Wrong doves for the Wedding!

Is is possible to have the wrong doves for a wedding? Yes, yes a thousand times yes!
Just read the following; it was written by Cathy Locke and originally appeared in the Sacramento Bee on June 10, 2011.

Sad ending for wedding doves in McKinley Park

The problem: A flock of white doves soaring skyward provides a spectacular ending to a wedding ceremony, but the aftermath can be a sad spectacle of dead or starving birds unable to find their way home or fend for themselves.

Dell Richards lives near Sacramento's McKinley Park, a popular wedding venue. She said white doves released around Easter had not been trained to return to a home base. They have been found dead, injured or wandering in nearby yards.

Photo Credit: Jennifer Chong, 2009 (NY Times article, click for original article)A similar article which appeared in the July 28, 2009 NY Times' City Room goes further and provides a clear picture of what it looks like to come across ringneck doves that had been released as part of some kind of ceremony. This photo on the right was taken by Jennifer Chong, a licensed wildlife rehabilitation specialist who took part in the rescue, which took place in the borough of  Flushing, Queens, New York. They were able to rescue 18 of the over 40 that had been released. What happened to the rest is anyone's guess.

This is a good example of something that I mentioned in my Wedding: What Doves? post from earlier in the month. It stems from the unscrupulous use by some, of ringneck doves for ceremonial releases. I mentioned it briefly in that post, but since July is the height of wedding season, it's bears repeating.

It is not uncommon to walk into your local pet store or go onto sites like Craig's List or Kijiji and see pure white doves for sale. More often than not (and pretty much exclusively when it comes to pet stores) these are actually ringneck doves: a type of dove that has absolutely no homing ability, and will most likely wind up dead, injured or starving before someone finds and rescues them.

How do you tell a ringneck dove apart from a white homing pigeon?

• Cere: the cere is the fleshy part that seems to sit atop the beak and has no feathers. This is where the nostrils are located. On ringneck doves, there is little to no cere, whereas homing pigeons have a very prominent cere that is whitish in colour.  
• Beak: ringnecks have a very slim beak that appears to be a bit longer due to the lack of a cere. Homing pigeons have a thicker beak.
• Neck: As you can see in the photo, there is a marked difference in neck-size, more bulky on the homer and quite slender in the ringneck.
• Eye Color: While it is not impossible to see a white homing pigeon with red eyes, it IS uncommon. White ringnect doves are more likely to have them. When I say "red" eyes, it is more like the pink that you'd see in an albino rabbit. Homers are more likely to have a darker colour eye.
•  Body Size: there is a marked difference in size between the homing pigeon and the ringneck dove. Ringnecks are much smaller framed than their noticeably bulkier homer counterparts.
•  Legband: Legbands are used by reputable breeders to clearly identify each bird and allow them to trace its lineage. It also indicates that said breeder belongs to a network of other fanciers or breeders, all of whom promote the highest standards of care and conditions for their birds. These bands indicate the association to which the breeder belongs as well as a unique identifier number for the bird / breeder. If the bird gets lost (it DOES even happen with homers) and is found by someone, it allows the owner to be contacted. More often than not such bands are absent with ringneck doves.

Having said all of this, ringnecks do have their place in wedding displays. It is not uncommon for Dove Release professionals to use ringnecks in their display cages, rather than homers, since the ringnecks are a smaller and fit more easily in most cages.

If you are at all interested in the possibility of doing a dove release at your wedding, please, please, please be sure that the people that you are dealing with are using White Homing Pigeons and not ringneck doves.

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Wedding: What Doves?

Welcome to (long anticipated - aka 'late') post #5 of the W5 series! A particular shout out to you those who have been following this short little series from the get-go.. Thanks for your patience and continued interest!

In this final post for the W5 series you'll get to learn a little of the what converning dove releases for weddings (and other special event releases)... admittedly there will be a little bit of how mixed in as well...

What kind of doves are they?

• These are pure white homing pigeons, raised in my loft and trained to return to the safety of the loft following their release. I have had birds return safely home from as far away as Moncton (175km) although, with training they are capable of flying much greater distances still. In popular thought, pigeons and doves are not the same thing, yet the original pigeon species is commonly referred both as the "Rock Dove" and the "Rock Pigeon"... as such they have a keen homing instinct. 
• These are NOT white "Ringneck Doves", the kind commonly found in petstores, and the kind we tend to think of when we hear the term 'dove'. White ringneck doves have sometimes been used, regrettably, by people wanting to coordinate their own, less expensive release as ringneck doves are more easy to come by. The problem is, this smaller species has no homing ability. They will still create a beautiful impression when flying out of a release basket

What will happen before the release?

• The day before a release, the birds are given a bath so that they look their freshest. It's really much easier than it sounds, one need only put in the galvanized bath pan and they do the rest. These guys LOVE to bathe. Birds to be released are also given slightly less to eat, for two reasons.
  
  • It reduces the chance that wedding guests will be treated to "gifts from heaven" as the birds take off and,
  • It ensures that the bird will hastily head home, where it knows that food always awaits after a flight outside (part of the training).

What will happen at the release?

• Most wedding dove releases are done Release basket: Capable of holding 16 birdsfrom a basket of some sort. Given that most releases happen toward then end of the ceremony or upon exiting the church, I will arrive 15min before the ceremony begins (if you've requested a display cage of doves, I will arrive 1hr before the ceremony so that the cage is in place as guests arrive).
  
  • single pair - If you and your spouse-to-be are releasing a single pair, it will most likely be from a small heart shaped basket. The most photogenic way for this to be done is to have the groom hold the basket, tipped slightly forward and the bride will open the basket's lid, allowing the birds to wing their way skyward. Your photographer needs to be Johnny-on-the-spot as the birds won't waste any time hitting the heights.
  • flock release - When done, the flock release (anywhere from 3-12 birds) typically comes after the bride and groom release their pair. It's indicative of the well-wishes of friends & family accompanying the new couple as they begin their "flight" together. This can be done by members of the bridal party, special friends or family, or by us. There are a couple of styles of baskets that can be used, depending on the number of birds requested.
  • display cage release - Some have asked if we do releases directly from the display cage. At this point, we do not. We typically use untrained birds or fantails for the cage display.

What will happen after the release?

• After exiting the basket, the birds will generally gather  together and circle overhead 2-4 times. This allows them to "get their bearings". There are often one or two birds that are either more dominant, more confident or more experienced, when this bird determines in which direction 'home' is located... it will break the 'holding pattern' and head home, the rest of the birds will follow and they will return as a flock. At a relaxed pace, the birds easily fly 25-32 km/hr, so depending on the distance between the release point and home, it will take them more or less time to 'hit the loft' (figuratively speaking). A good drink of water will be waiting for them, as well as a hearty meal of untreated, whole grains.

OK... That's it for this post and the 'W5' series. Thanks for your faithfulness in coming back to MyWhiteDoves!  If you're considering a dove release for your wedding or special event or have questions, please contact me at MyWhiteDoves@gmail.com.

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