# HELP please - abandoned pigeons



## NJCParker1979 (May 17, 2010)

I found a pigeon nest on my balcony just over two weeks ago containing an adult pigeon and two baby pigeons. Despite several people telling me they were 'vermin' and I should get rid of them I was more than happy for them to stay there. I've had a quick look at them everyday since then but yesterday the mother was no longer present. 
The last time I saw the adult pigeon was early yesterday afternoon (16th May). The baby pigeons were not on the nest all evening and went to sleep about a metre apart, sitting on the wooden floor and looking out from the balcony. This morning there is still no sign of an adult, and they are still not sitting on the nest.
Is it possible that they have been abandoned or that the adult has been killed? If so, what should I do as I do not want the babies to starve / die. 
I would estimate them to be about 2 weeks old and able to walk around and clean themselves. If I were to feed them etc would they be able to learn to fly and look after themselves etc?
I am not sure if they are able to eat by themselves.
I have put out some bits of wholemeal seeded bread and crumbled up oatcakes along with a container of water but have not seen them take any of this.
I am located in the UK and have contacted the RSPCA who said they might send someone to have a look but didn't offer any advice.
Apologies for my long and somewhat rambling post. I am quite worried about what to do and at what point I should intervene and would appreciate any advice.
Many thanks in advance, Nathaniel.
PS I am in the UK so the adult has been absent for about 24 hours as of now


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

At this age the babies are left alone for extended periods of time. Even if one of the parents got killed or is sick the other should come back to feed the babies.
So, watch carefully, maybe, hopefully one of the parents comes back to feed the babies.
Check their crops, see if there are seeds in there, you can feel them in front of their chests. Also watch their droppings, what do they look like? 
It should be only a week until the babies start eating on their own. 
If you're sure the babies are not fed, go and buy a bag of seeds and be prepared to feed them. You will also need a small syringe for water. 

Thank you for helping out those little guys.

Reti


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## NJCParker1979 (May 17, 2010)

Reti - thank you for your prompt reply.
Ok, so about fifteen minutes ago I started to hear an adult pigeon and saw one perched on top of a light post near the rear of my apartment. The baby pigeons both started runnning arond like mad and now the there is an adult stting in the nest again. 
The adult is being very noisy now and I think everything is ok. Very sorry if I've made a big fuss over nothing or wasted anyones time but the baby pigeons did seem to be distressed and were on their own for a very long time. thank you for your kindness, this is a very useful website, keep up the good work.
regards, Nathaniel.


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Indeed, at that age, they are so assertive, strong, so wound-up and excited, and so wild about Feed Times, Mom and dad do all they can to stay away from them...stopping by now and then to feed and water their beloved little feathered bundles of Squeaking Joy...pending when Dad will begin calling to them to fly after him for a succession over however many days, of forraging learning forays...when, finally ( ...sigh...) their job is done, and the used to be Babys, are onto gaining their independence, and, going off to make lives of their own ( so Mom and Dad can have some peace and quiet again! And coo and moo and cuddle and so on...)

So...sounds like all is well...


Thank you for being interested in them and concerned for their well being..!

Careful...it can get in your blood..!


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## amyable (Jul 7, 2007)

Hi Nathaniel,

Looks like all's well and you've got good advice already.

It would be nice if you did still supply a little wild bird seed scattered around them. If the parents feed in front of the youngsters they'll start learning to pick up seeds for themselves when ready. Gives the parents a bit of a break from going hunting for food aswell. 

Thanks for taking the trouble to come on here to check that they were ok.
By the way I wouldn't let the RSPCA take them if they turn up after all. They probably wouldn't keep them unfortunately.

Happy bird watching !!

Janet

ps love your name. My grandfather and uncle were called Nathaniel, haven't seen it much of late.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Janet is right about the RSPCA, they would just put them down. They don't even rescue stray and abandoned household pets now.

If you need to take them in, check this link


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## NJCParker1979 (May 17, 2010)

Hi, and thank you for all the help and advice. The baby pigeons are now on their own again, though I suspect that pdpbison is right in saying that the adult is just leaving them for long periods of time. Is it normal for them to be left alone ovenight? The strange thing is that they do not sleep in the nest anymore and just huddle up on the floor (as pictured). There seems to be only one adult caring for them now.
Janet and feefo - I had my suspicions about the RSPCA and would not have handed the birds over had I been in any doubt as to whether they would be kept alive and well. In that situation I would have either tried to care for them myself or taken them to a sanctuary. I will get hold of some wild bird seed and put a little outside. 
Could I ask some further advice? - The birds are making quite a mess of the balcony below mine and I am somewhat worried that the neighbours will complain to the landlord, and report me for letting the pigeons nest there. In light of this I would like to make sure that the adult does not nest here again just in case they call pest control. Obviously I do not want to cause distress to the pigeons, so my question is, what should I do? I was thinking of waiting until the babies fly away and then getting rid of the empty nest - would this be ok? 
Also, due to the fact that the pigeons seem to be ok at the moment, should I delete this thread, move it or change its name? 
Thanks once again for all the kind help, it's great to know that so many people put so much time and effort into helping peole care for these little animals - i've come to be quite protective of 'mine'. Cheers, Nathaniel.


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## PigeonQueen (Aug 13, 2006)

Hi where abouts are you based in the UK. Perhaps we could help you find a place to take the squabs?


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## NJCParker1979 (May 17, 2010)

hi, PigeonQueen - do you think I need to re-home the squabs now that there is an adult visiting? The squabs are alone again tonight but maybe the adult will return to feed them tomorrow as it did today? they seem calmer and certainly not distressed at this point in time. Though knowing nothing about this kind of thing I am open to advice.

I'm going to attempt to post a picture of their nest and also where they are sleeping now.


















I hope this worked. Nathaniel.


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## NJCParker1979 (May 17, 2010)

I'll try again

http://s808.photobucket.com/albums/zz2/NJCParker1979/?action=view&current=Pigeonnest.jpg

http://s808.photobucket.com/albums/zz2/NJCParker1979/?action=view&current=Pigeonsleeping.jpg


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## NJCParker1979 (May 17, 2010)

Update: Ok so at 20:00 both babies were sleeping on the floor, were I assumed they would stay until the morning. I had another look out at about 21:30 and couldn't see them anywhere. I live on the second floor and the balcony is surrounded by a metre high fence. I eventually found one of the babies balanced / sleeping on the railing of this fence. The other one was nowhere to be seen, so I worried that it had attempted to fly and fallen to the ground. Anyway, I looked around outside, under any bushes etc and couldn't see him/her anywhere. So unless he/she has crawled into the middle of a big bush I can only assume he has flown away. Maybe I was wrong about their age.


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## PigeonQueen (Aug 13, 2006)

Hello these pigeons are Woodpigeons and not feral pigeons as I first thought.Woodpigeons are emotionally more fragile than feral pigeons and it is best to leave them be (as long as there is no threat from Landlord or person below) for now.However I would keep a look out for them to make sure no harm comes to them. Hopefully they might fly away soon.

I would not bring their existence to the attention of the people below for now just incase they call pest control so say nothing to them. If anything is said after the birds have gone perhaps you could offer to help clean up their balcony?

Cynthia knows more about Woodpigeons so Ill pm her for her opinion.

Please keep us updated. many thanks Jayne


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## amyable (Jul 7, 2007)

That's a bit worrying looking at their picture. I'm rasing a juvenile Woodie at present that looks around the same age but although he can fly up to a point, I wouldn't have said he was ready to go it alone just yet.

I'm surprised to see they were Woodies nesting on the balcony, and as Jayne said, they are much more nervous of people so won't hang about longer than necessary.

Once they've left the nest, then yes clear it all away and hopefully they won't be back. At least if you see them starting to build another nest in the future, you could discourage them straight away before the eggs are laid.

Maybe have another look around in daylight, the other one might be pottering about down below trying to follow the parents. The trouble is at this stage once they're out and about they are at risk from preditors until they're better flyers. I hope it's ok but if you can't find it there isn't much more you can do unfortunately.

Good luck,

Janet


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Whatever amenities a Nest area or it'
s contiguous surrounds offer, the youngsters will explore it, and, elect to lay around in various places it offers, being out of the Nest then, as it were.

This intermediary to flying...

Also intermediary to flying proper, are the short tentative forays to immediate things or places young Wings can get them to...where, usually, they also endevor to return to the more or less Nest area's close surrounds, by night.

Misadventure can happen...so yes, indeed, do look around down below, in case one of them had got into some trouble or was unable to fly back up. at this age, he or she may not be developed enough to fly back up that high, unless convenient stages were positioned to do so in increments...


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Woodies fly at 22-25 days. After that their parents continue to feed them for about a week. This is a video of Hope, a pigeon in Paris. It was made by one of our members (Paris). 

There is a photo of her flying off when she was 21 days old, which should give you an idea of what they look like when they leave the nest, but I have had very young wood pigeons fly.

Have a good look for them as sometimes they leave the nest and can't actually fly, but if they had been predated you would find a lot of feathers. They are programmed to shed an enormous amount of feathers if caught...much more than a feral pigeon.

Woodies are tre nesters, a balcony (unless it had floiage) would be a bit exposed for them.

Cynthia


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## NJCParker1979 (May 17, 2010)

Feefo - Wow, what a beautiful video - they really are such amazing little creatures. I'm a 30 year old bodybuilder and never would of thought I could feel so caring and protective towards an animal, especially one so often referred to as a 'flying rat'. I spent the whole day nearly heartbroken when I thought they had been abandoned.
I think that they may have built the nest on my balcony as I keep both mine and my girlfriend's mountain bikes out there, and these probably provide cover for them. 
In light of the fact that Wood Pigeons are more emotionally fragile than their feral counterparts I cant help but think that by constantly checking on them I have unsettled them and encouraged at least one to leave the nest area earlier than they should have done. In fact I feel like a big lumbering idiot if I'm honest. I have now shut the curtains on the french doors overlooking the balcony so as to not disturb them further.
I got up at eight this morning and spent an hour searching around outside (there was no evidence of feather shed) to see if I could find the missing youngster, but to no avail. I suppose it is possible that he/she could have crawled into a bush and I didn't see them. I did however find that it looks as though the adults are living nearby as I saw them in a hole in the wall in the side of the tidal basin (I live on the River Humber). The other squab had returned to the nest, thankfully as I could harldy sleep last night worrying that he/she would fall off the railing on which he seemed to be sleeping. I have to head off to work soon but will have another look around when I get back home this evening. It seems strange to me that they both decided to try flying at half past eight last night, whenI would have thought that they would be 'roosting' or whatever they do. I really hoped that the other one would have returned this morning and was dissapointed to see that he/she hadn't. One of the adults turned up at about half past nine this morning to feed the remaining squab, so that's some good news.
Thank you everyone for your advice / comments. It's a shame that there is no facility for people like me who have used this great resource to donate a small contribution, oh well at least I know where to come with any future pigeon related concerns.
Thank you, Nathaniel.


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## amyable (Jul 7, 2007)

I'm sorry you weren't able to spot the missing baby, but just maybe it is doing ok.
It was funny you saying about them trying to fly off at 8.30 in the evening when you'd expect them to be settling down for the night.
I've also noticed this in the past when I've had to hand raise Woodies. The one I have at the moment is very wild but has been given it's freedom today in with my other pigeons to see if it tried to fly or not. It just sat in one place all day and didn't even attempt feed itself.
This evening I put it in a cage to bring it in to feed but left it for a moment sitting on the garden table while I put some things away. Initially it was sitting quietly then at 8.45 it started to flap like mad and climb up the bars of the cage trying to get out. It's the most active it had been all day. It could hear a lot of Woodies in the trees calling so that might have caused it to move, but in saying that they can be heard all day. When I've seen this in the past I was told it was because they want to get up high to roost for the night.
So I wonder if this was anything to do with your two's sudden activity.

Thank you for watching out for them.

Janet


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## NJCParker1979 (May 17, 2010)

*Empty nest*

Update - so I arrived home at nine this evening to find an empty nest and no sign of the second youngster anywhere. Again I searched outside in all accessable bushes etc and could find nothing. There were no feathers so I don't suspect a ground predator, and after considering an airborne one I realised that there is another balcony above mine, providing cover,and there were no feathers on the balcony either. I can only assume both have flown the coop, only one day apart. They seem very young to have left the nest but I can think of no other explaination. At least I hope that's what happened. I will really miss them. I already do!
Nathaniel.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

I hope that you catch sight of them and they are all right. If you do please let us know!

I think the parents are surprisingly good at keeping track of them and looking after them. Somewhere on the internet I found a photo of a very young wood pigeon on the ground, whoever took the photo said that one of the parents ushered the grounded baby under some bushes where it would be safer.

I am glad that you got this opportunity to watch baby wood pigeons grow, and to appreciate how beautiful they are. I have looked after babies but have never had a nest to watch, maybe it is just as well as I would probably end up a nervous wreck!


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