Help with Pigeon Question

[Jenny]

I saw your website and I needed to ask you a question. I live in a city, and a pigeon built a nest on the balcony direcly below my apartment window. At the beginning, she and her "husband" were always together. Last week, she dropped two eggs into the nest. She hasn't left the nest once (I know for a fact because I have a perfect view from my desk) since she had the egss, and the "father" has not been back in a week. She's all by herself! I crushed up some almonds and put them in a small dish and she ate them immediately, so now i do that twice a day. I also have a small dish of water out there too. My question is, if it weren't for my food, would she be starving? And is it normal for the male to not return? Should I keep feeding her? I feel sorry for her, and I want to be able to help any way I can. If you could get back to me, it would be greatly appreciated!

[fred2344]

Hi Jenny,
I know you received similar answers but I want to emphasize that the female forages for food during the day and the male sits. The roles are reversed in the late afternoon.
I hope this is the case and nothing happened to the male. Can you look in on the nest after dark and see if you can spot both parents? Can you also try to determine if the bird sitting on the eggs during the day has the same characteristics as the one sitting at night?
If something happened to either adult, the remaining bird usually cannot support both babies and if you want to save them, we are going to have to go further.
I hope you get back to us on this.

------------------
"Until he extends the circle of compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace."

Albert Schweitzer

[Badragoon]

You may not have saw the father because they like to take shifts (One all day, the other all night). When I had a nesting box for them on my roof I watched the male fly in and feed the female. He also regergitated some water and the female drink out of it's mouth. They may be doing one or the other.

[Peejoo]

Also please note that they need lots of grains as food. Grains include wheat, millet, rice, and corn.
Generally if a parent deserts the other one deserts the eggs too.

[Jenny]

Hi,

I think they are switching on and off, because there are definitley two very different birds sitting on those eggs. I can tell you this, the one during the day is much friendlier than the one at night. Last night, I put out the food like I do every night. I usually put it out with my right hand, but last night I put it out with my left hand, which ended up being closer to the pigeon than it normally is, and she totally pecked my hand hard with her beek! I was so surprised! So from now on, I will make sure to use the right hand only! I think they only have another week till the eggs hatch. I put cardboard around the balcony to keep the strong San Francisco winds away. I hope they don't mind!
Jenny

Originally posted by fred2344:
Hi Jenny,
I know you received similar answers but I want to emphasize that the female forages for food during the day and the male sits. The roles are reversed in the late afternoon.
I hope this is the case and nothing happened to the male. Can you look in on the nest after dark and see if you can spot both parents? Can you also try to determine if the bird sitting on the eggs during the day has the same characteristics as the one sitting at night?
If something happened to either adult, the remaining bird usually cannot support both babies and if you want to save them, we are going to have to go further.
I hope you get back to us on this.

[raynjudy]

You are most kind!

Next, you might get wing-slapped! My little hen, Cosmo, does this with a speed and precision that would've made Bruce Lee smile!

PIGEONS FOREVER!!!

--Ray

[Badragoon]

My hen does the same. "She also comes with the all new Karate Kicking action. She slices and she dices, but yet she's non-refundable." (Just joking) LOL. mine loves to protect the nest.

[Jenny]

Oh my gosh! I totally got wing slapped! You are so right - it happened the next night and it was scary, but it was also kind of funny. There are two birds, but I don't which is which. But they don't seem to be on any set schedule. They really have been switching off during the day. But at night, it's the nicer one. I think that might be the mother. Can pigeons hear? Because when I open my window, I talk really nice to them, and the one at night seems to like that. It doens't make a difference to the one during the day - he or she hates me! This is fun, I just can't believe the eggs havent hatched yet. Plus, I'm worried that when they do, they might make a lot of noise chirping. If they do, other tenants in the apartment might complain to the building manager - that would be horrible, because they might try to get rid of them. So I hope they are quiet!

Jenny

[TAWhatley]

Hi Jenny,

There will be some peeping and squeaking at feeding time (and/or when the babies think they need to be fed or just want attention from the parents). Aside from this, they will be pretty quiet. If they made too much of a commotion in the wild, they would become dinner for a predator.

Terry Whatley