Pigeon Flying

[Niklas Terki]

Infact, as shown in this paper from1965,the body temperature of pigeons averages about 108F (43C), making itdifficult for their pathogens to survive in the human body and making littlefeet feel warm to the touch!

At the same time, I was working on a blockchain-related project. Spending all mytime worrying that I might be interfering with nature or abetting thedevelopment of a global greed-virus started to get to me.

Around the time I finally figured out the blockchain project, it became clear tome that Snowflake was probably not going to get better. They were havinghorrible seizures. I brought them to visit the park that was once their home,and then to a wildlife rescue center in Manhattan.

In the weeks that followed, I tried to think about how I could use my newpigeon-care skills to help other birds, or make pigeons a bigger part of mylife. I learned more about the people who keep pigeons on their roofs, andstarted to make serious plans to become one of them.

For many rooftop pigeon keepers in New York, keeping pigeons is a game, a gamequite different from pigeon racing or breeding for show. I learned that pigeonkeepers release their flocks during the day, and the birds fly out and intermixwith other neighboring flocks, communicating via flight. The pigeon keepers hopethat all the birds will come home in the evening, along with birds from aneighboring flock. Hundreds of birds can be gained or lost in a day, and birdscan be held hostage or ransomed back to their owners.

I hope that this peer-to-peer game ultimately results in happy pigeons andpeople. I enjoy imagining a future where many more people compete to attract andcare for flocks of birds, or engage in similar activities. This vision helped mein the late weeks of 2017.

The pigeon louse fly, Pseudolychia canariensis (Macquart), is a common ectoparasite of pigeons and doves. The louse flies (Hippoboscidae) are obligate blood-feeding ectoparasites of birds and mammals. Both adult males and females feed on the blood of their host. They are adapted for clinging to and moving through the plumage and pelage of their hosts. Strongly specialized claws help them cling to the hair or feathers of their particular host species. Pigeon flies retain their wings for their entire adult life. Others species are wingless (like sheep keds) or lose their wings once the newly emerged adults find a host (deer keds).

This fly is an obligate parasite of birds, especially feral and domestic pigeons and doves (Columbiformes). It is found wherever pigeons are encountered in tropical, subtropical, and temperate areas with mild winters worldwide. It occurs throughout Florida and the Southeastern United States.

Pigeon louse flies are brown dorso-ventrally flattened flies that live among the body feathers of pigeons and doves. They are about the same size as house flies (5 to 6 mm head and body length, wings 6 to 7 mm) and are very slow fliers. They have a tough exoskeleton that protects them from being crushed by the grooming host.

Louse flies have a very interesting reproductive strategy. The female produces one larva at a time and retains the developing larva in her body until it is ready to pupate. The larva feeds on the secretions of a "milk gland" in the uterus of its mother. After three larval instars, the larva has reached its maximum size, the mother gives birth to the white pre-pupa which immediately begins to darken and form the puparium or pupal shell. The pupa of the pigeon louse fly looks like a dark brown, egg-shaped seed. The pupa is found in the nest of the host or on ledges where the birds roost. When the fly has completed its metamorphosis, the winged adult emerges from the puparium and flies in search of a host.

Figure 3. White pre-pupa (terminal larval instar which has stopped feeding and immediately begins to form the puparium when it is delivered by the mother), brown pupa and an adult pigeon louse fly, Pseudolychia canariensis (Macquart). Photograph by Karen Wheeler, University of Florida.

This fly is an obligate parasite of birds, especially feral and domestic pigeons (Columba livia) and doves (Columbiformes). Both sexes feed on the blood of the host bird. Theodor (1975) reported that it occurs primarily on pigeons and doves and has been found on many other types of birds in the Old World. He also reported that it only occurs on the domestic pigeon in America. However, it has also been collected from morning doves (Zenaida macroura) in Florida. Pigeon flies very rarely bite humans. Usually it is when a person is handling live pigeons and the flies abandon the birds and land on the person. Occasionally pigeon flies bite people after pigeons have been excluded from a structure. Newly emerged adults that are unable to find a bird host may go to humans in desperation and bite. Pigeon flies cannot survive on humans and are not known to transmit any diseases to humans. Their bites are comparable to stable fly bites and can be a painful nuisance.

Pigeon flies are commonly parasitized by the mite Myialges anchora (Myialgesidae) in the Old World (Theodor 1975) and this mite likely occurs in the Americas. The pigeon fly is the vector and intermediate host for sporozoite production of the protozoan parasite of pigeons, Haemoproteus columbae (Haemoproteidae: Haemosporidia) (Soulsby 1968). This malaria-like parasite has minimal effects on adult pigeons, but can be fatal to young birds.

Bird biting lice in the suborder Ischnocera (Phthiraptera [Mallophaga]) are often found riding on hippoboscid flies. This is a phoretic association and the lice do not feed on the flies. The lice clasp the legs or setae of the fly's body with their mandibles and hitch a ride to the next bird visited by the hippoboscid fly.

Here at my Bedford, New York farm, I always enjoy teaching visitors about the many birds I keep - the peafowl, the Guinea fowl, the geese, the pigeons, and of course my chickens. Most recently, I added four fancy Owl pigeons to my flight from The Wellwood Pigeon Store on Long Island - beautiful white and gray birds that resemble the silver gull in color and markings.

These Owl pigeons join my Homers, Tipplers, Egyptian Swifts, and Syrian Damascenes. They live in a pen adjacent to my peafowl yard and across from my stable. Pigeons have been domesticated for thousands of years and have been kept by people worldwide for their companionship, their sport, and their loyal service. They are fascinating and intelligent creatures. I am so glad my pigeons thrive here at Cantitoe Corners.

The black backdrop for this shot is a perfectly urban one for an urban bird: a black car parked in a San Francisco lot. She took off low to join her flock across the way, and the car became a studio cyc.

My love of pigeons spans a lifetime, from feeding pigeons in city squares as a kid in Europe, to driving injured and baby pigeons between wildlife hospitals, to living for a time with two gentle and sweet rescued racing pigeons, which, in turn, led me to volunteer with Palomacy (www.pigeonrescue.org) an amazing pigeon and dove rescue group.

Olivia provides inclusive, alignment based yoga classes in London. Whether you are just starting out, a more experienced practitioner or have any specific needs, our classes can help you achieve your goals. Olivia\u2019s teaching is style is relaxed and down to earth, with different levels offered to suit a range of abilities. We also offer one-to-one classes that can be more specifically tailored to suit your requirements, and corporate classes to bring yoga to your workplace.

I posted the photo at the top of this page - of flying pigeon or eka pada galavasana - on my Instagram recently. And then had a few requests for tips on how to actually get into it.... Sorry guys- that's what I should have done first time round! Anyway, here's my five steps for working towards getting that back foot off the floor in this posture. Before you begin warm up the outside of your hips with thread the needle or pigeon prep pose, and make sure your arms will be able to support your weight by checking you've got a solid chaturanga dandasana/ low plank position (see my earlier post on chaturanga if you're unsure!). And back off if anything (especially your top knee) hurts.

1. Take your weight on to your right foot, lift your left leg and flex that foot (ie draw your toes back towards your shin). Place the outside of your left ankle above your right knee. Bend your standing leg a little and start to move your hips back. Hands in prayer (photo 1)

2. Sit lower by bending your standing knee and moving your hips back. Keep your top foot flexed. If the stretch in your top hip starts to get too intense stop where you are. Otherwise move towards touching your forearms to your top shin. Stopping whenever you need to, work towards bringing fingertips on to the floor (photo 2)

3. Flex your left foot around your right arm, so that your toes kind of wrap around the outside of your upper arm. Bring your hands flat on to the floor. Work your arms underneath your top leg until your shin is in your armpits (photo 3)

5. Keep moving your weight forwards until your back foot gets so light it can lift. You may find you need to play with shifting your weight back and forth from hands to foot for a while to get used to it before you can lift your foot. Look forwards, not down! (photo 5)

A backwoods relative of the ubiquitous Rock Pigeon, the Band-tailed Pigeon is common in forests of the Pacific Coast and the Southwest. A sociable bird with a mellow coo, it forms large flocks in mountain forests where it feeds on seeds and fruits. As flocks pass overhead, these large, swift-flying pigeons can resemble Rock Pigeons, so look for the long tail with a wide, pale band at the tip. Up close, a distinctive white neck crescent adorns its pastel gray plumage.

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