Pigeons on Balcony

[wizardtb]

hey! Recently I have had a friendly visitor

Two pigeons rotate tending a nest on my balcony, one of the eggs has recently hatched. The Balcony is protected by netting, but they get in through the open spaces in the bottom.

The only problem is that the balcony is high up and there is a large space in the bottom, I am worried that perhaps one of the baby pigeons might fall off.

Is this really a problem, or will the natural abilities protect them from falling off. If required I will also post some photos.

Please help mates Always up to helping creatures.

Thanks again

[Reti]

I had pigeons nesting on my balcony on the fourth floor. It never happened that any baby fell off. In fact, the babies never went close to the edge of the balcony until they were able to fly. So, I wouldn't worry too much about that for now.
If you can post pics that would be great, we love pics.

Thank you

Reti

[Feefo]

Thank you for your concern. It is always good to hear from someone who cares.

The babies should be all right, pigeons usually nest on ledges and the young wait until they can fly before leaving, but your vigilance will help.

Once they are about 10 days old or so the parents will leave them alone during the day, keeping a watchful eye on them and returning to feed them. It is essential that the way is kept clear for them to come and go during this time.

It is always helpful to the parents if you can leave a bit of food and water discretely avialable.

Cynthia

[wizardtb]

A tragic tale....

One of the eggs didn't hatch, and I woke up one morning to find that it had dissapeared. The other egg did hatch, and there was, to my great joy, a baby pigeon. This continued to today, in which I noticed that the nest was bare. Upon further observation, I noticed that the nest was in fact, disturbed and out of place with neither chick nor parents in sight.

I'm quite upset, as I cared and watched over this pigeons, but I guess that nature has taken its course.

Edit: For future reference, it would be helpful if someone could create a website displaying the pigeon life cycle. I've searched and searched, but have found nothing.

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi Wizardtb,

I'm sorry to hear about the nest being disturbed and ruined. It was likely a crow because they eat eggs and chicks of other birds, but as you say...it is nature's way

Here is a site that shows baby pigeon development, at least this is what I think you were asking about when you said "life cycle":

http://www.speedpigeon.com/baby_racing_pigeon.htm

[Skyeking]

Originally Posted by wizardtb

A tragic tale....

One of the eggs didn't hatch, and I woke up one morning to find that it had dissapeared. The other egg did hatch, and there was, to my great joy, a baby pigeon. This continued to today, in which I noticed that the nest was bare. Upon further observation, I noticed that the nest was in fact, disturbed and out of place with neither chick nor parents in sight.

I'm quite upset, as I cared and watched over this pigeons, but I guess that nature has taken its course

I''m so sorry about the babies. If the balcony is not a safe location for the birds to breed, hopefully the parents will get the message and try to relocate and find a better nesting site. If you would like to encourage them not to nest, perhaps blocking any opening or nesting areas would help. If you enjoy the babies, perhaps there is a way to protect any future babies from being seen by any predators.

Treesa