4/14/2023 0 Comments Passenger pigeonRather I intended to look at "mourning doves" and pigeons in Wisconsin more closely, hoping to find that passenger pigeon again, or ideally his flock. Without proof of the encounter, I didn't report the sighting or even take notes. I do intend to try again if I see the bird in the future, however. I don't have an exact percentage, but I'd estimate that even under the best circumstances in a bird-rich environment like Horicon Marsh, birds evade being photographed the majority of the time.Īnd so just like any other day, I didn't get the picture. The pigeon had actually been watching two cars approaching, the one behind me making noise and no doubt attracting his attention.Įven when birds are acclimated to traffic, and I employ my usual method of using my car as a duck blind, missed photo opportunities are the norm. That's when I noticed another car coming up quickly behind me. The swallows remained on the line, the male with his back toward traffic. But the large pigeon tilted its head and watched me approach, and then flew off before I could stop the car or raise the camera. I braked, intending to stop on the shoulder and take pictures through the driver's window. I'd also welcome other birders' opinions on what they think the bird is, if not a passenger pigeon. I had my camera with me and wanted that picture, knowing it would be important to have proof of the encounter. Another possibility is that the bird had blown off course, or his normal nesting grounds had become uninhabitable, and he'd flown a long way to find an area with many large flocks of similar-looking mourning doves. Perhaps he was nesting in the area, and had spent his stored energy on raising chicks. That could mean he was low on fat reserves. I wondered about his lower stomach, which wasn't fat like most pigeons' or doves'. The pigeon also looked more athletic than a dove or other pigeons - less chubby in the lower tummy, with a slight bird's "cleavage." He was taller and wider at the shoulders than any mourning dove I'd ever seen, his size approximated by comparison to the swallows next to him. The bird had a pigeon's head and beak, a gray back, and a breast as red as a robin's. The dove landed about a foot away from the swallows, and that's when I realized that I wasn't seeing one of the many mourning doves or kestrels in the area, but a living passenger pigeon. The lighting was perfect, slanted but with direct sunlight coming from the other side of my car, illuminating the birds like a spotlight. Because I'm always looking for good pictures, the larger bird caught my eye. If you think you've seen a passenger pigeon, visit the Contact page for a form to submit your sighting to appear on the Sightings page.įOND DU LAC COUNTY, WISCONSIN - While driving along a rural 2-lane highway this summer, I spotted three swallows sitting on a power line, approached by a very large mourning dove. Tweet Follow I now have a separate page with Passenger Pigeon Sightings from the birding community. The holy grail of birding: Pam's passenger pigeon sighting Where can I find some of these prints locally?: The holy grail of birding: Pam's passenger pigeon sighting (Wisconsin) - Horicon Birds news
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