Lots of babies!

Little Dusty alone on the roof at dusk, before putting himself to bed in the cote for (what proved to be) the very last time.

Friday 11.7.14 – 5.00 am and I unblocked Charm and little Dusty. Charm came out of the nest, and I fed her on the lawn, just her and me – it was quite a special little moment. She’s not the best mummy bird but she’s there in the cote, so we have to get along!

Hubby decided to do some trimming in the garden with the electric shears, causing Snow White to leave the babies for fifteen minutes.

I saw Dusty in the morning because I unblocked him out of the cote – but I didn’t see him for the rest of the day. He obviously went off flying and hasn’t made his way back. I haven’t seen Daisy all day today either – I do hope I won’t lose these two babies. Their older siblings, Fern and Fleur were both here.

Sat 12.7.14 – Fed the morning flock and then off out early, but I was saddened that neither Dusty nor Daisy was there, and they weren’t back either when I came home at midday, so it looks like both these young birds are lost.

 Charm and Snow White's babies

We were going out for a quick bite to eat, and when we left about 6.15pm Charm wasn’t in the nestbox and I had the gut feeling that despite them being only 6 days old, she had already decided to leave them at night. We weren’t long at all, back by 8ish and as I suspected no Mummy Charm in the nest so I brought the babies in. They are still very small, not much bigger than the palm of my hand.

Sun 13th July 14 – Wonderful news, a little dark pigeon with two green rings was with the morning flock. Dusty has made it back!  I felt uplifted.....though still sad there is no Daisy.

 Grace, eating from my hand

 Below, Pandora - rushing to get some food

 Cloud, in the run, with an admirer on top

 A very handsome admirer, I must say!

 We blitzed the garden today - trimming, chopping, mowing - and moved the hutch and the run out, so we could trim behind and around them.

 Hubby was also kind enough to do some essential repairs to the run for me. While he was doing that, Cissie was in the front outside part of the hutch, and Cloud in the back.

Once all the trimming was done, the hutch/run area was much more open, making it a more pleasant place for Cissie to spend her days. She is now able to sit on the grass and see out all around her.

Monday  14th-  Chilly at 5am when I got up to put the babies back in the cote. Dusty was there again with the morning birds. He is totally pigeon, a little maverick.

When I knew Lucky would be on the nest, as he is more used to me than Loveday, I decided to peer round the cote and have a little look. Lucky didn’t mind me looking but I couldn’t see much....  but when I uploaded the photo it did look like there was some egg shell to the side of him.I didn’t want to look too long or upset him. 

Charm and Snow White’s babies were brought in again for the night. They seem fairly similar though one has yellowy fluff while the other is more orangey. Below is a better photo than the previous one as you can see how small they really are. As they get bigger, I remove one stuffed glove and let down the side of the box.

 Orangey fluff and yellowy fluff!

Tuesday 15^th  – No Dusty again.... and no Daisy. Big Boy is also missing but he was courting and may have gone off somewhere else.  We had Bertie at seven-thirty! So I had to quickly drive him home before the traffic started building up too much. When I got home I gently peeped into the back nestbox and I think it was Loveday on the nest, but I couldn’t see any babies BUT then I saw a tiny piece of eggshell in the hedge – hopefully Lucky and Loveday have at least one baby!

At midday when I came home it was just my cote doves and a few pigeons around – lovely and peaceful, and nice to be able to feed Star Light and Charm who were out, and another white dove who I thought maybe was Loveday. It’s hard not knowing who she is, but I don’t want to try and take her out of the nest at this early stage of her babies and our relationship. She has to trust me a bit more first. Then Charm swapped with Snow White so he could get some food too – not that there is any chance of him starving as he is very used to me, and shows by his calm and assured manner that he knows he will get fed. 

I weighed the babies when I brought them in this evening – 199g and 189g.

Wed 16^th – Bertie arrived again, and nearly caught Cissie who was loose on the lawn. I had to leave at 8am so no time to drive him home, but I decided to feed him before I left as I felt a fed cat would be less likely to stalk my birds in my absence than a hungry one!

Thursday 17^th  – Bertie’s owner is moving away – did I tell you that? I wanted to say goodbye to him properly as it seems like recently all I have done is scoop him up into the car and drive him home – open the car door, out he pops, and that’s that. He arrived 11 months ago to the day – on August 17^th  2013 and now on July 17^th 2014 I am saying goodbye to him. I debated about whether to go, but thought that if I didn’t I would regret it. Although it’s been tricky sometimes with the birds, he is a super cat and I’ll miss him – we both will, as hubby would’ve kept him like a shot if we could. So I drove to his home, and his owner was of course packing up with removal vans etc as moving day was tomorrow. In recent months we have got on better and she was perfectly happy for me to spend a little time alone with him – he was shut in a room, lounging on a chair. Goodbye beautiful Bertie boy (not what she calls him of course!) – I will miss your exuberant presence, your sweet pink nose with the dark outline, and your tigery-tummy! Here he is last year, snuggling in with hubby - his owner would've had a fit if she knew!

In the night there was a terrific thunderstorm – waking us up of course – and I was so glad that I had Charm and SW’s babies in the house with me but I still worried about Star Light on her eggs, and Loveday with her tiny babies in the cote. Would the tremendous claps of thunder cause them to take fright and leave the cote? It was the sort of thing that Charm would do....but hopefully they are better mothers. When it quietened down a little, I got up and went into the garden. We have a security light in the shape of a Narnia lamp-post that came on as I opened the gate, so I could just about see Star Light snuggled down in her nestbox. The light didn’t reach to the back of the cote so I couldn’t see Loveday but neither was there a lightening-struck white dove lying in the yard (yes, I have these ridiculous fears) so I hoped for the best and went back to bed.

 Above, we can now see at least one baby with proud daddy, Lucky!

and below, Charm and SW's older babies, looking cheeky!

 and getting fed!

 Cloud and Cissie perch under the hutch

 and Mr. Moon perches on the ledge of this nursery

 Friday 18^th July 14 – Again a sweltering hot and humid day, but the cote birds were all ok, and all the birds seem to cope. The front nest box is frankly smelly when you get up close – though the babies have their nappy paper which I change frequently. At this stage normally I would’ve pulled out the revolting nesting material and put in some newspaper and fresh hay, but of course this time I can’t as so doing would ‘rock the cote’ disturbing Star Light/Mr. Moon on the eggs and Loveday/Lucky with the tiny babies. It’s not yet time for me to ring Charm and SW’s babies but I need to name them for ease of writing the blog! – as we have other babies -  so they will be Clover and Clara.

Lucky is such a proud daddy, he stays in the nestbox with his babies far longer than he needs to – you go off and have fun, darling, he says to young Loveday, I’ll look after the babes.

 Below, Cloud (left) gives herself a bath. I bathe both her and Cissie regularly but it amuses me when she joins in with the doves bathtime of her own accord.

 But suddenly she gets 'the look'....

 and has to scramble out, sharpish...

 Apartheid here....the pigeons have a separate bath

 Lucky, always vigilant, the only bird on the roof

Sat 19^th July 14  - Still very hot. I was up early as usual to put the babies back when Charm arrived but just before I did so I put my hand right into the nestbox to remove some old nappy paper, and suddenly my hand was covered in horrible little mites or something! Obviously blood-suckers or why would they jump on my warm hand.... I swabbed/squashed them into a piece of kitchen paper, but felt I couldn’t do much more at the time, and planned to spray the nestbox after I had removed the babies that evening. They didn’t seem to have any mites or lice on them that I could see anyway.

Lucky’s babies are about 4 days old, but their eyes are still closed. From what I have found out online, pigeon babies should open their eyes by the 5^th day. In the heat of the afternoon, they were left for a little while and I took the photo, and that’s fine, but hopefully Loveday won’t be leaving them at night yet. I pray she is a far better mother than Charm! As you can see, we have mismatched babies again - with Lucky's dark genes (flecks on his breast and neck) coming out!

Clover and Clara now weigh 269g and 265g – very evenly matched. On Tuesday evening they weighed 199g and 189g so you can see how quickly they grow!  When I first brought them in they had a little soft towel over the top of them in the shoe-box they are in – to simulate their mother – (and the shoebox is inside a carrying box) AND a hot water bottle – now they have neither, as gradually I have to get them used to when they will stay outside all night in the cote. The carrying box is draped with a blanket though to make it dark and warm.

Sunday 20^th July 2014 – My late father’s birthday – if it had been alive he would’ve been 101 today, but he died 9 years ago, and is still very much missed. Hubby’s uncle was born the same year (1913) and is due to celebrate his 101 birthday in September – an amazing achievement. So maybe Daddy sent me a nice little surprise – Dusty appeared today! I haven’t seen him since last Monday, but he has obviously joined a little group of pigeons and is doing well. I hate losing my young birds, so was so pleased to welcome him back. I didnt get a photo as by the time I'd got my camera he'd gone again. His sibling, Daisy, hasn’t been seen for at least two weeks, and I am really holding no hope out for her, but you never know. Dusty is about six and a half weeks old now, and his older sister, Fleur (small, white, pretty with flutey tail) and Fern (big, strong, white and beautiful) are seen every day and are 12 weeks old. Baby Clover and Clara are now 2 weeks old today and mummy Charm and daddy Snow White don’t appear to be thinking about nesting again though last time Charm laid the first egg when the babies were exactly two weeks old – well, they say we’ve had 3 lots of babies in 3 months, which is not bad going!

I see from my calendar that Star Light and Mr. Moon’s babies are due – or overdue..... or maybe even hatched but no evidence yet.

I was hoping to end this blog on the good note that Dusty was still alive – but I went near the cote to see if I could find any eggshells, and I also walked into the yard behind the cote which maybe caused Loveday to fly out, leaving her babies. She flew to the roof, then to the lawn when I threw food down. She seems young and has very pink feet, but in a flock of white doves I wouldn’t be able to identify her. I had a peep at the babies, but after eating, she flew away! Oh dear.... the babies are about 6 days old, and their eyes are open now, and the weather is very warm, so, as always, I am hoping they will be ok until either she or Lucky comes back. This morning at the early feed there seemed far less birds than usual, and I can’t remember if I saw Lucky at all. Certainly Brownie Mo was not there.

As Loveday was out of the nest, I thought I better grab the opportunity to remove and ring Clover and Clara, even though it’s far earlier than I usually do it. Clover is the orangey-fluff one and I ringed her with red left and green right – probably used this combo before but I need to get more rings in different colours!!! – must order today. And Clara is the yellowy-fluff one and she got red left and pink right. Their fluff colours are noticeably different so I am wondering if there will be any difference between their colouring when they get their white feathers – or will they both be snow white like mummy and daddy?

 Clara, left, and Clover

I couldn’t see Star Light or Mr. Moon in the nest, but I brought the steps round to the yard and was pretty sure I could see a dove very low in the nestbox. It’s quite a responsibility having 3 nests at once, the most I’ve ever had!

Either Lucky or Loveday was in the nest by 11.30 but I did feel they had been left for a long time – but I suppose I should stop fussing as no doubt they know better than me and Lucky isn’t going to abandon the babies that have been his heart’s desire for so long. Mmm, maybe Desiree would be a good name for one of his babies?

The young robin flew into the kitchen today by mistake - absolutely adorable little cheeky thing, just beginning to redden up.

 I caught him on the pantry window, for release

 Above, the cote birds with two pigeons
Below, top Snow White, then clockwise, Charm and Lucky

This evening, I decided as Loveday had been touchy today, that maybe I wouldn’t try to take Clover and Clara out of the front nestbox, and possibly disturb Loveday, and of course Star Light - but would leave them in the cote tonight. In the normal way, this is the age (2 weeks) when the mother dove would leave the babies alone, and as the weather is so warm, and of course I will block them in with the feather filled cashmere gloves etc..... they should be ok! I had just completed the – very quiet – blocking in when the heavens opened and it teamed down, along with thunder and lightening. I knew the babies would be safe, but was concerned for my juvenile blackbird – come on, baby, hurry under a bush!

Monday 21^st July 14 – Young blackbird was there waiting by the back door when I got up to unblock the babies at 5.15am – looking up at me with appealing face! So I was dishing out soaked mealworms before I did anything else.

An ordinary dovie day. Cloud and Cissie, my PMV birds, continue with their usual routine. Out of their night boxes around 7am, then into the garden to be fed, while the flock is around – possibly a little walk round the lawn if the weather’s ok and I have time, then into the conservatory til about 9am, depending on how hot it gets in there – then Cissie goes in the run, and Cloud into the hutch for the day. Both have indoor and outdoor space, and water of course, but I don’t usually leave food out for them as I hand feed them both, twice a day. At about 3.30 in the afternoons they come out into the garden for playtime and their 2^nd feed and often stay out til 5 or 5.30, depending on the weather. Now Bertie has gone, I am not worried about leaving them out on the lawn – obviously there is always a risk of some predator, but it’s not fair for them always to be cooped up, so they take their chances. I shut the garden gate, and put a heavy stone against it, so the awful neighbours dogs can’t get in if they break out of their own garden, which they do sometimes. We had to complain to the land agents in the end, and so the neighbour had to take it seriously and repair holes in the fencing etc. Those who have been reading my blog for a couple of years or more will know that these dogs killed my flightless dove, Jose, and I don’t want to lose another one that way.  Cloud often just goes and sits under the hutch, or comes to the kitchen door-step, but Cissie enjoys wandering round, pecking at things. Both have admirers, and as long as the males are not too demanding, I leave them to get on with it. Both Cloud and Cissie sometimes play helicopters, hovering a foot or so above the ground before crash landing but thankfully they mostly can’t fly much more than that. A bird that can partly fly is much more at risk than one that can’t fly at all! I usually bring the homies back in to the conservatory, where Cissie is in a big dog crate and Cloud has the run of the table, about 5-6pm depending on the weather. They stay there, preening and resting, until it’s bedtime, currently about 8pm but much earlier in the winter. It’s all to do with the daylight. In this particularly hot weather, I have been making sure they drink by dipping their beaks in the water pots at least once during the day, and just before bed – they can both drink alone, it’s just to make sure they get enough in this heat.

Young Blackie was around all day, and in the late afternoon little Robs turned up for his mealworms – he’s getting his red breast now and is not so much of a baby.

At 8pm I went to block Clover and Clara in. I am so so quiet, I took my shoes off, I even made sure my rings didn’t clank against the metal of the ladder, but I still disturbed Loveday and she flew out of the back nest-box to the low roof. As she was out, I blocked them in anyway – but maybe I won’t tomorrow night, though normally I would block them in for a few more days yet. I am paranoid about upsetting Loveday – I don’t want her to ‘do a Charm’ and leave her babies at night. They are about 6 days old now. Star Light seems to accept me approaching the cote and it doesn’t upset her. I have still no idea if she has hatchlings or not. Loveday went back to the babies after a few minutes and I could be happy again.

Please don't forget my feather shop on Groovycart - Real Birds Feathers, and my NEW shop, opening 1st Sept called Grannys Attic (it's under construction but you can browse) - sorry both posting to UK only - Groovycart - lots of shops, not just mine! Have a look!

To be cont...

The babies grow up....the 'parents' squabble...

Not quite sure where I left off the last blog so carrying on from here....

Thursday 1st May - Later – 5.20pm I am writing this in real time again and have just seen Charm come off and SW go in the nest. I am concerned that it is now about the day that Charm has previously left her babies, causing the January babies to die and a pair of last year’s babies to get severely chilled and near death. I am hoping that she will go back to the nest soon and I can block her in for the night, but these changeovers can happen in the twinkling of an eye and she might just fly off with SW, and I’ll be left babysitting – which will be awkward as I am going out tonight. There are now only about a dozen pigeons left in the rather wet garden, and one other white dove. Charm is on the roof, and I am hoping only planning on having a breather before going back to the nest. I don’t think Lucky had any time with the babies this afternoon, but here’s SW with them – that baby has such a long neck, it's like a swan!

The minute SW and Charm swapped I zoomed out there and blocked her in – 5.35pm. 10 mins later he was back, and made a couple of attempts to get to the nestbox. I decided not to unblock, as I am still afraid he might take her off with him.  The rain has eased now and its quite light and even warm so maybe he thinks it’s still his turn to be with the babies. I hate thwarting his natural instincts but it seems more important that the babies are with Charm now....please go away Snow White, or settle in another compartment for now. You just don’t realise how careless Charm is with her babies.....and how awkward it would make it for me to have to bring them in at night at this very young age. I am hoping that as he is so good natured he will just accept the situation ......well he hasn’t!! He is trying again to get in! Eventually by 6pm he had left the garden and so had any straggling pigeons – peace reigns.

Friday 2^nd May 14 – At 9.37am this morning Charm came out and Lucky went in – he had 4 minutes with the babies while Snow White and Charm ate and sat on the roof, then SW outed him and that was that. I blocked SW in but poor Lucky sat either on the roof....all alone...

 or one of the ledges of the cote for about an hour til he got fed up and left the garden. 

I do really feel for him, but SW is Charm’s chosen ‘father’ for her babies and Lucky just has to put up with it. In the afternoons SW does seem to ‘allow’ Lucky time with the babies, which can be up to half an hour. Here’s Lucky feeding them today.

 And below, back again with SW - the babies love both their daddies!

Cloud had a bit of a 'moment' today - she fluttered her wings, rose up from the path in her funny little helicopter way, and flew or flopped into the leaves! I don't know who was more surprised - her or me!

The early evening block in is less fraught for me now, as Charm seems to say ‘I don’t why you are blocking me in I have no intention of leaving the babies’ but I am taking no chances at all. Especially tonight when they said it might be colder. And this morning there was a very slight frost. I feel I have been very blessed this week with the fencers NOT coming and the blockings in being achieved, so that my new babies have had the best start in the life. They are 5 days old today.

Sat 3^rd May 14 – much the same as yesterday in the morning, and with Lucky going in with Charm together about 3.15pm, feeding the babies and generally enjoying family time. At one time, from the ground, I could see Lucky feeding one baby and Charm feeding the other.

A young brown pigeon has arrived in a dreadful state - dried blood down it's front and with a damaged beak.

 Above, it's the one on the right end

Poor little darling.....but I couldnt get anywhere near it, and it did seem to be able to get a little bit of food.

 Above, Lucky looking particularly fat and pleased with himself

Later there was a bit of an altercation between Lucky and Snow White. Charm had left Lucky alone with the babies and Snow White felt he’d had long enough - Snow White won!

Sun 4.5.14 – When I opened the block at 6.00am this morning Charm flew straight out and I could tell she was narked with me – I’ve been shut up with those two children for 12 hours, she snapped- it’s a bit much!

The babies are one week old today and I felt a lot happier than last Sunday when I was at the photography workshop and worrying! I felt confident enough to go to a car boot – first bundling Bertie in the car and dropping him home. Knowing he’s not in the garden is another thing that makes me feel less concerned.

It was a lovely sunny day and my three parents all had their time with the babies and each other. You laugh, says Charm, but who wouldn’t want two providers for their children?

Below, Lucky and Charm with the babies

 Below, Charm closes her eyes wearily - settle down, dear, Mummy is tired....

Later - SW and Lucky were tussling about who should have the privilege of going in to feed the babies....

SW sees Lucky is in the cote, and flies rapidly over...

 to try to force Lucky out....

 And SW wins again!

 and sits in with the babes!

Below, Cloud cools down in her water bowl

 and Cissie watches life from the run

Feeding time with Uncle Lucky

Cloud and Cissie always have some free play in the afternoons 

 As you can see, Cloud can now hold her head up well on most occasions, while Cissie is still in a bit of a state - though is beginning to flap her wings and 'fly' a bit

Either SW or Charm feeds the babies - I can't see the rings! I think it's Charm - these babies must be the most well-fed ever!

 Portrait of Lucky

White dove squabs - babies 1 week old

Above - Portrait of Lucky

The brown pigeon is not coping so well today - but it is very scared, and I am not able to do anything more for it than to target it with food....but it doesnt seem able to pick up the grains today. Poor little thing, it will starve if it doesnt eat soon. I hate to see this situation and long to pick it up to gently feed it.

Bank Holiday 5.5.14 – Lucky continues to stay in another part of the cote while SW is with the babies.  His instinct tells him to stay with them – it must be so weird for him having another bird taking over his role.....I don’t know what to make of it. I have now no need to block SW in during the day as the babies are ok alone for a bit and Lucky’s not making trouble at the moment. Poor Lucky, you’ll get your chance later to see the babies, won’t you? It’s not fun being part of a bond triangle!

Some pigeons stay on the roof all morning, after the big early morning feed – my intention is now never to feed again before 12.30 or so, as I don’t want them dependent on me as the only source of food – they should be off out looking for it! It is also only the beginning of May but we seem to have got to June-ravenous eating already!  When I did feed SW came out of the nestbox and I had a look at the babies – so alert with black round little boot-button eyes – Hello my darlings, I say to them, you are getting so big already!

Later – I was giving the birds yet another sprinkle of grain in the late afternoon, and wondering why Lucky hadn’t joined Charm with the babies – has he given up? When suddenly I realised Cloud wasn’t on the lawn...... where had she gone? She’d walked through the arch and right up to the open conservatory door! Well, she seemed to say, it is 20 past 5 you know and me and Cissie are normally in by 5!

I meekly did as I was told and put her on the conservatory table, before going to get Cissie! I had left them both out in the hutch/run a bit longer as it was such a nice afternoon. They take turns at being in the hutch or the run, so get equal amount of time in both.

5.45pm - SW came out of the cote – had it been him all the time in there? Where is Charm? it’s getting late for the babies. Will SW stay with them, or will they be left tonight? If so, I will be bringing them in!

6.30pm – Someone is in the nestbox with the babies but I don’t know who! I won’t block in yet, but as soon as it gets a bit darker I will, so if it’s SW he will just have to stay. Maybe they changed over without me seeing.

7pm – Decided to block in – and I’m pretty sure it was Charm in there – she smiled sweetly saying ‘You didn’t see me swap, did you?’

The brown pigeon managed a bit better today, thank heavens. It's such a plucky little thing.

Tue 6.5.14 – Lucky managed to sneak in mid-morning while SW was having a snack but was soon chucked out – but not before I’d seen him do a bit of feeding. Charm doesn’t seem to be doing much nest duty in the afternoons now, though SW is often in there – so this means Lucky doesn’t get very much time with the babies.

 Above, the jackdaws join in - and below Mrs. Blackbird feeds her big baby

Later - I realised Charm had left the babies and the garden about 5.30pm. She had craftily left before there was any possibility of being blocked in! This is normal behaviour for her, but I am not happy about it as I consider the babies still too young to be left at night, with possible sudden dips in temperature and risk of predators - the jay was in the garden and you never know. I put my home-made nest on to warm as it were, on the aga. She didn't come back and I didn't expect her to - so I brought the babies in about 6.40pm.

The babies ready to come in with me for the night

 It is so difficult to know how warm they need to be. I put their 'nest' (which is hay in a fleecy lined old hood, in a tin) into one of my carrying boxes which I lined with a towel. While the conservatory was still warm and we were having supper, I put them in there. I can't leave them in the kitchen at night as I think it will be too hot - as we have to have the door to the sitting room shut to prevent Bertie coming in (with possible gorey rabbit) and anyway, that's too dangerous with Bertie anyway. I might sleep in the spare room, as I will have to get up early to make sure they are back in the nestbox when Charm comes back in the morning, and then I could have them in the room with me.

Wed. 7.5.14 - I got up at 5.20am (yes, really) and brought the babies into the kitchen with me so I could keep an eye on the roof. The first pigeons arrived on the roof at 5.35am and then two white doves at 5.40am - so I quickly rushed out with the babies in their fake nest and popped them back in the cote. The white doves proved not to be anyone important, but within a couple of minutes Charm arrived - with Lucky - making me suspect that they had roosted together. Charm ate some grain, then flew to her babies and started feeding them straight away and for a considerable length of time. Making me happy and my efforts all worthwhile. But would the babies have suffered cold, or worst, died if I had not brought them in? The answer is that I do not know - and don't intend to find out by trying! Last year Alpha and Omega (Lucky and Charm's babies) were left at night about 4 days old and I decided to leave them in the cote, tucked up with warm things and blocked in - but I found them stone cold and near death in the morning..... and that was in the summer, so although these babies are older, they will not be left outside until I consider they are big enough and feathered enough to cope. Alf and Meg survived but were always peaky little things - though very adorable!

Thursday 8th May 14 - This morning before putting the babies out I decided to weigh them. Although I have been mulling over names they will not be officially named until ringing day, so at the moment they are just Big and Little Baby - Big Baby weighed 205g  and Little Baby 189g. These seem good weights to me - last year when I picked up Pandora, with her broken beak - she was a fully fledged pigeon, though possibly young - she only weighed 222g at first. The babies were fed by Charm and SW - then SW sat near the cote, but not in with the babies, as is usual. I now tend to check them a few times a day for warmth etc - and am putting in their 'nappy paper' which I change a couple of times a day to deter flies from coming in.

Later - for the most part a miserable wet day. SW and Charm spent time with the babies, even for quite long periods. I don't understand why Charm will leave them at night when surely it is colder and they are more vulnerable - but don't worry little things, I will look after you every night until you are big enough! Already they have 'grown out' of the round nest bowl I had them in for the last two nights, and I have had to find an old shoe box to give them some personal space!! And might they have some little siblings soon? Here's mummy Charm being loved up by Uncle Lucky!

And then, would you believe, they carried on canoodling on top of the cote while Daddy Snow White looked after the babies.

The babies get under Daddy's feet!

The big baby's (right) feathers are sprouting all cotton-woolly now!

And who remembers pretty little yellow-ringed Star Light? Snow White's former little wifey? She is being courted by a handsome white male. 'Listen' she says 'I'm not interested!.... I was married before.....for about two weeks....then he dumped me for an older woman!'

 Here's Frances, left, and her mate Mr Strong. I'm fond of this bonded pair - they turned up together in the late afternoon for the first time for a while. I've been seeing them separately recently so I wonder if they have a nest, and now the babies are old enough to be left?

9th May '14

The brown pigeon is now able to eat reasonably well, and I have high hopes that it will now survive - like Big Boy, Pandora and Rusty (ages ago). Luckily, it coped on it's own and I didn't have to bring it in to feed. I don't need any extra work as I am tired from getting up early every morning with my fluffy babies1

To be cont...