A passion for pigeons: Benton City woman raises 300 birds, 19 varieties on 5-acre farm

By John Trumbo, Herald staff writer

BENTON CITY -- Gurgling sounds are music to Sara Whitby's ears.

The Benton City woman simply adores her pigeons and other feathered friends, all 300 of them.

The cooing, soft chortling and singing are a bird lover's symphony, and Whitby is the adoring audience of one.

Two large aviaries, designed and built for Whitby's winged pets, shelter 19 varieties of birds, from Shakhsharli's to West of England tumblers, Cortunix quail and tragopan pheasant.

Whitby hasn't met a pretty bird she didn't want to call, coo and cuddle.

Even the yellow finches have a special place in her heart and shed: "They are so cute and I love their little sounds," Whitby said while giving a tour through the two bird houses, each more than 40 feet long and from 10 to 20 feet wide.

Whitby spends hours with her birds, hand-feeding raw Spanish peanuts and safflower seeds to them.

Providing peanuts and seed treats helps keep the birds soft feathered and glossy, a quality Whitby desires. It also creates a special bond between her and the birds.

"They learn to trust you. When they are gurgling, they are very happy," said Whitby, as a couple of her special favorites hopped up to perch on her arm and pick peanuts out of her palm.

Whitby favors the Shakhsharlis, which originated in Syria, because that breed is known as a people-friendly pigeon species.

"Their personality is fantastic. They look at you and you can tell they want to be friendly. Not flighty at all," she said.

A relative newcomer to owning and caring for birds, Whitby got started about nine years ago while volunteering at Pioneer Park Aviary in Walla Walla where she took pictures of pretty birds. She and her husband Dan lived in Touchet at time. But it became impractical to visit the aviary after the couple moved to the Tri-City area three years ago.

She continues to serve as an on-call employee for the aviary. Whitby also is secretary for the Columbia Basin Pigeon Club, which was established in 1993 to promote the raising of fancy pigeons and doves. About 25 families are members.

The Whitbys farm on about five acres which provides enough space for her birds and for her husband Dan's pets -- a flock of hair sheep. But the birds are the main thing.

Whitby said the bird pens have concrete floors, which prevent predators from digging to reach the pigeons, and wood-framed walls and roofs so the birds are protected from the elements.

Each individual pen provides access to a wire-enclosed fly-pen framed with wood posts and layered with wire on the sides and top to prevent entry by raptors. Heavy hardware cloth wire extends to the ground and about 12 inches lower with rocks piled in a trench for added security in case dogs or skunks try to tunnel under.

Keeping the bird breeds in separate pens within the large sheds is important when trying to selectively breed birds, Whitby said. She has a special breeding room in one of her aviaries. Adult pigeons take turns sitting on the nests until the fertilized eggs complete the 18-day incubation period.

Whitby says 10-inch-high plastic plant pots are ideal nesting containers. One pot inside another makes for easy cleanup, too.

Whitby said her birds represent only a fraction of the more than 200 pigeon breeds, which come in a variety colors, styles, crests, beak configurations and feet feathering.

Serious pigeon owners try to breed for specific features and coloring, Whitby said. But she said some of her birds have so much personality that their physical features don't matter to her.

Whitby's bird collection includes archangels and Danish suabians, pheasant pigeons, Indian fantails, a German breed known as Mookees, doves, a genuine homer, white homers, frillbacks, ringneck doves, Budapest high flyers, Birmingham rollers and several breeds of pheasants.

And yes, all of these birds do what all birds do, said Whitby, cautioning visitors to her pens about the bird messes.

Cleaning the pens regularly is just part of the hobby.

"I have a loving and supportive husband," she said.

Club information

The Columbia Basin Pigeon Club meets bi-monthly at the Kennewick branch library, 1620 S. Union St.

The group plans a summer potluck lawn show and the Sand & Sagebrush Show on Oct. 24-25 at the Benton County Fairgrounds in Kennewick.

For more information about joining the club or the next meeting day, call Sara Whitby at 509-528-4123 or visit wwingsaviary.lbbhost.com/CBPC.

* John Trumbo: 509-582-1529; jtrumbo@tricityherald.com

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Sunday, Apr. 19, 2009

A passion for pigeons: Benton City woman raises 300 birds, 19 varieties on 5-acre farm

By John Trumbo, Herald staff writer