What Ho!» Pigeons

The Pigeons – May 24, 2008

gautamsatpathy — Sat, 24 May 2008 17:57:24 +0000

Day 14 of the Pigeon Chronicles…

I was up working till 3 yesterday night and woke only about 9.00 am. After that I had to take Padmaja’s Scooter for servicing and then pop into work to make sure that the remaining work is completed. No time for the pigeons. I finally visited them in the afternoon at about 3.00 p.m. after we finished lunch.

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The Pigeons – May 23, 2008

gautamsatpathy — Fri, 23 May 2008 15:16:55 +0000

Day 13 of the Pigeon Chronicles…

The chicks are growing up fast! And I also find that Momma is leaving them alone most of the day. I hear her feeding them in the morning. In fact their cooing and the frantic beating of wings wakes me up each morning.

(Click for full size image)

I took the day off today and had a good time with the kids. We visited the chicks in the nest pot after lunch and I picked them up one by one for Mamli & Bablu to see. The chicks didn’t like that and kept hammering me with their wings

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Another video taken in the afternoon today.

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The Pigeons – May 22, 2008

gautamsatpathy — Thu, 22 May 2008 14:10:10 +0000

Day 12 of the Pigeon Chronicles…

Today was overcast too. It was nice and cool, a brief respite from the searing Hyderabad summer. Didn’t last into the day though. The sun was out by about 10.00 a.m. but it was good while it lasted.

(Click for full size image)

The chicks were alone again and huddled miserably together.

(Click for full size image)

Just as I rose from near the pot where I had crouched to photograph the chicks, I heard a flutter of wings as two pigeons took off from their perch just outside the balcony. They had perched there all the while. I caught a glimpse of Momma pigeon and what I take is Papa Pigeon. Papa is white, dappled with gray. They flew over to the next building in our apartment complex and took up position. I took a long distance photo. It is not very clear at that distance but the two pigeons are visible.

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The Pigeons – May 21, 2008

gautamsatpathy — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:48:19 +0000

Day 11 of the Pigeon Chronicles…

This morning the siblings were alone again. And feisty. Kept bobbing up and down as I was taking pictures

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One of the chicks (the one on the left in these photos) is definitely bigger and more active than the other.

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The Pigeons – May 20, 2008

gautamsatpathy — Tue, 20 May 2008 08:18:52 +0000

Day 10 of the Pigeon Chronicles…

It rained last night. The temperature in Hyderabad dropped significantly and the air is nice and moist. Not humid like in the costal cities but just right. The sky was overcast this morning and the usual summer glare was missing. The trees looked clean after their shower and the cars parked outside wore a coating of fallen leaves and twigs. From our bedroom window Srinagar Colony wore a softer look than it had this past month.

View from our bedroom window. Click for full size image.

The pigeons were miserable. Momma had both chicks covered. All I could see was one chick’s bum.

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I saw them again after I finished breakfast and was ready to leave for work. Mamli followed me into the balcony. The sun had come out by then and one of the chicks was feeling warm enough to leave Momma and stick it’s nose out.

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The Pigeons – May 19, 2008

gautamsatpathy — Mon, 19 May 2008 11:04:58 +0000

Day 9 of the Pigeon Chronicles…

The chicks were playing today. It was fun to watch. One chick would climb on top of the other who then shakes itself making the chappie on it’s back tumble down

Click for full size image.

Oh. I also discovered that the adage about the early bird and the worms is correct. Our little pigeon family has breakfast at the crack of dawn. Or so it seems to me who never stirs from bed before 7.00

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The Pigeons – May 18, 2008

gautamsatpathy — Sun, 18 May 2008 06:08:19 +0000

Day 8 of the Pigeon Chronicles…

I was again fortunate to find the chicks alone today. I think one of them is growing faster than the other. It s also more aggressive. It’s sibling seems to follow it’s lead in all things. If the first chick bobs it’s head, so does the second one. But I haven’t noticed chick B do anything first.

Click for full size image.

I shot a short video of the chicks. At this time I don’t know how to embed video into this blog. Till I do, a link will have to suffice. The file is in 3GP format and should play in QuickTime.

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The Pigeons – May 17, 2008

gautamsatpathy — Sat, 17 May 2008 17:39:29 +0000

Day 7 of the Pigeon Chronicles…

Today I was surprised to find only one chick in the nest. There was no sign of the second one. Momma was sitting protectively over the remaining chick and watched me poke around the pot she had made her nest in.

Only one chick in the nest!

Bablu was with me in the balcony and he kept telling me that the other chick had fallen down. At first I didn’t pay any attention to him. After a little while his words kind of penetrated my skull and I started moving some of the neighboring pots around so that I could look behind the one the nest was in. Sure enough, the second chick was huddled miserably behind the pot. It must have fallen off the nest! During all this pushing and shoving Momma kept whacking me with her wing. She can pack a lot of force into her wing whacks.

The second chick behind the nest pot.

At first I was at a loss. It took me a few seconds to realize that Momma could not move the fallen chick. No hands. No means of picking up the baby and bring it back to the nest. So if one or more falls of, they were as good as dead. I take my hands for granted.

I dare not move the chick from it’s cramped position for fear of hurting it. Also I was not sure if Momma would accept the chick even if I moved it back into the nest.

I came back after some time to find that the second chick had managed to waddle out from behind the pot and I could pick it up without fear of breaking something. I decided to do it. Nothing to lose. If Momma rejected the chick it would die. If I did nothing it would die. So I picked it up and put it into the nest, accompanied by a steady stream of whacks from Momma’s wing.

The second chick borrows under Momma’s wing after being lifted into the nest.

Mamli and Bablu were standing behind me. After the successful operation, Mamli observed "The pigeon mother must be feeling bad because she was was hitting you and you helped her and her baby". I didn’t have a reply for my daughter.

I came back later to check on the family. Momma had accepted the second chick and both little babies were peeking out from beneath Momma.

Alls well that ends well…

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The Pigeons – May 16, 2008

gautamsatpathy — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:15:03 +0000

Day 6 of the Pigeon Chronicles…

I photographed the pigeons twice today, the first time with Momma and the second without. The second time the chicks fluttered their small wings at me

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The Pigeons – May 15, 2008

gautamsatpathy — Fri, 16 May 2008 09:00:05 +0000

Day 5 of the Pigeon Chronicals…
I again found the chicks alone this morning. But Momma must have been nearby because she came rushing in and gave me what sounded like an earfull of pigeon swear words . I took a photo of her glaring at me in reply.

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