The Dove Lady Story

I guess I’ve always loved birds. As a child, I would watch and listen to them and try to identify their calls. That first robin of Spring was eagerly awaited. As a baby boomer, I watched those 50s movies with pigeons being raised on rooftops of city buildings.  Their cooing and homing ability fascinated me, but when I saw my first white dove release, I was completely hooked. I fell in love with these beautiful thoroughbreds of the sky as they soared overhead with the sun seeming to glow from those white feathers!

It started out simply, as most addictions do. I was gifted a few squeakers by some local pigeon racers to start my loft. If you had ever heard a baby pigeon beg for food from its parents you know why they are called squeakers. Soon as with all addictions I needed more so outgrew my small loft and yard. Living in town I had to stand in just the right spot in our front yard to see my birds fly because of the huge trees around us blocked my view.

You guessed it, within a year I had convinced my husband to move to have more room to raise and fly my birds. He laughingly called our new home in the country the $200K pigeon loft, but to me, it was worth every penny. The only thing I miss is the sound of the birds cooing in the morning when our small loft was just outside our bedroom window in our tiny yard.

If you wonder why I use pigeon and dove interchangeably, it’s because the white doves used for a ceremonial release are white racing homing pigeons, which are descendants of rock doves. These amazing creatures are able to “home” or find their loft from great distances when released. No one knows exactly how they manage to do this and scientists still study this phenomenon.

It wasn't long before I needed a larger loft, so my husband Ken, the reluctant carpenter, pitched right in. Luckily, doves are not finicky about the esthetics of their home. As long as they have basic shelter from wind and rain, and enough food, and water they are quite content.  They quickly begin raising little doves with no concern if their home is plumb with exactly 90% angles.

A hen lays two eggs in a clutch. The second egg is laid about 48 hours after the first, and she doesn’t sit on them until the second is laid. This results in the eggs hatching out usually within minutes of each other. Both parents take a turn sitting on the eggs. The male has the day shift and the hen takes over in the evening. Both parents also feed the young by regurgitating “pigeon milk” to the hungry squeakers. The rate of growth is almost supernatural! In about one week they start to get their first feathers and lose that soft down they have when hatched, and in about 8 weeks they have most of their feathers and are nearly as large as their parents. Because they have not flown yet they just sit in the nest and eat so resemble little butter balls.  Hmm, that sounds like what happens in many office cubicles I've worked in, but I digress.

Soon after leaving the nest their training begins as we take them just a few yards from their loft and toss them, which refers to the release by hand. They quickly learn to find their loft and can be taken further afield. For those who race their birds, young 5-month-old birds start with a short race of 150 miles, but my spoiled birds are rarely asked to fly further than 25 miles or so when I train them or do a ceremonial dove release for a special occasion.

Our entire family enjoys the birds. My youngest granddaughter who just turned five is their latest conquest. We have to lock the loft door, or we will find her inside admiring the “fritty birdies” and asking to see the babies.

While I have done white dove releases for friends and family for years, it wasn’t until the gas prices started to soar with the resulting feed prices also going up that I decided that my birds had to start contributing to the family budget. Fortunately, they love their work as all eyes look up to watch their dramatic performance. As they take off, there is a clapping sound of their wings beating.

They help newlyweds celebrate their wedding day and are just as adept at bringing peace and closure to the grieving as they bid farewell to a loved one. It is such an honor and privilege to be able to share their beauty with others.

It never loses the wonder for me as I watch my birds circle above. It’s hard to be down when you’re looking up.