Posted by Holly at July 2nd, 2010

I must tell you our great news at home. For those of you following the Wilbur saga, this is astonishing news!
After Wilbur left the dogwood tree the day he was released, you will remember that he flew over the barn and away. Later on as Jim and I were putting in the spring garden, we saw him on the barn roof. Much jubilation and calling up to him from two loony people planting peas. We saw him fly off to the stand of trees a ways away and, over the next few days we had sightings but mostly missings and we were pretty sure Wilbur had flown the coop. I was worried that the hawks got him.
Suddenly, one day, on silent wing, Wilbur came back! Living, once again, in the barn with the horses, and engaged in building activity up in the rafters. I didn’t even know pigeons could build nests. I’d only once seen a nest on the ledge outside of an office I worked in down in the financial district in New York City. I thought it was a fluke, someone else’s nest the pigeon had purloined. Jim and I didn’t really know what our pigeon was doing up there in the rafters. Of if he was really doing anything and it was just our desired imagination that he should; sort of willing him to be doing something that would show us he wanted to stay. He was still coming and going, sometimes gone for a couple of days.
If we had felt jubilant when Wilbur turned up on the roof of the barn after his release, we were overjoyed when he came home again. Jim called me from the barn around 4:30 two afternoons ago to say not only was Wilbur home but he had another pigeon with him! Another pigeon! How could this be? But it was. Is. The two of them were up on a high beam just as cute as could be…like two lovebirds. We called Wilbur by name and he would fly a little closer. The new pigeon was sleek and darker. We stood below them laughing, delighting and making phone calls to family and friends, declaring our amazement!
This is huge. We feel as if there is some cross-species trust here. Wilbur trusts that this is home and that he can go out and find a mate to live here with him. Think about it: this took reasoning. He had to reason that this place was safe; he had to understand that his destiny was to find another pigeon for companionship; he had to go find that pigeon, be persuasive and bring them both home.
We stood there watching the two of them peck at each other’s beaks – kissing, clearly kissing – and Wilbur would look down every time we call out. They flew from beam to beam and then – AND THEN – they nestled, nuzzled and did what pigeons do to create little pigeons. And the biggest surprise of all…Wilbur is the WIFE!
Now we watch the Wilburs for signs of the babies surely to come. Our grand pigeons. Isn’t life wonderful? Look forward to pictures as soon as I can get up in the loft opposite….