A Spanish pigeon keeper is surprised and relieved that a bird that went missing during a race in the Mediterranean has landed in Nova Scotia rather than being devoured by a hawk.
On Feb. 22, David Fernandez took his 18 pigeons from his home in Mallorca to Ibiza, from where they would race about 125 kilometres back home. It was a sunny day and it was pigeon No. 9950's first race.
All but one of his pigeons returned to their dovecote — a structure to house the birds — within about two hours, Fernandez said.
When pigeon No. 9950 didn't return, he said he thought the eight-month-old bird had become a raptor's meal. "It seems on that day the pigeons suffered a lot of attacks from hawks," he said in an interview last week from Mallorca.
Then about a month later, Fernandez got an email from Parks Canada employee Kristina Penn telling him about a pigeon found on Sable Island, about 160 kilometres off the coast of Nova Scotia. Pigeons are a rare sight on the island, known for its wild horse population and home to a handful of researchers and parks workers.
It had two bands around its legs that pointed toward Spain as the bird's place of origin, and after a little digging Penn determined Fernandez was the owner.
Though Fernandez said pigeons never cease to amaze him, he knew there was no way the bird could have flown the nearly 5,100 kilometres from Mallorca to Sable Island. He suspects the bird hitched a ride on a cargo ship. "What is really surprising is its ability to survive and endure the journey and the conditions in which it did it."
Jared Clarke, who specializes in custom birdwatching and nature tours in Newfoundland, said pigeons were trained and used for delivering messages in several ancient civilizations, and the tradition may be as old as the pyramids. Homing or racing pigeons are the same species as the common or domestic ones, also known as rock pigeons, seen around Canadian cities, he said. These birds have been selectively bred over many generations for traits that make them suitable for speed and racing.
Occasionally some birds get lost because of a "directional glitch in their brain," he said.
Penn said it was foggy and rainy on March 24 when employees spotted a pigeon sitting on the porch by the main Parks Canada building. When they find injured animals, employees don't usually interfere with them but Penn said she saw the bird bands on its legs.
She took some pictures of the bird and went home to do some research from the information on the bands, which led her to Spain, and specifically to a non-profit organization that governs pigeon sport there.
When she came back the next day, Penn said she found the bird in the same place so she gave it some water and food. She then contacted a group in Seaforth, N.S., that takes in injured or abandoned animals, Hope for Wildlife.
"I think it's incredible. This bird is really an endurance bird," Penn said. "There's so much open water and the fact that it found Sable Island amongst all places, it arrives to the main station — it's just such a serendipitous story."
Hope Swinimer, founder of the rehabilitation centre, said the pigeon was a little underweight, slightly dehydrated, and had some bad bruising when it arrived but is doing a lot better now. She described the pigeon as friendly and used to being around people. "He must have had very good, loving owners," she said.
She said she thinks the paperwork to send the bird back might cause some difficulty, so the Spanish bird could join two other pigeons at the centre and help in educating the public about the birds.
Fernandez said he is not opposed to the bird staying in Canada.
Pigeon fanciers usually don't name a bird until it has won a race or has a physical feature that attracts attention, he said. So he had not given pigeon No. 9950 a name just yet. He was amused to learn the bird's rescuers had named it Peter.
"I will contact the foundation that is looking after the pigeon and we will decide what is best and most viable," he said. "If they have grown fond of him, I am not going to take Peter away from them."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2025.
Hina Alam, The Canadian Press
