A French racing pigeon took an unexpected detour to England after colliding with a British holidaymaker's car in France. George Cowie from Wellesborough in Warwickshire thought he might have hit a bird as he and his wife drove back from a weekend break in France but it wasn't until two days later at home that he realised the bird was sandwiched between the radiator and front end of his Citroen C5.
"I thought I saw a feather sticking out of the grille, but when I bend down to pull it out, I discovered it was a bird
," said management consultant George.
To his surprise, the bird was still alive, but he couldn't get it out. He called Green Flag who sent help in the shape of aptly named Robin Coldicott from Granbrook Garage in Mickleton, near Chipping Campden.
Fortunately, Robin was quite a dab hand with birds, as his wife Sue is a former veterinary nurse. He carefully freed the pigeon before taking it home, where they discovered from its identity tag that the bird had hitched a lift from across the channel.
Rather than smash the injured bird over the head with a copy of the yellow pages, they nursed it back to health. Hopefully, he will eventually be reunited with his French owner in Calais, who is being kept informed of his progress.