Hello all and thanks for the wonderful community.
I just moved tout a Zagreb, Croatia apartment from New York (metro area) and while there are city pigeons there this is all a completely new experience for me.
Some background:
The balcony of my 4th floor apartment here was unused for long periods of time and as such was a sort of gathering spot for the neighborhood pigeons. They would wake me up with cooing every morning like alarm clocks, and I'd get up, bang the window like hitting snooze, and go back to bed before they come back and do it again. I never took any measures beyond scaring them periodically, which didn't seem to work, although I planned to do something more effective, until this happened.
Situation:
I cleaned out some crates off the balcony and discovered a nest with 2 eggs. I decided to let the mom do her thing and after this is all said and done I'd take care of the pigeon "problem". I built a little wooden shelter to protect the nest and hide it from the railing where most pigeons land.
The mom and dad would actually actively scare away the other pigeons who would land every single day, so it was actually better having this than a dozen pigeons cooing and crapping there every day. But even as the parents scared them they would still try to come as consistently as when I would scare them.
I watched as the 2 eggs hatched, and the mom and dad took turns sitting and growing these babies from yellow featherballs to fine young pigeons.
They are now about exactly a month old. I went away for Easter and upon returning saw that they are still there, and two adult pigeons whom I *assumed* were the mom and dad! I really wish I could tell for sure. After about an hour at home I heard the babies crying out and went to check on them, and this is what I saw:
The one I thought was the mom was pecking at one of the babies, and one I thought was dad grabbed the other by the beak and dragged him out of the nest and was dragging it around by the beak.
I now suspect that neither of these adult pigeons are the parents, at least the mother may be but has turned on the babies. I am not sure if the actual parents still show up, each pigeon I let get close to the them started to peck them and the babies are scared of anything that gets close.
If the parents are still involved but just out and about as the babies are so old now, then the pigeons that they usually scare off now have free reign while parents aren't around and are messing with the babies.
I also now noticed a new egg in the nest area but it's covered in crap and last night no big pigeons came to mess with/take care of the babies or to sit on that egg.
The babies luckily aren't bleeding and honestly they look healthy.
I suspect a few scenarios:
The parents are still there but while they're away the babies are being harassed
or
Everything I saw which I thought was abuse is the parents doing their thing.
or
They are recently abandoned or given up on by the parents.
or
The mother got a new mate, or the mother/father got bored of the existing babies, and laid a new egg there and are trying to evict the babies. Or a new couple laid an egg there and are trying to evict the babies as the parents either got scared off/moved on from the babies.
Is grabbing by the beak also an attack along with pecking? I noticed one pigeon was waiting around a while a bit hesitant to get close and when she did she grabbed one by the beak so I shooed her. She may have also been looking for the egg which is partially covered in **** and hidden by the water bowl ive placed in there. Still not sure what the deal is with this new egg.
Any advice? Sorry for so much text, I wanted to give as much information as I can right off the bat.
Regards!!
~~hall0
I just moved tout a Zagreb, Croatia apartment from New York (metro area) and while there are city pigeons there this is all a completely new experience for me.
Some background:
The balcony of my 4th floor apartment here was unused for long periods of time and as such was a sort of gathering spot for the neighborhood pigeons. They would wake me up with cooing every morning like alarm clocks, and I'd get up, bang the window like hitting snooze, and go back to bed before they come back and do it again. I never took any measures beyond scaring them periodically, which didn't seem to work, although I planned to do something more effective, until this happened.
Situation:
I cleaned out some crates off the balcony and discovered a nest with 2 eggs. I decided to let the mom do her thing and after this is all said and done I'd take care of the pigeon "problem". I built a little wooden shelter to protect the nest and hide it from the railing where most pigeons land.
The mom and dad would actually actively scare away the other pigeons who would land every single day, so it was actually better having this than a dozen pigeons cooing and crapping there every day. But even as the parents scared them they would still try to come as consistently as when I would scare them.
I watched as the 2 eggs hatched, and the mom and dad took turns sitting and growing these babies from yellow featherballs to fine young pigeons.
They are now about exactly a month old. I went away for Easter and upon returning saw that they are still there, and two adult pigeons whom I *assumed* were the mom and dad! I really wish I could tell for sure. After about an hour at home I heard the babies crying out and went to check on them, and this is what I saw:
The one I thought was the mom was pecking at one of the babies, and one I thought was dad grabbed the other by the beak and dragged him out of the nest and was dragging it around by the beak.
I now suspect that neither of these adult pigeons are the parents, at least the mother may be but has turned on the babies. I am not sure if the actual parents still show up, each pigeon I let get close to the them started to peck them and the babies are scared of anything that gets close.
If the parents are still involved but just out and about as the babies are so old now, then the pigeons that they usually scare off now have free reign while parents aren't around and are messing with the babies.
I also now noticed a new egg in the nest area but it's covered in crap and last night no big pigeons came to mess with/take care of the babies or to sit on that egg.
The babies luckily aren't bleeding and honestly they look healthy.
I suspect a few scenarios:
The parents are still there but while they're away the babies are being harassed
or
Everything I saw which I thought was abuse is the parents doing their thing.
or
They are recently abandoned or given up on by the parents.
or
The mother got a new mate, or the mother/father got bored of the existing babies, and laid a new egg there and are trying to evict the babies. Or a new couple laid an egg there and are trying to evict the babies as the parents either got scared off/moved on from the babies.
Is grabbing by the beak also an attack along with pecking? I noticed one pigeon was waiting around a while a bit hesitant to get close and when she did she grabbed one by the beak so I shooed her. She may have also been looking for the egg which is partially covered in **** and hidden by the water bowl ive placed in there. Still not sure what the deal is with this new egg.
Any advice? Sorry for so much text, I wanted to give as much information as I can right off the bat.
Regards!!
~~hall0
