Ever happen to you – bird landing in the boat

Well Sunday I decided to get in trouble again and go fishing on Winnebago. So I am out dragging boards off the east shore when I hear this strange noise in the back. It was a pigeon landing on the gunnell. I am like “OK so this is different.” I have heard of birds landing on boats on Lake Michigan to rest but never happened to me. So I figured since it is not bothering anything including me and not crapping he can stay for bit.

Since the walleye were not snapping it was my entertainment. It hung out and walked around the back then I notice the leg band on the left leg. But on the right leg there was an actual message in a little holder. Cool. So this bird has some place to go.

Well it was clearly tired and thirsty as it jumped in the engine spill well drank a bunch of water then climbed out, fluffed itself up and took a nap. It stayed in the boat or over an hour even when I was bringing in a fish. Definitely used to being around people.

So I had enough trolling and started up the engine to run back to the reefs for perch. Thinking the bird would take off…Nope.

I say your funeral..opened up and running 7 miles at 45mph. I get to where I wanted to be and look back. “Oh the bird took off”

Nope! I look down and happened to see the smart little critter had jumped down and worked its way into one of my under console compartments.

Ok he had to go at this point. Got him in the air and no poop in the boat.

Kind cool.

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Most banded pigeons are racing birds. I shot one once that was from Owatonna that was in a flock of wild ones. Guess he got lost and stopped to rest with his own kind. Cool story Diesel! Too bad you didn’t get the note or the band number off the bird.

That’s a cool story, did you name him?

Only time I’ve had a bird land in my boat, was a teal that I had just shot down. She came buzzing over the cattails right in front of me, drew up quick and made a good shot. She quickly dropped and smashed right into the back side of the boat a couple feet from my head.

Good story, thanks for sharing.

In 2016 on the Rainy River sturgeon fishing out in the bay a flock of grackles were flying over and one dropped down. Tried to land on motor and slide off and landed on my knee. Sat there and looked around for a few minutes before taking off. Have had herons come close to landing on boat while I was out at night on Pool 2. Sacred crap out of me

Diesel that must have been a “passenger pigeon”.

primitive wrote:

Good story, thanks for sharing.

X2

Cool experience

Rod Bent wrote:

Diesel that must have been a “passenger pigeon”.

Pool 2 several years ago. I was up in the bow and heard something behind me. Turned around and saw a Bald Eagle trying to land on the outboard. Scared? I thought the devil himself was coming for me. Had to tear the wires off the trolling motor and defibrillate my heart. The eagle looked pretty surprised to see me too.

SR

I was too young to remember, but the story goes we were camping for a week in Park Rapids. My dad befriended a pigeon feeding him everyday. We packed up and went home and the bird followed us all the way home.

I was out boating with my cousins as a youngster. We saw something in the water and motored over to it. The pigeon swam up to our boat. It wouldn’t leave and my uncle brought him home and helped it recouperate.

Down here the herrons and egrets k ow which fishermen are using live bait and will hang out on the boat or shore with you.

Was fishing the WI River below the Stevens Point dam a year or so ago when I heard a goofy thump sound. (I now believe it was a pigeon being struck at by an eagle, both frequent the area) Look up to see this fellow lazily drifting down and splash into the water, so I lent him a hand. He stayed out for about half an hour, then flew away only to go down into the river again, but at that point I figured he had been too injured to make it anyway and I began watching for a musky to explode on him.

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Happened to me several years ago. When we were fishing on a clear day and all of a sudden the clouds moved in and a white out snow storm hit us. We couldn’t see a thing and out in the middle of the lake. I guess a Robin couldn’t either as it flew into the boat and landed on the dash. We were able to use or GPS snail trail to get back to the dock. Once at the dock, the bird saw a tree and left us for the tree.

Happened to me a few times. Twice in Florida, we were out 40 miles west of Naple and a small what looked like a warbler landed on the boat. I read somewhere where these birds will cross the Gulf of Mexico. Second, as we came into the harbor, a pelican landed on the back for a free morsel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11ZBurj9stA

There is a reason these birds get aggressive on piers and other places. That being said, I’d have done the same thing.