My lovely Valentine

Who needs a Valentine card when you can have a Valentine pigeon?

This is what I'd written about him:

Quote :

Got another string injury on Valentine's day -- so 3 guesses what I called him!
Soni managed to trap him in the veranda and after that it was easy for me to catch him.
Easy job, no injury as such yet so he was released shortly after. He must be less than 3 months old, because he was still squeaking last month. He's gorgeous, with big black and white patches, almost certainly Onyx's son. Pics soon!

As promised, pics!

Valentine:




Mistaken identity -- Valentine isn't a very young bird, he's a young adult. I've since named the almost-squeaker Carnival, but as you can see there are similarities!



Here he is again by the washing line, waiting to be fed:



And in the veranda, showing how nimble he is on his feet...

I love his markings.

I love his markings.

Teresa...he is just adorable...very unusual markings and certainly stands out in a flock.

Valentine is absolutely stunning, Teresa.
Love the video. Many thanks for sharing it and the wonderful photos.

Yes, definitely a beautiful bird. It's funny how 2 birds can look so much alike and not be related. I have a garden fan, and another little hen born in my loft,that we named Scrappy. (if you knew her, you would understand her name.) and they are also white with black markings like your bird. They look so much alike, that if the garden fan wasn't a hen, I'd swear that it had messed around with Scrappy's Mom.

I love their markings too, and their wide-eyed look! They may well be brothers from different clutches, and offsprings of either Onyx (markings like theirs but a lot more black) or Rowan (pure white with one black patch, eyes exactly like Valentine's).

Possible relations: Onyx on the left and Rowan on the right.

From the angel of the picture, Onyx's head looks like that of a racer.
Absolutely beautiful birds.

There are some ferals here with startling looks, very likely descended from escaped racers or show pigeons. I mean, just look at Venice's head:

Teresa wrote:

There are some ferals here with startling looks, very likely descended from escaped racers or show pigeons. I mean, just look at Venice's head:

Gee that's cute.

Teresa wrote:

There are some ferals here with startling looks, very likely descended from escaped racers or show pigeons.
I mean, just look at Venice's head:

Yes, I see what you mean.
Venice has a bit of a racer look as well. He's quite handsome too.
Love the little crest.

He's a cutie with his little flip on the back of his head I think thats what I love most about feral flocks you never know what breed their parents could be... but its fun guessing!

EgypSwiftLady wrote:

He's a cutie with his little flip on the back of his head

I think thats what I love most about feral flocks you never know what breed their parents could be... but its fun guessing!

AZWhitefeather wrote:

EgypSwiftLady wrote:

He's a cutie with his little flip on the back of his head

I think thats what I love most about feral flocks you never know what breed their parents could be... but its fun guessing!

too
Those pigeons have wonderful markings and feather crests! Beautiful.

I also had a wonderful Valentines present, and yes, you've guessed it, I've named him Valentine too!

His story can be found at (with a video of him eating seed from a jar): Baby Valentine - Pigeons as Pets blog

Here's the first paragraphs I wrote about him on my blog:

"We received a wonderful Valentines present at work this year: a little pigeon squab!! So of course I had to name him “Valentine”. It was love at first sight. Actually, it was love at first squeak! I could hear him through the box he was transported in. A little “squeeaak, squeeaak”. The volunteer driver said that the baby had been talking to him throughout the journey.

"I peered into the box and there sat a fat little dumpling, yellow fluff on his head, light grey feather quills sticking out like a pin cushion:"

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I have to say I'm so in love with baby Valentine and want to keep him but I know I have to resist. He needs to grow up identifying as a pigeon and we'll release him with others when he's old enough. But in the meantime I get to feed him and make sure he's warm and safe. Bliss.

Valentine is a little doll baby, Revati.
Please keep us posted on how things go.

AZWhitefeather wrote:

Valentine is a little doll baby, Revati.
Please keep us posted on how things go.

Will do! Hopefully, by the end of the week, I can put the other baby pigeon with him for company.

I love that age. They are absolutely irresistible.