Homing pigeon makes Penobscot pit stop

Dot, a homing pigeon from Grand Manan. Photo courtesy of Sue Shaw

 By John Boit

A homing pigeon on its way across part of Canada and Maine recently made an unexpected stop in the backyard of a Penobscot home.

The pigeon showed up on Sept. 22 in the driveway of Penobscot residents Sue and Harold Shaw, both of whom happen to be ardent birders. It hung around for a day, so the couple gave it food and water.

“It was fairly tame and made itself right at home,” Sue Shaw said.

When they saw the bird had a banded leg, they captured it with a net and kept it safe in a wire crate. After researching the information found on the band, they discovered that the pigeon–named Dot–was on a mission. The five-month-old bird was in the middle of a race that originated in Quebec, and was flying to her home on Grand Manan, an island off New Brunswick.

Although dwindling in the U.S., homing pigeon races are held around the world. One Chinese buyer paid $1.9 million for a champion homing pigeon in 2020, according to multiple news reports. The rationale for the high price is that, like thoroughbred horses, the bird could be the key to betting bonanzas, as could its offspring.

Dot, however, is still a champion in training, and apparently needed a little rest before continuing on her journey. While the Shaws let Dot out of her crate once they realized who she was and where she was headed, the young bird kept reappearing on their property for several days. Eventually, the Shaws drove her to Lubec on Sept. 27 and released her from there to finish her journey. She was home in less than an hour, according to a text from her handler on Grand Manan.

More details about Dot can be found in a poem by Sue Shaw in our Create section.

Harold Shaw of Penobscot releases Dot in Lubec. Photo courtesy of Sue Shaw.