THE BIRDS ON A ROLL

Normally, animal owners like to raise cats and dogs, or perhaps a guinea pig or hamster or two.Oak Grove’s Ma Lee shirks this, instead raising flocks of pigeons that can somersault in midair. In 2026, Lee won the National Birmingham Roller Club’s 20-bird event, earning his third national title.Lee has kept birds since he was little. He raised pigeons with his friends and stuck with it as a hobby. He moved to Oak Grove to give his birds more room and to enjoy the outdoors. He found the roughly 13-acre property near the Bethel border in 2012.For Lee, preparing Birmingham rollers for competition means getting the pigeons to perform as a group. He competes against breeders from across the U.S. and abroad.“These birds have the ability to do backwards somersaults,” Lee said. “And it’s bred within them. It’s in their genes.”Lee said his job is to pick out birds that can spin like a ball, the kind of roll competitors prize.

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