Beautiful Tame Bird Found in Northern Virginia

[joyceherb]

On May 25, 2004, a beautiful, very tame bird appeared in our yard in a Northern Virginia suburb, tame enough that my fiance was able to pick him/her :?: up with no effort at flight or fright from this gorgeous bird. The bird appears to be a fancy pigeon :?:, with beautiful and distinctive colors (mostly a dark gray) and features :D . I will verify colors, markings and features to anyone seriously inquiring about a similar lost bird). We have contacted local pet shops and the animal rescue league, but have received no leads as to who may have lost him/her. We have furnished our "guest" with a large cage with perches, toys, food, and water, a name (Punky) and lots of affection. He/she will sometimes respond when I "talk" to him/her in "pigeon talk", as described in one of my bird books. We aren't sure what to feed this bird as we have been unable to locate a commercial pigeon food. So far, he/she will eat wild bird feed and most of a cockatiel mix (except for the sunflower seeds, which he/she is unable to crack). I'm sure someone is missing this pretty guy/gal and would like to be reunited. However, if our efforts in finding the owner fail, we are more than ready to make him/her a permanent part of our home.