Bobbie3 is released and Cloud arrives needing help

16.4.12 -
I was away 12-16th March and my husband was looking after Jose and Bobby3. I went to Butlins, Bognor with my daughter and two little grandchildren– we had a great time. There was even a few white doves around – the photo above shows them on the top of the Skyline Pavilion.
Another bird there that had my grandson in giggles was the seagull pulling at the bushes – I couldn’t work out why it wanted to! Was it eating it, or looking for nesting material, or what?

Below are a couple of photos of Ollie – my oily rescue pigeon. They turned out to be some
of the last photos, as I haven’t seen him since. Actually I think he was an Olivia, and hope she’s gone off with a male to nest somewhere else.

Hubbie and I were both going away in early April, so I decided that I would release Bobbie3 a few days before we went and hope for the best. Though he wasn’t totally better, he was much improved and I ringed him with a blue ring. Fri the 30th was a good sunny day for a release. Here he is wrapped in a towel in my arms just before I let him go.

He flew straight to the roof, and the next time I saw him was on the Sunday. He was managing - thank goodness for that!

Sun 1st April and I came home late afternoon to find a white dove on the patio with a dark pigeon hovering near her. I recognised them as being a sweet pair that I had seen together on a
number of occasions recently, thinking of them as Cloud and Storm. Cloud didn’t fly off as I approached and when I threw a few peanuts down, she dragged herself over to them to eat. Storm fluttered to the roof, and I dropped a soft cloth over Cloud and picked her up – sighing inwardly as I really didn’t need another bird patient two days before we were off on holiday! The same thing had happened last year just before I went away – I had a baby bird to look after and it
ended with the little thing being killed by a jay leaving me feeling dreadfully guilty for the first two days of the hols. Anyway, this dove, Cloud had possibly a damaged wing, was limping and had all her underneath feathers scraped off. What on earth had happened to her? Husband suggested she mighthave had a sparrowhawk encounter, and it’d got as far as him plucking off all
her feathers, but she had managed to escape. I couldn't think of any other explanation. I took her in for the night of course and anointed her tummy with the skin cream I bought for Olly. I also washed her feet!!!

The next day Monday 2nd April - I ringed Cloud with a blue ring on her good foot (realising after I’d done it that it was the same colour and leg as Bianca2) and set her down on the garden table.

After a short while, she flew to the roof and was joined almost immediately by Storm. I was thankful she could fly, and relieved that Storm was with her and mostly grateful I wouldn’t need to make arrangements for her while I was away.

Storm and Cloud flew off together, and I hoped he wouldn’t take her far, as I still felt she was weak. Later on when I went to visit my neighbour I could see them both on the roof opposite her house– I went back to get my camera and when I came back Storm was gone, and Cloud was alone, looking a bit hunched up and poorly.

At about 3pm they came back together to the garden, to eat, but soon, from the window, I saw unhappy Cloud on the ground with a rampant white male dove trying to mate with her, while she tried to drag herself away, and Storm hovering near, doing nothing to help! I shooed the male off and picked Cloud up, putting her in Jose’s vacant hutch (Jose had already gone to my daughter’s home to be looked after while we were away). My neighbour had kindly agreed to feed the doves for me (despite being just about to have a baby!) and I had to ask her to do what she could for Cloud too, as I felt I just couldn’t release her again. She just wasn’t fit enough – to join in the scrum for food, find water, and fly to and from wherever the pigeons roost.

Storm visiting Cloud in the hutch. I felt dreadful keeping them apart, but at least he knew where she was.

And I’ve saved the best news til last, we have new doves interested in the cote. Two pairs! A while ago I got the steps and emptied out the sticks in the most favoured nest box. I had seen Flash put one in but I hadn’t realised there were so many. It broke my heart to see all his lovely neatly arranged sticks in there and know he would’ve been nesting in my garden this summer for the second year if it hadn’t been for the hawk. It was hard to remove them, - not physically, but mentally -but I thought it might put other doves off if there was more or less a nest inside. Hubbie thought they might think ‘Good, a furnished flat!’ but I thought it would be better to remove them and let any newbies make their own.
And I’ve saved the best news til last, we have new doves interested in the cote.
Two pairs! A while ago I got the steps and emptied out the sticks in the most
favoured nest box. I had seen Flash put one in but I hadn’t realised there were
so many. It broke my heart to see all his lovely neatly arranged sticks in
there and know he would’ve been nesting in my garden this summer for the second
year if it hadn’t been for the hawk. It was hard to remove them, - not
physically, but mentally -but I thought it might put other doves off if there
was more or less a nest inside. Hubbie thought they might think ‘Good a
furnished flat!’ but I thought it would be better to remove them and let any
newbies make their own.

And I’m hoping this pair will settle – I have names for them, but let’s just wait and see if they stay first!

Lots more still to tell - so hopefully I will continue the blog in the next few days.....