The Sanctuary Flock

Turkey and his wife Fern are the only house pigeons currently in permanent residence at Moose’s Flock, and they will lobby to keep it that way. Turk is a German Beauty Homer (yes his nose is supposed to look like that) who was rescued from an awful situation by GLPR. He loves kids, car rides, snuggling and grocery stores. He is Moose’s Flock’s primary ambassabird.

Fern was previously a dedicated Emotional Support (ESA) pigeon for a wonderful family who were devastated that they couldn’t take her when they moved out of the country. She came to Moose’s Flock already accustomed to being a house pigeon and promptly married Turkey to make sure she would remain pampered indoors.

Mo is lucky to be alive. His parents built their nest under the eaves of a store that uses a pest control service. Pigeon hero Jennifer M noticed they were doing pest control and hung around to see if there were any pigeons she could save. She even asked to climb the ladder and take the nest with Mo and his sibling in it. She was refused. The pest control employees flung the nest off the roof like a frisbee, and Mo and his sibling flew out. They were approx. 1 week old. Jennifer caught Mo in her outstretched hand but couldn’t catch his sibling, who did not survive. Mo was raised by Jennifer and her pigeon Speedy and arrived at Moose’s Flock at 4 months old. He is bi-cultural human/avian and is married to Aspen.

Aspen was released into the wild, possibly for a free flight, and slammed hard and fast into a window or a wall. The top mandible of her beak was smashed back into her face, her shoulder tendons torn and her eye swollen, likely from a concussion. With extensive expert vet care her beak was popped back out into normal position and her other injuries fully healed. She is quiet and sweet and now happily married to Mo.

Moriarty is a big King Pigeon who was dumped in a park in Huntington Beach with 23 of his flock mates. They were all under the age of 6 months and all likely came from a breeder of squab. He was named Moriarty because he was the hardest to catch. Rescued and fostered by bird advocate Nancy Chiu, Moriarty and his wife Nola came to live at the sanctuary in 2023. When Nola passed away he married Taiga…

Taiga is a gorgeous young ex-racing pigeon who is named for the wintry landscape that her feathers so eloquently represent. She had her choice of males in the aviary but waited until Moriarty became available and then married him quickly.

Titan was found weighing only 250g. Given that his healthy body weight is about 650g, he was lucky to survive this level of emaciation. He was rescued by Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue and joined Moose’s Flock as a husband for Nike after Moose passed away. They are gently and happily married.

Nike was Moose’s second wife. She saw him through all his truimphs and was a comfort to him at the end. She has since remarried to Titan and she remains the female Absolute Unit of the flock. She enjoys people now and then but enjoys her pigeon pals more.

Tennessee is a “dove release” survivor who was married for a long time to a one eyed birdman named Darby. When he passed she returned to Avian Underdogs and then moved to Moose’s Flock to become a wife for Hadi. Her twin is Jabot – sometimes they are impossible to tell apart.

Hadi is a Red Booz Damascene pigeon. His breed is thought to have originated in Damascus, Syria. He is tiny, loud, and always buzzing around at 195 miles an hour. He adores his wife Tennessee and is an avid collector of pine needles for their nest.

Jabot was rescued after she was spotted hanging out outside a grocery store in Sacramento. She is a “dove release” survivor with no homing instincts. She is one of Moose’s Flock’s earliest sanctuary residents and has been happily married to Nico for years. They have even raised a feral pigeon foster named Seymour from egg to fledge (after which he went to Avian Underdogs for wilding up and release). Jabot may have cute gogo boots, but she is NEVER TO BE MESSED WITH, especially at the witching hour.

Aren’t feral pigeons beautiful? Nico was found on the sidewalk as a baby. His leg was broken but he was lucky to be picked up by exceptional pigeon rehabbers Deborah and Amelia. By the time he recovered he was imprinted and no longer releasable, but he isn’t complaining. He is married to the lovely spitfire Jabot.

Starbuck would like you to know that he is named for the character in Moby Dick, not the coffee chain. He is an ex-racing pigeon and happy to ditch that life for a marriage with Maude and all the baths and seed and safety a pigeon could want.

You don’t mess with Maude. She was one of the 24 king pigeons rescued in a park in Huntington Beach, just like Moriarty. But does she like Moriarty? No. She only likes Starbuck. That’s it.

Mr. Athena got lost in Orange County. He was discovered by someone who posted on a Facebook Group called What’s This Bird?, where he was misidentified as an Osprey and a Penguin. He is actually a breed called an Afghan Kaftar pigeon. OC Animal Care picked him up, brought him to Avian Underdogs, and then he joined Moose’s Flock. He is now married to Sienna.

Sienna accompanied her then husbird Robbie from Olive’s Place in Oklahoma all the way to Moose’s Flock. Robbie needed specliazed vet care and she remained his steadfast protector until he passed. She is now married to Mr. Athena, who we thought was a girl, then a boy, then perhaps a gay boy, but even if he’s all three Sienna won his heart and they are a quiet, loving couple.

Winner is an ex-racing pigeon who self-rescued by running between the feet of an unhoused man. The man called GLPR and waited until a volunteer came to get him. In exchange for his kindness he received groceries and dinner. Winner has the distinction of winning Esme’s heart after she rejected 4 other potential mates. Esme is the pickiest pigeon alive when it comes to boys.

Esme is an Afghan Shirazi pigeon who came to Avian Underdogs in a very bad state: emaciated, covered in feather lice and with her legs locked into huge bangles that made it hard for her to lie down. She joined Moose’s Flock as a mate for Balthazar and was a steadfast comfort for him until he passed. She then married Yukon who also passed away, and now she is married to Winner. She has survived widowhood x2 (that we know of), mycobacteria and multiple ear infections and is now doing very well.

Leica is the one who started the entire pigeon aviary. He and a friend showed up on the telephone wire outside Jenna’s house. She caught them, fell in love, and that was that. Leica has bigtime energy and can be kind of pushy, but he’s calmed down quite a bit as he’s aged.

Little Voice is married to Leica. They are a bit of an odd couple – he is twice her size -but they make it work. Little Voice is known for her ability to eat more than anyone else in the flock despite being the smallest bird around.

Swani is a “dove release” survivor who was found injured and brought to The Shore Sanctuary. While fully recovered, she is still extremely shy and prefers humans to stay very far away from her. She is extremely dedicated to her husband, Wisdom.

Wisdom is a very elderly (estimated 20+ years old) ex-racing pigeon who was found grounded in a backyard after being bitten by a dog. He was likely dumped because of his advanced age, but now that he has settled into Moose’s Flock he has shown that he has plenty of energy and spunk. He’s also a bit of a ladies man – he was briefly married to Braveheart before settling into a serious relationship with his wife, Swani.

Saphra was lucky to be rescued way back in 2012 by Body and Soul Equine in Los Angeles. When they moved to Tennessee, he was brought to Avian Underdogs with Jenna transporting. When she found out he was the last of the group of 9 from that transport that needed to be adopted, he joined Moose’s Flock. He is 13 (as of 2024) and acts like a 3 year old. He is married to Braveheart.

Braveheart was just a young racer when she was horribly mauled by a hawk. She lost an eye, broke a wing and suffered massive wounds to her chest and abdomen. It’s a miracle she survived, but thanks to months of vet and supportive care at Avian Underdogs, in addition to her amazing tenacity and will to live, she recovered as fully as possible. She will never fly again but she doesn’t seem to mind. She can usually be found snuggling with her husband Saphra or sleeping in the sun.

Shepherd flew his last race when he broke his wing. Fully healed now, he has gained the ability to fly but prefers to spend most of his time loafing and pestering the ladies.

Moonlight was found on Moonlight Beach with a dislocated shoulder that eventually required a wing amputation. He is one of the fiercest members of the flock and has no qualms about getting up in the faces of birds three times his size, so we often refer to him as The Gnat. His advances were accepted by one footed xferal pigeon Kluska and he is now a proudly married bird.

Kluska was a member of a local feral flock that board member Monika cares for. She had severe stringfoot that resulted in the loss of all toes except one (and that one doesn’t work properly). After healing up in Jenna’s living room she joined the Moose’s Flock aviary and married Moonlight. When a feral pigeon suffers to the point that they cannot grip to perch properly we deem them unreleasable as they would be easy targets. Kluska means “dumpling” in Polish, which is Monika’s native langauge.

Stormtrooper is a big, lovable oaf of a pigeon who wanted nothing more than to have a wife. He would sit in his box for hours just calling and calling and calling. Fortunately when Defiance came along they got right to marrying and setting up a house. They are the Odd Couple of Moose’s Flock, but who cares as long as they are happy.

Defiance was rescued after being shot in the chest with a pellet gun. The rest of her flock vanished. Once healed, it was determined that she would not be released for fear she would return to her flock’s area and be shot again. She is happy as can be in Moose’s Flock where there is ample food, daily baths, and the love of her mate, Stormtrooper.

Habibi is a Middle Eastern breed known as a Jelf. He was found huddling under the eaves of a roof during 4th of July fireworks. He is shy, calm, and mostly just likes to loaf in the sun.

Fitbit is a little 8 year old Portuguese Tumbler who had a good rescue life with his person until she needed to enter a care facility. She brought him to Avian Underdogs, then board member Chris adopted him. After awhile Chris and I played some Pigeon Tetris and now he lives at Moose’s Flock. His main interests are dancing for himself in the mirror and chasing any lady who gets within a few feet of him.

Tonka was brought to San Diego Humane Society. Moose’s Flock pulled him when we saw he had a crossbeak and possibly a chest injury. Tonka’s tail was brutally cut, which likely means he was intended to be used as a bait bird for falconry or for dog training. However he escaped, he also slammed his beak into something hard, resulting in a minor crossbeak. With beak trims every few weeks he as learned to eat on his own and is now a confident member of the flock who loves to plow his big body into anyone who gets in his way.

Bonus Bird (Bonus) was at the San Diego Humane Society Escondido Campus with Tonka. They were the only two pigeons there, and so they asked if we could pull them both instead of leaving Bonus alone. And so Bonus is bonus bird, unintended but welcome. He is about a year old and very sweet. He integrated into the flock effortlessly and spends most of his time hanging out near Tonka.

This is Lotto, and he has won the lottery a few times over already. Lotto was spotted hanging upside down from the Sunset Blvd sign in LA. His string entangled feet had gotten caught on the sign. After almost 4 hours, LA pigeon rescuer Jennifer M found someone who would come rescue “just a pigeon”. Those heroes are the SMART Animal Rescue Team. Lotto has many issues resulting from that accident, including nerve and tendon damage. Nonetheless he is a spunky, fierce little firecracker with an epic will to live.

Selkie was one of at least 17 pigeons who were abandoned in a shed when a pigeon breeder sold their home. The new owner discovered them, called Animal Control, and was told to set them free. The only thing that resulted from this was 3 dead pigeons and 14 others roosting on the telephone wire outside the house. A neighbor contacted Avian Underdogs, and Jenna went to collect everyone still alive. Moose’s Flock did not have room to take them all, but Selkie found a spot at the sanctuary.

Pinball is an xferal pigeon who was lucky to be rescued as a squeaker (just past fledgling stage). She was suffering from canker. She healed with the tender care of Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue founder Chava, but she has a permanently crooked beak and an open sinus cavity so she could not be released back into the wild. She is bright eyed and loving the aviary life here at Moose’s Flock.

Jeddah was pulled from San Diego Humane Society at their request. She was rescued young (banded 2024) so she probably was injured on her first race. A Good Samaritan discovered her being attacked by crows, but it turns out she had a broken wing which grounded her and the crows “traumatically amputated” the rest of the wing. A cleanup surgery by board member Dr. Athena Gianopoulos of Feathers and Fur Animal Hospital was needed, and it was during a recheck at the hospital that Jeddah married Wow.

Wow is a Chinese Owl pigeon rescued by Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue. He is named because his coo sounds like “cluck cluck WOW!”. His backstory is unknown but it clearly involved a degree in high fashion as he always sports a perfect blowout complimented by an understated but impeccably upturned collar.

Plague Doctor (“Doc”, “Plaguey Boy”) is a Syrian Baghdadi Pigeon who was found abandoned with an injured leg (ruptured collateral ligament in the knee) when he was very young (about 3 months old approx). He was also clearly emotionally traumatized from his past life and took awhile to start coming out of his shell. Once he is healed and confident enough he will join the aviary flock.

Tikrit is a Syrian Baghdadi pigeon who was found dumped at about 2-3 months old. She had bruises around her neck consistent with strangulation. Despite this harsh beginning, she is a friendly and confident young lady who enjoys flirting with everyone but hasn’t picked a mate yet.

Hennessy is a German Modena. Despite being the smallest of the Modena breeds, she is thicc and proud. Not much is known about her except that she enjoys loafing and vastly prefers the aviary life to being a house pigeon.

Ringneck doves Killer and Friend live in a separate aviary across from the pigeons. Killer is the one who started it all when he showed up in Jenna’s yard as a roughly 6 month old. Wondering what to do, she found Palomacy, who instructed her on proper aviary building and dove care and then pointed her to Avian Underdogs to adopt a wife. And the rest is history…