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Ever try training a pigeon?
Pigeons range from white to multi-clored and plain feathers to curly-feathered show pigeons. (RICK CHASE/COURIER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Taking flight
Flood victims work to resume homing pigeon training
By EMILY CHRISTENSEN, Courier Staff Writer
CEDAR FALLS --- When the latch lifted on the birdhouse loft, the pigeons made a quick break for freedom, taking to the air in a whir of flapping wings and excited coos.
They flew in a tight circle in the open air above their loft for several minutes before many came to rest on the building's roof.
"We call them jailbirds, because usually we can't let them out," said Frank Gibson.
Gibson and his wife, Pam, have trained the homing birds at their North Cedar home for about four years. They were in the early stages of starting a pigeon release business for weddings and funerals when the rising waters of the Cedar River derailed their plans.
The couple had just arrived in the Cayman Islands when friends called to tell them their home was being threatened by the river. The Gibsons told them of a few precious mementos to save from the home, but never imagined their birds would be bothered by the water.
"Our neighbor called us again and told us the water was predicted to reach the top of the bird loft and asked us what we wanted them to do," Pam said. "We had no choice. We told them to open the doors."
The decision was heartbreaking for the couple who knew most of their birds likely wouldn't make it home if they left the loft. Most had only flown around the neighborhood and hadn't been trained to return home should they stray too far.
But the alternative was even worse.
"If we didn't open the doors, they would have drowned," Pam said.
Of the approximately 150 pigeons the Gibsons had acquired over the years, about 50 survived the flood and returned home. Gibson found several birds perched atop the loft when they came back from vacation. A few more have been spotted and captured at homes and businesses within about 30 miles of the Gibsons' home.
But it is a little pigeon named Harold that has the real story to tell.
"We got a call from a gentleman in Rochester, N.Y., who said he thought one of our birds was hanging out at his house," Pam said.
The man had used a band around the bird's leg to track it back to its rightful owners. When he finally got in contact with the Gibsons, he offered to ship the bird back if they would tell him how.
So Harold --- who is named for the New Yorker who saved him --- made the 900-mile trip back home in a special pigeon-safe box.
"We couldn't wait for him to get here so we could see which bird it was. All our records were lost in the flood so we had no real way of telling over the phone," Pam said. "Sure enough, it was one of our babies who had never flown before and he made it all the way to Rochester. He really wasn't in any shape to do that, so maybe a big storm just blew him that way."
Though the Gibsons' immediate business plans are on hold, they do plan to continue working toward that goal. They have enough pigeons trained to possibly do small funeral releases, but expect it could be another year before a fresh batch of pure white pigeons are ready for weddings.
If you think you have seen one of the Gibsons' birds --- they would have a colored band around one or both of their feet --- call Pam Gibson at (319) 404-2987.
Contact Emily Christensen at (319) 291-1570 or emily.christensen@wcfcourier.com.
They flew in a tight circle in the open air above their loft for several minutes before many came to rest on the building's roof.
"We call them jailbirds, because usually we can't let them out," said Frank Gibson.
Gibson and his wife, Pam, have trained the homing birds at their North Cedar home for about four years. They were in the early stages of starting a pigeon release business for weddings and funerals when the rising waters of the Cedar River derailed their plans.
The couple had just arrived in the Cayman Islands when friends called to tell them their home was being threatened by the river. The Gibsons told them of a few precious mementos to save from the home, but never imagined their birds would be bothered by the water.
"Our neighbor called us again and told us the water was predicted to reach the top of the bird loft and asked us what we wanted them to do," Pam said. "We had no choice. We told them to open the doors."
The decision was heartbreaking for the couple who knew most of their birds likely wouldn't make it home if they left the loft. Most had only flown around the neighborhood and hadn't been trained to return home should they stray too far.
But the alternative was even worse.
"If we didn't open the doors, they would have drowned," Pam said.
Of the approximately 150 pigeons the Gibsons had acquired over the years, about 50 survived the flood and returned home. Gibson found several birds perched atop the loft when they came back from vacation. A few more have been spotted and captured at homes and businesses within about 30 miles of the Gibsons' home.
But it is a little pigeon named Harold that has the real story to tell.
"We got a call from a gentleman in Rochester, N.Y., who said he thought one of our birds was hanging out at his house," Pam said.
The man had used a band around the bird's leg to track it back to its rightful owners. When he finally got in contact with the Gibsons, he offered to ship the bird back if they would tell him how.
So Harold --- who is named for the New Yorker who saved him --- made the 900-mile trip back home in a special pigeon-safe box.
"We couldn't wait for him to get here so we could see which bird it was. All our records were lost in the flood so we had no real way of telling over the phone," Pam said. "Sure enough, it was one of our babies who had never flown before and he made it all the way to Rochester. He really wasn't in any shape to do that, so maybe a big storm just blew him that way."
Though the Gibsons' immediate business plans are on hold, they do plan to continue working toward that goal. They have enough pigeons trained to possibly do small funeral releases, but expect it could be another year before a fresh batch of pure white pigeons are ready for weddings.
If you think you have seen one of the Gibsons' birds --- they would have a colored band around one or both of their feet --- call Pam Gibson at (319) 404-2987.
Contact Emily Christensen at (319) 291-1570 or emily.christensen@wcfcourier.com.
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