Pigeon Service

Sindy’s Pigeon Service is a place for pigeon-lovers to explore and buy creative products for pigeons and their people. Every item is one that I have personally used. These items are mostly created by my husband, Steve, and me, or handcrafted by other local craftspeople, for use either in an indoor cage for pigeons or an outdoor aviary. The remainder (such as, fake eggs, seed covers, etc.) were selected for inclusion because we found them tremendously useful to us as pigeon people.

While an on-line store, Sindy’s Pigeon Service also offers an opportunity to meet the pigeons for school groups, homeschoolers or anyone else, interested in learning kindness and respect for all creatures as well as the remarkable contributions of pigeons through the centuries. Sindy’s Pigeon Service is acutely aware of the misuse of pigeons and the social attitude of disgust and malignment toward them. This store and its educational services are created with the hope that it will support and encourage all people who love animals to view pigeons (domesticated and feral) as the gentle, highly-intelligent and loving beings they are and admire their centuries-long history as one of man’s best helpers.

Sindy’s Pigeon Service is so named to honor the pigeons who were used in both world wars by the U.S. military to send messages to the soldiers on the ground and to the resistance in occupied Europe and Southeast Asia. The military called its winged messengers, the “U.S. Pigeon Service.” At its peak in World War II, the U.S. Pigeon Service possessed 54,000 pigeons.

Our Adventure

Our adventure with pigeons started with a homing pigeon, named Glory. Steve and I were Adopt-A-Highway volunteers for litter pick up in California, where we previously lived. Steve was doing a particularly unpleasant task the day Glory appeared; he was cleaning up an illegal dump of someone’s belongings. Just as he was ready to come home, a white bird walked out of the dead vegetation nearby and made herself at home underneath Steve’s car. Fascinated at first, Steve took a picture of Glory, who appeared to have no intention of leaving the shade of the car’s underside. However, Glory remained unmoved; she simply positioned herself further under the car. Eventually, Glory walked out from under the car and straight into ongoing traffic. Steve stepped out into the freeway and scooped Glory up and put her in a box in his car to be transported to our home.

Steve and I suspected that Glory needed our help, and we applied ourselves to the task. Water and seed promptly arrived in her box. Soon, she was housed in a borrowed parrot cage and locked in our spare bedroom since we have two cats. Research then began on this beautiful creature. It wasn’t long before I learned of Palomacy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing domesticated pigeons and doves. I learned that Glory was a white homer pigeon and that she was seeking help.

It is worth noting here that any white pigeon or banded bird is domesticated and cannot live wild and free. The bird is making itself noticed because it needs immediate help: safety, food and water. It is essentially “choosing you” to help it.

I fell in love with Glory. In the two months since her self-rescue, Steve and I had an aviary built in our backyard in California. We adopted another 30 birds for the aviary. Each is a domesticated pigeon with their own unique personality and their own story of survival and ultimate rescue.

Glory and the flock’s first home
My first aviary in Benicia, California
My first aviary in Benicia, California

Pigeons mate for life. Pigeon love stories are real — each different and each incredibly interesting. While nothing in life is 100%, virtually all pigeon couples actually live the vows that we human beings take with each other: they love and cherish each other “for better or worse” and “in sickness and in health.” This special bond, combined with the fact that pigeons equally co-parent the eggs and then squab, is the reason why mankind has been able to use (and exploit) pigeons for centuries for so many purposes: for sailors to find land, for governments to carry messages into war, for Reuters to carry stock trades to market, for countries’ officials to get election results from mountainous regions, for gamblers to race pigeons for money, and so on. Pigeons don’t do these feats for man; they are not patriotic or racers by nature. They do them to return to the ones they love.

Since Glory and her flock touched my heart, I have rescued many more domesticated pigeons. Rescuing them meant finding homes for them as well. Consequently, I designed and had built two, large aviaries in the Bay Area. One is located at a farm sanctuary in Martinez, called One Living Sanctuary, and the other was a collaboration with a property owner (and now friend) in her backyard.

The aviary at One Living Sanctuary
Stacey and Theo’s backyard aviary

My journey has now taken me to Jacksonville, Oregon. Since moving here and opening Sindys Pigeon Service, I have been able to expand my own aviary to take 33 birds that I was not able to place for a Northwest Bird Club member, Beverly Fuller, who died prematurely of lung cancer. I was able to place two of her flocks — one of doves and one of fantails. She died before I could find homes for the last 33 pigeons. They now reside in my expanded aviary.

My expanded aviary in Jacksonville, Oregon

Oreo’s new aviary

Oreo in his new aviary

With the proceeds from my online store, I built my first aviary for a friend, Heather Gomberg, and her pigeon, Oreo. In November 2022, I built another aviary in Hookset, New Hampshire for Rachel Power. Initially, Rachel took in four pigeons. All desperately needed rehoming. Since that time, she has continued to rescue!

Rachel’s aviary in New Hampshire
Rachel’s aviary in New Hampshire

2023 was the year of the aviary, and the start of building dovecotes for feral pigeons! Four aviaries all over the United States were built in 2023: (1) one for Ashley Rankin in Eerie City, Pennsylvania; (2) one for Amy Riggs of Rebel Rescue Ranch near Youngstown, Ohio; (3) one for Liz Greenwood in Phoenix, Arizona, and (4) an overflow aviary for me in Central Point, Oregon. My aviary quickly fills to overflowing, doing pigeon rescue.

The aviary at Rebel Rescue Ranch

The aviary in Eeirie City, PA
The aviary in Eerie Ciy, PA
The aviary in Phoenix, AZ
The aviary in Phoenix, AZ
Lisa’s aviary in Central Point, Oregon
Lisa’s aviary in Central Point, Oregon

THE 2024 AVIARIES

2024 Starts With A Big Aviary in Scappoose, Oregon.

The first aviary completed in March 2024 was a real labor of love.  One of my dear friends, Ramona, was diagnosed with small airway disease (a form of COPD) from an allergy to the antigens in her pigeons.  She was very ill, having lost more than 30 pounds and being confined to either a respirator or nebulizer.  She had no choice but to rehome her pigeons. 

I agreed to help her and found the most amazing place and new owner in Scappoose, Oregon, which is north of Portland.  Pam and her family had owned pigeons her entire life, and she was eager to have them again. I credit Pam entirely for finding the builder (usually my job).  She located Colin’s Custom Builds in St. Helens, Oregon.  Colin’s only builds outdoor structures, such as barns.  So, we both suspected he was the guy for the job!  And, what a beautiful job he did.  He added a lot of custom touches to my design.  This incredible aviary now holds 24 of Ramona’s pigeons and 5 of my own.  Thank you Pam, Colin, Steve and all the customers of Sindy’s Pigeon Service for making this possible.

       

  • New aviary in Scappoose, Oregon
  • New aviary in Scappoose, Oregon
  • New Aviary in Scappoose, Oregon

The lucky number 13th aviary was built by San Tan Valley Coops for East Valley Wildlife/Crystal’s Critter Haven in Mesa, Arizona.  Crystal is a skilled rehabber and runs a nonprofit sanctuary and rescue for all types of animals, including pigeons.  I have been fortunate enough to have built aviaries for three well-established sanctuaries: (1) One Living Sanctuary in Martinez, California; (2) Rebel Rescue Ranch near Youngstown, Ohio and now (3) East Valley Wildlife/Crystal’s Critter Haven.

Aviary in Mesa, AZ
Aviary in Mesa, AZ
Aviary in Mesa, AZ
Aviary in Mesa, AZ

Sindy’s Pigeon Service built the aviary (featured below in the slide show) in 2024 for Skywater Ranch in Wilton, California. Wilton is located in the Sacramento Valley of California. Skywater Ranch is a nonprofit rescue for a variety of animals, including rescued, domesticated pigeons. Stefanie Stewart is the owner.

Sindy’s Pigeon Service collaborated with individuals, Joshua Proto and Stormi Hoebelheinrich, to create this beautiful aviary in their Vancouver, Washington backyard.

Sindy’s Pigeon Service also built an aviary in Eugene, Oregon. This too was a combined, paid effort with Hermione Miller. San Tan Valley Coops built this aviary, the one in Vancouver and the one in Wilton, California.

Services Sindy’s Pigeon Service Offers

In order to take advantage of any service we offer (or create your own event), you need only email sindyspigeonservice@gmail.com or leave me a text at 707-207-5759.  Some of the services we offer include:

  • Aviary tours
  • Speaking engagements about pigeons:  what are domesticated, rescued pigeons?; what is their history as man’s helpers; did you know that pigeons were once the darlings of the rich and famous?; do pigeons make the ideal pet, etc.
  • Summer camp visits
  • School visits
  • Bookstore displays
  • Story time visits
  • Pretty much any other event that involves education about pigeons!

A bag of long pine needles comes FREE with every order, no matter how small 

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