Pied Pigeons (and other colors)

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In pigeonworld, 4 weeks old = awkward adolescence

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“Say hello to my little friend”

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King Robert wooing Gilly:

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Thing 3 and Thing 4 are on the way! These red veins will - if nothing goes wrong - hatch as a baby squab next Sunday. George and Wheezy are happy and busy keeping the two eggs pigeon-perfect warm. #nofilter #pigeons #racingpigeons #homingpigeons

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King Robert (on nest) and Gilly (standing) are now quite the mated pair. They stay together on or near the nest all day, except for short food/water breaks. That said, they don’t give off the same “we-are-fertile-and-must-procreate” vibe as George and Wheezy. As much as I’d love to see royal babies, I’m not currently expecting any eggs from Robert and Gilly, but - who knows - maybe they’ll surprise me.

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Clearly, the Things are no worse for wear after the trauma of the hawk attack. (L = Thing Two; R = Thing One)

10.5.21

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King Robert might have looked a bit sad while he was locked up with Gilly, but almost as soon as I freed them last week Robert went back and claimed the nest box as his own. Now I’m hoping that some recent flirting between Robert and Gilly indicates a mated relationship between the two.

9.20.21

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King Robert does not like being stuck in his “chamber of love.” Most of the day he sits by the window, eager to be free. That said, today I thought maybe - just maybe - the body language between Robert and Gilly began warming up, so he’s gonna have to wait a couple days before I give them free reign of the loft.

9.13.21

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Hawk attack!

We’re a little shaken tonight after a sustained hawk attack today. Normally it’s no big deal when the hawks come round because the loft is built to withstand critters of all varieties. But today’s attack happened when Thing One and Thing Two were flying loose out back and I had popped into the house.

I heard a loud crack! against the picture window and knew immediately that the Things were in trouble. Ran outside and chased away the hawk (for the moment). Thing Two was within reaching distance so I quickly gathered her inside the house. But I couldn’t find Thing One anywhere. I spent the next couple hours hoping that she was okay and would find her way back home. I kept patrolling the deck and back yard, looking for her and repeatedly chasing away the hawk. I took it as a good sign that the hawk kept coming back.

After a while it occurred to me that I shouldn’t just look *up* in my yard trees for Thing One but also down *low* and there she was. The poor thing had flown so hard into the lower portions of the lilac bushes that she was literally spread eagle, stuck in the branches like a Ramsay Bolton victim about to be flayed (undoubtedly what the hawk intended and why it kept coming back). She seems okay, but I’m concerned about possible internal injuries. She is limping. So both Things will be taking a hiatus from free flying for a while. 10.4.21

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Body language doesn’t lie. Robert Baratheon and his supposed mate Gilly (left pic) have been locked into a private “cell” aka nest box in hopes that time alone together will kindle a romantic spark.

Meanwhile George and Weezie (right pic) are so into one another that I think they might start another nest soon.

9.9.21

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Almost 5 weeks old and it’s pretty clear that I can’t call them ugly dinosaurs anymore

9.30.21

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Thing One and Thing Two keep maturing in leaps and bounds. Today was filled with practice flying and rambunctious baths on the deck. Thing One is so tuckered out that she’s dozing off during their favorite daily activity: watching TV with me.

9.27.21

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Thing One - Almost 3 weeks old

9.16.21

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Almost three weeks old. Still in the nest (when I don’t rudely take them out for photos) but Thing One has taken a few exploratory steps outside. Not quite feeding themselves but getting close.

9.16.21

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Baby update: Close up with Thing One and Thing Two

9.10.21

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Meet Joe, aka Gentle Joe aka Joe the Giant. He was given to me by the pigeon racing company when their rep came to pick up the lost hen a few weeks ago. Joe is the only unmatched bird in my loft but for now he’s okay with that. He reminds me of a beefy young farmhand who has one central need on his mind: food. Sometimes I think Joe could eat a circle around all the other birds combined.

10.3.21