A thank you to Nom!

A few weeks ago I had 2 wood pigeons trying to build a nest in a small tree, just by my back door. They were hopeless as the twigs fell to the floor every time they added one and I was afraid that she would have nowhere to lay her eggs.
I spoke to Nom who told me they were probably young & may lose their baby..... so I had to help

The twigs were brittle because the weather had been so hot, so I trimmed a few from my shrubs and removed the leaves & cut some strands of dry grass. I left them where I had seen them collecting twigs, but was surprised when I saw them using them They eventually managed to construct a nest, but it didn't look good so I kept my eye on progress & left some cotton wool pieces, to stop any eggs falling through the holes.

The birds worked so hard to care for any offspring & she sat continuously on the nest for 3-4 weeks. I can see into the nest through a bedroom window & today I was rewarded by seeing a fluffy baby, in there, waiting for its mum to return.... now I just have to shoo the magpies off, in case they try to take it.

I just wanted to let Nom know that his advice encouraged me to make sure that the young bird's baby survived & I hope to watch it learn how to fly.

Re: A thank you to Nom!

Awwwwwwww so cute & sweet.
I’m glad Nom helped you, cause I love birds.
Such a sweet post.

Re: A thank you to Nom!

Good news Twink it sounds like these will be good parents, some species are less so. Magpies are a predator species, but most will have fledged young by now,, so wont be feeding young.

Re: A thank you to Nom!

Nom it was your words that made me feel I wanted to help them, so I am now thrilled that I can watch this baby develop, by peeping into the nest through the bedroom window.
I feel privileged to be able to look into the nest whenever I want, without disturbing them.

Re: A thank you to Nom!

Well done Twink .... and Nom

A little help goes a long way

Re: A thank you to Nom!

A lovely story Twinkles. Well done.

Re: A thank you to Nom!

Well Done.. I have 2 magpies in my garden and they have taken over. Chased all the other birds away, I took all the food....Nuts, seeds, fat balls ect away so they'd get nothing but they are still out there and I can't get rid of them at all. I always have a load of stuff out in the Winter and the feed station is...was well used, don't know what I'm to do come the cold weather if those 2 pests are still around.

Re: A thank you to Nom!

Roxy, I have lots of left over cat food ( my lot are so fussy) so I put that out for the big birds and the smaller birds are happy to join them.
I don't mind magpies, but I will make sure they don't hurt my baby pigeon till he is big enough to look after himself.
They all need to eat, especially in the winter, so if you put out food I am sure the magpies won't eat it all.
Hang your fat balls on a tree as I know the magpies struggle to get them if you hang them from small branches.

Re: A thank you to Nom!

Twinks, this is such a heart-warming thread. It shows what kind of person you are. Thanks for doing that and for telling us about it....you will have to be sure to update us with the facts, let us know when the babies leave the nest.

Can you take pictures from your bedroom window?

Re: A thank you to Nom!

I am not good at taking photos anywhere Blue, but I suspect the leaves on the tree may also cause problems. There seems to be only one baby ( I am calling him Percy Pigeon) and I could see him quite clearly when his mum was away from the nest earlier.... he has a thin neck and quite a big beak but a lovely fluffy body.
The scary time will be when he starts to fly, so my cats may have to be given a few stay at home days!