January 13, 2024
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on What Happened to the Bird of Peace?

What Happened to the Bird of Peace?

What Happened to the Bird of Peace?

CALL TO PIGEONS 2023-2024

Guest Post by Elodie M. Richard

My name is Elodie Richard, I am a French artist based in Central Florida. I am a mother of four rescued pigeons, Sada, Hugo, Mathis (diamond doves) and Juju (Rock Pigeon).

Pigeons have thousands of years of history intertwined with ours, they symbolize peace, faith, fidelity, love, hope and happiness. Mankind owes them so much! The reality of their lives though and how they are unfairly rejected or mistreated by us is not so glorious for our own image as humans. How come such emotionally complex, gentle and smart creatures are nowadays so overlooked after thousands of years of service, being celebrated, honored, loved and praised all around the world and in all cultures/religions? In truth the way we treat pigeons reflects our own humanity.

Are you a rescued pigeon parent, would you like your rescued bird/portrait story to be part of this special art project? I am looking forward to creating a series of portraits that witness their unique beauty despite their handicaps or injuries. Your birds’ incredible stories of survival and rescue deserve to be honored. The materials I will need to work with are: good quality photographs that will inspire me to create a portrait, a paragraph that tells your bird story, and a photograph of the pigeon with his human family. Each pigeon story will be different.

As owner of this project, my very first goal is to create Limited series art prints of my original illustrations, the creation of an art book and/or an art exhibit on the long term. Please follow my instagram artist page and PM me if interested.
Let the Pigeons show off their stories and true beauty to the world, and help them get the recognition and respect they deserve!

The art book created in 2023 gathers all art created about pigeon rescue in 2023, this represents a year of work, 121 pages, with rescued pigeon/dove art portraits and testimonials/ rescue stories from around the world. This is an ongoing project in defense of the pigeons, I have already started to receive new submissions for 2024 and will continue to create in January 2024.
 
A portion of the money earned on my sales of the Book and /or archival Art Prints will allow me to make donations to rescue organizations such as Palomacy, Great Lakes Pigeons Rescue, but also Individuals who own independent pigeon rescues and devote their time in rescuing them.

***To learn more about my ongoing project and donations,  ”Call to Pigeons 2023 – 2024”: Follow my instagram profile/page :

elodie_m_richard_artist https://www.instagram.com/elodie_m_richard_artist/

***More about me and my work as an artist:

 

***Here is the link giving access to my first virtual art exhibition following my art book ”What Happened to the Bird of Peace?” (You should be able to access it easily, accept cookie and view it from browser instead of having to download the app to view it. Sometimes it can take a minute to download it but usually it opens quickly to it. View it from a computer, it will be easier to move inside the project rather than on your cell phone. If you click on images you will be able to read comments and stories. Not all the art that is in the book is exhibited, I had to make a selection, but each person who participated in 2023 is represented.)

Call to Pigeon Art Project, 2023-2024

@elodie_m_richard_artist

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December 20, 2023
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on Street to Sweet: Esther’s Rescue and the Power of Compassion

Street to Sweet: Esther’s Rescue and the Power of Compassion

Guest Post by Dion Campbell

Esther

Spotted huddling alone in a dreary doorway in bustling downtown San Francisco, a tiny, speckled pigeon faced an uncertain fate. Most of her delicate pink toes were being painfully strangled by tightly wound human hair, and her feet were bound together so inextricably by the same debris that she could no longer get off the ground. Commonly seen in feral city pigeons, this was a bad case of “string-foot.” Her beautifully mottled white plumage was unrecognizably grey, soiled, and completely bedraggled from being grounded near the grimy urban sidewalks. She was running out of time as the painful infection in her toes set in and thirst and hunger further weakened her, depleting whatever reserves she had left. She had no choice but to sit in the safest place she could get to and wait for whatever came next.

The sun was setting over the bay, but just as darkness began to envelop the emptying city streets and shadows crept ominously into the nooks and crannies, a beacon of hope emerged when a kind passerby noticed her. A compassionate soul, moved by her plight, contacted Palomacy for help. A single text message with a location and photo was all it took and the call went out to local rescue volunteers for immediate assistance.

She didn’t have to wait long before kind hands were scooping her up and a gentle voice was promising her she was going to be okay. Thankfully, a member of Palomacy’s Rescue Team was already close by and was on the scene before opportunistic nocturnal predators would almost certainly show up to harm her, as defenseless as she was. Her rescuers called her Esther, the namesake of the protagonist in Sylvia Plath’s novel, “The Bell Jar.” While Esther Greenwood’s narrative is more psychologically complex, Esther the Pigeon’s story is a more literal tale of overcoming societal constraints and finding a will to survive in an indifferent world.

Safe at home, not far up the hill from where she had almost given up hope, Esther was freed from the majority of the oppressive, binding debris wound around her toes and feet and was provided with a soft, cozy bed to snuggle into. Light pain medication, a healthy seed mix, and clean water were given to her make her comfortable, and transport was arranged to world-class avian vet, Medical Center for Birds, to begin her journey to recovery.

“Stringfoot” entangled, bound & injured Esther’s feet

De-strung, bathed, weighed, medicated & safe

Waking up post-surgery

Headed back foster home after toe amputation

Not every pigeon has an obvious origin story, and just like so many others, Esther’s story will always remain a bit of a mystery. Petite, mostly white, and gorgeously speckled like a domestic pigeon abandoned to the street, but with the feisty wildness and grit of a city-hardened feral, Esther likely had no hope outside of Palomacy’s intervention. Not wild enough for a wildlife center, and not domestic enough for a local humane shelter, Esther had virtually no support system in place. This is exactly why Palomacy exists!

In the fading twilight on Geary Street, Esther’s story unfolded as a testament to the power of compassion and the difference one moment of kindness can make when it is amplified by the efforts of the amazing people who make up Palomacy. She is now healing well from much needed toe surgery at home with her foster family, including other rescued pigeons. She is fierce, getting stronger by the day, and slowly learning to trust those who care for her.

Esther defiant

Esther fostering

Esther safe

Dion, an artist by nature and a long-time bartender by trade, had always been interested in helping animals but never quite found a way to invest in the pursuit… until the Covid pandemic stopped the world and everything changed. One single pigeon rescue turned into many, and after making a few trips to WildCare with injured city pigeons, Dion resolved to find a new career helping animals. In the past four years, Dion has helped with the rescue, rehabilitation, release, and placement of hundreds of injured and orphaned pigeons. She volunteers with Palomacy as a Facebook Help Group Moderator, a Hotline Operator, and Rescue Volunteer. She currently works at WildCare’s pigeon-friendly Wildlife Center as the Social Media & Hotline Manager and lives in beautifully foggy San Francisco with her husband and son—who both help with pigeon rescue in every way they can—and an always fluctuating number of rescue animals, including Pickles the Pigeon.
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December 19, 2023
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on Puff Berry Rising

Puff Berry Rising

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.

Puff & I meet

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.

Kick-stand hock sitting

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.

Flap-walking wide open spaces

Snuggling & comfy on the heating pad

Such cuteness

Little Puff spends a lot of time sitting in my hand

Supervised hock-sitting outside in a pod

Chillaxing in the food dish because of course

Puff in her traction harness basket

Puff in her traction basket at her first outreach

Puff practicing weight-bearing standing in a borrowed wheelchair by Neatfeet

Bathed (the sores on her wings are from them hitting during extreme flapping)

Drying in the sunshine

Mobility-challenged Rashad & Puff Berry hanging out

Puff hanging out with fellow special pigeon Jeannie

Puff standing for a moment

Puff flaps like this hard & perpetuates those wing bone sores

Camera play

Best mobility day 12/10/23: Stood & walked several steps!

Self-hiding her head under her stuffy friend

Hiding her head inside my shirt

Love therapy

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.

She’s happy pouched

She’s in her soft tent

Under her cover

Here’s Puff Berry helping me as I write this.

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

 

Please click to donate online, by check, PayPal or Venmo it you can.

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December 18, 2023
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on A Message from Our Treasurer

A Message from Our Treasurer

Killer, the one who started it all

Six years ago, a pale little dove (now named Killer) flew down from the telephone wire outside my house and landed on my arm. He was tame and I was clueless. After feeding him on my front patio for three months, I found Palomacy.

Fast forward to today: Killer and his wife in one aviary, 20 pigeons in another, countless new friends around the world and as many local birds saved as possible. I can’t imagine my life without this work. These days most of my free time is consumed with helping these intelligent, emotional, severely under appreciated beings find the only thing they are looking for: a safe and loving home to enjoy in good health.

As much time as we all give, it doesn’t pay for medical bills, or food, or emergency transport. Many of these birds arrive weak, severely injured and abused- their best chance of survival often requires veterinary care. How many lives we can save is directly tied to how much money we raise…every dollar is meticulously planned for and spent in the most effective way possible. (I know, I’m the Treasurer of the Boare for Palomacy.) If there isn’t enough money, we have to turn birds away. That is the real burden of this job…how can we say no? How can we save more?

Asking for money is hard. We do it because it’s thhe only way we can continue this work, We do it because these little birds have taken hold of our hearts so strongly that we can’t bear to look away when they need us. We are always trying to figure out how to fit one more in, how to afford giving everything to every bird that asks for help (they do ask, it’s called self-rescue). All they have lost or been denied is also everything they have always deserved.

Every…single…dollar,,,counts. Can you help?

Moose, my soul bird

Turkey as I write this

Thank you for helping the birds.

Jenna Close, Palomacy Help Group Mod & Board Treasurer

Donate online, by check, via PayPal or Venmo

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November 24, 2023
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on These Birds Need Us

These Birds Need Us

Sky Puppy

Birds like Sky Puppy and Ace and Opal and so many more really need us. All of us. We are working nonstop to rescue and care for the constant flood of lost, injured and displaced pigeons and doves. They need rescuing, many need vet care (averaging $9K/month). All need foster homes and adoption services. Every single bird receives individualized care matched to their needs. (And we’re daily assisting lots of good Samaritans, shelters and adopters with care coaching too.)

Our foster caseload is now at an all time high with 257 birds living in 52 different homes and aviaries. We’ve placed 104 adoptees in forever homes so far this year and 18 of our rescues died in 2023.

Our numbers are topsy-turvy. We need at least 250 adoptions per year to be sustainable. We are better able to achieve that when we’re not so overfull with fosters. When our foster caseload goes up, the demands on our people, time and money increases exponentially. We are growing and stretching and innovating as fast as we can. We support 52 foster home and aviary sites! We have an incredible team of volunteers publicizing rescued pigeons and doves, maintaining our database and website and blog and Help Group, helping to raise funds, produce events and calendars and articles and more. We are outreaching and educating and wowing the public at every opportunity.

And you, dear reader, are one of more than 3K wonderful people who open these newsletters. We have the flock power to make this work…

Please sign on as a volunteer or fosterer. Please adopt! These birds need a home above all else. And please donate! (We are in the red.) Please sign up as a recurring donor. And please support us during the special bonus match campaigns like this GivingTuesday. Help us leverage bonus match funds on donations up to $2,500 per donor. (We’ll send a reminder when the campaign starts.)

Thank you! Thank you for helping us to help these birds!

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November 21, 2023
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on I’m Ace

I’m Ace

Content Warning: Injury photos included

I’m Ace. I’m one of more than 400 birds you have helped Palomacy to rescue this year. I had been struggling along on string-tangled feet about as long as I could. One foot was actually gone- it had dried up and fallen off after a long, painful string entanglement- and the other one, my “bad foot”, was totally tied up and infected. Walking was excruciating and I was getting weak from lack of food. People always think about a bird’s wings but we pigeons really depend on our feet too- we’re constantly foraging and launching and landing. And then the worst suddenly happened: a hungry hawk swooped by and grabbed me! I was clutched tight- squeezed- in his strong, sharp talons. I was terrified and energized both. I wrenched and struggled as hard as I could and amazingly – I got loose. I fell to the ground hard, now with a broken leg and my whole tail ripped out, the feathers still gripped by the hawk, probably. But I was alive! I limp-scurried to hide under the nearest cover I could- a bush against a wall- and waited terrified the hawk would come back. Luckily, he didn’t but now what? I was hurting and stunned and helpless.

Hurt & hiding

And that’s where you come in. Someone saw me huddled there and called Palomacy and a volunteer took the call and reached out to another volunteer who came immediately to my rescue. She took me to the bird hospital- Medical Center for Birds- and they took such good care of me! I got pain medicine, subcutaneous fluids, gavage feeding and antibiotics that first day. Then came the radiographs and eventually the surgery and steel pin to put my busted leg back together and they detangled and treated my mangled foot. It was a lot and scary sometimes but mostly I was just incredibly surprised and relieved. They gave me food! I had clean water! They talked to me and oohed and ahhed about how tough I was to still be alive after all I had been through. And they are right. I am tough!

Rescued!

My busted leg & string-entangled foot

My foot after all that string was removed!

Pre-surgery radiograph

Waking up after surgery

Fostered & recovering (showing my pinned leg with pin edges taped)

Me & Dr. Galusha after she removed the steel pin from my repaired leg

Now, months later, I am all healed up and living like a king in a big, beautiful foster aviary with a bunch of other rescued pigeons. The lady who feeds and waters us also cleans up for us and she catches me sometimes to change the padding bandage on my stump leg. You gave me this gift of life.

I’m not really sure how I got so lucky as this but I am really glad I did. I wish everyone could be treated so kindly. I wish everyone could be rescued when they’re in trouble and I wish everyone could live a good, safe, happy, peaceful life.

YOU made that happen for me and for so many others. THANK YOU! Please keep doing what you’re doing. You’re saving lives and inspiring compassion and you are, with your kindness and generosity, making this world better.

Your online donation to Palomacy for GivingTuesday via GlobalGiving will earn a much needed bonus match. (On donations up to $2,500 per donor, starting at 9 PM PT Monday 11/27 till 8:59 PM PT Tuesday 11/28)  The more everyone gives, the bigger the match will be. And the more Aces will be saved.

Thank you again.

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October 19, 2023
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on Palomacy’s 2024 Calendars & Contest

Palomacy’s 2024 Calendars & Contest

Scroll down to see the images chosen for our 2024 wall calendars!

Order your calendars here!

We love our rescued and adopted pigeons and doves every day, 365 days a year (366 in 2024). And we love honoring your birds in our Palomacy calendars, shared all over the world! Your support for this special fundraiser helps birds every day.

It’s your support that makes it possible for us to rescue so many displaced, injured & ill birds: hawk-struck King pigeon Freedom, PMV survivor Willy, beloved and profoundly missed youngsters Crouton & Sprout (RIP), concussed and near death Paige, timed out shelter rescues Nilla and Graham and literally hundreds more. It’s your support that enables us to help so many birds & people on so many levels: responding to more than 1,000 online coaching & referral requests every month; providing foster homes to 240 birds; screening & assisting adopters for hundreds of placements; producing our unique rescue-centric website for more than 2,000 visitors daily… & so much more.

Thank you to our 221 participants- entrants & voters- who raised $7,358 & blew us away with 395 incredible images!

Presenting Palomacy’s 2024 Wall & Desk Calendars!

 

 

Extra special thanks to our Top Ten calendar contest fundraisers! (Click their photos to see stories.)

#10 Chase by Melanie, Palantine IL $195

#9 Mirando by Natalie, Chicago IL $200

#8 Ollie by Adrienne, San Jose CA $210

#7 Sizzle by Nath, San Leandro CA $215

#6 Speck by Louise, London, England $220

#5 Princess Snowflake by Tim, Pacifica CA $230

#4 Santino & Jose by Ranjini, Santa Clara CA $250

#3 Tikki by Cole, Las Vegas NV $310

#2 Baku by Vicki, Calgary AB Canada $456

#1 Moose by Jenna, Oceanside CA $520 

Congratulations to the entrants selected to be featured in the 2024 Palomacy Wall Calendar!

While we want the calendar to brighten walls with beautiful and striking photos, we also look for entries that tell a story.

These images showcase a diverse representation of birds the Palomacy community helps and interacts with: from the feral pigeons we inhabit a shared space with to the abandoned, injured, and lost pigeons and doves that have found a home with us.

Winning entries weave thoughtful, interesting stories that add depth and personality to who the bird or birds featured are. Whether it’s through the photo or the accompanying story, they communicate something about pigeons and doves emotionally. This may be their quirks as individuals, the hardships they’ve overcome, or their relationships with others, both bird and human.

Thank you for sharing this piece of your lives with us, and we look forward to amplifying your voice to Palomacy supporters across the globe.

2024 Calendar Cover: Plover by Adrienne, San Jose CA

January: Moose by Jenna, Oceanside CA

February: The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes by Shae, Fairfax CA

March: Pancake by Sonya, Albany NY

April: Eggo by Cynthia, San Francisco CA

May: Voodoo by Ash, Eucalyptus Hills CA

June: Pomelo & Puffles by Adrienne, San Jose CA

July: Ender by Avia, Miami FL

August: Santino & Josè by Ranjini, Santa Clara CA

September: All but Two of the Flock, by Stassia, Grass Lake MI

October: Pickles by Dion, San Francisco CA

November: Polly by Ari, Stephentown NY

December: My Aviary in the Winter by Sindy, Jacksonville OR

 

Thank you to each & every one of you- rescuers, adopters, fosters, volunteers, photographers, artists, voters, donors & advocates! Together we are changing the course of the future for these amazing birds, from abuse to appreciation, from exploitation to adoption.

Thank You!

2024 Palomacy Calendars can be ordered here & will be shipping by 11/15/23.

And extra super special thanks to our calendar producers- super volunteers, Heather Hohlowski & Julian Zhang, for so generously investing many, many hours of their precious time & their incredible & diverse talents into this project, with such grace & patience throughout, all to help the birds. We could never afford their paid work & are blown away by the enormity of their volunteer contributions, here & all throughout Palomacy’s efforts. We are truly grateful, Heather & Julian.

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October 15, 2023
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on Opal

Opal

Guest Post by Jill McMurchy

Opal rescued

Opal came to Palomacy through a local parrot store. From time to time people bring them pigeons and they immediately call me. They told me she seemed healthy, was eating well and active.

 

But upon examining her, I found four puncture wounds hidden underneath her feathers. Wounds and injuries are often hard to see because feathers can hide so much. If the injury didn’t bleed much, you would see no evidence. What seems like a small puncture could be deep and life threatening and even if the wound is small, depending on the bacteria that was introduced, a small wound can become fatal.
Opal and I headed to an avian vet and she was put on antibiotics and for the topical, we are using Manuka honey. Sticky and messy but it works wonders with shallow wounds. (She came in with the purple dye on her, likely a failed effort by the person who flew her to deter hawk attack.)

 

Lots of elegant balancing while preening to do

Best of all, I was able to take Opal because when I reached out on social media, I found a wonderful new foster volunteer, Jesse. Palomacy can’t continue to help pigeons without new volunteers fostering and new adopters giving them forever homes. Upon meeting Opal, Jesse’s mom was moved to write this post on Facebook (further raising awareness).
.
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October 14, 2023
by Shae
Comments Off on Art for the Birds: Ajax Made Me Do It!

Art for the Birds: Ajax Made Me Do It!

Guest Post by Shae Irving

If you asked a year ago whether I’d have a website for my artwork today, I would have said no. I would have said someday I might — when I have a meaningful subject, a body of work, and the energy it takes to make a website happen. Maybe in a few years. But then our Ajax died.

Ajax was a powerhouse pigeon who was born with the magic to make people do things. As a baby, she captured the heart of her rescuer, Debbie, who knew nothing about pigeons when she found Ajax hiding under a bush. A car had struck this tender young bird, and it wasn’t clear if she would live.

Young Ajax and her finder, Debbie, in 2015

Debbie fell in love with Ajax and developed such regard for pigeons that she spearheaded and primarily funded Palomacy’s life-saving foster aviary at Ploughshares Nursery in Alameda. Score one for Ajax.

Ajax was partnered with Theo, and both were eventually adopted from Ploughshares. (Two more points for Ajax!) The pair had a long stay in a happy home until  Theo passed away and Ajax’s special needs led to a decision to rehome her. She was an old girl when she came to me as a foster. The accumulated stresses of her early injuries weighed on her, and she could no longer handle the pressures of life in a busy aviary. I thought I’d have her for only a week or two, but something about her level gaze and stately ways made me fall in love with her, too.

Ajax inspired me to create a small aviary for hens who needed a VIP life in the slow lane. I put her into that aviary with two other girls, and wouldn’t you know it, they took one look at her and got stars in their eyes. Ajax had two doting wives for the last nine months of her life.

Little, bigger, biggest: Ajax with wives Wink and Gracie.

What does any of this have to do with artwork and my website? When Ajax died of a condition affecting her lungs, we were bereft. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye, so I started to paint her. It was my first pigeon painting, “The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes.” She’s wearing a magic red boot on her right foot– the one that had been badly mangled by the car.

The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes, 2022

I’ve done “better” paintings since, but my whole heart went into this one. It now hangs above my desk at home. After I finished it, I kept going, one pigeon at a time — painting and drawing, learning and loving each opportunity to connect with the bird and, often, with the bird’s person.

It’s what Ajax wanted me to do.

Three recent paintings: Lucito, Dandelion Puff, and Steve!

I created the website to make a home for this growing flock of artbirbs and raise funds for pigeon and dove rescue and adoption. A percentage (usually 50%) of all proceeds from the bird art on the website goes to Palomacy and, occasionally, other pigeon or wildlife rescues.

I also plan to regularly give away art prints and sometimes original work to friends of pigeons and doves. My current giveaway is this print of the series In Your Hands, honoring (L to R) feral rescues Glory, Baby Mo, Flicky, Crouton, Grown-up Mo, and Pijimoto. Each bird is drawn on a 3 x 3 inch distressed post-it note and reproduced here.

I hope you’ll visit shaeirving.com and enter the drawing by signing up for my not-very-frequent newsletter!

About Shae & Palomacy: A king pigeon named Luna rescued Shae in 1993. In the years before the birth of Palomacy (originally MickaCoo), two more lost king pigeons — no other animals, just white kings — found Shae. In those days, it was almost impossible to find information or assistance for domestic pigeons; it seemed like a miracle when she discovered, in 2011, that a new organization had formed to take care of pigeons and doves. She has been a Palomacy volunteer, adopter, fosterer, and donor since then. She’s worn many pigeon-related hats, would love to have an actual pigeon hat, and is now excited to bring more awareness to pigeons and support Palomacy with her artwork.

Today Shae with her 12-year-old King Yuzu

1990s Shae with OG King Luna

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October 5, 2023
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on Feathers & Fashion: Celebrating Cooture!

Feathers & Fashion: Celebrating Cooture!

Party Post Script

Wow!  Our Celebrating Cooture party was awesome! Very well attended with guests coming from San Jose to Sacramento and everywhere in between. Thank you so much to all our guests who were such good sports despite some chaos, lots of dear old friends and dear new ones. I think many who came pigeon-curious are now officially pigeon positive! There are for sure some featured fostered pigeons feeling new hopefulness for adoption. And, thanks to the incredibly generous donors who provided for all of our needs this party throughout, we were able to raise money ($3,475 from the party and $3,987 from our Auctria Auction, thanks to 25 donors and 73 beautiful items!) that will go straight towards the birds’ current vet bill of $13K (while still honoring our no-money-required-to-attend tradition).

Go straight to the photo albums here!

What an amazing experience to flock together in celebration of pigeon and dove rescue party style! It’s been extraordinary to have such incredibly generous support from so many contributors! San Damiano Retreat in “Where’s Danville?” Danville CA made our event possible in the kindest way. Thank you and extra special thanks to Emilio & Lisa.

 

Our headliner, Mother Pigeon of Brooklyn, helped connect us even more closely to the amazing worldwide coo-mmunity (!) of compassionistas drawn together by the love of pigeons. Bev Letard of Bev’s Bird Boutique designed and donated a royal flock’s worth of haute cooture Flyper frocks.

 

Pro photographer, animal rights activist and friend of Palomacy Rachel Ziegler donated her day to shoot our photos. We feasted on a vegan char-cooterie crowned with a chocolate fondue all lovingly dished up for us by Mary, Heather Ha., Nath and Darren. Sindy of Sindy’s Pigeon Service wrangled our raffle offerings and Shae, Heather Ho. and Kyla worked our merch table all of which was greatly enhanced by the incredible generosity of Ash and FleaCircusDesigns.com (Poes!)

Christiana made our haute fashion dreams come true with exquisite bespoke Broadway stage-worthy sets and brought her own set up and tear crew of helpers- Halina and Bob!

And we had a whole army of volunteers who helped us before, during, modeling and through clean up: Aileen, Tim, Micael, Jerri, Liz, Julian, Michelle, Cheryl, Josette, Luis, Nicole, Chris, Helen, Jill, Adrienne, Sarah, Lauren, Ranjini, Ana, Josie, Tiffany, Dion, Atlas and Jenna.

So many contributed to help to create this event and no one more so than our volunteer party producer Heather Hamilton! Heather, THANK YOU! Palomacy’s 2023 party and auction would not have been possible without all of your contagious enthusiasm and dedicated heavy lifting throughout.

Here are a few words from Heather:

Palomacy’s celebration of cooture at Feathers & Fashion was unforgettable. The guests were dressed to impress! Both feathered and non-feathered partygoers looked their best. Everyone loved Mother Pigeon’s special guest appearance, where the Priestess of Pigeon Religion talked about her art, advocacy, love of pigeons, and answered questions from the audience. The fashion show had the paparazzi snapping photos left and right, as the models strutted down the runway and the audience learned more about some of Palomacy’s special birds seeking their forever homes. Everyone enjoyed good food, great conversation, and reveled in their love of pigeons. Palomacy’s work was furthered by the fundraising effort and we’re grateful for everyone who came to this very special event.

 

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Palomacy’s 2023 Party!

Here’s your link to all the party details & to RSVP (free raffle/drink tickets)!


San Damiano Retreat is very generously hosting our event in Danville CA. Overnight stays are available and so is car pooling and BART shuttle transport assistance!

We are still filling fun and exciting volunteer roles of all kinds. Please email Heather.M.Hamilton19@gmail.com to help.

We can’t wait to have Mother Pigeon virtually join our flock at 3:30 PM PT!

All of our feathered friends’ stunning runway fashions have been designed & generously donated by Bev’s Bird Boutique!

Order all your Celebrating Cooture merch here– T-shirts, hoodies, phone cases, mugs, stickers & more!

Get to our auction– donate your treasures & bid for others’ all in support of pigeon & dove rescue! Auction ends 10/23.

We are super excited to have animal rights activist and pro photographer Rachel Ziegler helping us!

Are you a doer? Or party shy? Or love helping? Our party volunteers have the most fun! Volunteer to volunteer. Join us!

 

Questions or ideas? Please call/text us at 415 851-5948 or Email Elizabeth@PigeonRescue.org

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