Puff Berry’s story begins on August 11th as Madame Puff Ball and you can see part one of her journey here. On November 10th, I took over her foster care and she told me her name was actually Puff Berry so that is what I call her.

When Puff first came to Palomacy, she couldn’t stand or sit up at all. (She’s a “dove release” type Homer pigeon who survived a hawk strike.) Over time, thanks to Jill, with lots of rest, meloxicam, encouragment and gentle on-her-back bicycle pedaling, Puff has improved a lot but not completely. I brought her home with me because physical and emotional space had opened up for me and I could provide her with a lot of room and attention.

She can sit up but does so on her hocks and uses her bottom and tail like a kick stand. She can stand and walk with the thrust and lift she gets if she is flapping her wings but her steering isn’t great and she often spins out of control. Originally I thought it was just her legs’ signals that were scrambled but now I believe her wing control is involved too. She can’t fly and her wing flapping, which sometimes is extreme, gets wild and disregulated.

She beats her feathers up badly whenever she comes up against an obstacle, even soft-sided pens are a hazard for her so her long feathers are all clipped short and her space is as unobstructed and soft as possible.

For the past few days, Puff Berry has been wanting to bury and hide her head, not in a courtship way (we’re not there yet) but in a way that makes me feel like she’s in pain. We have an appointment at the Medical Center for Birds and for now, I’m creating lots of head-hiding options including pouching her in a scarf and creating a soft tent for her in her hangout.

I’ll update Puff’s story as news warrants. Thank you for appreciating these gentle little birds in the big strong way they deserve!