What Ho! Ah! To live with a What Ho on my lips and a Gentleman's Gentleman… {sigh}… Such is life…

The Pigeons – May 19, 2008

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

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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

The Pigeons – May 18, 2008

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.

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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.

The Pigeons – May 17, 2008

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...

The Pigeons – May 16, 2008

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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