A pigeon has homed in on Debbie Mazorini鈥檚 Yankee Flats property.

Trouble is, it鈥檚 not his (or her) real home.

Marzorini was sitting on her back deck enjoying a cup of coffee with her spouse when the pigeon named Boomer first arrived in mid-June.

鈥淗e landed on the gazebo and it seemed he recognized my voice, so maybe he was raised by a woman,鈥� she says of the domestic pigeon she believes is a male. 鈥淗e came towards me, stopped and looked and then flew over to our pond.鈥�

Boomer quickly changed direction when Marzorini鈥檚 cats appeared on the scene. He eyed the couple鈥檚 greenhouse for a bit before moving in and making it his new home.

鈥淗e started following me, walking along on the ground while I was work in our big garden,鈥� she says. 鈥淲hen it was hot, I was out there every day; he鈥檇 go on the roof of the green house or in different trees.鈥�

Most mornings, Marzorini says Boomer likes to take to the skies for a bit and sometimes perches in different trees on the property throughout the day. But he always returns to his roost in the greenhouse to spend the night.

A National Geographic online report states that until now, two main theories say that pigeons rely either on their sense of smell to find their way home or they follow the Earth鈥檚 magnetic field lines.

Marzorini wonders if the nearby BC Hydro transmission lines have confused the bird. But new research suggests the pigeons may be using ultralow frequency sounds to navigate.

Pigeons can fly between 600 and 700 miles in a single day, with the longest recorded flight in the 19th century taking 55 days between Africa and England and covering 7000 miles, reports England鈥檚 Pigeon Control Resource Centre鈥檚 website.

On advice from the Canadian Pigeon Racing Union, the Marzorinis took Boomer to Armstrong, hoping it would be far enough away for his homing instincts to kick in and lead him to his real home.

Not so. Boomer was back in the greenhouse the same day.

So the couple travelled farther away to Vernon, releasing the bird in a field at Davison Orchards.

鈥淚t took him almost a week, but he came back here,鈥� says Marzorini. 鈥淗e obviously wants to be here, but I think he鈥檇 like to be with other birds. They鈥檙e very intelligent and very social.鈥�

Now that the busy gardening season is nearing an end, Marzorini says she is not outside as much and is worried Boomer will not be warm enough in her greenhouse over winter.

She has been feeding him and giving him water but does not want to bring him into her home over the winter.

鈥淗e gets excited when I bring his food down, he鈥檚 got quite a personality and he鈥檚 quite a friendly,鈥� she says. 鈥淗oming pigeons don鈥檛 fend for themselves like wild ones do.鈥�

Boomer wears a band that reads 鈥淐pru 28099 aka Boomer,鈥� but it is outdated and therefore not traceable.

鈥淚deally I want to find the owner, but if I can鈥檛 do that, I would like to find a place to send him,鈥� Marzorini says, pointing out a rescue facility in 91大黄鸭 might be an option. 鈥淪ome people have said stop feeding him, but that doesn鈥檛 seem humane.鈥�

barb.brouwer@saobserver.net
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