Jem Dies and the racer is collected

Wed. 22.8.12 - Today proved to be Jem's last day. He was the one with the damaged leg in my last blog. He was settled in a little dish, to support him, and wrapped up well, and sat in a box in the garden, on top of the hospital in the dappled light of the trees but still getting some sun. I had hand-fed him some peanuts in the morning, but he was not very responsive to eating, and I wasn't sure if he was drinking, though I tried to give him sips every couple of hours or so.

While I wasn't attending to him he had the grille up on the carrying box so he was safe from other birds and predators. He lasted the day through but passed away about 5pm. RIP Jem, you were a brave little soldier. He went to his watery grave with sweet scented lavender under his wings. Maybe I should've taken him to the Wildlife Aid to be put to sleep.... poor little thing.

Shortly after the lady came to collect her racer. She said she lived in Buckinghamshire, and the bird had been released in Windsor just under a week ago for training. Windsor's about 30-40 miles away from here. So off he went home, and suddenly, I had no duck, no racer, no Jem.... but still my little Faith who is doing quite well really. I think she might be getting a bit better, but still very thin.

 

The racer just before he went home - his eye seemingly a bit improved just by bathing it

 

 

 

Pearl had a minute or two in the big wide world of the hutch's table, as Jose and Happy were on the ground, and I took her out. Autumn watched from the dovecote....

 

 

 

Jose was doing the crazy thing she does of pecking just under the door step. I don't know what she finds there, but she seems to want to do it, so I let her get on with it....

 



 

Happy nearly always stands or walks with her, if she is on the ground - he seems to understand she needs protecting...

 

 

And he just waited - he didn't join in the peck-fest

 

 

 

Thurs, 23.8.12 - I've been very busy but have remembered to take Pearl's photo ....

 

 



 

Friday 24.8.12 - And here's today's ....

 

 

 

Sat. 25th August - Pearl screams (like all teenagers!)....probably for food! Not sure if you can see her open beak in this photo....

 

 

 

 

 

And here's the twins.... Spring first...

 

 

 

 

 

They are four weeks old now (barring a day) - here's Autumn

 

 

 

 

Did I say that I think Autumn is the oldest? Only by a day or so of course. Here's a close up of one of them - they still have that cute fluffy punky down on their heads

 

 



 

 

Happy likes to sit in the nest and coo - I think he is trying to attract Jose to lay again. Here I peeped through the doorway and caught Happy on the nest with Pearl, and Jose on the steps in the background.

 

 

Pearl can also now climb up the steps, and I tried to take her photo... but she jumped down!

 

 

 

Sun.26th August

 

 





 

My daughter's birthday - we had a picnic by the lake - with a dove banner!!!

 

Pearl's daily photo!

 

Monday 27th August 12 - Mummy Jose and Daddy Happy like to be on the steps. Pearl is now nearly grown-up - she'll be four weeks on Thursday

 



 

 

Pearl regains the step, and tired mummy Jose has a rest

 

 

 

 

Tues 28th Aug 12 - Remember Cloud? She is still around, and the troubles of the spring have been forgotten. She's now a beautiful healthy bird - seen here on the dovecote. Flash would never have allowed her to perch there, but Sky and Summer are more laid back.

 

 

 

 

Pearl comes shyly out of her hutchy-home......for the first time of her own accord...

 

 

 

And is quickly escorted back in by Happy... you're too young to go out alone!

 

 

All my babies will be fledging soon...... so come back soon!

 

To be cont....























Name the Babies Competition

Happy Step-Families! This is widowed Hope, with her new mate Pascoe, and her two babies inside the nest-box.

Saturday 18th April '09

Hope and Glory's squabs are now 30 and 29 days old and I think it's time to name them. If you want to skip my updating waffle then just scroll down to the Naming Competition part!

Hope has been leaving them since they were two weeks old and I have taken them into the house every night, partly to keep them warm and partly to keep them safe from predators in the very early morning. In the past my parent doves have slept in the dovecote and would have been 'on guard' but Hope is entirely feral and only here because Glory (now dead) chose it as a suitable nesting site, and as she now has a new mate, Pascoe, she has been leaving them and no doubt spending the night with him! I have no idea where the doves all go at night, but there are lots of barns on the farm and nearby farms.

In the beginning I kept the squabs in the kitchen near the aga to keep them warm, but the last few nights have been putting their nursery box in the conservatory to harden them off a little!

Hope has been spending some time each day on the hedge, looking up at the nestbox, maybe in an attempt to encourage them out. I believe pigeon (dove) squabs fledge at about 30-40 days so shouldn't be long. We are going away in 11 days time so I hope they hurry up and do it before we go! This is important as they will need help to get back up into the dovecote at night until they can fly.

When the doves were away this afternoon, I took each baby out of the dovecote and put it on the grass (for no longer than a minute) to let them see the world beyond their little dark and smelly space! After four weeks in the nest the nestbox is rather unpleasant - although I do do a bit of pooper-scooping, and as they spend the night in the nursery box that does help reduce the mess in the dovecote. The smallest one came out first and seemed quite at home, looking around calmly. The doves came back to the roof just after I'd taken photos of the largest one, so I quickly tried to catch him to put him back before Hope noticed but he fluttered and flapped about the grass so fast that I could hardly catch him!

Smallest one looks around and then hops up onto the stepladder - I am impressed!

This is the largest one - see the yellow down, punk style, still on his head.

Naming Competition

I have decided on a name for the largest, and I presume the oldest, of the two squabs. He (or she - it is extremely difficult to sex pigeons until they are old enough to display characteristic male or female behaviour) is going to be called Victory. He is the one with pink colouring on his tail, on the right in the photo.

So your task is to name the other one! You can choose a male or female name, or just a lovely or suitable word, but it has to go well with Victory.

These are the actual shells that these squabs hatched from.

This baby will be ringed with a purple ring (of course, as it is a Purplecoo baby) and Victory will have a pink one.

You can choose up to 10 names each, and the competition is open to anyone who reads my blog, including children.

No favouritism, I will just choose the name I like best.

The prize will be your choice of a bouquet of flowers, or some lovely chocolates, or a surprise! So you will have to be prepared to give me your address so that I can send it to you. You have a week to think about it as the Closing date is Saturday 25th April '09 at 10pm.

I am looking forward to seeing your suggestions, and thank you in advance.

The End

(You may have to scroll down a bit for the comments section)

Four Week Birthday - and weighed again

Thursday 16th April 09

Hope and Glory's babies (squabs) are four weeks old today. The oldest, and I assume that is the largest one, is 28 days and the smallest, 27. As you know, poor Glory died at the claws of a hawk when they were only days old, and Hope has done a magnificent job rearing them on her own. According to various studies, when one parent dies and the babies are very young, the remaining pigeon parent will chuck one baby out of the nest as it can usually only rear one. Hope has had unlimited access to food of course and that has made it easier for her. On Tuesday 14.4.09 the day's feeding schedule went like this - mind you this is just the feeds I saw, there may have been more: 7.30 am, 7.45 am, 8.20 am, 10.00 am, 4.15 pm and 6.50 pm. Some days there are less feeds and then I get worried that they might not be getting enough food. Mind you feeding does slacken off eventually so that hunger drives the babies out of the nest to fledge.

Hope goes in to feed. If you can click on this photo which should enlarge it, you will just see a squab's little beak lower right.

The babies are now very vocal. I've been able to hear their faint peeping since they were a week old, but now I can hear their high pitched squeaking for food when I am in the house with the doors and windows shut! Yes, it's that loud! And this is the reason that I am alerted to many of the feeds - I hear the squeaking, look out and see Hope's in the nest box. If you are ever in a town with old buildings and you hear noisy high squeaking then look up because there could well be a pigeon's nest tucked up in the nooks and crannies somewhere. Another giveaway is the mess on the buildings and the ground nearby of course. Squabs are sometimes called 'squeakers' for this reason.

They are also much more visible at the door of the nestbox, appearing and disappearing like little ghosts. If I see them and approach, then they shimmy down out of sight. They are still nervous and cautious, although don't seem to mind me handling them too much when I collect them at night to bring them into the kitchen and put them back in the morning.

A little face at the window

And sometimes two!

I weighed them again this morning to see if they had gained from when I weighed them on the 13th - see previous blog - and also because CalicoKate wanted to see a photo of one of them on the scales. So these are specially for you CK!

Big enough to peep out of the box, but not climb out!


Won't stand still on the scales!

Posing nicely now! - This is the smaller one of the two.

The largest one, tail marked with pink, was 9 and 3/4 ounces and is now approx. 10 ounces

The smaller one, was 7 and 3/8 ounces and is now approx. 8 and 1/2 ounces.

(This is their weight gain in 3 days, but difficult to be accurate as they kept getting off the scales!)

According to 'the book'*at 28 days feral pigeon squabs should be between 300 - 350g (i.e. 10 - 12 ounces) so my biggest one is just hitting the target and the other is underweight.

Notice the claws - they are extremely sharp!

I will be having a Naming Competition for them soon, with a prize, so watch this space!

* The book is 'Feral Pigeons' by Richard F. Johnson & Marian Janiga and costs over £70. It is on order for my birthday!

The End

PS You may have to scroll down a bit for the comments section