In the quaint town of Occidental, an avian curiosity presides atop a historic restaurant.
Back in December, after enjoying a hearty breakfast at Howard Station Cafe (voted best breakfast in the county multiple years – we agree!), we walked the parking lot to look for birds. Uncharacteristically, we didn’t have a pair of binoculars between us that day. As we walked by the Union Hotel, a Columbidae-shaped bird sitting on the restaurant’s roof caught our eye.
The bird lacked the normal coloration or vibe of a Rock Pigeon, Eurasian-collared Dove, or Band-tailed Pigeon. We strained our unaided eyes to make out details, but could only see a white head, black body, white belly, and what appeared to be a “hood” sticking up at the nape. It was a chilly 37 degrees, and we theorized someone had crafted a pigeon-sized, hooded cape for their white release dove. Far-fetched? Maybe… but Occidental is, after all, home to the annual eccentric and costume-laden “Fools Parade.”
A couple weeks later, we returned to Howard’s with our friends Jen and Clark. They mentioned seeing a strange pigeon in town, and as they described its black and white plumage, we thought… Could it be our caped oddity??
We marched over to the Union Hotel, and, lo and behold – there it was, atop its familiar perch! This time, through binoculars we discovered the “hood” to be a unique set of feathers standing straight up at the bird’s nape! How peculiar!
We laughed with our friends about how we thought the pigeon simply had on hand-crafted outerwear. Remarking how the bird evoked Gary Oldman from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, we thus dubbed it “Count Gary.”
Later, Clark did some research and came upon a “color pigeon” variety from Germany called the “Thuringian White Bib.” Union Hotel’s bird, however, lacks the pure white face, full white bib, and feathered white feet. Could it be some sort of hybrid?
Does anyone know anything about this curious bird? We’ve seen it a third time in the same place, so we assume it belongs to someone.
We felt silly for wondering if someone made a cape for this bird… but then discovered this NPR story and realized anything is possible: Rhinestone Vest-Wearing Pigeon Reunited With Family
I enjoyed this pigeon story. The book “Pigeons” by Andrew Blechman tells all about how they were domesticated centuries ago, used in vital communications in both war and peace up until WWI. My grandfather trained racing pigeons, I’m told. I also got a big laugh from the NPR story about the Rhinestone Pigeon who went on a rumspringa! (Hope the floods haven’t impacted you too much. Sad to see the damage along the river.)
Hi JJ! We are luckily above the flood zone and were unscathed. It is incredibly sad driving through town, though, and seeing the extent of affected homes and businesses.
How interesting about your grandfather! We’ll add your book recommendation to our library list. Hope to see you on the 18th at Ellis Creek!
I have seen 2 pigeons like this, much slimmer but same colouring, with a pair of what look like racing pigeons and 3 white doves on the roof opposite my house yesterday and today 11/12. They hide under the solar panels. November 2022. I was astounded