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Farmer's Market

Love is in the air

Members of this flock bring out oohs and aahs at weddings and funerals and then high-tail it home to Riverview without asking for directions.

By LETITIA STEIN
Published July 1, 2005

RIVERVIEW - Pete Burrage doesn't worry when his doves fly the coop.

At weddings and funerals, he watches like a proud father as the elegant white wings vanish into blue-gray skies. From as far away as Gainesville, the flock knows the way home.

"Once they're good for 20 miles, they're good for 100 miles," said Burrage, who has raised the 40 birds from hatchlings.

Instinct guides the homing birds back to a faded wooden coop at the edge of a cow pasture off Big Bend Road. Four-year-old Burrage Dove Ranch specializes in the release of the birds that symbolize peace and love. Burrage works events within 100 miles.

The idea came to the 59-year-old embalmer after a dove release at his daughter's wedding in Alabama. Burrage soon was noticing dove releases during high-profile funerals on television. He learned of similar services in Atlanta and Orlando but found none in Tampa Bay. So he decided to start his own.

Burrage learned that the snowy birds that have captivated humans for centuries are a variety of the common pigeon. Once released, this group of pigeons always returns home. He checked out library books on how to train homing birds.

Overly ambitious, he pushed his first flock of young birds too far too fast. Only half found their way home. Burrage believes the others fell victim to Mother Nature - a.k.a. Mr. Hawk - and the rest returned to the wild.

"When you see a bunch of dark pigeons and one white one, I think, "That's one of mine that decided to stay in the 'hood,' " Burrage said.

Now Burrage trains his doves in staggered increments - 1 mile, 2 miles, 10, 20. He has improved his success rate to 80 percent. One bird even walked home to Riverview with a broken wing after a release at a funeral in Tampa.

From a business standpoint, he rarely needs to replenish inventory. His birds return home. Burrage promotes the dove release packages to wedding planners, funeral homes and event organizers. Prices range from $50 for one dove to $500 for a 40-dove release.

"A lot of families come in with (a dove release) in mind," said Herb Popple, general manager of Stowers Funeral Home in Brandon, explaining that customers equate the release of doves with the spiritual flight of the departed. "Those people that are familiar with it find it to be a meaningful tribute."

The concept has proven especially popular at beach weddings in Pinellas County. And Burrage frequently drives to Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell for military memorials.

Burrage donates bird releases to help families through high-profile tragedies, such as the deaths of Bryant Wilkins, 13, and his brother Durontae Caldwell, 3, killed last year in a hit-and-run accident. Burrage also volunteered a dove release to honor former Robinson High quarterback Kwane Doster, killed in December in a Ybor City shooting. He offers to donate his services to the families of soldiers killed in Iraq.

"These birds sometimes have to do double duty and fly two events, maybe a memorial in the morning and a wedding in the afternoon," Burrage said, noting that the farthest that he has taken his doves was a funeral in Gainesville.

Burrage, who lives in Madeira Beach, visits the Riverview coop daily to let the doves stretch their wings. He bathes them once a week. On weekends, he waits until after an event to feed the doves - an incentive for them to come home. He also credits the practice for keeping doves from pooping on brides.

For the past year, Burrage has done well enough to supplement his income as a part-time embalmer.

He has time to grow his business. Burrage says the life expectancy of a dove is 15 to 18 years. He recently added several pink-skinned baby doves with tufts of yellow feathers. He hopes to bring the size of the flock to 50.

He knows the original doves by names like Blew By You and Rambo, who heads up the group. But these days, Burrage identifies most of the birds by the color of a plastic band around their legs. That lets him know how old they are.

"There's too many of them," he says with a satisfied smile.

SERVICES: Ceremonial dove releases range from $50 for one bird to $500 for 40. Popular events include weddings, funerals and anniversaries.

PHONE: (727) 391-9425 for more information. To prevent vandalism, Pete Burrage does not like to disclose the exact location of his business.

[Last modified June 30, 2005, 09:09:07]