This is such a lot of work you go to, just wanted to say yet again how much I appreciate it. The pictures and video are always cool.
You’re welcome. I love these little guys. They’re the closest thing to a pet we can have.
The parents have accepted that Pete is in the flower box now, although they don’t like it, particularly not Ladyboy. They’re still feeding him, and that’s what’s important. But they don’t like to hang out in the box like they do the Living Room. They really like the Living Room. They just sort of loiter nearby once we transfer the squabs to the flower box,
Just noticed some sort of chirping or squeaking on that video. Don’t think it’s Pete but rather just night noises.
Thursday morning and Pete’s 18 days old. Or will be late tonight (more like 17-1/2 days at this moment). His feathers are really coming out now, and he’s going to be beautiful. Kind of a dirty white, some black and a little brown thrown in. Sort of a “toasted marshmallow” effect is what he look’s like he’ll turn out. He can stand up very well now and even walk inside the flower box. Keeps looking outside the box, and the next stage will be the Big Leap outside. He’s started doing “helicopters” a little too.
We leave in a couple of days, and I doubt I’ll post any new photos until we return. This will be our first time away since the parents set up house out there in May. They’re acting sweeter and sweeter to each other and now keep sitting in the Living Room just like they’re on eggs, only there aren’t anymore eggs there yet. Coming soon for sure. But they really, really like that particular flower pot. Who knows why.
Charlie turns four months next Thursday. We’d love to know what he gets up to during the day. Leaves at first light but always returns at the last moment before dark. Is accustomed to his late-night snacks, although his mother Ladyboy often attacks him now when he starts eating, chasing him all around the balcony like the Keystone ops. He’ll wonder what the heck is going on, that’s for sure.
There’s been one development that we hope will not prove disturbing. You may recall that earlier this year, building management had our entire 36-story tower repainted. Well, there have been complaints from some condo units of rain leaking in. (This is the rainy season now, and there have been heavy storms.) So the company that did the painting is going back over the entire building to make sure all the cracks are plugged up. (The work is still under warranty.) They started yesterday, and we can see the ropes of their scaffolding on the side of the building around the corner from the balcony. We’ve not had any problems, so maybe they won’t spend much time around the outside of our unit. We’re not sure what they’ll make of Pete.
We’re not too worried about that. Ours is not the only balcony to have squabs, although we may be the only one that encourages them. From what we can tell, building management has always been understanding of squab situations as an act of nature that can’t be avoided, so that end we’re not worried about. We just hope the workmen don’t decide to spirit away Pete for whatever reason. It should take some time for them to work around to that side, and Pete should be flying in another week or 10 days. Just have to hope it works out.
These are not the squabs you are looking for, move along.
So I have some new photos up after all. Wanted to clear the camera before we left, although I’ll probably take another shot of Pete on Saturday before we leave to compare it with when we come back.
But here are some more of Pete taken this week:
Monday, October 7, age 15 days: Looking like a little feather ball. Then a close-up (note the white tip of the bill. They all seem to have that, and it goes away in a few weeks.) Pete snoozing.
Thursday, October 10, age 18 days: The head feathers are starting to appear. Thinking of his future.
Also from Thursday (yesterday, as it’s Friday morning over here), here’s one of Ladyboy, who is Pete’s mother and Henry’s daughter, his oldest. And Geri, Pete’s stepmother (Henry is over on the window frames. She may be looking at him).
Pete is just a sweet little guy. He is the first squab ever who seems perfectly okay with being petted. Always they seem pissed off and/or frightened and once mobile will try to escape. If captured, they just sort of take it but clearly wish I’d go away. Pete is the very first one not to act even the least bit phased by us. He may turn into an actual pet. If he hasn’t flown away while we’re gone, that is.
I was away yesterday, but the wife reported Henry and Geri stopping by to have kinky sex in the designated sex area, with him on bottom. Possibly inspired by them, The Bully and Lady boy soon after did it the same way! I’ll tell ya, our balcony is fornication central.
We’ll take off tomorrow. The place we’re staying has WiFi, and the wife will have her laptop, but I don’t know if I’ll log in again until after we’re back later this month.
Have a safe trip, and have a good time. I’m sure the pidgees will be fine.
I have read this thread over the last week and was so disappointed that the old photo site went away. But I am so glad for the pics on the new site! I really wish I could see what Big Pidgee and Little Pidgee looked like.
I hope y’all have a good trip! Thanks so much for the entertainment! Tell the pidgees hi from Texas!
Thanks, all. Just popped in for a quick look. I’ll give Pete an extra-nice pet before we leave.
Ah, another Texan. I grew up in West Texas. We still have the photos of Big and Little Pidgee. I’ll try to remember to post a couple when we get back.
West Texas! Me, too!
We’re not home yet, still on the island. Today (Saturday) is our last day, and I’m just using the WiFi here for the first time. The wife has been using it some while I’ve been taking a break from the Internet this past week. We’ll be heading home tomorrow (Sunday). Haven’t seen Pete for a week. Hope he’s okay. He’s 27 days old tonight, will be four weeks when we see him next.
It’s been a great week. We heard Bangkok got socked with rain from a big typhoon that hit Vietnam, usual for this time of year. But the weather here on the island has been great for the most part. Got in some snorkeling, which I love to do in tropical waters.
Will be back and report on Pete et al soon.
Monday morning and we’re back home. And Pete is beautiful. 
Still here and four weeks old as of last night. He still let us pet him too! But this morning he’s more skittish. Looks almost fully grown, with just a hint of yellow baby fuzz remaining on his breast. Looking big, so we think male for sure, but still smaller than his parents. White patches on his cheeks give him sort of a “clown mouth” like his step-grandmother Geri’s. (I’m sure they’re related somehow anyway. They all are.)
And … there are two more eggs. Ladyboy’s been laying her batches about seven weeks apart, and when we returned home last night, that had been about 6-1/2 weeks, so we figure they’ve been laid very recently, maybe over the weekend. If so, hatching should begin about the middle of the first week of next month. Hope they both make it this time. The names will be Tony and Pam. We discussed whether we could still use the name Pam and decided it was okay. There is a Tony No Toes who stops by occasionally, missing some toes, but this one will just be Tony.
The trip was excellent. This is the place we stayed: Bann Makok on Kood Island (or Koh Kood, as koh, sometimes spelled ko, is Thai for “island”). We highly recommend it. Up a canal and accessed only by boat, to get to the beach you have to kayak down the canal, so it’s not for people who want to stay right on the beach. But after staying here, we’ll not stay any other place on that island. Room 5, our room, seems to be the best for two people. Close to Cambodia. We’d read that the Beckhams, David and Victoria, bought a vacation home on Koh Kood a few years ago. Then the crew of the boat we went snorkeling on pointed out the one they thought it was, but they weren’t completely sure. It was close to Bann Makok.
Oh, and Charlie’s still here at night. Four months old as of last Thursday.
After acting skittish this morning, Pete calmed back down today while I was out on the balcony cleaning. It took my a lot longer to clean too, because I couldn’t stop petting and playing with him. 
Wednesday morning and month-old Pete – he turned one month or 30 days last night – just made his first off-balcony flight that we saw. To the window frames while I was out there cleaning. Not sure if he was trying to get away from me or just following Dad. I can easily catch him to pet, but he clearly would rather I didn’t. Still, he doesn’t try too hard to escape, not like Henry or Ladyboy with their zero chance of ever touching.
Will post photos and another video soon. You’ll be amazed at the before-and-after shots surrounding our trip.
Yay! Glad y’all had a good time! Ready for videos!
Sunday night and Pete turns five weeks old tonight. Absolutely cute little guy. But here’s a development: The Bully, Pete’s father, seems to be taking an inordinate amount of interest in him. Ladyboy, the mother, pretty much just ignores him now, but Pete is always with Dad. Still getting fed by him, although he does eat some seeds now. Dad is always preening Pete, or cooing at him, or trying to persuade him to fly. The wife thinks this may be due to Pete’s only-child status, because she remembers back when we had Big and Little Pidgee, Big Pidgee was close to George, another only squab.
But I’m wondering if Pete may be a girl after all and Dad is having some, er, inappropriate feelings for her. They are really close. And Dad plays favorites. Charlie continues to live here but is disliked now by both parents. Poor little guy, who turned four months 10 days ago, gets snapped at by them.
Meanwhile, the new eggs continue to incubate. We expect them to hatch anytime from next weekend. Probably the middle of the first full week in November. Remember, we don’t know exactly when this clutch was laid, but it must have been about last weekend. Henry and Geri are taking turns coming here now and at regular hours, so they must be doing the traditional trade-off, but The Bully and Ladyboy stay here together all day and night long for the most part.
Unfortunately, after this clutch hatches, we may have to remove the pots. 
Charlie shows no signs of moving out. Pete is still young, but he’s so close to Dad, if indeed Pete is a he. Quite possibly Mandie, Kenny and Laurie would be staying here still, but we suspect they’ve been killed or captured, as it’s unusual for squabs never to show back up here. These parents just don’t seem to boot out their children as forcefully as Big and Little Pidgee did. It may be time to intervene with some Tough Love.
I’ll try to put those photos up this week. The wife took a cute one yesterday of Pete in the Living Room with Dad, who’s sitting on the new eggs.
I really appreciate the interest this thread has garnered. Seems like every time I look at it, there’ve been another hundred or so views.
Still have not loaded the new photos. It’s been a busy week. Will try to get them up before or by the weekend. But Alas! Pete no longer will let me pet him. Now he flies straight for the window frames when I step out there to clean. He (she?) is definitely Dad’s baby, as Ladyboy will have absolutely nothing to do with him now. She even runs from him if all he does is walk near her. Her concentration is on the new eggs, which should be due to hatch sometime next week.
Photos!
Here is Pete at age 19 days on October 11, the day before we left.
And now the Big Comparison: Pete at age 20 days the day we left, October 12. And eight says later, age 28 days or four weeks, October 20. Quite a difference.
Then a family shot the next day, October 21, age 29 days. From left, that’s Pete, The Bully on the floor and Ladyboy up on the rail. And those are the new eggs, Pete and Pam. And one more of Pete that day. And another. A fine-looking bird he’s turned out to be. Bonus: A new one of Henry, that same day. Been coming around for just over four years now.
And age 31 days on October 23. He’s on the left, keeping company with his father The Bully while the latter sits on the eggs.
And then last Saturday, Pete hopped back into the nest with Dad, age 34 days.
And that’s pretty much how Pete still looks now. Again, completely Daddy’s baby, as Mama is concentrating on the eggs.
I have a video too, but I’ll have to load that later in the week.
And this is where we were while away: Mr and Mrs Siam Sam, at Bann Makok Resort, Kood Island (in the Gulf of Thailand near Cambodia), Thailand, October 19, 2013.
That’s the common room and reception area behind us.
We’d joked about taking Pete with us and letting him go there to give him a nice island life. But it’s just as well we didn’t, because while there was plenty of birdlife, there were no pigeons for him to mate with.