So when would a new pair be laid, going by the patterns of the past?
Well, they’re being all sweet again, but we’ve not seen them screwing again yet. That doesn’t mean they haven’t been doing it, we’ve just not seen it. But it seems like a new clutch of eggs comes along when the squabs are two or three weeks old, so we’re just entering the period now.
We had a big storm a few days ago, and while it wasn’t blowing into the balcony much, it was some. Both parents were noticeably straining their heads and necks to look inside. The wife and I both had the distinct impression they wanted to come inside. They wanted something, but they had food and water out there already, and the food wasn’t getting wet. At least not too wet. But I’m afraid that’s where we draw the line – they want to be free, they’ll just have to put up with a little rain.
Sunday morning, and the squabs have both passed two weeks. They’re 16 and 15 days old now. New pics to come. They can get around the flower box very well now. Lively, squealing. Their feather patterns are even clearer, and Sophie will definitely be a dirty white, but Kevin may look more like Geri, Henry’s mate.
Ladyboy and The Bully are busy today building a new nest in the tree pot. Man, these guys have it easy, a two-nest home. The Bully has been flying in twigs all morning for Ladyboy to arrange. The old girl is completely recovered.
I’m glad to see she is feeling well. I would miss this thread if a hiatus was created by the loss of one or both of them.
Does Henry still come around?
We once had a community nest in a tree outside my kitchen window. One year, doves would be in it, the next year robins would be in it. Then birds stopped showing up after one of my cats climbed the tree and ate one of the robins’ babies.
Henry still comes around, and his mate Geri. They were here just the other day, and it’s that time again for them too, as Henry was chasing after her and pecking playfully at her butt, just like The Bully and Ladyboy are doing now. Henry’s six years old now.
And Ladyboy and The Bully are screwing like teenagers now and building up their new nest.
Lydia, age 5-1/2 months, has been missing some nights here, but last night both she and Patrick, seven months next Sunday, did not come home. That’s the first time for Patrick since she returned in … August? after her two-month absence. So no one out there at all except the new squabs, the first time in a very long time that’s happened, maybe the first time since their first egg here hatched. It was raining around nightfall, so they may have been caught somewhere by that.
And Henry and Geri were around today too. I didn’t take any pictures of them, but here are a few more of the resident family. The week after next I’ll be upcountry, so I want to be sure to load what I have. Probably will have more next week too.
Last Friday, October 9
Kevin and Sophie are 14 and 13 days old. The parents are eating breakfast along with a little sparrow (?) that has discovered the balcony and keeps stopping by. Eight minutes after that, Ladyboy feeds the squabs the breakfast that she herself had just been eating. And a couple of hours later, they’re wondering what’s for lunch.
Monday, October 12
Sophie and Kevin are 16 and 17 days old, respectively. Here they are with my size-11 sandal for perspective. And a little closer. (They’re not jumping out of the flower box yet, that’s still a few days away. I put them there.) Then chilling out back in the box. And here you can see the beginnings of the new nest in the tree pot, with the parents eating nearby (Dad below, Mom above).
Today, Wednesday, October 14
Kevin and Sophie are 19 and 18 days old, respectively, seen here and here. They both can walk all around the flower box now, but Sophie in these two shots is hunkering low, hoping I won’t eat her. 
And again, all the photos can be seen on one page here.
I mentioned I’ll be upcountry the week after next. The wife will be home and can take care of the pidgees while I’m gone. I’ll be heading for Sin City, aka Pattaya. But not alone. An English friend is moving back to London at year-end and wants to make one more trip to Pattaya. He just got married last month and thinks maybe I can keep him from being too tempted. But who’ll watch the watcher, hehe?
Meanwhile, Lydia and Patrick did show back up today, so I guess they really did get caught somewhere by the rain yesterday evening. And I had to squirt Patrick’s little butt immediately for fighting with Lydia. Then tonight while I was away, Patrick was missing again … until about 8:30pm, when she suddenly appeared out of nowhere. I wasn’t home, but the wife is sure she wasn’t here earlier. We’re thinking the parents may have chased her to the balcony below.
These pidgees have it made!
A new egg! Laid yesterday evening (Thursday evening). The second one is expected tomorrow. This clutch will be Matthew and Mochi. “Mochi” is Japanese, a type of rice cake. When I was cleaning the balcony yesterday, Ladyboy was fiercely protective of the new nest. Not the old nest or squabs but the new nest. Pecked at and wing-slapped me if I got near, refused to move, puffed herself up. I wonder if she knew an egg was imminent and was worried about what I might do with the tree pot.
Also made another very hot sex video of the parents doing it. Will be loading that soon.
Meanwhile, Kevin and Sophie, 21 and 20 days old, are growing. They are not jumping out of the flower box yet but do keep falling out while clambering for a feeding.
The parents are getting serious about the old squabs leaving. They chased Lydia away after dark, kept on her until she just left. No Patrick, he may be figuring time’s up now.
And we have the second egg! Laid yesterday evening (Saturday evening). She always lays them in the late afternoon/evening and always two days apart. Hatchings should start about November 1.
Kevin and Sophie, 23 and 22 days old, seem healthy. They are walking around the flower box like pros and should start hopping out on their own in another day or so.
The parents, but especially Dad, have put their foot down and chased off the grown squabs. Patrick has not stayed here the last two night, but I saw her in the day yesterday. Lydia has tried to stay here, but they chase her away. She’s even tried to sneak back after dark, but they still chase her off. They’ve not done this before. Guess they finally had enough. Time to go make their own life.
I’ll have that sex video up soon. It’s hot!
I can’t wait, pant, pant!
I hope you have a signed, trilingual release form.
And here it is. The video you’ve all been waiting for: Smokin’ Hot Pigeon Sex! Please make sure no women and children are in the room when you play this video. Lots of foreplay. And note Ladyboy’s victory lap at the end – we’ve noticed other female pidgees doing this, not just her.
Some bad news. Little Sophie has developed pustules. Three I’ve found so far – on top of her head, on her throat just below her bill and on a wing. She’s 22 days old. We’ll take her to the vet Tuesday morning – we simply can’t do it tomorrow, but I think she’ll be okay. She’s not sick, still is active and hungry. Tuesday should be fine. Then I can give her medicine for a week before I have to go upcountry and before she starts flying. Kevin shows no signs of virus, but we’ll dose him too anyway just to be sure. And we’re going to ask the vet about the possibility of fixing Ladyboy.
How is the virus transmitted? Is there any way to “treat” the balcony furnishings, the flowerpot and so on, so to eliminate the disease?
Ladyboy seemed pleased, but that was fast sex!
Yeah, well, that’s pigeon style. 
We use disinfectant sporadically, but the vet said the virus was being transmitted by one or both parents in the capacity of carrier. The prospect of locking one of them up again and forcing treatment – or both of them – is not appealing. We’d like to get Ladyboy fixed if at all possible. The vet said carriers won’t fall ill from it themselves.
Tuesday night and the deed is done. We took Sophie to the vet this morning. Kevin also started showing pustules since last I wrote, but we took just Sophie. The doctor was nice enough to give us a good supply of Baytril and vitamin-B complex. Started dosing both, twice a day. Should be okay, although I remember Penny, Patrick’s sibling, dying during treatment. It was like she was so freaked, she had a heart attack. But these guys seem a little better about it. I’ll give them medicine for a week if I can. They may start flying about the weekend, but hopefully this will be enough.
We asked the vet about the possibility of fixing Ladyboy. Remember, this is a university veterinarian school, and the vet said she’s have to check with some professor about whether they did that there for birds and could let us know if we come in again. (She treated Ladyboy in August and remembered us.) However, she said while it might be possible to do that there, she warned it didn’t always take, plus often proved fatal to the bird. 
Well, forget that! We may just have to keep monitoring and dosing future squabs as needed.
As with Patrick six months ago, I bonded with Sophie on this visit. She was a good girl, didn’t get too excited, and as I kept petting and massaging her, she even dozed off. As usual, the throat swab was the worst part of her day. Not that she comes when I call now. No, she still runs away when she sees me coming. And I’ll have to be careful, because besides hopping in and out of the flower box, Sophie tonight started hopping up onto the green concrete verge. She can’t fly yet, and if I scare her off the edge down to the balcony below, we’re screwed.
Kevin and Sophie are doubly lucky for wild animals. They were conceived only because we intervened and treated Mama. Now we’re treating them for what would be a fatal condition.
Some more photos:
A family photo on October 15. Kevin and Sophie are 20 and 19 days old, respectively. Mama is on the new nest in the tree pot and will lay the first new egg later that day. The same day, Dad watches over the kids. Then Mama and the kids – again, she laid the first of the new eggs just a few hours later. But before laying that egg, Ladyboy inspects the perimeter. And a shot of just Kevin and Sophie themselves.
Two days later on October 17, last Saturday, another family shot, with Kevin and Sophie 22 and 21 days, both a full three weeks. Mama is on the one egg and will lay the second one that evening.
Now we come to yesterday, Friday the 23rd. Kevin and Sophie are 28 and 27 days old. And a closer look. You can see that little bump on top of Sophie’s head. That’s a pustule pushing up through her feathers. They’re like little tumors. In fact, we used to think some pigeons had cancer when we saw that but now know it’s a symptom of this virus. Kevin has a couple too, but they’re still too small to be very visible. And one more. In that last one, do you see that little spot below Sophies eye, about where her ear is? That’s another pustule. she has them on both sides by her ears. Kevin’s are by his ears too. They both have some others too.
And all the photos are on a single page here.
It’s Saturday here now, and Kevin and Sophie are 29 and 28 days old. Both a full four weeks. They’ll almost certainly be flying by Monday, and it may not be possible to give them medicine after that. I have dosed them four full days now and will today for sure. That should be enough to check the virus. I’ll be gone most of next week, but the wife will be here to feed them. Even if they were able to be caught easily for dosing at that time, she’s squeamish about the possibility of hurting them and just lets me take care of that. I’ve become quite adept at getting them to open up and swallow.
The vet asked if they were not eating, but no, they’re a couple of little piggies really. From our observation, the pustules form before any feelings of illness set in. They’re running around and squealing at Mom and Dad and eating tons. Not sick at all. They have no idea why I keep grabbing them and forcing stuff down their throats. Probably think it’s just some weird form of torture.
But Mama has now officially passed all parenting dutiess for the squabs to Dad and is now devoting all her time to the new clutch of eggs. I know this because last night, for the first time, Kevin and Sophie started pecking at the bird seed on the floor. And that did not set well with Mama, who jumped up in the window to request her own pile of food, because she did not want to eat with them. This has happened before. I poured her a new pile just for her, and all was well.
I just thought of something. Have you ever actually seen an egg being laid?
Yes, at least once. I happened to be looking right at her when it just went Bloop! She’s been slightly raised up. One other time we didn’t actually see it come out, but it did suddenly appear underneath her.