Babies on my balcony

[Reti]

Hmm... maybe I'll put up a barrier along the edge at the bottom...[/quote]


You can do that.
I used to live on the 4th floor and none of the babies that hatched on my balcony ever fell off, but accidents happen, so better safe than sorry.


I am glad this guy is doing well and is growing.

Reti

[LisaInToronto]

Hi there,
The remaining squab doesn't seem to be doing too well. I'm starting to worry he might be sick. He used to move around all the time when the sibling was there, but now he just sits, frozen, staring. I haven't seen the parents around today or yesterday. We had terrible weather here yesterday - rain storms, heavy wind - so I went out and moved the flower pot onto the sheltered part of the balcony so that at least the rain wasn't hitting him. He didn't move as I approached, or even when I grabbed the edge of the pot. As I moved the pot, all he did was stand up and spread one wing. He has his feathers now and it seems like he should be moving around a lot and starting to think about flying. I really hope he doesn't have a virus or something.

[LisaInToronto]

OK! Maybe I spoke too soon! The mother is here now, and he is feeding and chirping. I haven't seen her in a while. Mostly it is the male parent I see doing the feeding for the past week or two. This is encouraging.

[Trees Gray]

Hi Lisa,

Thank you for your care and concern for this youngster. I'm so sorry you haven't had such a happy time enjoying watching them.

Glad to hear the father is feeding him. The father usually takes over feeding the adolescents as mom may have another nest started somewhere else.

The baby may have a cold or something from all the rain. If the bird doesn't perk up in a day or two do you think you can to intervene and find a "pigeon friendly" rehabber?

[Victor]

Hi Lisa,

I started reading this thread this morning, and you have sure had your share of experiences! Sad that the one baby didn't make it though.

The barrier buffer is a great idea and sounds like you have been doing a great job watching over the youngster.

We will be watching and waiting for your up-dates.Thank you for your concern.

[LisaInToronto]

Hi! Everything is great with Wings. (I finally gave him a name. Sopranos fans will recognize the reference to Pauly Walnuts.) He is a handsome bird. He is pale grey with dark bands; he looks a lot like his mother. He doesn't move around much - at least, not while I'm at home. He has left his flower pot and now spends his days and nights on a shelf, which is more sheltered. I stopped putting out seeds/nuts because it was attracting other pigeons and, oddly enough, I never once saw the parents actually eat any. That's all the news for now.

[Reti]

Thank you for the update.
I am glad you are enjoying your birdies.

More important than food at this time of the year is water. During hot summer days they might have trouble finding water, but there should be plenty of food around.

Reti

[LisaInToronto]

Thanks, Reti, I'll keep the water coming. I watch the birds on the street drink out of polluted puddles and it makes me wonder how long the urban ferals live compared to rural ones.

[PigeonLover1029]

Well wild pigeons live only about 2 years and the ones that people own live about 20 years, And things like pollution play a big part in it. I would love to see a picture of him, post one once you get one. If you want to look at my pet pigeons go here-- http://www.pixalbums.net/pigeon/?album=PigeonLover

[LisaInToronto]

He flew! He's really noisy and clumsy, but he is flapping around out there. It's like he figured it out overnight.

[Trees Gray]

Wonderful news about Wings! The more he excercises his wings the stronger the muscles will get and then he will actually try to fly with them. :

I'm glad for the encouragement & care you are showing this youngster & the family!

Keep up the good work, and thank you for the update!

[LisaInToronto]

Well, he's doing amazingly well with it now. He's even teasing my cats!

[*ADRIAN*]

I Hope The Second Egg Hatches