We Have Pigeon Eggs

[Oslo Ostragoth]

I recently came across this picture of Sam examining one of the pigeons.

[Siam Sam]

Originally Posted by Oslo Ostragoth

I recently came across this picture of Sam examining one of the pigeons.

I have some pics of the little crippled guy eating the other day that I'll try to post today. Yesterday (Sunday) we were gone all day, but I am home all day today and will try to keep an eye out for him.

[Siam Sam]

There is some very good news. The little crippled guy did show up again this morning (Monday morning), and he's walking again! Sort of. It's him all right, and his legs stiill look funny. He walks very stiffly and cannot walk or even stand for long at all. Still eats mostly lying down but will struggle up every now and then. Eats awhile like that, then lies down again. Legs still at odd angles. When he does walk, it's rather stiff and rather bow-legged even. Couldn't get a look at his underside to see what's happening with the feathers there. We will always wonder just what the hell happened to him.

He does seem to be male, as he snapped back at one of the other new babies trying to snap at him.

No further sign of Spooky for a few days, and Pinkie's not been seen again at all despite Big Red coming around.

[Siam Sam]

Okay, some photos of the little crippled guy. First, two from Saturday:
Here's the little crippled guy eating. Notice he's lying down to eat, but he sure is tucking in. He was starving. That's an anonymous Sammy lurking in the background. And one more. Notice how his wings curve upward in the back. They're being pushed up from the pressure of lying on the floor.

Now this morning (Monday morning):
He's trying to stand. Still has to use his wing for balance, and he can't stand for long, but he's improving. Here he's lying down again to eat. And here he is joined by another baby. And one more. That baby is the one who started pecking at the little crippled guy, right after I took these photos. (He's also the one I showed before up above, on the left or at nine o'clock in this family photo.) The gimp pecked back though, which I took as a a good sign as well as an indication he's male (could still be female though). I squirted the baby with water to get him to leave Gimpy alone.

I'm afraid Gimpy may be this one's name, as it seems to have stuck. The wife had never heard it before and thought it sounded pretty. I explained what it meant, but she still thinks it sounds pretty. But this is a very pretty bird, and it's a shame he had to be injured so badly so early in life, just three months old or so. And I'm thinking maybe the legs weren't broken after all. He can even walk on them a bit now albeit awkwardly; but would he be able to do that just eight days after having them broken? And then there's the mysterious missing feathers on his belly. I'm thinking electric shock again, but I really don'tknow. I'm just glad the little guy seems to be getting better.

Pinkie, however, I'm afraid may be gone for real. Big Red stopped by today with what appears to be his new mate. That would indicate Pinkie's dead. This is another white one, with just the barest hint of some black dots on the face and neck. Otherwise, very, very white. Big Red seems to really go for the white ones -- first Mint, then Pinkie. We're guessing this one may be his and Pinkie's daughter, just as he took his daughter Pinkie as a mate after Mint died. That would make this one his daughter and granddaughter and mate. He'd fit right in in Kentucky, I think.

[Oslo Ostragoth]

Originally Posted by Siam Sam

That would make this one his daughter and granddaughter and mate. He'd fit right in in Kentucky, I think.

You misspelled "Indiana".

[Baker]

What is the average lifespan of a pidgee in the wild? I have no idea.

[Siam Sam]

Wikipedia says 3-5 years is the lifespan in the wild as opposed to 15 years in captivity. But I've had some people tell me they've seen the same pigeon for 20 years or more. Henry's about 3 years old now, we think. The way we feed him (and certain others), I'd say he's semi-domesticated.

Tuesday morning over here now, and when I got up and looked out first thing, Gimpy -- so the little crippled guy seems to be designated -- was soaking in the water dish. Not splashing around taking a bath. Just sitting there soaking. May have felt good on his legs. I tried to open the curtain slowly, but he flew away. (He was facing the door.) But he came back for breakfast, and his little legs are growing stronger. He still has to lie down a lot but can stand for longer periods now and even land okay on the rails, even a middle rail. He's definitely recovering.

[curlcoat]

Originally Posted by Oslo Ostragoth

You misspelled "Indiana".

It's spelled "Arkansas"...

[Siam Sam]

Wednesday morning now and Gimpy is out there doing very well on his legs. Whatever misfortune befell him, the crisis seems to be over. I'll post more photos of him soon.

[Siam Sam]

Gimpy's had his morning meal and left. Seems to be his pattern, coming here only in the morning. He walks rather stiffly, and I think his right leg is still sort of bent. But again, he seems to have very little problem now, and I don't think he's in pain. I guard him as best I can, giving a little squirt to most of those who start to peck at him. But Henry is king, and I never squirt him or Geri or some of the other old-timers, instead making do with disapproving noises.

This one whose photo I ran earlier is an odd one. His dark face resembles a human's port-wine stain. He's been coming by more frequently, and even though he's almost as big as Henry, he's very shy and timid, not aggressive at all. And still has black eyes, indicating he's still a baby despite his size. Henry gets as mad at him as he does at Ladyboy; that seems to indicate offspring he wants to be rid of, wants them to leave him alone and go make their own lives.

One long-time couple who've sudenly stopped coming around is Boots and Bruiser. We may have seen Boots a couple of times recently, but Bruiser has not been spotted for several weeks now. Pity. He was very much the bully but clearly loved Boots. They made big use if the designated sex area, which we don't see used anymore at all now.

[Siam Sam]

Originally Posted by Siam Sam

This one whose photo I ran earlier is an odd one. His dark face resembles a human's port-wine stain. He's been coming by more frequently, and even though he's almost as big as Henry, he's very shy and timid, not aggressive at all. And still has black eyes, indicating he's still a baby despite his size. Henry gets as mad at him as he does at Ladyboy; that seems to indicate offspring he wants to be rid of, wants them to leave him alone and go make their own lives.

Well, he's lost his shyness and started chasing away Geri and Ladyboy, so we've had to chase him away a couple times for doing that.

Saturday morning, and a gray arrived that looked like the victim of an attack. It's tail is chewed up, and there's feathers stuck all over the right foot and leg. May be Boots, has the same sort of "socky feet," but not sure. Doesn't act injured, so I suspect it got away from the cat or dog in time. Must smart though. No blood that I could see; I suspect the feathers stuck all over the foot and leg are tail feathers stuck there by whatever fluid did come out of the tail.

Gimpy has recovered nicely but I'm thinking will always walk with a limp. The right leg is at a slightly odd angle, but you couldn't tell just by glancing at it. We're back to thinking maybe female, as Gimpy's really small. But when he or she walks, it's with sort of a limp, throwing the leg out occasionally like that old cowboy actor used to do back in the day.

[Siam Sam]

A couple of problems have cropped up. One is a white bully who is trying to take over the balcony. He's never far away, and he mercilessly bullies anyone else who comes here. When we feed the regulars, we have to stand guard and make sure he stays away, but this time of year the tropical sun comes blazing into our unit if we open the curtains. So no one gets fed until late morning.

But a bigger problem is they're going to paint our building starting in October, all 36 stories of it. (Actually, they're going to paint all four 36-story buildings that are grouped together here.) There will be all sorts of Spider-Men hanging outside, and we'll have to try to cut down on the pidgee population pretty drastically. It dipped some while we were in the US but has since rebounded strongly. Already we're feeding only the core group -- Henry, Geri, Ladyboy, (her mean husband if he's with her) and Big Red -- only if they're here alone. Gimpy too, but he may need to move on now that he's pretty much recovered.

[Siam Sam]

Okay, we've been able to determine that the gray with the chewed-up tail is Boots. Her mate Bruiser is back around,and they just "did it" in the designated sex area. Dunno what got ahold of Boots, but it's not keeping her from having sex. Just glad she managed to escape whatever it was.

We just bought a new camera, a Canon PowerShot G1X, and the movie mode looks very simple. I may try filming Henry and uploading to YouTube. That's if I can figure out how to do that. I guess I'll need a YouTube account first. This may be overly ambitious.

[MizTina]

As much as I love my jobs, I hate missing out on what's going on in the pidgee world. I'm very glad that Boots is back and doing better. And I am NOT going to make Gimpy a favorite. I am NOT. (chuh..right)

With all the white pigmentation in some of your resident pidgees, I wonder if the new bully is a long lost family member?

And I imagine your core group, who know what side their bread is buttered, will either brave the painters or watch and come back when it's safe.

Again, thanks for the update!

[Siam Sam]

Oh, we're sure The Bully is related to Henry somehow. But he's a right bastard, that one is.

Today, Gimpy seems just about 100%. Just a vestige of a limp. We'll always wonder what happened to him. I'm still thinking electric shock. Stillno more sightings of Spooky or Pinky. Big Red has only returned alone, not with that new girl, although she herself has appeared on her own once or twice.

[Baker]

It really says something when you give the pidgees names, and recognize them! LOL

I'm truly glad to hear Gimpy is doing well. My life has been depressing lately, and I need something like that to cheer me up!

[Siam Sam]

Originally Posted by Baker

It really says something when you give the pidgees names, and recognize them! LOL

I'm truly glad to hear Gimpy is doing well. My life has been depressing lately, and I need something like that to cheer me up!

They're very distinctive. They all have individual markings and personalities. You need to go find you some pidgees to watch; they're a barrel of laughs.

[legalsnugs]

Originally Posted by Siam Sam

They're very distinctive. They all have individual markings and personalities. You need to go find you some pidgees to watch; they're a barrel of laughs.

I can vouch for this and I hope Baker takes you up on it. I often take bread to a nearby park and feed the pigeons. I have my favorites and am getting to know them - the shy ones, the bullies, the brave ones. I haven't given any of them names but greet them all as "Bob" because of the way they walk. They always make me smile.

[Baker]

Oh, I believe you, and I love reading this thread. I like birds, I'm a member of the Audubon Society. I wish I did have some place to watch the pidgees like Siam Sam does, but the layout of my house is against it.

I was bummed to read an article in this morning's paper, about the death of a young falcon. The power company has a falcon nesting box fitted up with cameras, two young were hatched this year, and, sadly, neither has survived. One fell out of the box before it was old enough to fly, and the second, named Edison, must have had a flying accident, as it was found yesterday evening with a broken neck.

[Siam Sam]

A little more good news is that Spooky showed up again yesterday afternoon (Wednesday afternoon). Unfortunately though, her right leg remains broken. She was lounging in the flower box and was frightened when she saw me. Flew off to the window frames with her leg still hanging down uselessy. Then flew off into the distance, leg still hanging down. Whatever happened to her must be different than Gimpy. But she's surviving.

Amazing what pigeons can endure. In Washington a couple of months ago, we saw one that was hobbling along. It was missing one foot entirely and most of the other one.

Boots still comes by with her raggedy-ass tail. It doesn't seem to bother her at all though.

Henry and Geri are coming by less frequently and eating less when they do. The other pidgees seem to disturb them more, and even Henry is now scared of The Bully (who might even be Henry's son.) All the more reason to work on thinning out the crowd.

[Siam Sam]

Henry and Geri have increased their frquency of coming here but just recently stopped coming together. They're back to shifts, meaning they have eggs again somewhere. And so the cycle continues. Would love to see Henry on the nest.

Gimpy is fully recovered. Good as new.

We have a new squealer, a little gray one with some Sammy markings, an especially dark-gray head and black feet. The others -- even Henry and Ladyboy -- will peck hard at it and even try to frog-march it away, but it stands its ground. Stays and squeals as long as there's food on the ground.

A bully named The Ghost due to his silver color and his gray mate have taken to doing it in the designated sex area. He's a bad bully, and we try to keep him away but don'tlike to interrupt nookie.

[Baker]

What would you do if the bad boy and his mate try to nest on the balcony?

[Siam Sam]

Originally Posted by Baker

What would you do if the bad boy and his mate try to nest on the balcony?

Not sure. Possibly try to find an acoommodation with Henry. But they're not stupid; they know they're in our bad graces from their bullying, as evidenced from their reaction when they see us. But they keep coming around because they know we can't guard Henry and the regulars forever.

Basically, I'd prefer to cross that bridge when I come to it, and I don't think it will happen. I'm afraid no one seems interested in nesting here again. If they didn't while we were away almost a month, then I doubt they'll try it while we're here.

[Siam Sam]

A good one today. The Ghost and his gray mate did the dirty deed in the designated sex area, The Ghost on top. But then the kinky couple switched, and The Ghost crouched down.

The gray had just jumped up onto The Ghost's back to start to mount, when one of the Pretty Ones -- Small Pretty One or Fake Pretty One -- landed on the green concrete edge of the balcony, hopped down, ran straight at them and attacked. Broke them right up.

It was probably Small Pretty One who did that, Ladyboy's mate, as he's done similar in the past. Prude. But they don't seem to be together anymore. She seems alone. We'd not seen hubby for a while.

[Siam Sam]

Not much going on. We've determined that Gimpy is Henry and Geri's child. One day, he/she followed Geri around continuously, and I don't mean just on the balcony. Gimpy stuck with Geri while flying around the neighbor hood. Later did the same with Henry, who always pecks at Geri tring to get the kid to go away.

Trying to cut down on feedings to reduce the population. This is very important ahead of building painting in October. Trying to keep it to an inner circle.

Have a couple of photos to post sometime but not much different from previous ones. Still thinking about trying to post a video.

[Shayna]

Henry's still around? Wow! That's so cool.

[Siam Sam]

Going on three years now, and he's on his fourth mate, Geri.

[Siam Sam]

I'm afraid feedings have come to an almost screeching halt. At least in the mornings, when a dozen or more pidgees hang out waiting for food. Henry and Geri come together now, but Henry doesn't jump up in the window very often anymore, as he seems rather intimidated by the crowd. We keep fresh water out there, but until the crowd thins, especially with building painting looming, we're keeping the curtains closed in the mornings. Late afternoon is a little better.

Many new babies coming by too, some that resemble Henry and have Geri's clown face. Cute, but we can't feed everyone. But one baby definitely belongs to the The Ghost and his gray mate, as it tried to force a feeding from the mate yesterday. Squealed loudly and forced its beak into the mate's. I think The Ghost is the male, but we're still not sure. They're both about the same size, both aggressive and it's always an even chance which one is on top during sex.

As for Boots and Bruiser, they're still coming around doing it in the designated sex area. Boots is losing the raggedy tail feathers as new ones grow in. We've noticed that whatever happened to her, it caught the very tips of both wings too. Almost like she got caught in a lawn mower or car engine starting up. She's not incapaicitated in any way, whatever happened.

[Siam Sam]

The reduced feedings are having a little bit of an effect. But poor Henry and Geri. They look at us with contempt if we can't feed them.

Ladyboy's mate, Small Pretty One, must have died. He's not been seen since shortly after we returned from the US three months ago. We knew he was an older male when they first got together. And she seems to have taken up now with The Bully. She always goes for the ones we don't approve of.

New babies show up all the time, mostly black and white. If Henry's not the father, he's definitley the family scion. One we call Baby Clown Face, as it has Geri's clown-mouth markings; must be hers and Henry's.

[Siam Sam]

Henry and Geri are spending more time here during the day, so much so that we're wondering if something happened to their nest. But they're still gone for the night though.

More new babies arrive almost daily. The neighborhood is filling with white pidgees of varying black markings. And one showed up yesterday that was a beautiful chocolate-brown color with white trim.

It's August now, which means Henry's been hanging around a full three years.

[MizTina]

Originally Posted by Siam Sam

Ladyboy's mate, Small Pretty One, must have died. He's not been seen since shortly after we returned from the US three months ago. We knew he was an older male when they first got together. And she seems to have taken up now with The Bully. She always goes for the ones we don't approve of.

Typical parents.

[Baker]

Henry has been with you so long it will be traumatic when he stops showing up.

thanks for posting, Sam, I'd been wondering how Henry and Geri were doing with the feeding changes, and hoping they'd stick.

[Siam Sam]

We have a small group that persists. They hang out here and sleep here most of the day whether we feed them or not. Includes Gimpy, the lucky little fellow who almost died. He's grown into a pretty bird. I'll have to post some photos of him. (Think it's a him.)

Spooky has shown up a couple of times but not often. Her poor leg is still broken. Just hangs there uselessly. But she seems to be getting along all right.

[Siam Sam]

Someone in another thread kindly suggested I give another pigeon update, so I will.

Gimpy seems to have become fascinated with us. Stays here all day and the past two nights. Loves the flower box and snuggles down in that. The only thing is we're worried this may mean he's sick. That's what it usually means when they start sleeping over. But he seems okay. The first night, he flew back in just as it was becoming real dark. He was going to sleep in the flower box, but when I tried to drop a little food outside in case he needed a snack, he freaked, flew over to the window frames and slept there. Then just slept over there again last night. Out there now, in the flower box. Cute little guy. I'll post his picture. This is the one who had both legs paralyzed for a week or so.

[Siam Sam]

We came home after dark last night (Saturday night) to find Gimpy in the box. He probably figured it was safe for the night and did not seem pleased to see us. We kept from freaking him out, so he stayed in the box all night. We're wondering if something happened to his nest. And this morning we noticed he was limping just a little. Looks like we may have another resident of the flower box, although he's not building a nest yet, just sleeping in there. Like's it in the daytime too, as does Little Clown Face or Carrot Face (the latter being the wife's preferred name for him due to his orange beak). We think they may be siblings. If not, then potential mates, as Little Clown Face seems to stick close to Gimpy. We're certain Gimpy is Henry and Geri's, and Little Clown Face resembles Geri a lot, so I'm thinking siblings.

[Baker]

Instead of calling them Gimpy and Little Clown Face you should call them Luke and Leia!

Where am I going? And why am I in this handbasket?

[Siam Sam]

Small update: Gimpy stayed here only the three nights. He really did seem a little ill in addition to his limp. Now he seems better. Still hangs out most of each day. Eats more now too. It could be true what was suggested once by the pigeon board, that the pidgees want to stay here when ill out of a sense of safety even if they still won't let themselves be touched. I guess we should feel honored, but we're not sure we want dying pidgees. But Gimpy is back up to speed.

[MizTina]

Yay Gimpy! I wonder though, if they have been poisoned. I know a place that I worked used to put out poisoned corn. I used to rescue the ones I saw, and some made it through. Sadly, some did not. Poisoned corn does not work on pigeons though, but I imagine some do die from the stress and just in general awfulness.

But again..yay Gimpy!

[Siam Sam]

I don't think so. It would affect more of them than just the odd one or two from time to time. Plus really, that's not something Thais tend to do.

Gimpy hangs out most of the day now whether he gets fed or not. Must be about four or five months old, we reckon.

[Siam Sam]

I've taken a few photos with the new camera -- 14.3 megapixels -- and I'll have to post those soon. Henry and Geri have taken to hanging out here for much of the day, unlike before when they only ate and ran. I think the reduced feedings are causing them to hang around hopefully. Henry often dozes off and really looks cute when he's sleeping. Still too many others around to feed him and Geri much -- or Ladyboy, who is still around, or Gimpy. But we do manage some. Painting of our building starts in a couple of months though, and when it does we'll probably have to remove even the water dish. Whenever the wife or I are off cleaning it or refilling it and a pidgee comes along, you really can see their shock at seeing no water dish.

A sad-looking one we call the Little Tumor Guy started stopping by. Poor little thing has a beak covered with little tumors, plus a big one on its left face. Small and frail. Haven't seen it for a few days. And Spooky showed up again this morning (Saturday morning) after some weeks. Her right leg is still broken, completely useless. She just drags it around but looks healthy, so at least she's surviving.

[Baker]

Shoot, poor little bird with tumors. I'm feeling sorry for a pigeon that lives on the other side of the world.

[Siam Sam]

Well, the Little Tumor Guy is an odd one. He was here yesterday (Tuesday), and I got a closer look at him. Poor little thing's face and beak are covered with tumors. Looks like a pidgee version of the Elephant Man. I don't really want to take a photo. Still a baby, as the others were pecking at it, and it was squealing and flapping its wings defensively, eating all the while. Doesn't act sick. In fact, it pecked back a couple of times. But it's definitely the low man on the totem pole at the moment, as even Gimpy pecks at it. Don't know if it's a boy or girl. The size makes me think girl but could just be a frail male. Still very young too, so could still grow.

Just looked outside, as I'd fed Henry, Geri and Gimpy earlier. The Little Tumor Guy is here now, squaling and dlapping defensively while eating.

[Siam Sam]

Just a short update. It's been a couple of months at least since we bought our new camera, and I've still not tried uploading photos from it. Will do that soon. I did take a couple of the Little Tumor Guy, aka the Elephant Pidgee. Poor little guy. Hangs out here a lot, although I've not seen him today. Been rather rainy. He does not act sick at all, so maybe his deformity is not life-threatening, but he does tend to sleep a lot, which we don't think is a good sign. Or maybe it's a girl. So small, but that could just be due to its health. Still beats its wings and squeals like a stuck pig to keep others away while feeding. Can't be more than a few weeks old.

The population is reducing, but Henry is clearly put out by the reduced feedings. Sometimes he'll sit out there and coo for food. But we feed him and Geri and the Inner Circle when we can.

[Siam Sam]

Okay, I'm going to have to get serious about these photos. Not only has the Little Tumor Guy made us her main hangout, but she'll -- I really think this is a girl -- sleep here if she thinks no one is home. Saturday and Sunday both, we came home after dark to find her sleeping on the tree pots outside. Tonight the wife was home before dark, and the Little Tumor Guy didn't stop by. This is a seriously disfigured little pigeon, and she can't be more than a couple of months old. The tumors keep the beak from closing completely, it stays parted a bit. But she doesn't seem sick or particularly bothered. She really looks like the pidgee version of the Elephant Man.

I have a couple of photos, but they're not very good. Will have to try to take some more and upload them by this weekend.

[Siam Sam]

We're afraid the Little Tumor Guy, who we suspect was actually a girl, has probably died, probably from cancer. Not seen her since she stayed here last Thursday night. I've still not uploaded the photos to the computer, still very busy, but will have to do that soon so you can see exactly what she looked like. The Elephant Pidgee. Poor little thing took to staying here most nights. But not seen at all even during the day for four days now.

[Siam Sam]

I am going to make a concerted effort to upload and post new photos from the new camera this weekend. Last weekend became unexpectedly busy, so I was not able to do so then. But I have a few good ones including of Spooky -- Spooky 2, actually -- with her broken leg. She does not seem to be in pain, but the leg has set at an awkward angle and is completely useless. Poor girl hobbles around, but it looks like she's become used to it and is now very good at hobbling and even landing on it. Best of all, she's obtained a mate, a big gray who sticks by her protectively. Very sweet.

It's October now, and the building's painting is nearing. They'll have to wait for the rains to end first though, and we're getting some heavy downpours. Plus we're all braced for this weekend, when a big typhoon is expected to hit Vietnam and sock Bangkok with a ton of rain. But they'll end in just a few more weeks, and we've still got more pidgees around than we should despite the reduced feedings.

Henry and Geri are obviously sitting on eggs again, as they take turns coming here, always at the same times.

And the sad news is the Little Tumor Guy has apparently died. She just suddenly disappeared, which she would not have done if she'd been okay. We suspected she was getting worse when she started sleeping here at night. They all seem to want to stay here at night when they sense the end is approaching. We even tried to catch her, but she'd have none of that. Fuck cancer.

[Baker]

Oh I'm so glad to see the pidgee posts again. I'd been concerned that something had happened and there wouldn't be any more pidgee news.

Poor Little Tumor Guy. Tried so hard, and at least, with your balcony, he had a safer place and a fighting chance. Just not a win.

Too bad we can't get balcony nest pics any more. Maybe a "To Let" sign?

[Siam Sam]

I just hope the pidgees don't get too drenched this weekend. Tropical Storm Gaemi is expected to hit Vietnam as Typhoon Gaemi late tonight (Saturday night), and while we won't get the hurricane-force conditions that Vietnam will, it looks like Sunday's set to be one helluva rainy day for us.

[Siam Sam]

7:15pm Sunday night and still no sign of rain. And I think Gaemi never made it to typhoon status. I'm sure we'll get something by tomorrow though.

And now the long-awaited photos. The new camera works great, a Canon PowerShot G1X. 14.3 mega-pixel. These are all from the new Canon over the past three months:

Ladyboy and Friend. That's her on the left. Henry's daughter, and she's been coming around 2-1/2 years now. (Henry hates her and always fusses at her.) The one on the right we called Carrot Beak, but he eventually stopped coming around. Funny little guy though.

The first photo of Henry using the new camera. Eating, of course.

A random gray pidgee snoozing away. That little gray spot where his eye goes is his eyelid. It's always funny watching them drop off to sleep, when they slowly close their eyes and conk out.

Ladyboy again. She faithfully spends half her day here hoping for something to eat. The recent cutback in feedings has not discouraged her at all. She'll stare us down just like this.

A fully recovered Gimpy. You may remember from earlier that he somehow lost the use of both legs. I actually even tried to catch him at one point to take him to a vet but failed. He did recover though. It's still a big mystery what happened to him. He comes around only occasionally now, discouraged, we think, by the feeding cutbacks.

And now the sad case of the Little Tumor Guy, whom we believe was female. Poor little thing. Her face and beak were covered with tumors. The far right one is almost hiding her eye from this angle. And here is her left profile. The tumors kept her beak from closing all the way, but she could still eat okay. And she was a flapper and squealer when eating, as you can see here, where's she's doing just that to keep that gray away from her while she's eating. The flapper-squealers are always fun to watch in action. We thought maybe she'd be okay, as she hung around for several weeks. But no, she disappeared suddenly a couple of weeks ago, and we feel certain the cancer got her.

This one we call Punky Head. He just started coming around not too long ago. But look at the very end of his beak -- it's a bit misshapen, possibly by ... a tumor! And there's one other new baby coming around with a single tumor by the eye. What's with the cancer outbreaks all of a sudden? But Punky Head seems to be otherwise healthy. Hope so. He's certainly not in as bad a shape as the Little Tumor Guy was.

And now Spooky with her broken right leg. She's Spooky 2, the original Spooky having also been a black pidgee. We have no idea how she managed to break her leg, but she showed up with it broken about the same time as Gimpy hurt his legs. But while Gimpy recovered from whatever befell him, Spooky's leg set at this angle and is completely useless. Here's a better shot of her and her leg (I think that's Ladyboy down in the corner of the picture). She does not appear to be in pain now, not at all. Hobbles around on the leg, even lands on it. And she has found a mate, a big gray. We're wondering how she handles sex. Her mate was pestering her for a litttle nookie today in a part of the mating ritual that we've come to recognize. If the male wants sex but the female is more interested in food or anything else at the moment, the male will playfully keep nipping at his mate. The female will move away with the male following, nipping all the while but not seriously. We watched them doing that today. Hope she puts out soon, because we really want to see how she handles that.

And finally, Big Red -- he of the chopped-off tail 14 months ago -- and his new mate, Snowflake. I think we may have briefly had a Snowflake before, but this little cutie certainly deserves the name. Big Red always, and I mean always, goes for the white ones. This is his third mate and the third almost-pure white. That includes his daughter Pinkie, who was his second mate. "Mmmm, come to Daddy, little girl."

And that's it. Hopefully I'll start using the camera for something other than pigeon photos. It's a really good camera, and I can highly recommend it if you're in the market for a new one.

And again, all of this year's photos can be seen on this page.

[Baker]

I think Henry is the most attractive of them all. Those are some truly remarkable pics.