Chippewa Bay – July 27, 2006—An unexpected visitor flew to Singer Castle some time over the weekend of July 22 nd . Early Monday morning castle staff saw a white pigeon that appeared to be injured and unable to fly on the Castle Greens. Tour Guides Ryan LaFever, Melissa Marshall and Allison Williams noticed that the bird's legs appeared to be tied together and attempted to capture it to remove the tie. Unfortunately the bird, which castle staff has named “Collette,” was growing weaker and increasingly distressed. She eluded them until Wednesday afternoon when the three working together were able to execute a successful capture. Melissa tempted the bird with a cracker, Ryan came up behind and wrapped a towel loosely around the bird's wings and Allison cut off the tie. When the plastic tie was cut away they were able to see a band on one of the bird's legs containing the numbers and letters: 26428CUCVR2006.

Internet research provided the information that “Collette” was a Canadian Racing Pigeon.

The CU on the band stands for Canadian Racing Pigeon Union. CVR stands for Club Valle Du Richelieu in Granby, Quebec and the bird's identification number is 26428 and 2006 for the year of birth. Castle staff contacted Morris Picken the President of Club Valle du Richelieu and informed him that the bird was found on Dark Island. During conversations with Mr. Picken, they then learned that “Collette” is a misnomer as the bird is a yearling male. He, along with several other birds, had been released at a wedding somewhere in Canada on Saturday, July 22 nd . A severe thunderstorm with high winds apparently blew him off course and along the way he became entangled in a plastic tie that weakened him. Fortunately, he managed to reach shelter at Singer Castle on Dark Island. His misadventure with the plastic tie clearly illustrates the necessity of properly disposing of the plastic bands that are used in packaging, used fishing line and other such debris. During Wednesday afternoon's telephone conversation, Mr. Picken advised staff to feed the bird wild birdseed and when rested and well fed it would probably fly home to Quebec or because of his youth he might decide to stay at the castle. If he did he would be at home with the many weddings that are hosted on castle grounds.

Had the bird been older and participating in a timed race, he would have departed a site such as Palmerston, Ontario at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning. A minimum of five birds would have been released and timed as to how long it takes to reach their home loft. The distance between Palmerston, Ontario and the bird's home loft in Granby, Quebec is 465 miles by land and takes approximately 8-1/2 hours to drive but probably closer to 400 miles as the pigeon flies. Pigeon races, which evolved in the 1800s, are popular in the United States, Canada, Belgium, Holland and Great Britain and normally range from 100 to 600 miles in length and the birds fly at a rate of 45 to 50 mph depending on wind conditions. Younger birds begin with 100-mile races and the length of the race is increased as the bird matures. A pedigree racing pigeon can cost as little as nothing to as much as $250,000.

Whether you fly in or boat in Singer Castle is a great place to visit or to have a wedding.