The concluding note to this account of pigeon life in our garden.
The adults have abandoned the nest when the latest batch of 2 eggs were due to hatch, and we later found when I removed the "house" from the bird table a recently hatched dead chick, the second egg was infertile, as it had a crack and when I examined it the contents just ran out.
I have now cleared out all the nest and muck, and put some felt over the disintegrating ply slats which I originally used to cover it.
Yesterday I had decided to stop any further nest building so I covered over the front of the bird house to prevent entry.
But in the evening I noticed this caused a degree of panic in the 2 fledged babies as they repeatedly swooped down from our roof and fluttered around trying to find their familiar roost for the night. So I removed the covering and they eventually settled down for the night in their old house.
The 2 young pigeons are still hanging around today, but the adults are not around at the moment.
I dont know why the adults abandoned the eggs and young chick, we observed them paying the occasional visit just to look, peck at something in the nest then fly off again.
It could be possible the nest had become infested with mites, or possibly the weather had just been too hot, I know the male adult had become very impatient with the white baby when it was slow to fledge.
Its been an educational and entertaining few months watching the pigeons work hard to make their new family.
Mike
The adults have abandoned the nest when the latest batch of 2 eggs were due to hatch, and we later found when I removed the "house" from the bird table a recently hatched dead chick, the second egg was infertile, as it had a crack and when I examined it the contents just ran out.
I have now cleared out all the nest and muck, and put some felt over the disintegrating ply slats which I originally used to cover it.
Yesterday I had decided to stop any further nest building so I covered over the front of the bird house to prevent entry.
But in the evening I noticed this caused a degree of panic in the 2 fledged babies as they repeatedly swooped down from our roof and fluttered around trying to find their familiar roost for the night. So I removed the covering and they eventually settled down for the night in their old house.
The 2 young pigeons are still hanging around today, but the adults are not around at the moment.
I dont know why the adults abandoned the eggs and young chick, we observed them paying the occasional visit just to look, peck at something in the nest then fly off again.
It could be possible the nest had become infested with mites, or possibly the weather had just been too hot, I know the male adult had become very impatient with the white baby when it was slow to fledge.
Its been an educational and entertaining few months watching the pigeons work hard to make their new family.
Mike
