like I always used to. The next day, Velcro was missing. I was hoping she had just gotten lost and would return but for days, she didn’t, I waited and waited. I tried to find her body in the yard. I began to put up posters. The Humane Society is many many miles from us so I didn’t check there until yesterday… and I was still hoping she’d return.
But she is now home and I’m typing this with one hand because she is sleeping on my arm. It’s nice to have the family back together again.
And now (a few days later) I have more good news. I have the sweetest video of Velcro... and related events... will post soon.
Update - Part 2, the reunion
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Doctors (Vet) report below:
Emergency clinic report (excerpts).
Pigeon with ID on Left foot MFRG 2008 785
Physical exam
Stable, alert, tame and interested in eating. Ambulatory with pain on left leg, not fully weight bearing. Physical Exam does not reveal source of pain, but could be related to the two large sores on her body: Dorsal gaping 2cm wound with necrotic tissue, and latero-ventral left side – scar. Suspect animal bite injury, Radiograph did not reveal shot in body. Affected leg can grip finger, She can perch and walk around cage, is flighted but not flying around room area. VERY GENTLE.
Q/A – Stray pigeon with skin injuries and left leg grade 1-2/4 lamb.
P – Clean wounds, provide warmth, food and analgesia/abx.
Enrogloxacin 3.24 mg BID IM – 22.7mg/ml" 3.24mg (0.14cc)Imkx
Meloxicam .0.0325 mg PO QID
Isofluane mask – Primary wound on left body wall and secondary V shaped flap right body – makes bite wound suspect. Debrided skin edges and removed contaminated/discolored tissue. Flushed well. Closed skin with a 4-0 vicryl in interrupted fashion and cut tags short as they will fall out with time.
Pigeon doing well, Will bring to Humane Society.
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