Well, if Sam hand-rears Bob, maybe Bob will grow up to take over the nesting spot and bring a girlfriend home one day. Then the saga will continue.
Bob is so lucky to have you!
Good news! Monday morning, and Little Pidgee returned. She fed Bob AND finally realized that stuff we put out was food.
I looked out first thing this morning but no Mama. But what’s this? Someone had obviously been into the food. A little grain scattered and many of the vegetables gone, especially the carrots. The ants could not have done that. (The ants seem to have lost interest after I drowned a bunch of them the other day, but it could also be because the veggies dried out after a while.) And the little bit of seed I put in the far end of the flower box was also largely gone. I didn’t know for sure it was Little Pidgee eating it, but I took it as a good sign.
Sure enough, in a little while Little Pidgee showed up … and started eating! 
It took her long enough to understand that was food. This being Thailand, maybe she suspected a scam, some hidden charge that she’d get popped with later. But she was eating away. Then went and fed Bob! Then lounged on the rail for a while.
So the crisis is over. She’s gone now, but I feel more sure now she’ll be back, especially since she understands there’s food for her out there. I am mighty relieved, as I was not looking forward to trying to feed Bob on my own. There’s no telling how that would have gone. I might have ended up inadvertently killing him!
Of course, there’s also the fact that right now, late morning, was when she left yesterday and stayed away almost 24 hours. But I’m trying to be optimistic.
I consulted some with the folks at the Pigeon Talk website. It sounds like we did an okay job feeding Bob last night. They said he should be fed until his crop is noticeably expanded but not tight, like a 3/4-full water bottle. I think that’s about the way we left him afterward.
:o
I dunno. I can see me accidentally killing poor Bob one of these times. Let’s just hope Little Pidgee sticks around some more.
EDIT: Little Pidgee is back again and eating.
Yay!!!:D:D:D
And now she’s hanging out on the railing, on one leg. When she was eating, she was really tucking in. I think this may be the deal-sealer.
I’m just waiting for the “twist” ending. My theory – Big Pidgee has actually been writing all these posts, because “on the internet, no one knows you’re a pigeon”.
Curses! I’ve been outed! 
But maybe no one will notice. Tuesday morning, Bob is 8 days old, and I just saw Mama give a feeding. And she stayed here last night again, although over on the rails and not in the nest.
We hope she feeds Bob enough. In the past, she would slack off quite a bit while Big Pidgee did most of the feeding, not to mention the rest of the parenting: Enticing them out of the box, trying to get them to fly to him over on the window frames etc. Before Little Pidgee fed him this morning, I reached outside to pet Bob a little while she was standing off watching, and he kept pecking hungrily around my hand.
Also saw a stranger pigeon out there feeding this morning while Little Pidgee looked on. It flew away when it saw me. Most of the pigeons in the neighborhood have left – I think Big Pidgee went with them; at least, I hope that’s all that happened to him – but one or two can still be seen. This one may have been George from the last batch. If so, that’s okay, as we don’t mind family, but we don’t really want a lot of pigeons flocking here. That would raise too much attention and possibly get complaints from the neighbors. (Remember, there’s a strict no-pets rule in the building, and while the pigeons are not exactly pets, we’d prefer to keep a low profile.) When Big Pidgee was here, he would chase all other pigeons away.
It’s the noon hour now, and there’s been quite a development. Not only has this Stranger pigeon been hanging around more, but … Little Pidgee has been having wild unadulterated sex with the Stranger right outside in the designated sex area! :eek:!
She and the Stranger were being awfully affectionate with each other, too. I guess this may be the new man in Little Pidgee’s life. Perhaps a clear indication that Big Pidgee is out of the picture for good. Or will he show up one day and wreak vengeance on the Stranger? If nothing else, perhaps the Stranger can keep other pigeons away if any others do show up.
I hope the Stranger is not a close relative, like say a son! Will have to review photos and see who he could be, with his socky feet. Is there much known about pigeons mating with offspring?
He has those overly feathery “socky feet” that some of the squabs ended up with. Except for that and his feet not being as brightly fuchsia-colored as Litle Pidgee’s, he looks just like her. A little bigger, of course, being a male.
A very interesting development!
Wednesday morning, and Bob is 9 days old. Little Pidgee is still staying here at night; looks like she ate some of the food for breakfast. Have not seen her or the Stranger this morning, though.
Bob’s feather shafts are coming out more clearly, with just the beginnings of feathers poking out. Looks like he’ll be light-colored. This morning, I saw him trying to stand up for the first time, too. But he’s been able to scoot over to the other side of the flower box and back for a day or two now, sooner I think than previous squabs have been able to. That could be because the nest does not seem to curve up as much this time to form a barrier.
Like some other squabs we’ve seen, though, he’s breathing heavily. But when I go out and pick him up, he stops doing that and seems okay. It is hot outside even though he’s in the shade most of the time; this IS Thailand after all. He seems the most okay so far with being picked up than any other squab we’ve seen. I wonder if he may have bonded with me during Sunday night’s feeding. More than likely instinct will kick in in another couple of days, and he’ll freak out when he sees me coming, like all the others have.
Little Pidgee really likes the food now that she knows it’s there. The wife watched her eat for 15 minutes straight yesterday evening. We still can’t believe a neighborhood food shortage drove all those other pigeons away, including Big Pidgee; everything is so lush out there. But maybe. Could be why Little Pidgee eats so much here. On the other hand, this is probably gourmet fare for her, not to mention the first time she’s ever seen so much food in one place. Whatever keeps her around until Bob is grown.
The wife’s niece, the one who keeps the two doves, also thinks Big Pidgee is probably dead. Maybe attacked, like by a cat. I’m still holding out hope, though. If he just had not been seen after abandoning his egg duties, I would probably agree. But again, that and the fact his disappearance coincided with that of all the other pigeons leads me to believe he’s out there somewhere.
Thursday night, and Bob is 10 days old. Actually, it’s about 1am, so it’s early Friday, and Bob is only a few hours away from being 11 days old. And I’m afraid we’re back to feeding Bob, as Little Pidgee is acting like a Las Vegas stepmother.
The last time either of us saw Little Pidgee give a feeding was Monday morning. I think she has been feeding him but not a lot. I looked Bob over carefully last night, and he seemed to check out okay. Come this morning, however, Little Pidgee was gone, and Bob was actually begging me for food. Squeaking and flapping his little wings. That’s odd, because usually the squabs cower from me at that age, not beg me for a feeding. He seemed thinner and really hungry.
So I tried to pay extra attention today and saw that whenever Little Pidgee showed up, it was only to eat, not feed Bob. And only in the company of the Stranger. She completely ignored Bob all day long. (I managed to throw out my back this morning and so had to stay close to home all day.) In the evening, the wife came home and asked her niece, the one who has two doves, to come over and give us some feeding tips. The wife’s sister drove the niece over. The niece said not to give Bob too much at a time, and after feeding him some more corn soup indoors, we put him back out in the box.
Then a really bad development. Shortly after, Little Pidgee and the Stranger showed up. All four of us watched as Mama once again ignored her kid, but rather tucked into the chow herself. The Stranger looked in the flower box, and then he hopped in. Little Pidgee hopped in after him. They concerned themselves with the nest end of the flower box. Bob was at the other end. Little Pidgee still ignored him. Worse, she stepped right on him on her way out of the box. The Stranger seemed to be checking out the nest to see how it would suit him, and Bob was hoping maybe the Stranger would feed him. For the first time, I saw the Stranger lash out and peck at little Bob! :eek: That was it, I went out and shooed him away. Of course, Little Pidgee followed, and she did not come back tonight.
This is bad. Mama is ignoring him. I’m afraid there’s nothing for it but to feed Bob ourselves. In addition to the regular syringe and eye dropper, a lady at the Pigeon Talk website had sent me this information. I rigged this up for another feeding later tonight, and it actually worked okay. And after a bit of practice with that and the eyedropper, I am pleased to report I am able to feed Bob myself unaided, a skill that will come in handy tomorrow when I’m home alone. Could still prove tricky if my back is still out of whack, though. The niece mentioned a brand of infant formula that was also good for baby birds; we may get some of that tomorrow.
And we can’t have the Stranger attacking poor little Bob. We figure he’s starting to consider the nest his own territory now, and when innocent Bob got too close, he lashed out. So tonight we filled a spare flower box halfway with some dirt and set that out between the old flower box and our window. Then I moved Bob to that. The idea is maybe the Stranger won’t attack Bob if Bob’s not “threatening” him in the nest. Previously, the Stranger had only looked at Bob; he must have mistaken Bob’s begging for food this time as a threat. I don’t want to stop putting food out, because maybe Little Pidgee feeds Bob some when we’re not looking, but this pecking at little Bob by the Stranger has got to stop.
I’m very disappointed in Little Pidgee, but the wife is much more so. She does not want Little Pidgee to lay the Stranger’s eggs here and thinks we should remove the flower box once Bob is grown and gone. I’m not sure that will work, and it may be too late anyway by that time. But I know how she feels. Big Pidgee was such an ideal father, but he’s been gone for two weeks now. Bob will never experience a great father, like the other squabs did. 
The wife had her first good look at the Stranger today, and she’s pretty sure he’s … Marty, from the fourth batch! Yes, Little Pidgee’s son. Here is a shot of Marty from 7-1/2 months ago. He’s on the right. Note the “socky feet.” If that’s him, he’s bigger now and has the typical moustache. But otherwise that’s him.
One other thing. There was a brief, heavy rain shower this afternoon, and after it was over, I saw a large flock of pigeons feeding in the mansion grounds next door. One or two of the white speckled ones I’m sure I recognized from before, so perhaps the neighborhood flock did not leave after all. And maybe that means Big Pidgee is really dead after all.
P.S.: I may have to disappear from the Board for a couple of days. Between feeding Bob and nursing my back, I may not have an opportunity to log on again soon. It is only by the good graces of a couple of large bottle of Singha Beer that I’m able to sit here and type this relatively pain-free at all.
Feel better soon, and good luck with Bob!
Oh! The drama!
I sincerely hope that this situation improves.
Friday afternoon, and Bob is 11 days old. Some more little feathers coming in now, back toward his butt mostly.
This morning’s feeding went well, and since I had to lie on the floor on my stomach to give it, that may have stretched my back out good. It’s feeling much better, although I still must be careful. There’s still some twinges. I’m hanging around home today and will give Bob another feeding in an hour or so.
That’s good I can feed him alone, although I think that’s only because he’s not trying to escape me. He still does not seem to enjoy being force-fed, but appears to like me just fine. We’re buddies now :).
Little Pidgee and the Stranger came by this morning, too. Mama ignored Bob again! But at least the Stranger did not attack Bob, but then he did not check out either of the boxes this time. We still want Little Pidgee to come around, because we’re not completely certain that she’s not feeding Bob at all. I could tell they had been here early this morning, because the food was disturbed. Who knows? Maybe she fed him then with no one looking.
I don’t know how it works with pigeons, but with some species when the male is lost from a herd/pride/whatever and a new one moves in, pregnant females can abort and the male might kill/drive out suckling young. Evidently so the females will come into season sooner and bear his offspring.
Because I was struck by Little Pidgee having sex with the new guy: isn’t this way earlier in the cycle than you’d expect? Weren’t the other squabs significantly older before sex resumed with Big Pidgee?
Bob died last night.
We noticed him spitting up out in the flower box late last night and brought him inside. He was very weak and thin and had obviously spit up all of his food. Convulsing some but largely listless. We made him as comfortable as we could, and he died a couple of hours later. There was no veterinarian we could have taken him to at that time of night; we know of one small-animal clinic that has a bird doctor on Sundays only, but this was Friday night, and it was obvious he did not have long as it was. Bob was 11 days old.
The wife’s niece had brought over some of that infant formula she’d used with other baby birds; we don’t know if it was that or if we fed Bob too much of it or of the corn soup or if he would have died anyway. We tried not to feed him too much. He was very small; comparing his size with that of previous squabs at the same age, you could see how small he was, probably from undernourishment after Little Pidgee stopped feeding him. Even yesterday, she came here all day long to feed but would not even look at Bob.
The wife took it rather hard. She really hoped we could make a go of Bob. Blames Little Pidgee for abandoning him. The people over at the Pigeon Talk website tell me the father does most of the feeding at this point, with the mother off sitting on another nest. We never did think maybe they had a second family somewhere; seems odd to consider. I still think she could have been bothered to attend to him at least a little while she was here feeding herself.
The wife said she did not want to encourage Little Pidgee to lay more eggs here with her new man – who looks suspiciously like one of her sons, Marty – so we removed the flower boxes, food and water. I’m not sure this will make her and the Stranger go elsewhere, but the wife was crying, and I was not going to argue with her.
Things went very much downhill very quickly after Big Pidgee disappeared. He seemed to be the perfect pigeon. I’m inclined now to agree the poor guy must be dead, especially after seeing the neighborhood flock reappear after all after the rain shower the other day. He always seemed pretty sharp; I don’t know how he could have been caught unawares by a cat or something. But whatever happened, he left, and Little Pidgee couldn’t take up the slack for whatever reason.
So I guess this really is the end of the pigeon thread. It was a fascinating 15 months for us, but the wife just cannot accept Little Pidgee with this new guy, especially after he pecked at poor little Bob when all he wanted was to be fed. I guess neither can I. We’ll see what happens next, though. We may come home one day to find more eggs out there somewhere.
Oh no, that’s so sad. Poor Bob. I’m heartbroken and I wasn’t even there. You did the best you could and at least he wasn’t alone and unfed. I have an irrational dislike for Little Pidgee right now. I’m totally with your wife.
Thank you so much for sharing all of this. I’ve only posted a few times, but I’ve followed the whole saga. I can’t believe it’s really been that long. And if Big Pidgee comes back or there’s another family, I hope you’ll let us know.
This is especially sad for the wife because it’s her first personal experience with animal death. Growing up here in Bangkok, her parents allowed no pets in the family.