Empire’s healing homing pigeon

By Codi Yeager
Sun contributor
At first glance, the snowy white bird roosting in the eaves at the Manitou Medical Center in Empire resembles the average seagull. That’s what Dr. Douglas Coles, the clinic’s MD, thought nearly two years ago when he first spied the clinic’s unofficial mascot. But “Ouija” (Wee-jee) is not your average bird. He’s a homing pigeon. Homing pigeons are bred and trained to always fly back to a specific place, or “home”. Some are used for racing, while others are used in pigeon releases at weddings or other special events. Usually, homing pigeons don’t stray, but somehow Ouija flew off course to make a new home in the hearts of those who need him most.
Photo by Marcie Ferris

Coles first saw Ouija while he was mowing the medical center’s lawn. “I saw him huddled above one of the windows,” he remembered. “One of his wings looked kind of funny, so I thought he may be injured.” Coles called the National Park Service, asking if there was anyone in the area who might rehabilitate birds. Though he received a list, no one was available to take Ouija at the time. There was nothing to do but let the pigeon stay, and after a few proffered meals and some friendly chatter, Ouija decided he wasn’t going anywhere. He now lives in the eaves.
It didn’t take Ouija long to settle into life at the medical center. It seems he’s quite adept at making friends. Marcie Ferris, an employee at the clinic who holds a special fondness for the pigeon, smiled as she said, “he’s a very social bird. The patients really look forward to seeing him.” However, his affections aren’t solely for people — he’s not shy around other birds, either. Ferris added that he really wants to make friends with the Mourning Doves — occasionally following them around — and has even befriended a crow.
One of Coles’ favorite Ouija stories concerns a duck. “One day we saw him sitting on the roof, looking at something,” he said, “it ended up he was peering down the street at a male mallard duck sitting in the road.” After surveying the situation from afar, he flew down for a visit. “He just walked around and around by the road, just looking at that duck,” Coles laughed.
Yet, Ouija’s amiable manner isn’t his only unusual yet charming quality. “He does happy feet when he coos. He kind of dances back and forth,” said Ferris, and sometimes he’ll come down to perch on the bird house when someone is in the garden.
“He’s really very tame,” added Coles, “especially around Marcie.” That’s understandable since she has taken it upon herself to provide the best pigeon pampering available. Ouija’s heated birdbath speaks for itself, as well as the dove food with added grit — as prescribed by the veterinarians she talked to about his dietary needs.
The love is reciprocal. Though the veterinarians cautioned the very first year that Ouija might not survive until spring, and that even then he would most likely fly away, because nature would exert a stronger pull on him than his connection to the medical center would, he’s still here. “He’s made it through two winters without a house. We’re actually looking for someone to build him one,” said Ferris. She also mentioned that he hasn’t been away from the clinic for more than six days without coming back. “He’s a homing pigeon. He knows this is home.”
The Manitou Medical Center is a home where he is both welcome and needed. Perhaps his most essential characteristic is the ability to comfort those who need joy in their lives. At a medical center, that skill is in high demand. In fact, not long before Ouija arrived, Coles’ father passed away due to complications from a stroke. When the pigeon arrived, someone at the clinic suggested that the bird might be his father’s spirit, returning to watch over them. Hence, he was named Ouija for William James — Coles’ father. Both Coles and Ferris agree that his feathers are good luck. “Whenever I find one outside, I’ll bring it in and give it to a patient,” said Ferris. She has also given or sent them to friends who are sick. “I gave one to a friend before she had brain surgery. She took it into the hospital with her.” With the feather’s luck, she is alive and well.
Coles has also witnessed the soothing property of the feathers. Two Christmases ago he was informed that an elderly lady he knew was dying from a terminal disease. “She was a very independent woman, and her wish was to die in her home. But near the end, we had to move her into the hospital to take care of her,” he said. It was late in the evening when he went to visit her, and he thought he would take one of Ouija’s feathers with him. “I placed the feather in her hand, which she clutched,” he said, “and not too long after that she passed away, seemingly at peace.”
Ouija’s presence and impact aren’t always easy to pinpoint. “He just brings peace and joy,” said Ferris. “He’s responsible for a lot of good feelings around here.”
Coles echoes that it’s “a connection you don’t always have with a bird,” but then again, after talking to those who know and love him, it’s hard to believe he’s just a bird. He seems to have both human traits and some that are a little otherworldly. And though he is not a bluebird, Ouija certainly brings happiness to all those who see him.