Pigeon Ambition

Celebrate 19 years of pigeon and dove diplomacy! Humans and birds are all invited Delicious vegan food, drinks, music, raffle, birds!

Celebrate Pigeon Ambition: To love and be loved!

Come meet lots of people who love pigeons & doves & lots of birds too! Meet pet birds & adoptable birds, share your bird stories, ask all the questions! Bird nerd out and have super wholesome fun. Never been to a Palomacy party? Check these out!

COO-CHELLA, Mascoorade, Feathers & Fashion: A Night of Coo-ture, & Summer of Dove!

We are looking forward to flocking with you! All proceeds benefit pigeon and dove rescue and adoption. No one turned away for lack of funds. We want you with us!

• Want to help? Yay! We need volunteers! Please email Elizabeth@pigeonrescue.org or text (415) 420-7204
• Delicious vegan food, drinks, music, slide show, raffle, birds & a special presentation by Susan “Sue the Pigeon Lady” Joyce!
• RSVP’d guests receive two free raffle/drink tickets per person. ($4/each or 3/for $10)
• Party begins at 1 PM PT. Portions of the party will be shared Live in our Palomacy Facebook Group. Susan Joyce’s Change & Hope presentation begins at 3:00 PM PT & will be streamed. Details to follow.
• Palomacy will be hosting an online auction that will run during the party — stay tuned for details.
• We welcome your birds! Please bring them safely contained within clean carriers. We will have loaner pigeon pants & dressing assistance available as needed.

Questions? Please email Cynthia@pigeonrescue.org or text (510) 542-8782

A good book shared with a good bird – everything is better with clean air!

Let’s talk about air purifiers!

Any pet can trigger allergies, and birds are no exception. Pigeons and doves can be dusty, and clean air is important — for you and your bird!

A lot of what you need to keep a pigeon or dove happy can be picked up at a thrift store, but when it comes to purchasing an air purifier, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the number and variety of units on the market.

Fortunately, Palomacy moderator, volunteer, and Board member Rose Lalla Jensen has done the homework for you, and shares it here:

“Electronic” or ionizing air purifiers are widely marketed, but anything that uses ionizing technology or produces ozone is not safe. Ionization changes the magnetic charge of particles, making them attracted to things with opposite charge. In essence it makes them stick to those things much easier (eliminating the need for multiple layers of expensive, super fine filters). It also makes those particles stick to walls, furniture, and lungs — yours and your birds’.

Some air purifiers allow you to turn off the ionizing features. But performance ratings for those units are measured WITH the ionizers, and so it’s hard to know how effective they are without the ionization. That means it is impossible to compare apples to apples between units, or even determine which one you need, and no way to know if they are adequately cleaning the air. We recommend choosing one that does not offer ionizing technology at all.

“Mechanical” air purifiers, using medical grade or True HEPA filters, are safer. They filter out the smallest size particles without the use of ionization and without creating ozone. The purifier should say True HEPA or medical grade to be the real deal.

A new air purifier passes inspection! Photo by Ryan McLain

Once you have determined that the purifiers you are looking at are True HEPA/medical grade, you will determine which unit you need based on the size of your room.

You need to do a little math for that. The volume of your room is length x width x ceiling height. This is important, as purifiers all move different amounts of air during any period. You want the air to circulate a minimum of 3 times per hour, or more if you have severe allergies or a medical condition.

Take the volume of your room and multiply it by how many air changes in an hour. Then divide by 60. This gives you how many cubic feet per minute (CFM) the purifier needs to run. Compare this to the specifications on the air purifier. (If only one number is listed for the CFM, it is for the highest setting.)

Example: our family room is 14 feet wide and 48 feet long with 8 foot ceilings, and we need to change the air 3 times per hour minimum. So the math:

14′ wide x 48 x long x 8′ tall x 3 ÷ 60 = 268.8 CFM minimum. You can get more than one air purifier to reach the minimum. So for example, if a unit is rated for 150 CFM, two units would be needed for our room.

We have researched a lot of the most common manufacturers, and encourage you to do your own investigating. When in doubt, pass it up! And again, remember that if they have optional ionizing, the CFM and other specs are only true with the ionizing ON. Performance will be greatly reduced with it off. Many units are eligible for purchase with your Health Savings Account.

So here are a couple of VERY general recommendations for manufacturers:

Gold Standard:

Austin Air — These are costly, and the filters are costly, but they are popular with our rehabbers who share homes with many birds.

Budget-Friendly:

Levoit — most of their units are non-ionizing but check specs to be sure

or

Coway — again, check specs to avoid ionizing units

Honorable Mention:

The Airfanta  3pro is a reasonably priced mechanical unit.

There are many, many brands on the market, and it can become overwhelming. A handy tool is provided by the California Air Resources Board. This up-to-date, searchable database provides information on whether any given medel uses ionizing technology (electronic), or non-ionizing technology (mechanical). The website does not rate units for effectiveness, but focuses on reducing exposure to ozone. Use this website to search for manufacturers and model names and numbers to see if they are safe for use: https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/list-carb-certified-air-cleaning-devices

Enjoying the breeze! Photo by Meredith Saunders-Mattingly

 Alice and Gumball

Pigeons run on love – it’s what fuels them every day. They flirt, pursue, court, marry, and settle down with the mate they will (generally) stay with for life. And, if they are parted by death or circumstance, they are open to re-marrying. That’s one remarkable thing about pigeons – the window for love never closes for them. They are capable of forming deep and enduring bonds from their youth right through to their final days. With Valentine’s Day coming up, we’re celebrating some of our SUPER-ADOPTABLE lovebirds from the Ploughshares Aviary in Alameda!

Mardi Gras and Peck

Mwah!

Mardi Gras is a party-sized pigeon, with sparkling iridescent feathers in Fat Tuesday green and purple, set against a sleek charcoal grey suit. He’s the whole parade! Peck is a tiny, delicate, toasted sesame-seed brown lass, with grouse feathered feet, and the sweetest personality. Mardi Gras loves to make a fuss over her and she tolerates his fussing with good cheer. They couldn’t be more different, and they couldn’t be more in love! 

Hemera and Regalia

Meet Hemera and Regalia! Gentle King pigeons usually have hard, short lives in an overlooked corner of animal agriculture. They are raised for food, and it’s rare that they survive to adulthood. These two not only survived, but they were rescued, and have written a beautiful love story for themselves. They are peaceful, easy-going ADOPTABLE birds who just want to snuggle.

Casper and Taylor

Taylor is a Carneau pigeon and Casper is a beautiful white-with-black-flecked King. This pair are outreach stars! They are calm and relaxed and willing to meet lots of new people. Of course they can get a little bit salty when protecting their nest! Right now they are sitting on “feggs” – fake eggs that we use to prevent hatching. It’s a bird-friendly method of birth control that still lets them have the fun of nest-building and egg-sitting. In a couple of weeks, when the eggs haven’t hatched, these two will go right back to honeymooning — and maybe a new FOREVER HOME?! 

Gumball and Alice

The cruel “sport” of pigeon racing cost Gumball his wing, but he lives a full and happy life with fellow racing survivor Alice. She is flighted but chooses to spend her days lounging on the floor of the aviary with her beloved, bathing together, basking in the sun, and exchanging countless kisses. Relationship goals!

Cori and Cisco

Cisco and Cori are all ready for the Black-and-White Ball! Cori is a striking all-black Feral pigeon, and Cisco is a small-ish white King pigeon. They have claimed a nest box that is right in the center of the action, and they perch there and supervise their flockmates all day long. They would be happy to supervise your home as well!

Penelope and Xiya

Penelope and Xiya are a male couple who have been together for years. They sometimes flirt with hens in the aviary but they always go home together. Their favorite activities are hogging the whole bath, judging other birds, and gossiping in their nest box. They are fiercely loyal to each other but they also tolerate a certain amount of snuggling with humans.

These are just a few of the happily married, ADOPTABLE couples at the Ploughshares aviary who are waiting for their forever homes. Easy to keep and easy to please — life is just so much sweeter when shared with pigeons! If you feel that any of these adorable couples would feel right at home in your home – submit an application today!

 
A big thank you to all of our amazing supporters who so generously donated to Palomacy at the close of 2025. Donations for the month of December plus GivingTuesday totaled nearly $27,000!

We are so grateful for you. Your support has made a real difference in so many birds’ lives.

THANK YOU!

By Cynthia Bardouka-Large

Craig & Marjoram by Eileen

For his recent birthday, Craig Newmark announced that he had signed the Giving Pledge. He wrote, “Seems like a good way to enter my mid-seventies, which I have done today.” On the Giving Pledge website, his letter reads:

To the Giving Pledge –

I learned early on in Sunday school, from Mr. and Mrs. Levin, to know when enough is enough.

Also, I should treat people like I want to be treated.

A few years later they taught me that I should help “repair the world.” I got lucky with my stuff, but I don’t need the money, so I’m giving it away.

My most effective approach to addressing a manageable number of needs is to build a network of networks of people who know how to get the job done on stuff I care about. Mostly it’s about military families and veterans, and cybersecurity and fighting scams. Also, pigeon rescue. I find the group, fund them, nudge them to work together, and get out of the way.

I may not be the nerd you want, but I’m the nerd you got.

– Craig Newmark

Palomacy knows that Craig and Eileen Newmark are true friends of pigeons — the quintessential city dweller – sassy, scrappy, intelligent, comical, sweet, vulnerable birds.

We are delighted, honored, and grateful that Craig Newmark Philanthropies has renewed its support of Palomacy’s life-saving, pigeon-positive work by awarding us a grant of $30,000.

A feathery meeting!

Craig’s vital support is carrying our work into the new year as we rescue birds, restore their health, and place them in forever homes. Sustained effort is required to provide specialized avian veterinary care; to attract, cultivate, and coach foster and forever homes; to continuously reach out to the public to restore the reputation of this once-beloved bird; and to increase awareness of the harms that cause suffering to millions of birds.

In 2025, with Craig’s help, we brought 131 new birds into our rescue, many with serious injuries from predators, providing veterinary care, good food, and a soft place to land in our extensive foster network. We found forever homes for 125 more. The total number in our care is 279 as we head into 2026, with new birds needing help daily. In addition to on-the-ground rescue in our area, we leverage the expertise and commitment of our volunteers to provide guidance to people helping birds all over the US and internationally. We connect them to local resources, and share our collective experience and tested advice for rescuing and caring for pigeons and doves. We are working every day, reminding people of the history we share with these once-appreciated birds, and how much brighter they make our world.

Last year, Craig announced the passing of his particular pigeon friend, Ghost Faced Killer. We’d like to think that the work Palomacy does this year will honor the memory of Ghost Face with every bird we help. We are so grateful to Craig Newmark for seeing these birds for the remarkable individuals they are, and for partnering with us to help “repair the world” for pigeons, too.

Fly high, Ghost Faced Killer

By Cynthia Bardouka-Large

Dear friends,

Looking back on 2025 as the year draws to a close, what really stands out to us is…YOU.

Palomacy began when one compassionate heart saw a need and did something about it. The movement Elizabeth started has grown because of compassionate people like yourself. So much happens behind the scenes, with volunteers who work quietly and often alone. We want to take a moment to celebrate all of you! You are Palomacy!

Palomacy is the phone-line team, who answer calls at all hours, confronting sometimes difficult and stressful situations, coaching people on how to be a hero to a bird who has no one else.

Palomacy is the team of moderators who guide our Facebook help group, fielding queries and requests for help from all over the world. They make sure that the advice given is accurate, that our best practices are widely shared, and that people are treated with civility and kindness.

Palomacy is our transport volunteers, who will drop everything to go pick up a bird in distress and get them to help.

Palomacy is our outreach volunteers, who show up in cities and towns and stores and festivals around Northern California, sharing our pigeon-positive message with the help of our amazing ambassador birds.

Palomacy is our seasoned coaches, who encourage and inspire new people to open their hearts and homes to pigeons and doves in need.

Palomacy is our foster homes, who say yes when we need somewhere to put a new intake and the aviaries are all full. They care for Palomacy birds every day as if they were their own, sometimes for years at a time.

Palomacy is our experienced medical foster caregivers, who will stay up with a sick bird, tube feeding, medicating, driving to vet appointments.

Palomacy is our adopters, who make the commitment to being a lucky bird’s happily ever after.

Palomacy is the kindness of the veterinarians who take on our most difficult cases and give us a rescue discount.

Palomacy is our people who contribute and edit photos and videos, flyers, and graphics to create beautiful, effective messaging.

Palomacy is our board members who give their time and thoughtful care in making the big decisions.

Palomacy is our web volunteer who knows or can figure out dozens of platforms and plugins, and who goes down one rabbit hole after another, always coming up with a solution and somehow keeping all the plates spinning.

Palomacy is our Care Director who says yes to new intakes, triages and arranges medical care, stays up late and wakes up early to care for our most vulnerable birds, all while managing our adoptions, matching people with birds and keeping up with them, offering support and guidance long after the adoption is finalized.

And Palomacy is our donors, who make it possible for all of the people described above to come together to save lives every day. With this critical support we are able to help birds who would otherwise have no chance.

Your compassion and dedication make Palomacy possible, and together we are changing things in big ways and small. Zoom in, and you’ll see an individual bird whose fortunes have changed entirely because of the dedication of Palomacy’s people. Zoom out and you can see the public perception of these birds shifting. How many pigeon rescue organizations were there in 2007? And how many are there now? This big beautiful movement is growing by the day — and you are making it happen!

Thank you all, from the bottom of our hearts.

Cynthia

By Jill Shepard

Garbo making her bandage look quite stylish!

Sweet Garbo was rescued by someone who called the Palomacy Help Line. We rushed into action due to the severity of her injury. Her wonderful rescuers drove her from Stockton to Medical Center for Birds in Oakley. She stayed there for a week while the doctors decided on a plan for how to close her neck wound. I picked her up after it was decided the wound needed some time to “declare.” Letting a wound declare means allowing time for the wound to show us which parts of it will remain viable so that it can be closed without enclosing any necrotic tissue. It turns out she was doing a GREAT job of healing it by “second intention,” that is, skin granulating in naturally, then closing the wound completely.

Garbo rests during a bandage change

All throughout this uncomfortable healing process, she had to wear a covering on her neck to keep the wound clean and moist. Birds generally don’t do well with this, but Garbo was a champ! What is amazing about this bird is that she withstood so many wound cleanings and dressings and bandaging but remained sweet and receptive throughout. This bird deserves a happily-ever-after in the best way possible by finding a human to love her. She’s a catch, this one!

Look at all those new pins!

If you are interested in being Garbo’s forever human, please apply to adopt here.