Library Staff Take Injured Pigeon Under Their, Ahem, Wings

GROSSE POINTE WOODS, MI — Librarians at Woods branch of the Grosse Pointe Library have taken aninjured pigeon they think may may be a homing pigeon that flew in from Canada, ahem, under their wings.

The injured bird, which leg bands that suggested it may have come from Canada, was found on the library lawn, craning its neck at an odd angle when it was found by a library patron Monday. Library staff think the pigeon may have flown into a window.

They’ve nicknamed the bird “Woody,” after the Woods Branch, and have taken steps to protect him — or maybe her — from traffic on the Mack Avenue Vernier Road corridor or from a stray cat, so they arranged for temporary housing in a cardboard box, according to The Grosse Pointe Times.

The band on Woody’s leg didn’t reveal much information about the bird’s owner. Library staff contacted a local wildlife expert, who was expected to take care of Woody and try to reunite the bird with its owner through an organization that helps errant homing pigeons find their way home.

In the meantime, youth monitor Paula Dombrowski found herself with an unusual assignment — to keep tabs on Woody. The bird seemed grateful, allowing Dombrowski to pet it.

“This is not what I expected to do this afternoon,” she said.

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Image: Stock photo of pigeons by DAVID HOLT via Flickr Commons