Tell Sophie you will install a security camera if the “accidents” keep happening. Maybe she will desist, or just get more careful!
Saturday morning and we’re expecting hatchings as early as tomorrow.
I’d mentioned that Lydia had hurt her eye somehow. Not sure now if it was a fight or just became infected somehow, but I don’t like the look of it. We’ve tried to catch her, but she just flies away. I’d really like to take her in to see the vet. It did seem to look a little better last night, from a distance, but that might be only wishful thinking. A one-eyed pidgee is always in danger. She’ll be 10 months old next Tuesday. (I keep very precise records.)
Do you still have pictures of ALL the pidgees?:eek:
Got them stored away in the computer even if the original photo hosting site has gone down. But this computer is about 10 years old or so – hope the hard drive holds up!
Saturday night and Lydia did not come home tonight. She may have decided I was after her, what with my trying so hard to catch her last night. 
No new squabs yet. Should be in the next day or so.
And we have little Beau! Hatched early this morning (Monday morning). Wiggly little guy, he keeps poking out from beneath Mama.
Lydia came back to stay stay here last night after being gone Saturday. But now whenever she sees us even coming close to the window, she crouches into a take-off position just in case. Her right eye looks like Rocky Balboa’s after a big fight, but she can still see with it to some extent. I’m not sure if she got this in a fight, if it’s an infection or a fight injury that became infected. But it doesn’t seem to be getting worse than it was, say a week ago. If we can catch her, we’ll have the vet take a look, but it doesn’t seem to be bothering her much. It has taken the fight out of her though. She was one of the trouble-makers, but now she just hangs out.
This might be of interest: Silk Road Market Caters to Lovers of Acceleration, Handling and Plumage
So who will be Beau’s nest mate?
I’m glad Lydia seems to be stable at least. These aren’t just any pigeons, the are “our” pgeons.
Monday night, and Lydia didn’t show up tonight.
We’re waiting for Dale to hatch. But I realized today it’s been 19 days since the first egg was laid and 17 days since the second. So I’m wondering if maybe Beau actually popped out of the second egg laid and the first one was a dud. Should know in the next couple day or so.
Tuesday night, and the other egg is showing no signs of life. I’m not optimistic. Beau will be two days old tomorrow, and we’ve never had eggs hatch two days apart. It’s always the same day or the next. Looks like we may have another only child on our hands, like Matthew (who we’re sure now is a girl). Will wait until the weekend to be sure.
Lydia is back tonight, and we think her eye may be looking a little better. Maybe it was a fight injury after all. She eats okay and does not seem distressed. Snoozes. Will monitor that situation too.
EDIT: And Lydia is 10 months old today. She should find a mate.
Saturday night and I removed the dud egg today. So Beau is an only child. Five days old now and seemingly healthy, but the virus doesn’t manifest itself until about three weeks, if it does. Eyes are open by now, of course.
Good news about Lydia. I mentioned her eye seemed to be a little better. She was gone the last two nights, but she’s back tonight, and her eye is noticeably better now. Not 100% but a big improvement from just three nights ago. We no longer feel the need to try to catch her and take her to the vet. She still should find a mate though.
Sadly, the time is approaching when we’ll have to evict them. I’ve set July for my return to Hawaii. We weren’t sure when I would go, but I just learned I need US$3000 worth of dental work that will take four months to complete. So it looks like it can’t be before July. And I definitely want to get it done here, because if it costs $3000 in Thailand, I don’t even want to think of the cost in the US.
We’ve also entered the next stage in getting the wife an Immigrant Visa to the US. I’ll be spending a good part of March wading through the paperwork. We’re going to have an appraiser come appraise our home in a couple of weeks, for our asset declaration. After that, we’ll start trying to sell it probably about May or June. It’s doubtful the wife will have her visa by July, but the idea is for me to go ahead first and get set up. Man, I really wish I could take Ladyboy and The Bully with me. (Ladyboy’s about six years old now.)
I know this is foolish, but if you get a place that has a balcony maybe you can get a planter and a tree box in remembrance of pidgees past.
Then maybe, just maybe…
I remember a time back when Johnny Carson was hosting the Tonight Show, some humminbirds nested outside a window of his home, and for that season there were pictorial updates of the nest.
Would anything in particular prevent you from taking Ladyboy and Bully with you? I mean, people keeping pet pigeons is a thing.
I wonder if they would be barred due to being carriers of that virus?
Well, mammals including dogs, even seeing-eye dogs, are quarantined for six months in Hawaii. (Or were back when I lived there.) Not sure about birds. But I remember last August when we were treating Ladyboy, and she recovered enough to try to chew her way out of the carrier and almost injured herself, I don’t know how they would take the flight. No, it’s sad, but they’ll have to carry on here in a new place. Lots of pigeons in the neighborhood, and there must be lots of places to get food. We don’t see Henry all that much anymore, so he’s eating somewhere.
Meanwhile, Lydia is back again tonight (Sunday night) and has recovered enough that she’s starting to brawl again. I think she and her eye will be just fine.
Wednesday morning and Beau is nine days old. It’s obvious now he’s going to be another whitey. Lydia’s been gone these last two nights again. Hope she’s okay.
The Bully is out there right now cooing amorously at Ladyboy. It will be interesting to see how they handle having just the one flower box now.
Pics this weekend, I (sorta) promise.
Sigh. I’m really going to miss this thread.
Maybe a general purpose, continuing bird watching thread can be started later. I have a feeder station in my backyard. Nothing exotic, but still.
The promised photos.
Mama guards her brood. Rudolph and Clarice are eight and nine days old in that one.
On the floor at ages 15 and 16 days. Then back in the tree pot.
Five days later at ages 20 and 21 days. You can see that Rudolph is developing a really pretty pattern.
And two days later, on January 29. Rudolph is 22 days old, Clarice 23 days, and this is the final photo of Rudolph before he mysteriously disappeared four days later at age 26 days.
and on the day Rudolph disappeared, February 2, we have this tight family photo of Clarice and her parents in wedged into the tree pot. Ladyboy laid the first egg of the next clutch the following day. You can see the pustule forming on the side of Clarice’s head.
And now Beau. Here he is at one day old. Love those tiny feet. And the same day, using the dud egg as a pillow.
Three days later at age four days, he’s still using the dud egg as a pillow.
And finally, a night shot taken last Saturday, February 27. From the top, that’s Mochi, age two and a half months, Lydia, 10 months, Matthew, three and a half months, then Dad plus Sophie, five months, Clarice, 51 days, and then Mama in the flower box.
and all the photos can be seen on one page here.
Meanwhile, Beau is 12 days old today and will definitely be another whitey. No signs of virus yet, but those usually don’t appear until about three weeks. The parents are leaving him alone more now, and this morning (Saturday morning) while they were gone, Sophie started attacking Beau! Had to squirt him away. I still think he was responsible for poor Rudolph’s disappearance.
The parents are amorous again and seem a bit confused about what to do for a new nest since the three pot is gone and Beau is still in the old one. I’m sure they’ll work it out.
Lydia has been gone several nights now. Hope she’s okay.
Oh the pictures are great! I especially like the last one.
Thanks. All whiteys except for Sophie. Mochie and Clarice have speckled heads, sort of like the parents.
Well, even Ladyboy probably would have to admit that a one day old pidgee is, well, interesting, but not all that pretty.