That would be comical but still probably not a good idea. Besides, no one seems to be home from what we can see – or hear, as there’s a shaft next to our laundry room that allows us to hear into several neighbors’ kitchens when we’re out there including the ones below. (Those guys rent and are often gone for long periods. I think they’re from India and may go back there a lot.)
Tony’s still there. Just stares back at me. He may not understand what’s happened. Like he may have fallen off the edge – this is just speculation – and instinctively flapped his wings for a landing below but does not realize he can fly again if he tries. I just hope The Bully doesn’t think we dd anything nefarious to Tony. But these guys usually grow up on ledges and such, so hopefully this will work out.
Monday night and Tony is still on the balcony below. We kept checking on him all day. He kept staring back at us. The Bully finally found him mid-afternoon and gave him a feeding. That’s the only one we saw, but we hope there were others. Tony didn’t follow Dad when he left, so he’s still down there, his first night away from home. And the neighbors are back. Their lights are on, and they’ve turned on the balcony light, so we think that may mean they know Tony is there. He’s on the concrete verge, staring at the glass doors.
We’re leaning more to the theory that Tony may have “fallen” off the concrete verge, landed instinctively below but is not aware yet he can fly. But I’m sure he could now if he just tried. He may have fallen off in response to The Bully’s cooing, as he keeps trying to entice the squabs into flying,leaving the nest etc. Or maybe Pete chased him off, as we caught him chasing Pam this morning.
Looks like Charlie may have finally left too. He was last seen on Friday but did not stay here that night. Thursday was his last night here. Tonight makes four nights gone. So right this moment we have out there the two parents, two-month-old-plus Pete and 29-day-old Pam. Tony and Pam turn one month tomorrow.
Tuesday morning and the squabs are one month old. And … Tony is back! He finally flew back up. Now he’s a flying fool, going back and forth between the balcony and the window frames. I have a theory that even though he and Pam hatched on the same day, he was laid first. Ladyboy seems to lay her eggs two days apart, but of course we were gone when they were laid and so don’t know. But Pam is still happy just hanging out here and so may be lagging behind a little development-wise.
Midday Wednesday and the squabs are 31 days old. And Pam is gone! She was here this morning but has apparently discovered she can fly. She’s been doing short hops across the balcony, but when I saw her missing, I looked out the bedroom window, and that looked like her on the edge of the balcony three floors up. Later she was gone completely – dunno if she’s hanging out on that balcony or if she flew away somewhere. Our little girl is grown.
Tony is hanging close by since his big adventure the other night but still flies over to the window frames.
When I cleaned the other day, I also scooped out a bunch of the old, dried shit in the Living Room and flower box and laid down some fresh, soft soil. Put back the few twigs the parents had in the nest – they’ve never been the nest builders that Big and Little Pidgee were, but I see more twigs today.
Wednesday night and Pam never returned. Pete didn’t come back tonight either, but we saw him today. Charlie’s been missing since last Friday. I really think chances are high that something happened to Charlie, as he lived here for five months, knows there are snacks here, but then just up and disappears. Hmmm.
Tony’s sticking close by, so tonight it’s just him and the parents. And the eggs.
Pam came back this morning (Thursday) and is here tonight. Had her own little adventure last night. Pete is missing for a second night, and Charlie’s been gone a week tomorrow. Poor Charlie. But maybe the numbers will be manageable after all.
Sunday morning, Tony and Pam are five weeks old and still living here at night, and we’re about a week away from the new hatchings. We may have seen Charlie a few times, with another white pidgee. He may have found himself a mate, if that is him. He turns six months old next week, about the time of sexual maturity in a pigeon, as I recall. Pete, about a month and a half now, drops by occasionally in the daytime, but seems to have moved out.
Well, it looks like the Charlie “sightings” have been nothing more than wishful thinking. It ain’t him. Still don’t know what became of him, but his sudden and total disappearance does not bode well.
Pete we’ve not seen for a few days now, but he did keep showing back up in the daytime from time to time and seemed to be phasing himself out. Little Tony of the present batch has taken to staying elsewhere every night now, but he comes back every day to hang out with sister Pam. So now at night we just have the two parents and Pam, plus the eggs.
Going on 7:30pm Wednesday night now, and Tony decided to stay here tonight. So the entire family of four is out there.
But here’s the funny part. I put some birdseed out for them, and the parents went back to roost after they’d had enough. Tony and Pam eat solid seed now, and I thought they were through with feedings. But suddenly Pam started chasing Tony around for a feeding! Squealing, flapping her wings on him, the whole nine yards. All Tony could do was run, but Pam kept up. The parents just watched, The Bully from the rails and Ladyboy from atop the eggs. Later when The Bully did come down, Pam swarmed him for a feeding. But Tony looked completely shocked.
Thanks. Spooky is still around. In fact, we just watched her have sex this evening in the designated sex area. She seems to be a fully functioning pidgee despite her useless leg. Her good left leg must be strong as hell.
And we have a squab! TWO squabs! Pumpkin ans Popcorn both popped out of their shells this afternoon (Monday afternoon). I was getting a little concerned, because Pumpkin at least was forecast to hatch yesterday morning, but come this morning there were still no signs of activity with either egg. Suddenly this afternoon, there they both are! Tiny, moist-looking and wiggly. Must have happened quickly, as the eggs were both still intact just a short while ago. Papa The Bully’s on the nest. I don’t think Mama’s seen them yet.
No sign of Pete for well over a week now, but we think he’s okay since he sort of phased himself out with visits that grew fewer and fewer. Tony stays here most nights, Pam every night. But someone in the neighborhood set off firecrackers last night, frightening both squabs, who flew off into the darkness. They didn’t come back until today. They were just digging in to their snackies too when it happened last night, poor little guys. Those two are 43 days old now, turned six weeks yesterday.
We have a theory that The Bully may be Henry’s son. Ladybpy is definitely his daughter, from his first clutch, as we remember her following Dad here for a feeding. But the way Pete and Henry seem to hate each other, we’ve seen Henry exhibit similar animosity to known offspring. This would mean that all these squabs popping out now have just Henry as a sole grandfather since The Bully and Ladyboy would be siblings, but possibly from different mothers. (Geri is Henry’s fourth mate at least.) Just a theory, but it makes sense.
Friday morning, Pumpkin and Popcorn are four days old, and I saw an eye open. Must be Pumpkin. Although these two are about identical. One’s not noticeably bigger than the other. We’ll have to wait for feather patterns to tell them apart for real. Photos soon.
Tony and Pam are 47 days old and at the age now where the parents want them to move along. Tony was gone last night, but Pam still got chased by her parents.
Saturday morning and we’ve not seen Tony for two days. Hope he’s okay. It’s the sudden disappearances that are worrying, like with Charlie after five months. Pete we’ve not seen for a couple of weeks, but at least he did taper off gradually.
So now it’s just the parents and 48-day-old Pam out there at night, plus Pumpkin and Popcorn, both five days old.
He finally flew back up. Now he’s a flying fool, going back and forth between the balcony and the window frames. I have a theory that even though he and Pam hatched on the same day, he was laid first. Ladyboy seems to lay her eggs two days apart, but of course we were gone when they were laid and so don’t know. But Pam is still happy just hanging out here and so may be lagging behind a little development-wise.