IN THIS EMAIL:

• Pigeon experts convene — and you can join remotely!
• A Star Wars show uses (real) pigeons to make a planet seem strange
• Primrose claims a Pigeon Tour bag as a nest

CURRENT EVENTS

Pigeon experts and appreciators convene for the International Pigeon Advocacy Conference — and you can join!

On October 10th, in the small city of Derby a couple hours north of London, pigeon lovers, rescuers, and experts from all over the world will descend for the second ever International Pigeon Advocacy Conference.

Last year, the conference sold out, with people attending from all over the world, including the U.S. and Japan, according to conference organizer Sue Joyce.

This year, there are remote tickets available, so folks who can't attend in person can either watch the talks live, or get the recordings after.

The conference is oriented towards a veterinary or rescuer audience, with most of the speakers being rescuers and rehabilitators. However, there are some other types of speakers, including us — Philly Pigeon Tours — and U.K. actress and comedian Stevie Martin. Also, the Instagram-famous (to us anyway) @croissantpigeon will have a stall selling their hilarious and unhinged pigeon merch.

If you're interested in tickets, there's only a week left to get them here.

IN THE MEDIA

Star Wars show Andor uses real pigeons to make a planet seem stranger

In the Star Wars show Andor, one episode (S2 E4 "Ever Been to Ghorman?") features an animal that looks computer generated, but is a real pigeon.

These are pouter pigeons, a real breed of "fancy" pigeon.

And it makes sense why they used them, especially in this era of Star Wars — to us, they look like a cross between the bouncy fictional CGI porg and a pigeon.

Rosemary Mosco also wrote a post about these pigeons.

VERY CUTE

Primrose claims a Pigeon Tour bag as a nest

Last week, we upgraded the bags we carry on pigeon tours, so we can carry more loaner binoculars.

However, Primrose has already claimed one bag as her nest.

In the scientific textbook Feral Pigeons (1995), it’s said that male pigeons are the ones that claim the nesting spot. Primrose, a female pigeon, seems uninterested in these supposed gender norms.

PIGEON TOURS

We'll be taking a break the weekends of October 10th and 17th, since we'll be in the UK at the pigeon conference!

When we come back, we'll be offering more tour times — four tours a weekend. If you've been waiting to go on a tour because it didn't fit your schedule, now might be a good time to take another look.

Check the schedule for the Italian Market tour or the Center City tour.