Published: May 01, 2009 08:04 pm
This pigeon refused to ask directions …
BY BRIAN L. HUCHEL
And ended up in Danville instead of Florida
Commercial-News
DANVILLE — So, this pigeon from Florida walks into a store on Batestown Road and wipes his feet on the mat.
Sound like the start of a bad joke? Not this time.
Batestown Bargain Mart cashier Jill Smith had a surprise on Thursday as she was stocking tables in a hallway of the business, located in the former Diamond School. As Smith watched, the pigeon wiped its feet on the mat and proceeded to walk into the business.
Now, the Bargain Mart has its share of pigeons around the building — but none as persistent as this bird.
“After a couple times of shooing it, I told my friend (who) works here, ‘This bird keeps coming in,’” Smith said. “I’ve never seen a pigeon do this.”
And as they came to find, this was no ordinary pigeon. After catching the bird, they noticed bands on its legs. Using those numbers and help from others, Smith was able to find out the bird was a racing pigeon belonging to an owner in Spring Hill, Fla.
Charles Coffing, a racing pigeon owner who lives northeast of Covington, Ind., picked up the bird Friday morning at the Batestown Bargain Mart. He believes the bird was released a week ago as part of a race that started just south of Nashville, Tenn.
The bird was intended to fly 500 miles south in a race to Florida. Instead, it ended up going more than 300 miles the wrong way.
“This is one tuckered bird,” Smith said.
Racing pigeons, which can fly up to 16 hours and reach speeds of 45 mph, can be distracted by a number of things, Coffing said.
“If they get hit with an electrical storm or other birds going the other direction, they get off the course,” he said.
He guessed that the other pigeons around the Batestown Bargain Mart, as well as the feeders it has, probably led to bird to land there. A familiarity with people probably led it to the front door of the business.
Coffing noted the bird, a hen, seemed a little frail, but otherwise OK.
