Homeless homing pigeon creates flap

updated 6:08 p.m. ET Sept. 15, 2008

MANCHESTER, N.H. - A New Hampshire couple are trying to figure out what to do with a homing pigeon that came to the wrong home — theirs. From an identification band, Don and Fran Roy of Manchester have traced the bird — which they have named "Trouble" — to a Pennsylvania man who races pigeons.

But Dan Sizczynski, of Dingmans Ferry, Pa., said the pigeon was one of dozens he recently gave away after the racing season ended. He is unsure who he gave the bird to, although he believes it may have been given to a pigeon club in New Britain, Conn.

The Roys told the New Hampshire Union Leader they have contacted animal shelters, people who rehabilitate injured wild animals and even run an ad, but no one wants Trouble.

"We're worried about it," Fran Roy said. "We haven't the heart to take her out in the wild and let her go."

They say they were told if they threw the pigeon in the air he would fly away.

But "he went around the yard twice and came right back," Don Roy said.

For now, Trouble sleeps under a covering above the Roys' front door. The Roys' feed the pigeon bowls of water and bird seed. And their 2-year-old dog is beginning to treat Trouble like a family member.

Young pigeons can race 100 to 300 miles, while older birds can fly more than 600 miles going 50 to 60 miles an hour, according to Sizczynski.

He said the birds can cost anywhere from a few dollars to several hundred.

Don Roy said Trouble seemed hungry when the pigeon first appeared in the couple's backyard. The bird eagerly ate the bird seed Don Roy had put out.

"That guy must have been on the road for a long time," Don Roy said.

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