# Baby Pigeon in my yard, may have scared away parents, in San Fransico



## MixmasterB (Apr 1, 2012)

Hello-

We have a baby pigeon in our yard and I think the parents may have abandoned the nest. What to do? How long to wait? 

Here is the story--

My husband and I live in a fixer-upper in San Fransisco. Yesterday we were pulling down some old sheds and moving some stuff around our yard, and we discovered a baby pigeon in a nest in an old shelving unit. We had noticed some adult pigeons around the shelf over the last few weeks, but there are lots of pigeons in our area of the city so we didn't pay much attention. After finding the nest we realized that the parent pigeons would go through the whole in the back of the shelf to access the nest. Pix below. Please note that the nest was hidden behind the three jugs in the picture. After taking the picture I moved the leftmost jug back in front of the nest, so it is quite protected.

We had a big day doing yard work yesterday, and had to move the shelf about 15 feet from its location while we set up a new shed. At about dusk the parents were hanging around trying to find the nest, flying low near where the shelf had been and even landing and walking around a bit, but they were unable to figure out where it was. (We had to finish our project before the rain started so we couldn't clear out of the yard to give them space.)

The P's flew off for the night, all the while the baby was just hanging out in the nest. It seems to get freaked out if we got to close so we just left it alone. At the end of the night we moved the shelf as close as we could to its original location, but the yard does look different now because of the new shed.

We checked a few times during the day and did not see the parent pigeons. It has been raining for most of the day.

It is now about 24 hours later, I just checked the baby and it seems fine, but no way to tell if it has been visited.

What to do? How long should I wait before intervening? Should I attempt to feed it? Is it likely the P's have abandoned it at this stage, or will they still return? (I was taught that if you touch a bird it's P's will reject it, is this true?) Is there a rescue place in SF that I should contact?

Advice would be much appreciated.

Thank you!

Saana


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

At this age the female should be with him at night. Don't know where you are located, but he will be getting cold by himself. If you moved the nest and they couldn't find it, then I doubt they will come back and try to find it again. I could be wrong. But leaving him out there alone, he will get sick. And he needs food. Can you bring him in and put him up in a box with a heating pad, set on LOW, and a small towel over that. Put him on it?

BTW-- it isn't true that if you touch a baby bird that it's parents will abandon it.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

These links should help you to get started if you can take him in and get him warm. If you leave him out there, he will freeze and starve.
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f108/basic-steps-to-saving-the-life-of-a-pigeon-or-dove-8822.html

http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/caringforababypigeon.htm


----------



## MixmasterB (Apr 1, 2012)

Hi Jay3-

Thank you for your replies and guidance.

I got him (her?) into a shoebox top-towel-hotpad situation so I think he will be warm enough.

He is very feisty and tried to peck me, and stood up a bit. 

From the very helpful links you sent, I am thinking that he is 12 or 13 days old. From what I have read (and I am no expert), the mom might not stay with the baby through the night at this point, but one of the parents would still be coming to feed him. I can't tell if the crop is full or not. I tried to see if I could feel it but he really put up a fight.

Should I try feeding him? I will look over the links and see what I can do.

My plan is to return him to the shelf in is shoebox nest tomorrow AM to see if one of his parents will return.

BTW I am in San Francisco, weather is rainy and temp is around 55 degrees F and will drop to about 50 overnight. Tomorrow maybe 60 to 65.

Here is a better photo.


----------



## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

I am sending you the names and contacts of 2 people in San Francisco who can help you...perhaps take the baby and raise him/her then release. I used to live there, Inner Sunset, and we had a bit of a network of folks in the city.

They can also give you advice should you wish to raise it yourself. Then I can give you advice via e-mail on the proper release methodology (because you cannot justy one day open the door and say"be free now !")

Thanks for caring.

At this point, keep an eye on the Parents today...see if they still return to feed her. At this age they JUST may have stopped sitting her all day long. If you do not see the parents at all today, bring her in tonight.

But I would contact the people I will give you ASAP.

Thanks for caring.


----------



## MixmasterB (Apr 1, 2012)

Update and hopefully a happy ending:

I phoned Wildcare and they recommended that I take the baby pigeon down to the Peninsula Humane Society, where they have intake of injured wild animals and birds, and have weekend hours.

I loaded the little guy into my car and dropped him of down there. The woman who took him seemed very knowledgeable and assured me that the bird would be treated, incubated, and fed. They have an aviary there and once the pigeon is full grown it will be released.

She also said I should not have fed him--last night I gave him a mix of water and dog biscuit with some whole grain bread, all smashed together and strained and watered down. This was one of the suggestions on the UK site, but apparently not right for this guy. They have a procedure where they clear the crop before starting to feed them, so I think he is in good hands.

Here is contact info:
Peninsula Humane Society
1450 Rollins Rd
Burlingame, CA 
650.340.7022


Many thanks for the info you all provided, and Jaye thanks for those contacts.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Thanks for the update. Glad he's in good hands. Thanks for helping the little guy.


----------



## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Oh...gosh...well...whew......I am really, really glad you *DIDN'T* take him to Wildcare....because they would kill him. Usually they'd try to convince you to bring him in too..._then_ kill him. Forgot to mention that.

For future reference...NEVER consider a Pigeon to Wildcare. PHS is a much better option.

BTW, there was nothing particularly wrong with having fed him. Actually the wet dog biscuit think is more for songbirds, starlings and the like.... than for Pigeons...but it wouldn't have done any harm....


----------



## SerendipityCA (May 2, 2008)

*Do you still think WildCare is a bad place to take pidgies?*

Hi Jaye,

I just took a pigeon to WildCare today. First one in over a year I think. I have been disappointed in the number of pigeons I have taken there that have been put down ... actually wrote a rather negative yelp review a couple of years ago, then someone from WildCare contacted me, and assuaged my doubts somewhat... I know others on this list HATE them... 

I did talk to a local (private) rehabber today who recommended I do take the pidgie to WildCare, this person said that there had been a lot of discussion of WildCare on this list, even some comments by WildCare staffers, and this person felt that maybe they got a bad rap on the list.

Having said that, I have a sinking feeling that my little guy from today will be euthanized due to his wing being damaged.


----------



## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Well...yes, sorry to chime in with this, but they will kill him. I really have nothing good to say about that place. When it comes to Pigeons, they are awful. (I call the head vet there Dr. Death).

I have had arguments with them as well and they do their best to try to be persuasive, but the fact is that place runs under a very severe policy of killing Pigeons which are not, in their eyes, returnable to "110%" health (that is their quote, not mine).

In the future, I would not bring another bird (or any animal, really) there. Their kill rate on rescued Pigeons, when I left SF, was over 50%....

When it comes to Bay Area, folks just have to stick with the unofficial network of Pigeon rescuers there. That, plus Avian vets.


----------



## SerendipityCA (May 2, 2008)

Hi Jaye,

Thanks for chiming in - I wanted you to which is why I posted here... so I called this morning and was surprised that they hadn't killed him. They said that he has an injury to his right wing, and he has head trauma and a severely overgrown beak, and is quite emaciated and weak. They are tube feeding him to strengthen him, they don't think he's well enough for solid food. He's in an incubator, and they are going to try to do xrays today if he is strong enough, so they can get a long-term diagnosis. They think the head trauma is maybe a week old, and the injury to the wing could have been from a predator trying to grab him when he was injured. They don't know of course. But the trauma is maybe consistent with him running into a window. 

I'm happy that he's still alive this morning and that they are going to give him a fighting chance.

What causes an overgrown beak?


----------

