Was just doing some cleaning out there, and four-day-old Jimmy has his eyes open. Just slits but definitely open and some sight activity going on. Jamie still has hers closed and thought I was a parent with food. Kept poking around on my hand trying to find where to plug in for a feeding, heh.
I noticed Oscar (41 days) is getting some orange in his eyes. Squabs’ eyes stay all black for the first few weeks.
Saturday night and Jamie’s eyes were open today at age four days. Little five-day-old Jimmy started snapping at me, possibly a record for earliest onset of snapping. It’s usually more like eight or 10 days. So I gave him a little head massage, and that calmed him down. Then he must have figured I was a food source, because he started poking around on my hand like he was searching for where to plug in for a feeding.
The Bully is fairly easy with us. Sometimes when I reach out to touch the squabs, he’ll remain on the nest, although he will draw back a little. Sometimes he’ll flee altogether. But Ladyboy will stand her ground. She’ll peck or wing-slap my hand if I try. Today when I petted the squabs, The Bully left and hopped over to the rails. Ladyboy was watching from the window frames. She flew over, gave The Bully a disgusted look (he lost face), then hopped over to the other tree pot and gave me the stink eye. Puffed up big too. She’s not shy anymore about registering her displeasure with us when we start screwing around with her babies. Of course, three weeks from now she’ll be like, “Screw off, kid!” while handing over responsibility to Dad.
Thursday morning and Jimmy and Jamie are 10 and nine days old, respectively. Getting big. Looks like they’ll both be white. In fact, they’re starting to look a lot alike. Jamie was smaller, but they’re starting to look the same size even. We’ll know better in a few more days how they’ll turn out. They’ve entered the stand-up-and-snap phase, Jimmy especially. Giving them a little head massage seems to take the wind out of their aggression though.
Today I saw both parents gone for the first time. But Mama is really aggressive in protecting them. I was doing some cleaning on the balcony yesterday, got my hand too close to her on the nest and got myself a wing slap. When I moved the Living Room over, I wasn’t rough, but I wasn’t as careful as I have to be with Dad – he’ll flee if the ride is not fairly smooth – and she rode along. And back. Made sure to keep my hand away. The slaps and pecks don’t hurt, but they’re signs she’s angry, and I don’t want to tease her. Although I could not resist giving her one little pet from behind after I’d moved the Living Room and she was facing away from me. That garnered an angry grunting noise from her.
Ladyboy also attacked Oscar last night, chasing him all around the balcony. It was like the Keystone Kops. I’m afraid Oscar and Emmy no longer enjoy either parent’s favor and will have to leave soon.
Photos soon, I promise.
The folks have to chase the young ones away eventually, or you’d really have to clean that balcony even more!
I think they just need to expand the balcony! Y’all don’t need your living room!
They do get curious about what’s inside here, jumping up and peering in. But they seem to understand this is the monster’s lair, although Geri i particular is not shy about hopping up into the doorway when it’s open if she wants food.
The cycle is continuing, with The Bully cooing for Ladyboy and them being sweet together. 
This is just the sweetest thread ever. Can’t wait for the new pictures.
Pictures coming soon, I promise.
But it’s Friday night, and Oscar and Emmy, ages 48 and 47 days, are spending their first night away. However, it didn’t start out that way. When it turned dark, the family was all out there on the balcony. Then suddenly, Emmy was gone! I leaned out the bedroom window and shown a flashlight on the balcony down below, and there was Emmy. The parents had been chasing after them earlier, and we think they chased her off the balcony. A couple of hours later and suddenly Oscar was gone too! I checked the balcony down below, and sure enough, he’s down there with his sister. The parents must have chased him away too. Poor guys. No one seems to be home in that unit, so at least it will be a peaceful night for them. They both turn seven weeks old this weekend.
Earlier today, my hand got close enough to Ladyboy that I gave her a little pet. Couldn’t resist. That garnered me a big wing slap and grunt though.
Well, my bird’s eggs hatched. Not sure how 5 eggs turned into only two babies, but they are 4 and 5 days old and quite hideous so far. No trace of the other eggs.
Not sure what Mom & Dad are feeding the little guys (Chubby and Stubby) but they’re getting it frequently and they’re getting bigger.
If they’re like pigeon squabs, they’ll be butt-ugly for the first 10-20 days or so. (Although I do like the squabs when they first hatch, all fresh little yellow fuzz and pink skin. They start blackening at about four or five days.)
Poor little Emmy, 48 days old today (Saturday), has a head wound. 
We think it could be related to the parents attacking her and driving her away last night. On the right side about where the ear hole is. I thought it was a tumor at first, but it appeared too big too suddenly. Upon close observation, it seems to be a bit of skin torn off and some feathers missing, close to the ear hole. She acts perfectly okay though. We can’t be sure it was the parents – maybe she got into some other scrape today while out and about.
The whole family is out there tonight. Oscar is seven weeks old today, Emmy will be tomorrow. Jimmy and Jamie are 12 and 11 days old and will have to be moved to the flower box in a few more days.
The Bully and Ladyboy are having sex again. We saw them do it with her on top today. Kinky couple.
Sunday afternoon now and I’m pleased to report that Emmy’s head wound looks a lot better today. The fact that the feathers were pulled away from her ear hole made it look worse, as that hole looked like a wound hole, but no. The running pus has dried up, and she seems very chipper still. Seven weeks old today.
I’m glad to hear she’s doing better, since she and Oscar are going to have to leave sometime in the near future. What you said earlier makes it sound like the folks are already “practising” for the next generation!
Transferred Jimmy and Jamie, ages 13 and 12 days, to the flower box today. As usual, the parents aren’t happy about it, heh.
New photos! a mix of Oscar/Emmy and Jimmy/Jamie.
Here we have Mama on the new eggs, with 26-day-old Oscar and 25-day-old Emmy (she’s the white one on the right), March 20. And Oscar’s looking a little sleepy in this one.
I like this one of Dad and Emmy. She’s 32 days old and looks like a real pigeon now. But see the size difference, So much smaller than Dad. Smaller than Mom too, even today at 50 days.
Mama guards a freshly hatched Jimmy, March 31.
And Mama watches over a day-old Jimmy and a freshly hatched Jamie, April 1. The Bully eventually disposed of that eggshell. He does that, cannot abide to leave them in the nest. Ladyboy seems okay with them, but once after I put a large section of eggshell in the other tree pot, The Bully took it and dropped it over the edge of the balcony.
Oscar and Emmy, 42 and 41 days, do a night feeding, April 5. They’re both cute – Oscar has some very beautiful markings (we like his white shoulders), Emmy is more of a classic white.
Jimmy, age six days, and Jamie, five days, have their eyes open, April 6. I believe Jimmy is the one in back, Jamie in the front. See how they’re turning black now too. That new-hatched pinkness is all gone. Feather shafts are sprouting too.
And later that same day, we see our old friend Henry. Still coming around for food. Sometimes we have to turn him down if there are too many others around and we can’t guard him. This August will make five years that Henry’s been stopping by, and we figure he’s about that old. Ladyboy, the mother in these more recent photos, is his first daughter, and she’s about four years old now.
Family shot, last Wednesday. Ladyboy just can’t keep the squabs – ages nine and eight days – covered anymore.
And just transferred to their new home, the flower box. Yesterday. Jimmy (left) is 13 days old, Jamie is 12 days. I’ve started calling Jamie “Mini Me,” because except for her being smaller than her big brother, they’re looking a lot alike.
And that’s it. I have a video of Dad, Oscar and Emmy that I’ll post soon too. Back in their happier days, when they were still little and their parents still liked them. Now the parents chase after them, really fiercely, running in circles all around the balcony, particularly Ladyboy.
All the photos can be seen on one page here, of course.
Last night (Sunday night) Emmy spent her second night total away from home, but this time she was not on the balcony below. The parents chasing her could have had something to do with that. She’s back tonight (Monday night) though. Oscar’s still here too.
And a note about Flickr.com. Before, I could log in with a GMail account. But now they’ve dropped that. They’ll only accept logins via Yahoo e-mail accounts now, no more GMail or Facebook logins, so I had to open a Yahoo account. Yet one more e-mail account that will remain idle. I have so many by now.
Oops! Emmy is actually 31 days old there.
We hung a fuschia on the porch yesterday, and are waiting for the mourning doves to nest in it once more.
And the video is up. March 16. Oscar and Emmy are 22 and 21 days old.
Looks like this unexpected April cold front has killed the two baby birds on my porch. :-/ The nest has been silent and no movement since yesterday.
Oh that’s too bad. Maybe the parents will try again, birds often next twice in a season.