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#1
24th June 2008, 09:39 AM
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Uh Oh!!!Hi guys!! I'm brand new here, and sorry, I didn't have time to read through to see if there is anything pertinent already written about my concern.
Some background....we live on the 18th story of a 32 floor apartment building in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. We have a small balcony that houses our barbecue, and a couch etc for lounging. We've been here for about a year, and have occasionally seen pigeons flying around and once in a while landing on the balcony railing, but they would fly away when the door was opened. We recently went on a holiday for 2 weeks. When we came back, there were a few very persistent pigeons returning again and again to our balcony, even getting a somewhat aggressive. I looked up on the internet how to get rid of pesky pigeons, and found a story about pigeon eggs on a lady's roof. With a touch of trepidation, I again went out to the balcony (not really expecting to find anything), only to find a piece of pink and blue string sticking out from behind the barbecue. Upon further inspection, I found a haphazard nest with 2 eggs. Well....let me tell you....I felt terrible about keeping the birds from their eggs for that afternoon. I immediately went back inside to allow them to go back to their eggs, and started researching pigeons (which I knew NOTHING about previously). To cut a long story short (sorry folks, I know, it's a bit late for that), Leonardo and LouLou were born 4 days ago (in the interim, we did move everything around on the balcony so that the barbecue is on the other side, and there are a couple of chairs lending a bit of security and protection to the nest). NOW....my concern......about an hour ago, I saw one of the birds fly away, and went out to see the babies. They were alone, (and adorable) but looked quite cold. The temperature here today is about 12 degrees celsius (56 farenheit) and rainy (not where they are, but it's very damp). I waited about 10 minutes, then brought out a fluffy t-towel that the babies can cuddle into if they want, to stay warm. I set it right beside them. Now, the adult bird is pacing the railing, making cooing sounds, and seems a little panicked. Did I interfere too much? At such a young age, are the chicks at risk of dying from the cold? I was very surprised that they were left alone at all. What can I do, or will the mamita take care of it?? Another question (given the former works out)....how can I keep their area clean as the babies are growing up? This is crazy! Never thought I'd have a family of pigeons! By the way....there are 3 pigeons, not just 2. Is that odd? I can't tell if the third is a part of the sitting on the chicks rotation, as 2 of them look very similar, but there are definitely 3. Thanks in advance for your guidance. 
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#3
24th June 2008, 09:59 AM
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I'd say try taking the towel away and set the babies back in the nest, and see what the adult bird does.
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To request a free copy of the "Pigeon Care E-Book", send me your email address via private message. Butterfly Loft
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#4
24th June 2008, 10:09 AM
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Thank you. I called a wildlife rehabilitation centre here and they said the same thing. I did (remove the towel).....about 10 minutes ago, and the adult is being quiet now but still sitting on the rail. How vulnerable are these little chicks to the cold?
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#5
24th June 2008, 10:13 AM
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It would depend on how old they are, as they get older the parents leave them for short periods of time.
__________________
When angels visit us, we do not hear the rustle of wings, nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of a dove; but we know their presence by the love they create in our hearts. -Mary Eddy Backer (1821-1910) Becca
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#7
24th June 2008, 10:17 AM
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Thank you for caring for these pigeons and letting them raise their babies. It is so kind of you and I think you will enjoy seeing them being raised.
Usually, the mother sits on the babies at night and the father takes over during the day until around 5 pm. The one on the railing is probably the mother and the father is probably the 3rd one you are seeing. However, could you describe how old this 3rd pigeon is? Some other members with more experience than I will be on to tell you how long they sit on the babies because I don't have much experience with that but I do know that one or the other of the parents would/should be on them at 4 days old. I will mention that the cloth probably should come out particularly if there is ANY chance it can get damp. That can only create a wet environment for the babies and right now they need lots of warmth. If you could get some clean pine straw, put some in the nest and make a little indentation for the babies. You can safely pick the babies up to do this. As soon as they babies have fledged, I would remove the nest entirely to discourage the parents from starting again. Cold will not hurt the babies as long as the parents are sitting on them and keeping them fed.
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Maggie
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#9
24th June 2008, 10:30 AM
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The mam should nudge it back under her once she realises it's there.
__________________
When angels visit us, we do not hear the rustle of wings, nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of a dove; but we know their presence by the love they create in our hearts. -Mary Eddy Backer (1821-1910) Becca
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#11
24th June 2008, 10:38 AM
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#12
24th June 2008, 10:39 AM
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It's just a myth that if humans touch baby birds they will be abandoned. We don't recommend you picking them up and playing with them.........but touching them or in this case picking up the baby and putting it back in the nest won't hurt anything.
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#13
24th June 2008, 10:43 AM
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I called the wildlife rehabilitation centre back, and was advised to prod the baby back towards her mom. I did so, but in the process, scared the mom (or dad) away again. But now the babies are together in the nest again. I'll continue to monitor and keep you updated.
As to the size of the adults. One is quite large and tubby (we're guessing it's the dad), one is a bit smaller and graceful, and the third is graceful as well, and quite a bit smaller than the dad. Could it be an adolescent bird? Do they sometimes stay with the parents?
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#15
24th June 2008, 10:45 AM
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Renee 
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