His entire family raised the birds, and at age 6, he had two of them to care for as his own.
After moving to the U.S. more than 20 years ago, he discovered homing doves are popular in other parts of the country, including the Carolinas, Arizona and New York.
But Albawi believes he’s a rarity in that regard in North Dakota.
“I'm the only one. That's what I’m told,” he said.
Albawi keeps more than 70 of the pure white birds in a coop in the backyard of his north Fargo home on the corner of Fourth Street and 17th Avenue North near Washington Elementary.
Each day, he cleans the coop and puts out fresh water for the birds. They eat a diet of corn, wheat, safflower and barley seeds.
When he’s not working his construction job, he releases the birds and they gather atop his nearby garage or on the power lines above the alley behind his house.
People passing by will stop with questions, wondering why the birds aren’t on a leash and why they don’t fly away for good. “They know that's their home and that's why they call them homing doves,” he tells them.
No matter where they’re released, they return, he said.
People also ask Albawi if raising doves is a business, but for him, it’s a hobby and the birds are his pets.
“I love cats, I love dogs, but the doves are like my life, basically,” he said.
Albawi has been fascinated by homing doves since childhood — by their brightness, their beauty, their intelligence, their wings, and the way they fly and communicate with one another.
What they stand for is also important.
“They represent peace, love, hope, prosperity and good luck,” he said.
To others, the birds may all look the same, but Albawi said he can tell them apart based on their body thickness, wings and mannerisms.
Many of the birds have names, he said, like Mara, Hope, Shabzi, Lulu, Mooney and Zulul, to name a few.
Brothers Mara and Hope are the leaders of the flock, communicating with the others about potential dangers. They tell other birds where and where not to fly, warning them about predators like hawks or falcons that occasionally hang around.
Albawi communicates with them by whistling. He uses it as a sign that food is here, or as a signal that the surrounding area is safe for them and it’s OK to leave the coop.
“Immediately they get the message. That’s Essa here. It’s fine. Everything is well, everything is fine,” he said.
Albawi tested their homing capabilities in the summer of 2020, he said, when he put 17 doves in a box and drove them to Jamestown.
Leader Mara and a third flock leader, a female bird named Echo, were among them. He released the birds to see what would happen.
Essa Albawi in his backyard in north Fargo. He raises and trains homing doves as pets. Chris Flynn / The Forum
They flew up and circled for about 40 seconds, he said, then taking Mara and Echo’s lead, flew east toward home, covering the nearly 100 mile span quicker than Albawi did by car.
They were already there when he returned home, perched on his garage or the wires above.
Just recently, Albawi said a dozen of the birds took off with Hope.
He knows that because he counts the number of birds in the coop daily and keeps the structure locked at night and when he isn’t home, to make sure no predator gets in.
When Essa Albawi lets his homing doves out of their coop, they perch on top of his garage or the utility lines behind his north Fargo home. Chris Flynn / The Forum
A few mornings later, he went out to the coop and was surprised to see birds on top. At first, he thought some had escaped, but instead realized they were the missing birds that had returned, much to his relief.
Albawi sees himself always having homing doves. His 85-year-old father, who lives in Australia, still raises a few.
The best part, Albawi said, is the birds’ reaction when he comes home from work.
They start flapping their wings excitedly, like clapping, signifying their excitement that food, water and their owner have arrived.
“Every day, I see them doing that. It kind of makes me really happy,” Albawi said.
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The pure white doves that call Fargo home - INFORUM
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