Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
StumbleRANDOM: STORIES ABOUT PEOPLE WE MEET:
Birdman of Maryland Parkway
Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008 | 2 a.m.
Phil Proburke has befriended at least 1,000 pigeons since finding an injured one in 1980.
Phil Proburke found a purpose for his life the day he drove past an unconscious pigeon lying on Maryland Parkway.
He stopped in the center median and scooped it up. He put the pigeon on his lap, drove home, and started nursing it back to health. It had a broken thigh.
“I kept it in a soft towel in the bathroom so if it woke up, it wouldn’t go far,” he said. “I spent time with it, talked to it. I knew it was alive. I made sure his head was elevated and comfortable.”
On the fourth day, the bird opened its eyes. Proburke offered the bird some water out of a tea cup and some bird seed.
The two bonded. When Proburke ate dinner, Elmo sat in his lap. When Proburke worked at his roll-top desk, Elmo rested on a little platform on top of the desk and looked down at him. As Elmo got healthier, Proburke took him outside and put out seed. Other birds in the neighborhood flew down for the food — sparrows, feral parakeets, mourning doves. Proburke said the other birds and Elmo got along nicely.
One day a veterinarian gave Proburke another sickly pigeon.
Proburke named the new pigeon Little Cloud, put it on the floor alongside the roll-top desk, and built a ladder so it could climb to the top of the desk and visit Elmo.
Little Cloud warmed to its surroundings and in time both birds started flying out the kitchen window and returning at dusk. “They fell in love,” Proburke said. Little Cloud and Elmo built a nest atop the roll-top desk and one day Proburke discovered that Elmo was in fact an egg-laying hen.
And this could be the end of the story, of two lost pigeons making a connection on Phil Proburke’s roll-top desk.
But Proburke had discovered that he liked pigeons a lot — it seemed they could almost talk to one another — “and if I can help them out, I’m happy to do it.”
And it must be told that since that day in 1980 when he was driving down Maryland Parkway and rescued the injured pigeon Elmo, Proburke has shared his living quarters with 1,000 pigeons. Maybe 2,000.
On any given day, there may be 30 or 40 pigeons living with Proburke, perched on curtain rods in his living room and kitchen. Many of them had been injured and were nursed back to health.
Over the years they have come and gone, these pigeons, out the open window. Some wouldn’t return, but other ones would fly in. And people still give him injured pigeons.
As for Elmo and Little Cloud: Years ago Proburke gave them away to a very sweet couple who lived near the airport. She was a retired showgirl. He was a musician. They kept rabbits and goats on their property, and they said they’d love a pair of pigeons.
“They were kind of eccentric,” Proburke said.
Discussion: comments so far…
Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy. Additionally, we now display comments from trusted commenters by default. Those wishing to become a trusted commenter need to verify their identity or sign in with Facebook Connect to tie their Facebook account to their Las Vegas Sun account. For more on this change, read our story about how it works and why we did it.
Only trusted comments are displayed on this page. Untrusted comments have expired from this story.
No trusted comments have been posted.
Post a comment
Most Popular
- Viewed
- Discussed
- E-mailed
- Photos: Olivia Culpo, 20, of Rhode Island is crowned 2012 Miss USA at Planet Hollywood
- US Navy hopes stealth ship answers a rising China
- Photos: Derek Hough celebrates 27th birthday at Tabu Ultra Lounge
- Learning about fans of the Electric Daisy Carnival will help Las Vegas court them long-term
- More than 43,000 have voted early in Clark County
Everything Under the Sun
Blogs
The Kats Report
Las Vegas Philharmonic says search for new music director to begin 'immediately' (1 Comment)
With Shenandoah project stalled, Wayne Newton hits back legally (7 Comments)
Where does a Playmate play when she turns 21? Vegas! (3 Comments)
Ice Ice Billy
The road to six-toed cats and Mayor Bubba
The Kats Report
David Itkin tells L.V. Philharmonic officials he's on his way out (14 Comments)
Diamond Dave sells it well as Van Halen pours out the power at MGM Grand (2 Comments)
Entering debut at Tryst, Nick Hissom is a model for a rapid rise to prominence (3 Comments)
- Locally owned and independent since 1950; Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, best news website in the nation & DuPont Award for broadcast journalism
The amazing Mr. P. is an international legend in pigeon-fancier circles - meaning the people who love these birds for themselves, rather than for breeding, racing or homing purposes.
His stories of bringing injured or mistreated pigeons back from the doorstep of death are endless, and he apparently has a rare gift that goes beyond mere empathy: some call him "the pigeon whisperer"!
Anyway, as one familiar with his activities and sense of compassion, I enjoyed seeing this article: it's clear that the author had a real sympathy for both the man and the subject.
Which is as it should be: in a world of increasing uniformity and ego-driven individuals, Phil stands out as a warm and human exception to the rule.
Oh yeah, and did I say that he's one very cool dude?
A fan in Paris, France
Thank You for the great article, Mr Gorman!! It's true, Phil is internationally known for his rescue of wildlife and in particular, the noble feral pigeon. Phil is indeed a true "pigeon whisperer" and has helped people all over the world with his expert aid in the recovery of injured and sick birds. God bless this man and give him long life and good health.
NYC Admirer of Phil's great work.