A kind employee of the Grocery Store Outlet in downtown San Diego alerted us to a pigeon trapped in the store. The bird had been trying to get out by flying into their large windows but seemed otherwise ok. In the photo below you can see the imprint marks left when the pigeon hit the glass, leaving behind the natural oils and feather dust all birds have.
The manager let us come in after hours to try and catch the bird. We were unsuccessful the first night because they wouldn’t come down from the high ceiling and no ladder or net was tall enough to reach them.
The second night we were successful! The pigeon was foraging in the cereal aisle when we arrived. We set up a wire crate with a string attached to the door. That way one volunteer could move a respectable distance away and still pull the door shut. A trail of seed led to the edge of the crate with an enticing pile of seeds inside the crate. One volunteer held the string while two others moved slowly around the pigeon to gently herd him towards the trap. Once he was caught he spent the night in Jenna’s guest bedroom and was released in the supermarket parking lot the next morning. He immediately flew off toward a flock of pigeons in the distance. Big thanks to the Grocery Store Outlet for allowing a humane catch and release instead of calling a pest removal company.