- Some of the thousands of racing pigeons
that mysteriously scrapped their East Coast flight plans and headed for
destinations unknown are landing in Westmoreland County.
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- Linda Dailey of Pleasant Unity said Friday
that her 25-year-old son, Richard, found a homing pigeon flopping along
the berm of Route 130 Wednesday.
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- "We have it in a cage right now,
and it's getting its strength back. Richard said it was almost hit by a
car and was scared to death when he found it," Dailey said.
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- Kate Nicely of Ligonier said she knew
immediately that a pigeon that abruptly landed at a Cook Township farm
on Route 711 south where she works was out of place.
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- "I was outside and this pigeon just
flew down by me ... I noticed it was different because it was so tame it
eats right out of your hand," said Nicely.
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- Dailey and Nicely said the birds had
colorful bands attached to their legs.
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- The pigeons apparently are among thousands
of racing birds that flew off course during homing competitions last weekend
along the East Coast.
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- Dailey and Nicely read reports about
the mass disappearance of the racing fowl.
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- During a 150-mile race Monday from Breezewood
in Fulton County to Philadelphia, only 100 out of 700 birds eventually
made it to their destination.
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- In another race, some 1,600 out of 1,800
racing pigeons vanished while flying from Newmarket, Va., to Allentown.
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- The disappearances have perplexed organizers
of the racing pigeon community.
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- JoAnne Moore of Phoenixville in Chester
County said she has been deluged this week with telephone calls reporting
missing pigeons showing up in backyard bird feeders. Her husband, Gary,
was in charge of the Breezewood race on Monday.
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- Moore even received one inquiry from
Florida, but she doubted a bird would travel that distance.
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- The pigeons have been spotted in Philadelphia,
where 100 birds were seen resting on a ledge at a warehouse, West Virginia
and even Canton, Ohio.
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- Dailey and Nicely worry about the birds'
safety.
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- "I'm concerned because with the
number of hawks and cats around here ... this bird is so tame something
might kill it," said Nicely.
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- Moore said the pigeons should instinctively
find their way home.
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- "Persons who find the birds should
just sit tight and wait for the weather to change. The birds should eventually
take off for home," she said. "People should just give them some
bird seed and water until they get their bearings back and the weather
changes."
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- Homing pigeons find their way using the
sun and the earth's magnetic field as a compass, according to experts.
Changing atmospheric conditions can throw the pigeons off course, but they
eventually find their way back home.
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- Moore said her husband will oversee a
300-mile pigeon race between Somerset County and Philadelphia Sunday morning.
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- "There are numerous competitions
each weekend," she said.
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