Baby pigeons - mother missing?

[Bushy]

Hi, I live in Melbourne, Australia and we have 2 baby pigeons in a nest in a tree in our garden. The mother has been gone all day. Is this normal? Will she return? I am concerned what happens if something has happened to her and she doesn't come back. What is the right thing to do? Do we try to feed them and if so what and what with? It is quite warm today and should be over the next few days. Do we leave them in the nest or bring them inside? Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you

Bushy

[maryco]

Hello and thank you for your concern and watching over the little ones..

There should be two pigeons taking care of the babies, both mother and father share the rearing duties but depending on their age and the weather you might not see them on the babies during the day.

Try to look closely and make sure you see both parents, any little clue like looking at the pattern, feet, beak or the cere (white piece at the base of the beak, as the males usually have a larger one) to let you know if there are 2 pigeons as sometimes they can look very much the same.

Can you tell how big the babies are? can you get a picture or try to describe them? Also try to have a look at baby sara's pics on the homepage and that should give you an idea.

If the babies are 12 days + then it's ok if they are left alone in the day and that's very normal, any younger though the father should still be sitting on them during the day as the mother is away.
It might help if you put some food near by so the parents don't have to go too far, wild bird seed will do or check out this thread for more suggestions:
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showth...referrerid=636

Before taking them in you must make sure that the parent(s) are not coming back for some reason, let us know how things go and we should be able to assist you then if you need more info on baby rearing.

Keep us posted!

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi Bushy,

As Mary said, it depends on many factors here. Normally a female pigeon will leave the nest during the day as it's her time to be off the nest and the male will take over at this time. But when the babies are older, the parents won't be on the nest all the time. Keep on eye on activity to and from the nest and if you see birds going there, you don't have to worry. Watch for awhile though and if there is no parent there for more than 3 hours, you may have a problem on your hands. Keep us informed as what is going on. Don't try to intervene though unless absolutely necessary.

[Bushy]

Thank you for your help the mother did return late in the evening. Percy is the father and we kind of adopted him as he came into our garden a little worse for wear! He had a bad limp, was very thin and was always being chased by other birds. We started buying bird seed and feeding him. He didn't fly much at the start but now he is 'top bird' in our garden. I think he feels safe as we have 2 dogs that don't bother with the birds and that keeps the cats away! When he found his mate in our garden too, they built their nest right beside our garage in a tree just about eye level. They had 2 previous eggs that didn't hatch! (is that usual?) But these last 2 have and now we have these lovely babies to watch grow. We do put out lots of seed for Mr and Mrs Percy just below their tree. I just had a look outside and Mrs Percy is sitting on the fence and Mr Percy is under the tree. I think the babies are a few weeks old they take up most of the nest and do have quite alot of feathers! Once again thank you for your advice and will keep in touch about their improvement. It is good to know a little more about them!

Bushy

[Lin Hansen]

Hi Bushy,

That is great news! Please keep us posted on their progress...and pictures would always be welcome.

Thanks,
Linda

[maryco]

Wonderful!!! So good to hear that you are watching over the birdies in your yard.. Let us know how things go : )

[Bushy]

Babies are doing well and both parents are around now. I will keep an eye on them as it has been really windy and I worry about them falling out of the nest! If this was to happen - do I pick it up and put it back in the nest?

Pitty all males don't learn from pigeons!!! Thanks again for all your help. How long until they do attempt flight? We have lots of wild birds around and all with babies but I have never seen baby pigeons about. I hope these two make it ok.

Bushy

[maryco]

Hello Bushy,

Thank you for the update and sounds like things are going well.. If they do happen to fall out then it's best to just put them back in the nest and maybe see if you can help prevent them from falling out again.

Don't worry about scent or anything as birds don't smell and therefor you can simply touch them and put them back in without the parents knowing at all : )

[Bushy]

Well, yesterday both baby birds were flapping their wings but didn't leave the nest. This morning I got up and went outside to check on them and one baby was walking around beside Mum. Baby 1 flew up and landed on our car and christened it with a few baby poops! My husband wasn't too happy with that! The only thing now is that I don't know where baby 1 is? I looked all round the garden and Mr and Mrs Percy are both here. Baby 2 is still in the nest and hasn't ventured out yet. Will baby 1 now where to come back to? I was surprised that he would have been out of the parents sight. I worry about him in other gardens as he isn't too quick yet and there are a few cats about. Will the baby come back to the nest? Do they still sleep in the nest after they have flown out? What is the life span of a pigeon? Our friendly pigeons are safe in our garden because our dogs keep everyone else out! Am I worrying for nothing?

[KIPPY]

I would try to get that little guy back in the nest or by the nest. If he can't fly I don't see him lasting long with cats around. I've seen cats in my backyard at night and my dogs are not out all the time.

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi Bushy,

I'm assuming that the pigeon/dove squabs are old enough now to leave the nest. This is natural and expected. It's actually better for them to do this because the activity to and from the nest attracts predators. This is indeed a difficult time for young birds of all kinds when they leave their nests because they are slow and unsure. I wouldn't suggest putting the chick back in it's nest because it would most likely leave again anyways. This is nature's design for birds. When the leave the nest, they will usually take cover and hide in low bushes and shrubs while their parents continue to care for them. Many people at this time find young birds and think they are in distress when in fact, there are just fine and still being watched and protected by their parents. I would suggest watching and observing as best you can and just hope that they are safe.

[Bushy]

Both babies have now left the nest. We only see them first thing in the morning when they tend to follow us around as much as their parents. My husband was working on his car with the bonnet open and baby 1 landed on the engine and sat and watched him. Thank goodness the engine wasn't going. When we go out to feed them in the mornings all the other birds fly away but Mr and Mrs Percy and baby 1 & 2 just sit there and wait for their food. The babies follow Paul around when he is out in the garden. Maybe because they saw us about so much they consider us part of their family as we do them part of ours!

Bushy